<div> <input type="hidden" name="__VIEWSTATE" id="__VIEWSTATE" value="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" /> </div> HTML: what does this do? i saw it looking at the source code of a site
Well a google search of "__VIEWSTATE" shows that its soemthing to do with ASP and state managment Perhaps like a cookie style thing to save states on each page (like selected colour or something)
Looks like part of a form that someone fills in. It looks like it could be something to do with passing all form parameters to another page or persisting them. This page gives the real answer http://www.dotnetjohn.com/articles.aspx?articleid=32
This is the "viewstate" of a page. ASP.NET (maybe ASP - not sure) uses this to keep track of whats going on with a page. ASP.NET allows for some fancy programming techniques (as far as the web is concerned anyway), and the viewstate allows the page's status to be maintained between round trips to and from the server. Its nothing to be alarmed about - it is there by default and managed by default by the web server. If you really want to turn it off, add the directive <%@ Page EnableViewState="false" %>