I want to always know the last order number assigned (plus some other variables)and assumed that by assigning it to an application variable I would accomplish this. I find, however, that these variables are cleared from time to time so I assume an application times out after awhile and is started anew. I suppose this means that I must write code within global.asa (Application_OnEnd) to save the variables to a disk file and code in Application_OnStart to read them in and reset them as Application variables. Before I begin doing this I thought I'd check my assumptions with someone who has already encountered and solved this need.

Hi there,

Yes, your assumptions are correct. Depending on your OS, IIS is restarted every now and then (for example, Windows Server 2003 has a setting that allows you to restart the application every xx minutes or hours, preventing possible memory leaks for example).

It's indeed a good idea to store this information in a text file, or in a database. If I were you, I wouldn't rely on on Application_OnEnd, but instead write the data to the file as soon as it is changed.

Check out the following article that describes this entire process. It uses a Hit Counter as an example, but basically you can save anything you want:

http://Imar.Spaanjaars.Som/QuickDocID.aspx?QUICKDOC=164

There is also a database version of the article, where the contents are stored in a database:

http://Imar.Spaanjaars.Som/QuickDocID.aspx?QUICKDOC=165

Cheers,

Imar


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Imar Spaanjaars
Everyone is unique, except for me.