Create ASP for referral ID

**jet_wang** · Aug 19, 2001 21:40

Can someone help me. I want to try make referral id. Is it in every page I should always receive the referral id and post it again ? Or I just create a cookies ? Or maybe there is another way. Can someone explain to me ? Thanks

**goober** · Aug 20, 2001 05:40

Explain to us exactly what you're trying to accomplish (i.e "i have a list of products, and I need to pass the product ID to the next page when a link is clicked on") etc., or something like that.

Ultimately, you're going to learn QueryStrings in this post. How to send them, how to get them. How much do you know about querystrings before-hand?

**Jeremy W.** · Aug 20, 2001 06:31

This one sounds like fun, I'm in for this lesson, I might learn something

(yes, I know querystrings, but I'm not sure I KNOW them

)

**dhtmlgod** · Aug 20, 2001 07:39

whoohoo querystrings

uhm...yeah...

**goober** · Aug 20, 2001 10:26

Well, jet, what are you trying to do in your site? Give us a little description. Are you linking products or articles or something like that?

edited due to stupidity.

**goober** · Aug 20, 2001 11:35

I've taken care of it.

**jet_wang** · Aug 21, 2001 05:48

Thanks for replying.

I want to make a homepage to sell my product. Just like Amazon.com, people register to affiliate. After that they put a banner or link in their homepage with their affiliate number (example: http://www.myhomepage.com?affiliateid=a11001). So when people interest, it'll take to my homepage.
And what I want to ask is what is the best way to keep the 'affiliateid'. So when people browsing through my homepage (not register yet), I still can find out where they came from. And when they register, the 'affiliateid' is recorded.

I know about querystring. But I'm wondering what is the convenient way to do that.
I was thinking to create the 'affiliateid' to cookies. So when they register, I just get the cookies.
Is there any better way ? Thanks for comments and suggestions.

**dhtmlgod** · Aug 21, 2001 05:58

the easiest way to do it would enter the affliateid as a sessiob objejct, and then they registed, record it into a db

**goober** · Aug 21, 2001 06:19

(edited due to a slight misunderstanding)

Well, you obviously have your users database if you're having people sign up. I would suggest, in the orders table, including an optional "affiliateid" field.

If you know about global.asa, then what you do is go into global.asa and insert this code into the Sub Session_onStart area:

Code:

If NOT Request.QueryString("affiliateid") = "" then
Session("affiliateid") = Request.QueryString("affiliateid")
End If

This will save the affiliate ID for as long as a person has your site open (a.k.a they have an 'open session' with your site). Then, when someone registers, Check to see if the session value exists. If it does, add it into that 'affiliateid' field in your sales table.

If you've any questions, just let me know.

Hope this helped.

**jet_wang** · Aug 21, 2001 06:23

Can you explain more about this or where I can find the reference. I don't know much about sesssion. And what's the benefit using session ?

**jet_wang** · Aug 21, 2001 06:33

I forget something...
I use web hosting service and I don't think they will let me to modify the global.asa

**goober** · Aug 21, 2001 06:37

Session variables require less scripting to access than cookies. I don't have to go through the process of getting cookie values, I can simply say something like

Code:

<% Response.Write Session("affiliateid") %>

Some handy articles on Sessions can be found here:

I hope this helps a little bit. If not, Someone else has to have some links on Session variables that they can lend to you.

Good luck. If you can't find any articles, I'll show you how to use them, though I'm not the best. They should also be used sparingly (i.e don't use 20 of them, it will slow down your performance. 1 or 2 is alright).

'Till next time..

**goober** · Aug 21, 2001 06:39

Well, jet, they SHOULD let you edit global.asa. It's included with every one of your web applications. It's just a text file. I can copy you a blank one if you'd like to paste in your home directory.

If they don't let you edit it, there's something fishy there. If you can't use session variables, you'll have to use cookies. And that's no fun, so much extra work.

**jet_wang** · Aug 21, 2001 06:52

Thanks a lot for your help.

I'll try to read the articles first and ask to my webhosting provider how to use the global.asa.

**dhtmlgod** · Aug 21, 2001 07:16

but cookies are fun... spcially the chocolate chip kind

jet, who is ur host?

amd if you need help with cookies, dont hesitate to ask

**Omair Haroon** · Aug 21, 2001 08:06

I would recommend using Cookies.. This way you would not only increase the number of affiliates..

This is the same method as CJ have..

[method]
When a visitor clicks your affiliates banner, he visits your website. and a cookie is set on the visitors compputer.. and is valid for the next one month...
after one month the cookie expires..

In the order table and the member ship table there should be an additional field known as affiliate.. in which the affiliates field would ke inserted if any..

[/method]

Any comments on the method ??

**dhtmlgod** · Aug 21, 2001 09:15

yeah, user has cookies turned off

cookies are good for remembering people, and saving time to log in etc. but as for retaining information that has to be taken over pages it isnt the safest way. if you cant do it thru session objects, you best with thr querystring

**Omair Haroon** · Aug 21, 2001 10:40

There is always an alternate way...

you can always put up a note that Cookies have to be enabled in order to track affiliates..

or you can always use the querystrings method..

either one would work...

it all depends on you...

' Happy Coding

**jet_wang** · Aug 21, 2001 20:34

I assume everybody enabled to receive cookies. But if the visitors already sign, then automatically the cookies will be delete. So when the next time they visite my homepage again. The affiliateid will no longer stay (either they sign or not sign). But this is still my theory.

About querystring, that mean in every page in my site I have to put the request.querystring("affiliateid") and <input type=hidden name="affiliateid" value="request.querystring("affiliateid")">
Is that right ?
As the discussion before, it seem session is the best way to do this job.

**dhtmlgod** · Aug 22, 2001 04:42

About querystring, that mean in every page in my site I have to put the request.querystring("affiliateid") and <input type=hidden name="affiliateid" value="request.querystring("affiliateid")">
Is that right ?

not really, jus make each link look like

Code:

<a href="blah.asp<%if len(request.querystring("affiliateid")) > 1 then response.write("?" & request.querystring("affiliateid"))%>">Blah</a>

**jet_wang** · Aug 22, 2001 06:51

Is that mean that I have put the
<%if len(request.querystring("affiliateid")) > 1 then response.write("?" & request.querystring("affiliateid"))%>

after every links ?

**dhtmlgod** · Aug 22, 2001 07:02

uhm... yeah... so sessions is the easiest way

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