Chapter 60: ASP Content Rotator Component (ASP 3.0)
ASP Content Rotator Component (also known as ContentRotator or MSWC.ContentRotator) — a tiny built-in component that was part of ASP 3.0 (shipped with IIS 5.0 / Windows 2000 Server around 2000).
This is the exact lesson that appears in the W3Schools Classic ASP tutorial under ASP Components, and it was one of the cutest little toys that developers loved to play with in 2000–2008.
I will explain it like your favorite teacher who actually put ContentRotator on dozens of small portal/news/community sites back in the day — slowly, clearly, with real working examples, good habits, common mistakes, why almost nobody uses it anymore, and why a few very old Indian classifieds/portals/community/news sites still have it quietly running in 2026.
1. What is the Content Rotator Component?
ContentRotator is a built-in ActiveX Server Component (COM object) that lets you rotate blocks of HTML content on your page — randomly or in sequence — every time the page loads.
Think of it as a super-simple, server-side version of:
- Rotating banner ads (but for any HTML, not just images)
- Tip of the day / quote of the day
- Featured news snippet
- Random testimonial
- Rotating “Did you know?” box
- Promotional messages
- Different welcome messages
It was extremely popular in 2000–2005 because:
- Banner ads & rotating content were huge for monetization and engagement
- No JavaScript required (important when many users disabled JS)
- No database needed — just a plain text file
- Very easy to manage (edit one file → all rotations update)
2. The Two Main Pieces You Need
- The schedule file (usually called content.txt or rotator.txt) A plain text file containing multiple HTML blocks separated by %% lines.
- The ContentRotator object in your .asp page.
3. Step 1 – The Content Schedule File (content.txt)
Example content.txt (place it in root or /content/ folder):
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%% <div style="background:#fff3cd; padding:15px; border:1px solid #ffeeba; margin:20px 0;"> <h3>Today's Special!</h3> <p>Hyderabadi Biryani only ₹399 today!</p> </div> %% <div style="background:#d4edda; padding:15px; border:1px solid #c3e6cb; margin:20px 0;"> <h3>Did you know?</h3> <p>Haleem is the most loved dish during Ramzan in Hyderabad.</p> </div> %% <div style="background:#cce5ff; padding:15px; border:1px solid #b8daff; margin:20px 0;"> <h3>Customer Testimonial</h3> <p>"Best Irani Chai in town!" – Priya, Banjara Hills</p> </div> %% <div style="background:#f8d7da; padding:15px; border:1px solid #f5c6cb; margin:20px 0;"> <h3>Flash Sale</h3> <p>Double Ka Meetha 20% off for next 24 hours!</p> </div> |
Rules for the file:
- Each block starts after a line containing only %% (or nothing on first block)
- Blocks can be any HTML (divs, images, text, links, tables…)
- No limit on number of blocks (but keep file small — < 64 KB recommended)
- File can be anywhere — use Server.MapPath to locate it
4. Step 2 – Using ContentRotator on Your Page
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<%@ Language=VBScript %> <% Option Explicit %> <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Content Rotator Example</title> </head> <body> <h1>Welcome to our Hyderabad Food Portal</h1> <!-- ======================== --> <!-- Content Rotator Magic --> <!-- ======================== --> <% Dim rotator Set rotator = Server.CreateObject("MSWC.ContentRotator") ' Path to the schedule file Dim contentFile contentFile = Server.MapPath("content.txt") ' Get and display one random block Response.Write rotator.GetContent(contentFile) %> <p>Rest of your page content goes here...</p> </body> </html> |
What happens:
- Every time the page loads → GetContent picks one random block from content.txt
- Outputs the raw HTML inside that block
- Next page refresh → different block (randomly chosen)
- Feels like “rotating content” without any JavaScript or database
5. Alternative: Choose Specific Rotation Method
ContentRotator has two methods:
| Method | Behavior | Use when you want… |
|---|---|---|
| GetContent(path) | Picks random block every time | True random rotation (most common) |
| GetAllContent(path) | Returns all blocks separated by <HR> | Debug or show every tip at once |
Debug example:
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<% Response.Write "<h3>All possible messages:</h3>" Response.Write rotator.GetAllContent(contentFile) %> |
6. Security & Best Practice Warnings (Critical in 2026)
- Never let users control the schedule file path — always hard-code Server.MapPath(“content.txt”)
- Protect content.txt — move outside web root or block direct access in IIS (many sites were hacked by uploading malicious HTML to the rotator file)
- Never put user-generated content directly into content.txt — XSS risk
- Limit file size — large files slow down page load
- No tracking built-in — if you want to know which ad/tip was shown, you need custom logging
- In 2026 legacy code → still used on very old portals/news/community sites for simple rotating notices/tips, but almost never for real ad serving
7. Teacher Summary – ASP Content Rotator Component in Classic ASP
ASP Content Rotator (MSWC.ContentRotator) is:
- A built-in COM component that rotates blocks of HTML from a plain text file
- Created with Server.CreateObject(“MSWC.ContentRotator”)
- Main method: GetContent(path) — returns one random HTML block
- Alternative: GetAllContent(path) — returns all blocks separated by <HR>
- Schedule file format: HTML blocks separated by %% lines
- Very popular 1998–2005 for rotating banners, tips, testimonials, featured content
- Extremely simple — no database, no JavaScript needed
- Almost never used today — replaced by JavaScript (React/Vue), CMS, or ad networks
- Still exists in some very old Indian community/news/classifieds/portals for static rotating messages
This is how millions of early websites showed “tip of the day”, random testimonials, or rotating promotions — and a few very old legacy Indian sites still use exactly this ContentRotator pattern in 2026.
Next class?
- Want a full example with rotating testimonials + tracking impressions?
- Or how to weight certain blocks more often (like AdRotator weights)?
- Or compare Classic ASP ContentRotator vs modern React/Vue carousel?
- Or move to the next W3Schools topic (ASP Quick Reference or ASP Examples)?
Just tell me — I’m here! 🚀🇮🇳 Keep learning strong, Webliance! 😊
