I have a simple component which takes a string, and changes keywords like
SELECT to select - and other non alphanumeric characters are changed to
their HTML equivilent - this is to filter a user's input on a form to make
whatever they typed in safer

in VB I can do (and I can also do this in a VBS file using cscript or
wscript)

set oWFVC=createobject("WFVC.clsWFVC")                 '[I know the naming
is not the greatest]
debug.print oWFVC.Validate("SELECT")

and get back

select

but if I do the same thing from ASP / VBScript (webpage), I get the original
string back!

I have the component registered in COM+ in its own server package, it does
not make a difference if I run it as current user, or administrator, I still
get the same results.  I even tried to log the value of the function (I set
the function equal to the return value at the end, and then log that to a
file to make sure the code executed, it does execute and change the string,
and sets the function equal to it).  [code follows]

[code from class module clsWFVC]
Option Explicit

Public Function Validate(sData As Variant, Optional iLength As Variant =
200) As String
On Error GoTo err

    'Stop

    'Below, if the string !!!###error is passed in, will raise an error
    'This is for testing if logging is functioning

    If sData = "!!!###error" Then
        err.Raise vbObjectError + 513, "WFVC.clsWFVC", "Test Error"
    End If

    Dim iCharPointer As Integer, iCharFlag(255) As Boolean, strOut As
String, intCount As Integer
    iCharPointer = 1

    ' *define* forbidden characters, set the array element to true for a
corresponding
    'forbidden ascii value

    'take care of non-printable control characters
    For intCount = 0 To 31
        iCharFlag(intCount) = True
    Next

    'take care of     ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + ,
    For intCount = 33 To 45
        iCharFlag(intCount) = True
    Next

    'take care of ;
    iCharFlag(59) = True

    'unicode characters
    For intCount = 91 To 96
          iCharFlag(intCount) = True
    Next
    For intCount = 123 To 255
          iCharFlag(intCount) = True
    Next

    'If string is longer than 200 characters, or passed-in override length
then truncate

    If Len(sData) > iLength Then
        sData = Mid(sData, 1, iLength)
    End If

    Do While iCharPointer <= Len(sData)

        '*** existing HTML codes ***
        'Check if current character is a '&' - if so, and the 6th or 7th
character is a ';',
        'Then this is an HTML code and does not need changed.

        If Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1) = "&" Then
            'HTML code which is 2 characters [&xx;]
            If Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 2, 1) = ";" And
IsAlphanumeric(Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 1, 1)) Then
                strOut = strOut & Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 3)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 3
            'HTML code which is 4 characters [&xxx;]
            ElseIf Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 3, 1) = ";" And
IsAlphanumeric(Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 2, 1)) Then
                strOut = strOut & Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 4)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 4
            'HTML code which is 5 characters [&xxx;]
            ElseIf Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 4, 1) = ";" And
IsAlphanumeric(Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 3, 1)) Then
                strOut = strOut & Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 5)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 5
            'HTML code which is 6 characters [&xxxx;]
            ElseIf Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 5, 1) = ";" And
IsAlphanumeric(Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 4, 1)) Then
                strOut = strOut & Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 6)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 6
            'HTML code which is 7 characters [&xxxxx;]
            ElseIf Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 6, 1) = ";" And
IsAlphanumeric(Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 5, 1)) Then
                strOut = strOut & Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 7)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 7

            Else
            '*** ampersand not part of HTML code
            'current character does not belong to a special HTML sequence,
change it
                strOut = strOut & "&amp;"
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 1
            End If
        Else
            '***
            'Current Character is not an ampersand, check if it is part of a
keyword and change if necessary
            If LCase(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 6)) = "select" Then
                strOut = strOut & "&#" & Asc(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1)) &
";" & Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 1, 5)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 6
            ElseIf LCase(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 6)) = "delete" Then
                strOut = strOut & "&#" & Asc(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1)) &
";" & Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 1, 5)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 6
            ElseIf LCase(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 6)) = "insert" Then
                strOut = strOut & "&#" & Asc(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1)) &
";" & Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 1, 5)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 6
            ElseIf LCase(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 6)) = "update" Then
                strOut = strOut & "&#" & Asc(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1)) &
";" & Mid(sData, iCharPointer + 1, 5)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 6
            'Now check for forbidden characters

            ElseIf iCharFlag(Asc(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1))) Then
                strOut = strOut & "&#" & Asc(Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1)) &
";"
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 1

            Else
                strOut = strOut & Mid(sData, iCharPointer, 1)
                iCharPointer = iCharPointer + 1
            End If
    End If

    Loop

    If IsNull(sData) Then
        Validate = Null
    Else
        Validate = strOut
    End If

    Dim fso As FileSystemObject
    Set fso = New FileSystemObject
    Dim oStream As TextStream

    'log the results to make sure everything is working
    Set oStream = fso.OpenTextFile("c:\wfvc.log", ForAppending, True)
    oStream.WriteLine Validate
    oStream.Close
    Set oStream = Nothing
    Set fso = Nothing

    Exit Function

err:
Validate = err.Description & " / " & err.Number
App.LogEvent "WFVC ERROR:" & Validate, vbLogEventTypeError

End Function

[code from module Function.bas]

    Public Function IsAlphanumeric(sChar)
        If sChar = "" Or IsNull(iAsc) Then
            IsAlphanumeric = False
            Exit Function
        End If
        iAsc = Asc(sChar)
        If (iAsc >= 97 And iAsc <= 122) Or (iAsc >= 65 And iAsc <= 90) Or
(iAsc >= 48 And iAsc <= 57) Then
            IsAlphanumeric = True
        Else
            IsAlphanumeric = False
        End If
    End Function