Active Server Pages provides built-in objects that make it easier for you to gather information sent with a browser request, to respond to the browser, and to store information about a particular user, such as user-selected preferences. This topic briefly describes each object.
You use the Application object to share information among all users of a given application.
You use the Request object to gain access to any information that is passed with an HTTP request. This includes parameters passed from an HTML form using either the POST method or the GET method, cookies, and client certificates. The Request object also gives you access to binary data sent to the server, such as file uploads.
You use the Response object to control the information you send to a user. This includes sending information directly to the browser, redirecting the browser to another URL, or setting cookie values.
The Server object provides access to methods and properties on the server. The most frequently used method is the one that creates an instance of an ActiveX component (Server.CreateObject). Other methods apply URL or HTML encoding to strings, map virtual paths to physical paths, and set the timeout period for a script.
You use the Session object to store information needed for a particular user session. Variables stored in the Session object are not discarded when the user jumps between pages in the application; instead, these variables persist for the entire time the user is accessing pages in your application. You can also use Session methods to explicitly end a session and set the timeout period for an idle session.
You use the ObjectContext object to either commit or abort a transaction initiated by an ASP script.