ASP.NET in a Nutshell

Name

UserAgent

Synopsis

stringvar = Request.UserAgent

Returns a String containing the User-Agent header. The User-Agent string identifies the browser (or other HTTP-capable client software, such as that used on mobile phones, etc.) the client uses to make the request. Depending on the browser and platform, this string may also identify the operating system the client uses, as well as the version of the installed .NET Framework (IE only).

Parameters

stringvar

A String variable to receive the User-Agent string.

Example

The example writes the UserAgent property to the browser:

Sub Page_Load(  )
   Dim stringvar As String
   stringvar = Request.UserAgent
   Message.Text = "User Agent: " & stringvar
End Sub

Notes

When you attempt to discern the capabilities of the client browser, using the properties of the HttpBrowserCapabilities object returned by the Request.Browser property is generally easier. However, there may be cases in which the User-Agent for a given client returns information that is not checked for by the HttpBrowserCapabilities class. In this case, you could add the desired information to the <browserCaps> configuration section handler in machine.config (see Chapter 8 and Chapter 20 for more information on ASP.NET configuration) and then create your own version of the HttpBrowserCapabilities class by inheriting from the built-in class and adding your own property or properties for the User-Agent attribute you’re looking for. Or, if you don’t want to make that effort, you could simply parse ...