# Classic ASP / VBScript Coding Rules

_Live from BN_CodingRules. Follow these when writing new .asp files._

## VBScript Syntax

### 1.1 — Identifiers cannot start with an underscore  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Compilation error 800a0408 "Invalid character" at the line where the identifier appears.

**Why:** VBScript rejects any identifier whose first character is an underscore. This applies to variables, functions, parameters, and constants.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Dim _ansRaw
Function _fmtPrice(p) : ... : End Function
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Dim ansRaw
Function fmtTicketPrice(p) : ... : End Function
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in _event_placeholders.asp (renamed _fmtPrice -> fmtTicketPrice and _ordinalSuffix -> ordinalSuffix) and earlier in workshop.asp (_ansRaw).

### 1.2 — Single-line If/Then cannot be chained with ElseIf  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Compilation error 800a03f6 "Expected End" at the ElseIf line.

**Why:** A single-line "If x Then y" closes the If at end of line. The ElseIf that follows is orphaned. To use ElseIf, every branch must be on its own line with Then at end-of-line, terminated by End If.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
If h = 0 Then h = 12 : ap = "AM"
ElseIf h = 12 Then ap = "PM"
Else ap = "AM"
End If
```

**DO:**
```vbs
If h = 0 Then
    h = 12
    ap = "AM"
ElseIf h = 12 Then
    ap = "PM"
Else
    ap = "AM"
End If
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in AIWorkshopOffer.asp FmtTime helper. Note: single-line "If x Then y Else z" WITHOUT ElseIf IS legal.

### 1.3 — Functions return by assigning to the function name  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Either a runtime error or the function returns Empty.

**Why:** VBScript has no Return keyword. A function returns by assigning its result to a variable with the same name as the function.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Function Double(n)
    Return n * 2
End Function
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function Double(n)
    Double = n * 2
End Function
```

_Hit in:_ Common gotcha when coming from JS or other languages. Every helper in our codebase follows the assign-to-name pattern.

### 1.4 — VBScript has no native IIf — define your own  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Runtime error 800a000d "Type mismatch: IIf".

**Why:** Unlike VB/VBA, VBScript does not ship with an IIf function. Calling IIf without a local definition throws Type mismatch at runtime.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
x = IIf(cond, valTrue, valFalse)   'without a local IIf definition
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function IIf(cond, valT, valF)
    If cond Then IIf = valT Else IIf = valF
End Function
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in Board.asp. Defined a local IIf helper at the top of the file to fix it.

### 1.5 — Never Dim the same variable twice in one Sub/Function  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Compilation error 800a0411 "Name redefined" at the second Dim line. The whole file fails to compile so the page 500s.

**Why:** VBScript treats a duplicate Dim inside the same procedure scope as a hard compile error. Most other languages let you re-declare; VBScript does not. Easy to hit when you copy-paste a block from elsewhere in the file and the variable was already Dim'd earlier in the same Sub.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Sub sendThemedConfirmation()
    Dim host : host = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_HOST")
    ' ... 30 lines later ...
    Dim host   ' second Dim — compile error
End Sub
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Sub sendThemedConfirmation()
    Dim host : host = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_HOST")
    ' ... 30 lines later ...
    host = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_HOST")   ' just assign, do not re-Dim
End Sub
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in request_submit.asp on 2026-05 — Dim host appeared at lines 542 and 574 inside the same Sub. Removed the second Dim and the file compiled.

### 1.6 — Use CDbl/CCur for large numbers — CLng overflows at ~2.1 billion  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Runtime error 800a0006 "Overflow" on CLng() when the input number is above 2,147,483,647 (or below -2,147,483,648).

**Why:** CLng casts to a 32-bit signed integer. Phone numbers, Stripe amounts in cents, Twilio IDs, large timestamps and many other "numeric-looking" strings exceed Long range and overflow. CDbl handles any size; CCur is correct for currency math.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
amount = CLng(Request.Form("amount_cents"))   ' overflows on anything >= $21.47M
phoneInt = CLng(rawPhone)                       ' overflows on most full-format phone numbers
```

**DO:**
```vbs
If IsNumeric(rawAmount) Then
    amount = CDbl(rawAmount)        ' arbitrary magnitude, OK for IDs
    ' or, for money math:
    amount = CCur(rawAmount)        ' fixed 4-decimal currency type
End If
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in CPG property edit pricing on 2026-05. Default to CDbl unless you specifically need 32-bit truncation.

### 1.7 — Don't colon-pack If/Else across a function body  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Compilation error 800a03f4 'Expected If' or 800a0401 'Expected end of statement' when the page loads — sometimes only on IIS, not when you eyeball the file.

**Why:** VBScript's colon separator only works for the SINGLE-LINE If syntax (If x Then a = 1 Else a = 2). The moment you try to wrap a multi-keyword block (Function, Sub, Do, For) with colons, the parser can't tell where the block ends. Pasting from one-line examples is the common trigger.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Function HE(s) : If IsNull(s) Then HE = "" Else HE = Server.HTMLEncode(s & "") : End Function
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function HE(s)
    If IsNull(s) Then
        HE = ""
    Else
        HE = Server.HTMLEncode(s & "")
    End If
End Function
```

_Hit in:_ ManageCodingRules.asp top-of-file helpers. Multiple ASP files across BN + freestylerslegacy.


## Null Handling

### 2.1 — Null & "" = Null (not "")  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Downstream string operations like Len, Left, Mid, InStr throw Type mismatch.

**Why:** VBScript preserves Null through string concatenation. Concatenating Null with "" does NOT coerce to "". You must explicitly check with IsNull.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Dim x : x = dict(key)
If Len(x) > 0 Then ...   'throws Type mismatch if x is Null
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Dim x : x = dict(key) & ""
If IsNull(x) Then x = ""
```

_Hit in:_ Hit multiple times in workshop.asp (pills_multi block) and in _event_placeholders.asp.

### 2.2 — Always coerce recordset field reads with & ""  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Any NULL column poisons downstream concat/string ops.

**Why:** Reading rs("FieldName") returns a Variant. NULL columns come back as the Null value, not an empty string. Append & "" to coerce to String.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
evName = rs("EventName")   'fragile — breaks if EventName is NULL
```

**DO:**
```vbs
evName = rs("EventName") & ""
```

_Hit in:_ Standard pattern across all our .asp files. Every single rs(...) read in GetEventDetail.asp, SaveEvent.asp, etc. uses & "".

### 2.3 — Mid/Left/InStr on non-string Variants throws Type mismatch  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Runtime error 800a000d "Type mismatch" on the Mid/Left/InStr call.

**Why:** Dictionary returns from NTEXT columns or certain Variant types pass IsNull/IsEmpty but still blow up on string ops. Coerce defensively with & "" AND wrap in On Error Resume Next.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
pipeP = InStr(1, existing, "|", 1)   'throws if existing is a non-string Variant
```

**DO:**
```vbs
On Error Resume Next
Dim raw : raw = existing & ""
If IsNull(raw) Then raw = ""
If Len(raw) > 0 Then pipeP = InStr(1, raw, "|", 1)
If Err.Number <> 0 Then Err.Clear : raw = ""
On Error GoTo 0
```

_Hit in:_ Hit multiple times in workshop.asp pills_multi block (line 556). The dictionary returned NTEXT content as an odd Variant.

### 2.4 — CDate can throw Type mismatch even when IsDate is True  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Runtime error 800a000d "Type mismatch" on WeekdayName/Weekday/MonthName after a CDate.

**Why:** Some DB date formats pass IsDate() but fail CDate() downstream (localization quirks, odd formats). Wrap casts in On Error Resume Next.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
dateLong = WeekdayName(Weekday(CDate(evDate)), False) & " " & ...   'no guard
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Dim dCast
On Error Resume Next
If IsDate(evDate) Then
    dCast = CDate(evDate)
    If Err.Number = 0 Then
        dateLong = WeekdayName(Weekday(dCast), False) & ", " & MonthName(Month(dCast), False) & " " & Day(dCast) & ", " & Year(dCast)
    End If
End If
If Err.Number <> 0 Then Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in AIWorkshopOffer.asp line 105. IsDate(evDate) returned True but the chained CDate/Weekday call threw Type mismatch anyway.

### 2.5 — Read migration-added columns defensively  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Runtime error "Item cannot be found in the collection corresponding to the requested name" — often crashes the page in dev/staging where the migration hasn't run yet.

**Why:** When a new column is added via migration, other environments may not have it yet. Always wrap reads in On Error Resume Next until the migration is universally deployed.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
evSub = rs("Subtitle") & ""   'crashes if the Subtitle column migration hasn't run yet
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Dim evSub : evSub = ""
On Error Resume Next
evSub = rs("Subtitle") & ""
If Err.Number <> 0 Then evSub = "" : Err.Clear
On Error GoTo 0
```

_Hit in:_ Pattern used in GetEventDetail.asp for the new Subtitle column (added 2026-04-29).

### 2.6 — Always wrap recordset values with HE() or HA() before output  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Type mismatch 'CStr' (800a000d) when a column is NULL. Or worse — silent <script> injection from a user-supplied field rendered raw.

**Why:** rs("col") returns Null (not empty string) when the column is NULL. Server.HTMLEncode(Null) throws. Concatenating Null with anything but & "" propagates Null. And raw output of any DB string is an XSS vector if the value ever came from a user form. The HE()/HA() helpers handle both problems in one call.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<%= rs("first_name") %>
<input value="<%= rs("title") %>">
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<%= HE(rs("first_name")) %>
<input value="<%= HA(rs("title")) %>">

' Top-of-file helpers (multi-line — see rule 1.7):
Function HE(s)
    If IsNull(s) Then
        HE = ""
    Else
        HE = Server.HTMLEncode(s & "")
    End If
End Function
Function HA(s)
    If IsNull(s) Then HA = "" : Exit Function
    HA = Replace(Replace(Replace(s & "", "&", "&amp;"), """", "&quot;"), "<", "&lt;")
End Function
```

_Hit in:_ Standard top-of-file helpers in every BN admin page (ManageCodingRules.asp, editinvoice.asp).


## Database

### 3.1 — MARS deadlock — one open recordset per connection  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Queries silently return nothing, or the page renders empty JSON. No error is thrown.

**Why:** SQL Server without MARS allows only one open recordset per connection. Calling a helper that opens its own recordset while a parent rs is still open deadlocks or returns empty.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT ...")
resolved = ResolveEventPlaceholders(rs("Description") & "", id, conn)   'BREAKS — rs still open
```

**DO:**
```vbs
rawDesc = rs("Description") & ""
jsonOut = jsonOut & """description"":""__DESC_PLACEHOLDER__"","
rs.Close : Set rs = Nothing
'Now safe to call helpers that open their own recordsets:
Dim resolved : resolved = ResolveEventPlaceholders(rawDesc, id, conn)
jsonOut = Replace(jsonOut, "__DESC_PLACEHOLDER__", JSONEsc(resolved))
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in GetEventDetail.asp — EditEvent.asp and Eventdetails.asp were loading blank because ResolveEventPlaceholders was called while rs was still open. Fix: capture raw, close rs, call helper, stitch result back with Replace.

### 3.2 — Always close recordsets and null the reference  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Connection pool leaks, slow queries over time, occasional "connection busy" errors.

**Why:** ADO recordsets hold connection resources. Close + Set Nothing frees them immediately instead of waiting for GC.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
'...no close... just let the rs go out of scope
```

**DO:**
```vbs
rs.Close : Set rs = Nothing
```

_Hit in:_ Every recordset read in the codebase should be followed by this pair.

### 3.3 — Always SQL-escape user values before building SQL  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** SQL injection vulnerability + runtime SQL syntax errors on values containing apostrophes.

**Why:** Build a SqlSafe helper that doubles single quotes. Use it on every value that goes into a SQL string.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
sql = "UPDATE BN_Events SET EventName = '" & evName & "' WHERE ..."   'unsanitized
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function SqlSafe(str) : SqlSafe = Replace(str & "", "'", "''") : End Function
sql = "UPDATE BN_Events SET EventName = '" & SqlSafe(evName) & "' WHERE ..."
```

_Hit in:_ SqlSafe is defined in SaveEvent.asp and used across all our UPDATE/INSERT statements.

### 3.4 — Clamp form input lengths to column width before SQL  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** SQL error "String or binary data would be truncated" when a user pastes something longer than the column width.

**Why:** Before using a form value in SQL, check Len() and truncate with Left() to match the column definition.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
'no length check before UPDATE BN_Events SET Subtitle = '...'
```

**DO:**
```vbs
If Len(evSubtitle) > 255 Then evSubtitle = Left(evSubtitle, 255)
```

_Hit in:_ Pattern used in SaveEvent.asp for the Subtitle NVARCHAR(255) column.

### 3.5 — Migrations must be idempotent  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Re-running a migration throws "column already exists" or duplicates seed data.

**Why:** Every schema change must be guarded by IF NOT EXISTS / IF EXISTS. Every seed UPDATE should be guarded by a WHERE that only matches when the field is currently empty/null.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
ALTER TABLE dbo.BN_Events ADD Subtitle NVARCHAR(255) NULL   'fails on re-run
```

**DO:**
```vbs
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM sys.columns WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID('dbo.BN_Events') AND name = 'Subtitle')
BEGIN
    ALTER TABLE dbo.BN_Events ADD Subtitle NVARCHAR(255) NULL
END
```

_Hit in:_ Pattern used in _migrations/2026-04-29_event_subtitle.sql.

### 3.6 — Admin check on BN_Members is MemberRole='admin', NOT a boolean IsAdmin column  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** SQL error 80040e14 "Invalid column name 'IsAdmin'" when querying BN_Members for an admin check.

**Why:** The BN_Members table uses a text MemberRole column (values: "member", "admin", possibly others) - there is no IsAdmin bit column. Don't invent one. Every page that needs to gate on admin status must read MemberRole.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT ISNULL(IsAdmin,0) AS IsAdmin FROM BN_Members ...")   'column does not exist
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT ISNULL(MemberRole,'member') AS MemberRole FROM BN_Members WHERE MemberID = " & CLng(mid))
If Not rs.EOF Then isAdmin = (LCase(Trim(rs("MemberRole") & "")) = "admin")
```

_Hit in:_ Hit on MemberVlog.asp, AdminVlog.asp, Vlog_api.asp on 2026-04-29. The canonical pattern lives in Shoutouts.asp lines 10-21.

### 3.7 — Never SELECT NVARCHAR(MAX) columns alongside short fields you actually need to read  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Short text and numeric fields silently come back as NULL on the SQLOLEDB driver when a NVARCHAR(MAX) (or NTEXT) column is in the same recordset. No error is thrown — the data just disappears. The standard "adUseClient + adOpenStatic" workaround does NOT always fix it on Windows Server.

**Why:** Once a MAX column is in the SELECT, the default forward-only cursor streams that column as a chunked LOB and the driver loses track of values for other columns when they're read in a different order. Pulling MAX columns in isolation is the only reliable fix we've found.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT PropertyID, PropertyName, Price, LeasePrice, Description, Features, AIMarketOpinion FROM CPG_Properties WHERE ...")
' rs("Price") and rs("LeasePrice") will silently be NULL because Description/Features/AIMarketOpinion are NVARCHAR(MAX)
```

**DO:**
```vbs
' 1) Read short fields without the MAX columns:
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT PropertyID, PropertyName, Price, LeasePrice FROM CPG_Properties WHERE ...")
' 2) Then, for each row that needs them, pull MAX columns in isolation:
Function DirectGet(propID, colName)
    Dim rsX
    Set rsX = conn.Execute("SELECT [" & colName & "] FROM CPG_Properties WHERE PropertyID = " & CLng(propID))
    If Not rsX.EOF Then DirectGet = rsX(0) & "" Else DirectGet = ""
    rsX.Close : Set rsX = Nothing
End Function
```

_Hit in:_ Hit hard in CPG_Properties admin on 2026-05 after adding Description / Features / LeasePriceLines / AIMarketOpinion as NVARCHAR(MAX). Brochure + listing + admin form were all reading NULL for Price.

### 3.8 — Single-field edits need a surgical UPDATE action — never reuse the bulk update path  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Editing one field through a UI silently wipes other columns to NULL/empty because the bulk update action expects every column in the POST and treats missing ones as blanks.

**Why:** A bulk update handler typically does "UPDATE T SET col1=?, col2=?, col3=? ..." with every form value, including the ones that weren't in the lightweight UI. If you call it from a one-field editor (like an inline title edit), the omitted fields land as empty strings or NULL.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
' Inline title editor sends only {action:"update", title:"new"}
' Server runs the bulk UPDATE — wipes caption, year, location, category, spotId, etc.
```

**DO:**
```vbs
' Add a surgical action that only UPDATEs the one column:
Case "update_title"
    sql = "UPDATE FL_Photos SET Title = ? WHERE PhotoID = ? AND OwnerRiderID = ?"
    ' (parameterized; touches nothing else)
End Case
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in photo_api.asp on 2026-05 — the inline lightbox title edit was using action=update and nulling out category/spotId/jamId/compId. Added an update_title action that touches only Title.

### 3.9 — Auto-create-on-first-hit table patterns fail silently — always verify with a SELECT  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Page tracking / logging / stats appear "broken" — counts stay at zero forever. No errors visible in the UI because the CREATE TABLE is wrapped in On Error Resume Next and the INSERT silently no-ops when the table doesn't exist.

**Why:** IIS app pool DB user often lacks CREATE TABLE permission in production. The standard "IF NOT EXISTS / CREATE TABLE" idiom wrapped in OERN swallows the permission error, then every subsequent INSERT is a silent NOOP against a non-existent object.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
' Just hope the auto-create worked:
On Error Resume Next
conn.Execute "IF NOT EXISTS (...) CREATE TABLE BN_VlogPageViews (...)"
conn.Execute "INSERT INTO BN_VlogPageViews ..."
' (errors are eaten — you'll never know why nothing is logging)
```

**DO:**
```vbs
' Run the CREATE TABLE manually as a privileged user the FIRST time:
' SQL_Create_VlogPageViews.sql — checked into _migrations/ and executed in SSMS.
' Then ship a one-off diagnostic page (VlogTrackingDiag.asp) that prints sysobjects/CREATE/INSERT errors verbatim so you can debug permission issues directly.
```

_Hit in:_ Hit on BN_VlogPageViews 2026-05 — auto-create failed silently in prod (Appdata user lacked CREATE TABLE), so every page view INSERT was a NOOP and stat pills showed 0.

### 3.10 — Wrap every conn.Execute in On Error Resume Next + JSON error reply  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Browser sees Server 500 with the raw "Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server error '80040e14'" page. Front-end .catch() handlers fire with a generic "Network error" toast because the response isn't JSON.

**Why:** Classic ASP without On Error Resume Next bubbles the SQL Server error straight to IIS as a 500 with a leaked HTML error page. Front-end fetch().then(r => r.json()) blows up because the body is HTML, not JSON, and the user gets no actionable error.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Set rs = conn.Execute(sql)
' …code that assumes rs is valid…
```

**DO:**
```vbs
On Error Resume Next
Set rs = conn.Execute(sql)
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
    Response.Clear
    Response.ContentType = "application/json"
    Response.Write "{""success"":false,""error"":""DB error (" & action & "): " & _
        Replace(Err.Description, """", "'") & """}"
    Err.Clear
    Response.End
End If
On Error GoTo 0
```

_Hit in:_ TeamAdmin_api.asp send_invoice + send_w9 + show_times. Pattern now standard across the file.


## File Organization

### 4.1 — Define helper Functions at the TOP of the ASP file  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Inconsistent behavior — the function works in some places but returns Empty in others.

**Why:** VBScript function hoisting is reliable within a single <% %> block but inconsistent when functions are defined in one block and called from HTML-inline <%= ... %> blocks lower in the file. Putting helpers in the first <% %> block avoids this.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
'helpers defined near the BOTTOM of the file, called from inline <%= ... %> at the top
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<%@ Language=VBScript %>
<%
Response.Buffer = True
%>
<!--#include file="Dbconn_bn.asp"-->
<%
'ALL HELPERS HERE:
Function HE(s) : ... : End Function
Function JSReady(s) : ... : End Function
'...then data loading, then render
%>
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in EventSignup.asp — JSReadyName was defined at the bottom but called in a <script> block higher up. Moved to the top helpers section.


## Database

### 3.11 — Grep the codebase for table/column names before writing a new query  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** SQL Server error 80040e14 'Invalid object name' or 'Invalid column name' on a query you just wrote — even though sibling pages query the same data fine.

**Why:** Table names get pluralized/abbreviated differently across the schema (services vs service_lookup, accounts vs Accounts, riders.last_name doesn't exist — it's just .name). The only reliable check is to grep the existing codebase for any other file that already joins or selects from the same data and copy that exact shape.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
-- Assumed name based on what "seems normal":
JOIN services sv ON sv.service_id = s.service_id
```

**DO:**
```vbs
-- Confirmed by greping editinvoice.asp + bonus.asp + PendingApprovalBlast.asp first:
JOIN service_lookup sv ON sv.service_code = s.service_code
```

_Hit in:_ TeamAdmin_api.asp line 548 send_invoice action. Verified against TeamAdmin.asp line 783.


## File Organization

### 4.2 — Never use <!--#include--> inside a conditional  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** The included file loads unconditionally regardless of the runtime branch.

**Why:** <!--#include--> is a compile-time directive, inlined before VBScript runs. For runtime-conditional includes, use Server.Execute.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
If role = "admin" Then
    <!--#include file="admin_sidebar.asp"-->   'always included regardless of role
```

**DO:**
```vbs
If role = "admin" Then Server.Execute "admin_sidebar.asp" Else Server.Execute "member_sidebar.asp"
```

_Hit in:_ Pattern used in Board.asp and workshop.asp for role-based sidebars.


## Database

### 3.12 — Every transactional SendGrid email must write a row to EmailsLog  _[best-practice]_

**Symptom:** A customer claims they never got the refund/W9/invoice email — and there's no record of whether SendGrid accepted it, what the subject was, or where it was sent.

**Why:** Each project starts treating EmailsLog as "the email blast log" and writes only campaign mail to it. Then refunds, W9s, invoices, password resets etc. ship without logging — so when a customer disputes a send, you can't even prove the attempt was made.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
objHttp.Send sendgridJson
' …no logging…
```

**DO:**
```vbs
objHttp.Send sendgridJson
LogRefundEmail rs("InvoiceID"), recipient, name, sendStatus, errMsg, subject, body

Sub LogRefundEmail(invoiceID, addr, nm, status, errMsg, subj, htmlBody)
    Dim sql
    sql = "INSERT INTO EmailsLog (EmailAddress, Name, SentDate, Status, ErrorMessage, " & _
          "EmailSentTypeID, subject, htmlbody, emailsentto) VALUES (" & _
          "'" & Replace(addr, "'", "''") & "','" & Replace(nm, "'", "''") & "', GETDATE(), " & _
          "'" & status & "', '" & Replace(errMsg, "'", "''") & "', 20, " & _
          "'" & Replace(subj, "'", "''") & "', '" & Replace(htmlBody, "'", "''") & "', " & _
          "'" & Replace(addr, "'", "''") & "')"
    conn.Execute sql
End Sub
```

_Hit in:_ BMXRefund.asp. Refund check #20 EmailSentTypeID — add to EmailSentTypes lookup.


## File Organization

### 4.3 — Use #include virtual="/path" for shared config — never duplicate Const declarations  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Compilation error 800a0411 "Name redefined" on a Const line, because the same Const is declared in two files included in the same compile pass (or one inline + one in an include).

**Why:** Classic ASP doesn't allow ".." in #include file= paths, which tempts people to paste the same Const block into every subfolder. The moment one of those subfolder files also includes a shared config, you get a duplicate Const collision. The fix is one canonical Const per project, referenced via #include virtual="/path/from/webroot.asp" from anywhere.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
' compose_email.asp (inline):
Const GEMINI_API_URL = "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-2.0-flash:generateContent"
<!--#include virtual="/gemini_config.asp"-->   ' also declares Const GEMINI_API_URL
' ? "Name redefined" at the inline Const
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<!--#include virtual="/gemini_config.asp"-->
<%
' That include is the ONLY place GEMINI_API_URL is declared.
' If you need a different URL in one file, name it differently or alias it locally.
%>
```

_Hit in:_ Hit on 2026-05 during gemini_config.asp consolidation across 118 ASP files. Subfolders use #include virtual="/gemini_config.asp" — works across sub-IIS-apps too.


## Database

### 3.13 — Per-show activity goes in teamadmin_history; one row per show on the invoice  _[best-practice]_

**Symptom:** An action (refund, email send, status change) happened on an invoice that covers 3 shows, but only 1 of the 3 shows surfaces the event in its History & Notes timeline.

**Why:** It's tempting to write a single teamadmin_history row keyed off the invoice. But the activity timeline in TeamAdmin.asp / editshow.asp keys off show_id. One row per show is the only way every show on the invoice surfaces the event.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
INSERT INTO teamadmin_history (show_id, ...) VALUES (@firstShowId, ...)
-- the other 2 shows on the invoice never see this event
```

**DO:**
```vbs
-- Loop the shows on the invoice and write one row each:
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT show_id FROM shows WHERE invoice_id = " & invoiceID)
Do Until rs.EOF
    conn.Execute "INSERT INTO teamadmin_history " & _
        "(show_id, changed_by_account_id, changed_by_name, change_type, old_value, new_value, notes) " & _
        "VALUES (" & rs("show_id") & ", " & Session("account_id") & ", N'" & _
        Replace(Session("name") & "", "'", "''") & "', 'refund_check', " & _
        "'Invoice #" & invoiceID & "', '$" & FormatNumber(refundAmount, 2) & "', " & _
        "N'Refund check #" & checkNum & " to " & Replace(payee, "'", "''") & "')"
    rs.MoveNext
Loop
-- Also add change_type to the TeamAdmin.asp JS label map so it renders nicely.
```

_Hit in:_ BMXRefund.asp LogRefundToShowHistory(). TeamAdmin.asp label map line.


## File Organization

### 4.4 — Always verify FTP/Dreamweaver upload actually replaced the server file  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** You "fixed" the bug locally, uploaded, and the live page still shows the old error. Hours wasted re-editing a file that was already correct on disk because the upload never landed on the server.

**Why:** Dreamweaver "Put" can silently no-op (permissions, locked file, wrong remote path, sub-app webroot, cached connection). The local file is fine but the server still has the old copy. Always compare local-vs-remote before assuming "my fix is broken."

**DON'T:**
```vbs
' Upload, browser reload, see same error ? assume your code is wrong ? start re-editing ? introduce new bugs
```

**DO:**
```vbs
' After upload, ONE of:
' 1) Dreamweaver ? right-click file ? Compare with Remote ? expect "files are identical"
' 2) View-source the live page and confirm a sentinel comment / new line number is present
' 3) For VBScript helpers: add a one-line Response.Write "build_2026_05_29_v3" and confirm it renders
```

_Hit in:_ Hit on compose_email.asp 2026-05 — local file was already clean, server still had the old inline Const. The entire round of debugging was a stale-file issue.

### 4.5 — Every ASP file starts with the UTF-8 + CodePage block  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Curly apostrophes, em-dashes, and accents render as  or à garbage. Page looks fine in the editor, mangled in the browser.

**Why:** Without an explicit Response.Charset + Response.CodePage, IIS falls back to whatever the server's default is (often Windows-1252). Mixed-encoding content gets double-decoded. The page becomes unreadable for anything beyond ASCII.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<%@ Language=VBScript %>
<%
Response.Buffer = True
%>
<!--#include file="Dbconn_bn.asp"-->
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<%@ Language=VBScript %>
<%
Response.Buffer      = True
Response.ContentType = "text/html"
Response.Charset     = "UTF-8"
Response.CodePage    = 65001
%>
<!--#include file="Dbconn_bn.asp"-->
```

_Hit in:_ ManageCodingRules.asp top-of-file. Standard template across BN + BMX.

### 4.6 — Gate new-table reads behind an On Error check that points at the migration file  _[best-practice]_

**Symptom:** Page 500s with "Invalid object name 'BN_CodingRules'" because the SQL migration was never run on this environment. There's no hint in the error about how to fix it.

**Why:** Shipping a new feature means shipping both the .asp and the .sql migration. If the .asp is uploaded first, every visitor 500s — and the error doesn't say "run the migration." Always wrap the first query against a new table with On Error Resume Next and surface a friendly migration-pointer message.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Set rsRules = conn.Execute("SELECT * FROM BN_CodingRules")
' No fallback if the table doesn't exist yet
```

**DO:**
```vbs
On Error Resume Next
Set rsRules = conn.Execute("SELECT * FROM BN_CodingRules ORDER BY Category, SortOrder")
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
    Response.Write "<p style=""color:#b81414;padding:16px;background:#fde2e2;border-radius:8px;"">" & _
        "Table BN_CodingRules not found. Run the migration first: " & _
        "<code>_migrations/2026-04-29_coding_rules.sql</code></p>"
    Err.Clear
End If
On Error GoTo 0
```

_Hit in:_ ManageCodingRules.asp line 36-43. Standard pattern for any new-feature page.


## User Input

### 5.1 — Coerce every form value with & "" before using  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Request.Form returns a Variant. Using it raw can trigger Type mismatch on Trim/Len/concat.

**Why:** Append & "" to force a String, then Trim. This is the standard first line for every form read.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
action = Request.Form("action")
evId   = Request.Form("eventID")
```

**DO:**
```vbs
action = Trim(Request.Form("action") & "")
evId   = Trim(Request.Form("eventID") & "")
```

_Hit in:_ Standard across all our form-handling endpoints (SaveEvent.asp, RSVPEvent.asp, GuestSignup.asp, etc.).

### 5.2 — Validate numeric input with IsNumeric before casting  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Runtime "Type mismatch" on CLng/CInt/CDbl when the value isn't a clean number.

**Why:** Check IsNumeric first, fail early with a helpful message if not.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
eventID = CLng(Request.Form("eventID"))   'throws if missing or non-numeric
```

**DO:**
```vbs
If evId = "" Or Not IsNumeric(evId) Then Fail "Invalid event ID"
eventID = CLng(evId)
```

_Hit in:_ Used in SaveEvent.asp, RSVPEvent.asp delete/update flows.

### 5.3 — Multi-valued checkboxes join with ", " automatically  _[best-practice]_

**Symptom:** Developers coming from PHP try to use name="q[]" which Classic ASP does not understand.

**Why:** Classic ASP joins same-named form fields with a literal ", " separator. No [] suffix. Use Split(value, ", ") to parse.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<input type="checkbox" name="q_123[]" value="A">   'PHP convention; wrong for ASP
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<input type="checkbox" name="q_123" value="A">
<input type="checkbox" name="q_123" value="B">
<%
'Request.Form("q_123") returns "A, B"
selections = Split(Request.Form("q_123") & "", ", ")
%>
```

_Hit in:_ Pattern used in workshop.asp pills_multi blocks.

### 5.4 — Escape every Request value before concatenating into SQL  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Form submits fail randomly when a user types an apostrophe ("D'Angelo", "won't"). Worse — the form is a SQL-injection vector if an attacker types a closing quote + their own statement.

**Why:** Classic ASP doesn't have parameterized queries by default. String-concatenating Request.Form values into SQL is the norm, and a single un-escaped apostrophe terminates the literal and breaks (or hijacks) the statement. The SqlStr() wrapper returns either a quoted N' literal or NULL — never raw text — so callers can't forget the quoting.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
sql = "INSERT INTO BN_CodingRules (Title) VALUES ('" & Request.Form("title") & "')"
conn.Execute sql
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function SqlStr(v)
    If IsNull(v) Then SqlStr = "NULL" : Exit Function
    SqlStr = "N'" & Replace(v & "", "'", "''") & "'"
End Function

sql = "INSERT INTO BN_CodingRules (Title) VALUES (" & SqlStr(Request.Form("title")) & ")"
conn.Execute sql
```

_Hit in:_ SaveCodingRule.asp + every BN form handler. Use SqlStr() everywhere. Complements rule 3.3 (SqlSafe).


## LLM APIs

### 6.1 — Use ===SECTION=== delimiters, not nested JSON-in-string  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** AI response parse repeatedly fails with "AI response parse failed (HTTP 200)". Character-by-character state machines to unwrap nested JSON are fragile in VBScript.

**Why:** Tell the model to output plain text with explicit delimiters. In VBScript, find sections with InStr + Mid.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
'Ask the model to output nested JSON like {"subject":"...","body":"..."} then wrestle with escaping
```

**DO:**
```vbs
'Prompt the model:
"===SUBJECT===" + CHAR(10) + "Internal label." + CHAR(10) + "===BODY===" + CHAR(10) + "The message." + CHAR(10) + "===END==="
'Parse:
secSubject = SecBetween(raw, "===SUBJECT===", "===BODY===")
```

_Hit in:_ Switched all AI endpoints to delimiter format: EmailMarketing_aigen.asp, SMSMarketing_aigen.asp, Workshop_website_review.asp. Fixed months of parsing headaches.

### 6.2 — Set maxOutputTokens generously (8192+)  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Parse succeeds on test prompts but fails in prod — response looks "empty" because it was truncated mid-output.

**Why:** Low maxOutputTokens truncates long responses silently (no error, just cut off). Landing pages, email copy, and multi-section prompts need room.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
"generationConfig":{"temperature":0.6,"maxOutputTokens":1200}   'truncates anything substantial
```

**DO:**
```vbs
"generationConfig":{"temperature":0.6,"maxOutputTokens":8192}
```

_Hit in:_ Had to bump limits in Workshop_website_review.asp from 1200 -> 8192.

### 6.3 — In the system prompt, say "no JSON, no markdown, no preamble"  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Model wraps the output in ```markdown fences``` or adds a "Sure, here is your response:" preamble that breaks the delimiter parser.

**Why:** Be explicit in the system prompt about output format constraints. The model follows instructions better with negative examples.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
'no format constraints in the system prompt — hope the model gets it right
```

**DO:**
```vbs
"Output a SINGLE plain-text format with EXACT delimiters below. No JSON, no markdown, no preamble."
```

_Hit in:_ System prompts in all our AI endpoints start with a strict format rules block.

### 6.4 — For JSON output from Gemini, set responseMimeType:"application/json" — do not just hope  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Console error: "Could not parse AI response" / "Unexpected token ` in JSON at position 0". Gemini wraps the JSON in ```json ... ``` markdown fences, or adds a "Here is your data:" preamble, and JSON.parse blows up.

**Why:** Without an explicit response mime type, Gemini's safety/format layer treats the prompt as free-form text and frequently wraps JSON in fences or prose. The fix is one config field, not regex-stripping fences after the fact.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
"generationConfig": { "temperature": 0.4, "maxOutputTokens": 8192 }
' Then JSON.parse(data.candidates[0].content.parts[0].text) ? SyntaxError on markdown fences
```

**DO:**
```vbs
"generationConfig": {
    "temperature": 0.4,
    "maxOutputTokens": 8192,
    "responseMimeType": "application/json"
}
' Gemini will not add fences or preamble — JSON.parse just works.
' Belt-and-suspenders: still keep a fallback that extracts the first {...} block.
```

_Hit in:_ Hit on keywordPhrases.asp 2026-05 — Gemini was wrapping output in ```json fences. responseMimeType fixed it; regex fallback stays as defense in depth.


## HTML Rendering

### 7.1 — Always HTMLEncode user-provided values  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** XSS vulnerability + broken rendering when names contain & < > ".

**Why:** Use Server.HTMLEncode (or a wrapped helper) on every user value that hits HTML. Wrapper handles Null safely.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<div><%= evName %></div>   'raw concat — XSS
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function HE(s) : If IsNull(s) Then HE = "" Else HE = Server.HTMLEncode(s & "") : End Function
<div><%= HE(evName) %></div>
```

_Hit in:_ HE helper is standard at the top of every new .asp file.

### 7.2 — Use a separate attribute-safe escape for HTML attributes  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Broken attributes when values contain double-quotes.

**Why:** HTMLEncode is for element text. Attribute values need HA() that escapes & " < (and ideally ' too).

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<img alt="<%= HE(evName) %>" src="<%= HE(evImage) %>">   'HE alone may not escape all attribute-unsafe chars consistently
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function HA(s)
    If IsNull(s) Then HA = "" : Exit Function
    HA = Replace(Replace(Replace(s & "", "&", "&amp;"), """", "&quot;"), "<", "&lt;")
End Function
<img alt="<%= HA(evName) %>" src="<%= HA(evImage) %>">
```

_Hit in:_ Used in AIWorkshopOffer.asp, EventSignup.asp.

### 7.3 — JS-safe inline needs a JSReady helper  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Script errors when a VBScript string with quotes or backslashes is inlined into a <script> block.

**Why:** When writing VBScript data into a JS string literal, escape \, ", and newlines.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<script>var name = "<%= prefName %>";</script>   'any quote in the name kills the page
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Function JSReady(s)
    If IsNull(s) Then JSReady = "" : Exit Function
    Dim t : t = s & ""
    t = Replace(t, "\", "\\")
    t = Replace(t, """", "\""")
    t = Replace(t, Chr(10), " ")
    t = Replace(t, Chr(13), " ")
    JSReady = t
End Function
<script>var name = "<%= JSReady(prefName) %>";</script>
```

_Hit in:_ Used in EventSignup.asp for prefilling name from cookie.

### 7.4 — Inline form values must be HTMLEncoded — including value="" attributes  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Form fields render broken (closing quotes early) or empty when the loaded value contains a double-quote, ampersand, or angle bracket. XSS surface if the value came from user input.

**Why:** Server.HTMLEncode handles element text; HA() (attribute-safe escape) is needed inside value="...", placeholder="...", and other attributes. Easy to forget when round-tripping edit forms.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<input type="text" name="title" value="<%= rs("Title") %>">
' breaks if Title contains "  &  <  or anything HTML-significant
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<input type="text" name="title" value="<%= HA(rs("Title") & "") %>">
' HA escapes & " < and treats Null as ""
```

_Hit in:_ Pattern used in ManageCodingRules.asp, EditEvent.asp, edituser.asp. HE for element text, HA for attribute values.

### 7.5 — Don't scope base text/background rules to #editor only  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Page looks fine inside the CMS preview/editor, then ships dark/cream/blank on the live site — headlines and body copy go invisible against the section background.

**Why:** CMS page builders wrap content in #editor while editing but render it inside .page-wrapper (or no wrapper) when live. Any rule scoped only to #editor stops matching the moment the page leaves the editor, so the cascade never delivers your base color or background.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
#editor { color: #fff; background: var(--navy-deep); font-family: 'DM Sans',sans-serif; }
```

**DO:**
```vbs
#editor,
.page-wrapper {
    color: #fff !important;
    background: var(--navy-deep) !important;
    font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif;
}
```

_Hit in:_ rankingmastery/clients-html/frank.html. Same pattern hits every CMS-embedded page.

### 7.6 — Default state of every element must be visible (no JS-dependent reveals)  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Entire sections (reviews, cards, panels, banners) are blank on the live page. Inspector shows the text is there with the right color — it's just opacity:0 and never animates in.

**Why:** The page builder strips inline <script> blocks on save, leaving the CSS resting state (opacity:0; transform:translateY(38px)) with no class-adder to flip it to visible. The "scroll-reveal" code becomes /* disabled in editor */ and the content sits invisible forever.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
.fl-sr { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(38px); transition: opacity .8s, transform .8s; }
.fl-sr.v { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
<script>/* Scroll animations disabled in editor */</script>
```

**DO:**
```vbs
.fl-sr {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: none;
    /* If you really want a reveal, use pure CSS @keyframes, never a JS class-adder: */
    animation: fadeUp .7s ease both;
}
@keyframes fadeUp { from { opacity:0; transform:translateY(20px); } to { opacity:1; transform:none; } }
```

_Hit in:_ rankingmastery/clients-html/frank.html — the .fl-sr opacity:0 bug. Same root cause as embed-page-prompt.md rule 2.

### 7.7 — Override the CMS .widget-container background, not just the inner form fields  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** A form (or any widget) renders as a bright white panel on top of your dark card. The labels and inputs you styled for a dark theme are invisible against the white.

**Why:** The CMS injects a parent <div class="widget-container"> with a hardcoded white-gradient inline background that sits on top of whatever card you wrap it in. Styling only the inputs and labels doesn't help — the outer container is what's covering your card.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
.fl-form-card input { background: rgba(255,255,255,0.08); color: #fff; }
.fl-form-card label { color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); }
```

**DO:**
```vbs
.fl-form-card .widget-container,
.fl-form-card .widget-container.widget-optin {
    background: transparent !important;
    padding: 0 !important;
    border-radius: 0 !important;
    box-shadow: none !important;
}
.fl-form-card input { background: rgba(255,255,255,0.08); color: #fff; }
.fl-form-card label { color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); }
```

_Hit in:_ rankingmastery/clients-html/frank.html form-widget fix. Same shape as the embed-page-prompt rule 5.

### 7.8 — Never paste the page-wrapper + fonts <link> block more than once  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Page renders fine but Inspector shows 4–6 nested <div class="page-wrapper"> elements with duplicated Google Fonts <link> tags. Hidden cost: pages weigh 3-5× what they should and layout math (vh, %, flex) misbehaves.

**Why:** Copy-pasting the "starter template" into a CMS that already injects the same boilerplate doubles up the wrapper. Each subsequent paste nests deeper. The CMS doesn't complain — fonts still load, divs still render — but everything is fragile.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<div class="page-wrapper" style="min-height:100vh;background:#f5f5f7;">
  <div class="page-wrapper" style="min-height:100vh;background:#f5f5f7;">
    <div class="page-wrapper" style="...">
      <!-- actual content way down here -->
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<!-- Just the inner content. The CMS injects .page-wrapper for you. -->
<style> /* your scoped styles */ </style>
<section class="hero">...</section>
<section class="features">...</section>
```

_Hit in:_ RankingMastery SEO page generator. Strip nested wrappers in the renderer before writing the file.

### 7.9 — Don't rely solely on a Font Awesome kit URL — add a public CDN fallback  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Every <i class="fa-solid fa-..."> renders as a blank circle/square on the live site, even though the same page worked yesterday. DevTools Network tab shows the kit script returning 401/403.

**Why:** Font Awesome kits (kit.fontawesome.com/XYZ.js) are domain-locked to the URLs whitelisted in your Font Awesome account. The moment the page renders on a new subdomain or a staging URL, the kit silently fails — IIS doesn't even log it because the failure is in the browser.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<head>
    <script src="https://kit.fontawesome.com/39079c2f95.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
</head>
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<head>
    <!-- Kit (preferred when allowed) -->
    <script src="https://kit.fontawesome.com/39079c2f95.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
    <!-- Public CDN fallback so icons still render on every domain -->
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/6.5.2/css/all.min.css">
</head>
```

_Hit in:_ rankingmastery/menu.asp — kit silently 401'd on a new subdomain. Both BMX and FL hit this.


## Cookies & Auth

### 8.1 — Request.Cookies — coerce with & "" and always validate  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Missing cookies return an empty Variant that trips type ops. Client-controlled values can inject SQL.

**Why:** Always coerce to string, Trim, AND validate (numeric check, membership lookup, etc.) before using in SQL or logic.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
mid = Request.Cookies("sde_mid")
sql = "... WHERE MemberID = " & mid
```

**DO:**
```vbs
existingMid = Trim(Request.Cookies("sde_mid") & "")
If existingMid <> "" And IsNumeric(existingMid) Then
    'safe to use CLng(existingMid) now
End If
```

_Hit in:_ Used in EventSignup.asp, Memberdashboard.asp, ScanConnect.asp, MyProspects.asp.

### 8.2 — Admin pages start with an explicit Session("account_id") check that 302s on fail  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** A guest hits /BusinessNetworking/ManageCodingRules.asp directly and gets the full admin form. Or a logged-in non-admin can view another tenant's data because the page only filters by Session("account_id") in the WHERE clause but never verifies it's the right user type.

**Why:** It's easy to assume the menu link is the auth — but URLs are guessable. Without an explicit top-of-file gate, anyone with the URL can hit admin endpoints. And a missing account_id check means the SQL runs as whatever Session has (often empty), exposing default-tenant data.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
<%
' (no auth check, page just runs)
Set rs = conn.Execute("SELECT * FROM BN_CodingRules")
%>
```

**DO:**
```vbs
<%
Dim adminID : adminID = Session("account_id")
If adminID = "" Or Not IsNumeric(adminID) Then
    Response.Redirect "/BusinessNetworking/login.asp?return=" & Server.URLEncode(Request.ServerVariables("URL"))
    Response.End
End If
' Optional second gate for super-admin only:
If CStr(adminID) <> "8748" Then
    Response.Status = "403 Forbidden"
    Response.Write "Not authorized."
    Response.End
End If
%>
```

_Hit in:_ ManageCodingRules.asp, menu-admin.asp, every Manage*.asp page.


## Error Handling

### 9.1 — Master defensive pattern — never let data crash the page  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** A data anomaly (NULL, odd date format, missing column) 500s the whole page instead of rendering a graceful fallback.

**Why:** Wrap any operation that could throw (CDate, risky field reads, string ops on Variants) in On Error Resume Next, check Err.Number, fall back to a sensible default, Err.Clear, On Error GoTo 0.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
'call risky_operation() with no guards
```

**DO:**
```vbs
On Error Resume Next
Dim result : result = ""
result = risky_operation()
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
    result = ""
    Err.Clear
End If
On Error GoTo 0
```

_Hit in:_ Used around CDate in AIWorkshopOffer.asp and EventSignup.asp; around Mid/Left/InStr in workshop.asp; around rs(col) for new migration columns.

### 9.2 — CDO.Message — set HTMLBody before touching HTMLBodyPart.Charset  _[critical]_

**Symptom:** Runtime error "Object required: 'HTMLBodyPart'" when sending email, or the email sends as garbled UTF-8 with no charset set.

**Why:** CDO's HTMLBodyPart is a derived COM object — it does NOT exist until you assign HTMLBody. Setting .Charset on it before HTMLBody is like dereferencing a null pointer. The endpoint then returns "bad_response" because the function bails before writing JSON.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Set msg = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
msg.HTMLBodyPart.Charset = "utf-8"   ' Object required — HTMLBodyPart doesn't exist yet
msg.HTMLBody = htmlBody
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Set msg = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
msg.HTMLBody = htmlBody                 ' assign FIRST
msg.HTMLBodyPart.Charset = "utf-8"      ' now safe — body part exists
msg.BodyPart.Charset    = "utf-8"       ' optional: plain-text part charset too
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in cdoSend in request_submit.asp on 2026-05. The wrong order swallowed the email send, and an "On Error GoTo 0" further down meant the bubble-up turned into a 500 with a 1-byte response body.

### 9.3 — Call Response.Clear before writing JSON error output  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** Client-side fetch reports "bad_response" / "Unexpected token < in JSON". Your endpoint did write valid JSON, but a stray <%= ... %> or include leaked HTML into the response buffer earlier and the JSON parser chokes on it.

**Why:** Response.Buffer=True keeps all writes pending until flush. Any upstream stray output (include side effects, ASP error pages, a #include that emits whitespace) lives in the buffer. emitError adds JSON on top, so the client sees HTML-then-JSON.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Sub emitError(msg)
    Response.ContentType = "application/json"
    Response.Write "{""ok"":false,""error"":""" & JSONEsc(msg) & """}"
    Response.End
End Sub
' Any buffered HTML/whitespace ends up prefixing the JSON
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Sub emitError(msg)
    Response.Clear                  ' drop anything upstream buffered
    Response.ContentType = "application/json"
    Response.Charset = "UTF-8"
    Response.Write "{""ok"":false,""error"":""" & JSONEsc(msg) & """}"
    Response.End
End Sub
```

_Hit in:_ Hit on request_submit.asp 2026-05. Added Response.Clear so the client always sees a clean JSON body even when something upstream emitted HTML.

### 9.4 — Keep On Error Resume Next scope tight — never re-enable strict errors mid-Sub  _[warning]_

**Symptom:** A Sub that "had OERN at the top" still throws an unhandled 500 deep inside. Adding "On Error GoTo 0" mid-function unexpectedly re-enables strict error trapping for everything after that line, including CDO/COM/SQL calls that assumed OERN was still active.

**Why:** OERN is a procedure-level switch, but "On Error GoTo 0" turns it OFF anywhere it appears — including in the middle of the same Sub. Code added later (CDO send, recordset open, JSON build) that assumes "we're in OERN" will then crash hard.

**DON'T:**
```vbs
Sub cdoSend(...)
    On Error Resume Next
    ' ... CDO setup ...
    On Error GoTo 0          ' OERN now OFF for rest of Sub
    msg.Send                 ' any CDO error here is now an unhandled 500
End Sub
```

**DO:**
```vbs
Sub cdoSend(...)
    On Error Resume Next
    ' ... entire Sub ...
    msg.Send
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        errDesc = "CDO send failed: " & Err.Description
        Err.Clear
    End If
    ' On Error GoTo 0 is at the CALLER, not inside the Sub
End Sub
```

_Hit in:_ Hit in cdoSend / request_submit.asp 2026-05. The mid-function On Error GoTo 0 turned a recoverable CDO failure into a hard 500 + bad_response on the client.