eval() is not necessary. This will work fine:
var date = new Date(parseInt(jsonDate.substr(6)));
The substr() function takes out the /Date( part, and the parseInt() function gets the integer and ignores the )/ at the end. The resulting number is passed into the Date constructor.
I have intentionally left out the radix (the 2nd argument to parseInt); see my comment below.
Also, I completely agree with Rory's comment: ISO-8601 dates are preferred over this old format - so this format generally shouldn't be used for new development.
For ISO-8601 formatted JSON dates, just pass the string into the Date constructor:
var date = new Date(jsonDate); //no ugly parsing needed; full timezone support
Server.MapPath specifies the relative or virtual path to map to a physical directory.
Server.MapPath(".")1 returns the current physical directory of the file (e.g. aspx) being executedServer.MapPath("..") returns the parent directoryServer.MapPath("~") returns the physical path to the root of the applicationServer.MapPath("/") returns the physical path to the root of the domain name (is not necessarily the same as the root of the application)
An example:
Let's say you pointed a web site application (http://www.example.com/) to
C:\Inetpub\wwwroot
and installed your shop application (sub web as virtual directory in IIS, marked as application) in
D:\WebApps\shop
For example, if you call Server.MapPath() in following request:
http://www.example.com/shop/products/GetProduct.aspx?id=2342
then:
Server.MapPath(".")1 returns D:\WebApps\shop\productsServer.MapPath("..") returns D:\WebApps\shopServer.MapPath("~") returns D:\WebApps\shopServer.MapPath("/") returns C:\Inetpub\wwwrootServer.MapPath("/shop") returns D:\WebApps\shop
If Path starts with either a forward slash (/) or backward slash (\), the MapPath() returns a path as if Path was a full, virtual path.
If Path doesn't start with a slash, the MapPath() returns a path relative to the directory of the request being processed.
Note: in C#, @ is the verbatim literal string operator meaning that the string should be used "as is" and not be processed for escape sequences.
Footnotes
Server.MapPath(null) and Server.MapPath("") will produce this effect too.
Best Solution
Session State contains information that is pertaining to a specific session (by a particular client/browser/machine) with the server. It's a way to track what the user is doing on the site.. across multiple pages...amid the statelessness of the Web. e.g. the contents of a particular user's shopping cart is session data. Cookies can be used for session state.
View State on the other hand is information specific to particular web page. It is stored in a hidden field so that it isn't visible to the user. It is used to maintain the user's illusion that the page remembers what he did on it the last time - dont give him a clean page every time he posts back. Check this page for more.