ASP Including Files

The #include Directive

You can insert the content of one ASP file into another ASP file before the server executes it, with the #include directive.

The #include directive is used to create functions, headers, footers, or elements that will be reused on multiple pages.

How to Use the #include Directive

Here is a file called "mypage.asp":

Here is the "wisdom.inc" file:

Here is the "time.inc" file:

If you look at the source code in a browser, it will look something like this:

Syntax for Including Files

To include a file in an ASP page, place the #include directive inside comment tags:

The Virtual Keyword

Use the virtual keyword to indicate a path beginning with a virtual directory.

If a file named "header.inc" resides in a virtual directory named /html, the following line would insert the contents of "header.inc":

The File Keyword

Use the file keyword to indicate a relative path. A relative path begins with the directory that contains the including file.

If you have a file in the html directory, and the file "header.inc" resides in html\headers, the following line would insert "header.inc" in your file:

Note that the path to the included file (headers\header.inc) is relative to the including file. If the file containing this #include statement is not in the html directory, the statement will not work.

Tips and Notes

In the sections above we have used the file extension ".inc" for included files. Notice that if a user tries to browse an INC file directly, its content will be displayed. If your included file contains confidential information or information you do not want any users to see, it is better to use an ASP extension. The source code in an ASP file will not be visible after the interpretation. An included file can also include other files, and one ASP file can include the same file more than once.

Important: Included files are processed and inserted before the scripts are executed. The following script will NOT work because ASP executes the #include directive before it assigns a value to the variable:

You cannot open or close a script delimiter in an INC file. The following script will NOT work:

But this script will work:

Make your web applications look like a million bucks

Most web applications today use boring methods to present data to their viewers using grids or simple HTML tables. FusionCharts induces "life" into the web applications by converting monotonous data into lively charts, gauges & maps. FusionCharts works with all technologies like ASP, ASP.NET, PHP, ColdFusion, Ruby on Rails, JSP, HTML pages etc. and connects to any database to render animated & interactive charts. It takes less than 15 minutes and no expertise whatsoever to build your first chart and just a glance of it to captivate your audience. This fact is endorsed by our 12,000 customers and 150,000 users which include a majority of the Fortune 500 companies. And yeah, your applications could look like a million bucks by spending just $69. So go ahead, download your copy of FusionCharts and start "wow-ing" your customers now!

W3Schools' Online Certification Program The perfect solution for professionals who need to balance work, family, and career building. More than 4000 certificates already issued!

The HTML Certificate documents your knowledge of HTML, XHTML, and CSS.

The JavaScript Certificate documents your knowledge of JavaScript and HTML DOM.

The XML Certificate documents your knowledge of XML, XML DOM and XSLT.

The ASP Certificate documents your knowledge of ASP, SQL, and ADO.

The PHP Certificate documents your knowledge of PHP and SQL (MySQL).