When writing an app that uses webservices - make sure that you designate the webservice URL in your project setup as 'dynamic' so that if the service moves you don't have to recompile the app...


when will I learn.....

This goes for virtually any type of programming. If you can use relative paths then use them.

Remember when using a Windows 2003 Server by default "Parent Paths" is disabled so some ASP Coding can cause certain errors. But in general there are ways around this such as using a constant reference to your root and coding from there. Least there is only one change if any that you need to make.

Bobum - I cannot count the number of hours that I have spent "correcting" my paths in code... Buy hey, keeps us busy

This is OH SO TRUE! Speaking of the parent directories being off by default in 2K3 - I bet I spent he better part of a day fighting with that only to figure it out and then kick myself for the rest of the day...any idea why such a standard web practice is off by default in 2K3? I don't understand the logic in that one.

Scott...

it opens up the possibility of a user being able to navigate themselves outside of their web directory. This falls on user permissions, but why only have one failsafe if you can have more? Personally I don't use the "../" parent directory stuff... i find it easier just to get out of that in the first place.

Do you just do everything root relative then instead of walking back up the directory tree?

Mostly... i'll either use the "/path/to/here" or "path/to/here" to get where im going... if I can't do it that way then I don't do it

gotcha - that's cool

Josh is spot on.

We do have security permissions implimented but there is always room for extra security. I agree with the prospect of getting out of using the parent path referencing as it makes for better coding and most importantly secure coding.

Does anyone know of a whitepaper or documentation for the security issue with THIS specific feature? We are migrating to 2k3 and currently we are allowing parent directories - but I'm all for added security and in order to get this considered for lockdown I need some documentation on it. Anyone help me on that?