Professional IronPython

Using the Built-In Web Server with a Batch File
When you use a batch (.BAT) file to start the application, use the Start utility to execute WebDev 
.WebServer. Otherwise, the Web server won’t start properly. In addition, you should include the Start 
utility’s 
/B
command line switch (it isn’t mandatory). The 
/B
command line switch tells Windows not 
to open a new window to start the application. If Windows opens a new window, the Web server will 
start, but it may not display the Web page. Here’s a modified command line for batch files.
Start /B WebDev.WebServer /port:7171 /path:”F:\My Web Site”
Interacting with the Built-In Web Server
The WebDev.WebServer utility creates an icon in the Notification Area ( 
) when you start it. In fact, 
a popup message alerts you to the presence of this icon. Right-click this icon and you see three options:
➤➤
Open in Web Browser: Tells the utility to start the default Web browser and navigate to 
the Web page hosted by the Web server. In most cases, WebDev.WebServer uses the same 
defaults as any full Web server you have set up on your machine. Otherwise, you can count 
on these defaults working:
Default.HTM
➤
➤
Default.ASP
➤
➤
Default.ASPX
➤
➤
Index.HTM
➤
➤
➤
➤
Stop: Stops the server and makes
any Web pages inaccessible.
➤
➤
Show Details: Displays the
ASP.NET Development Server 
dialog box shown in Figure 11-8 
where you can see details about 
the Web server. In addition, this 
dialog box provides a link to 
access the default Web page.
Considering the Built-In Web Server Limitations
It’s important to realize that we’re not using the WebDev.WebServer utility for production purposes. 
The following list helps you better understand why you can’t use this utility for every purpose.
➤➤
Functionality: The WebDev.WebServer utility doesn’t create a full-fledged Web server. 
Some of the functionality you rely on, such as the ability to add users or work with virtual 
directories, simply isn’t available.
FIguRE 11-8: 
The ASP.NET Development Server dialog box 
provides details about the Web server.
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