When your ASP script starts running, it has quite a number of system variables that help it perform tasks based on the browser the user is using, the type of computer they are running on, the language accepted, and much more. You can then customize your HTML so that it is just perfect for IE, or perfect for Netscape, or uses fonts for a Macintosh, and much more.
Here are some commmonly used server variables.
| Variable Name | Function |
| HTTP_USER_AGENT | Browser the user is running |
| HTTP_UA_OS | Operating system the user is running |
| HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE | Language the user wants |
| REMOTE_HOST | IP address of the user |
| GET_METHOD | GET or POST |
| HTTP_REFERER | The previous page the user came from |
For example, here is a block of code that writes out the appropriate stylesheet entry to the page based on which type of browser the user is running.
Dim ServerVar
Set ServerVar = Request.ServerVariables
BrowserName = ServerVar(“HTTP_USER_AGENT”)
OpSys = ServerVar(“HTTP_UA_OS”)
‘SHOW STYLESHEET FOR MATCHING SYSTEM’
if InStr(BrowserName, “MSIE”) > 0 and InStr(BrowserName, “Win”) > 0 then
Response.Write “<link rel=’stylesheet’ href=’/_css/windows/ie.css’>”
end if
if InStr(BrowserName, “MSIE”) > 0 and InStr(BrowserName, “Win”) = 0 then
Response.Write “<link rel=’stylesheet’ href=’/_css/mac/ie.css’>”
end if
if InStr(BrowserName, “MSIE”) = 0 and InStr(BrowserName, “Win”) > 0 then
Response.Write “<link rel=’stylesheet’ href=’/_css/windows/netscape.css’>”
end if
if InStr(BrowserName, “MSIE”) = 0 and InStr(BrowserName, “Win”) = 0 then
Response.Write “<link rel=’stylesheet’ href=’/_css/mac/netscape.css’>”
end if