VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

by Paul Lomax, Matt Childs, Ron Petrusha
Released March 2003
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596004880

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Book description

Lightweight yet powerful, VBScript from Microsoft® is used in four main areas: server-side web applications using Active Server Pages (ASP), client-side web scripts using Internet Explorer, code behind Outlook forms, and automating repetitive tasks using Windows Script Host (WSH). VBScript in a Nutshell, Second Edition delivers current and complete documentation for programmers and system administrators who want to develop effective scripts.Completely updated for VBScript 5.6, WSH 5.6 and ASP 3.0, VBScript In a Nutshell, Second Edition includes updated introductory chapters that will help you keep current with the significant changes since the first edition was published. New chapters introduce the Windows Script Component for creating binary COM components, and the Script Encoder.The main part of the book is a comprehensive reference focusing on VBScript essentials with an alphabetical reference to all statements, keywords and objects, and a section of notes and solutions to real-world gotchas--various undocumented behaviors and aspects of the language--to help you avoid potential problems. Each entry in the reference section details the following:

  • The keyword's syntax, using standard code conventions
  • A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure, if any exist
  • A discussion of how and where the keyword should be used within the scripting environment
  • A discussion of the differences between the operation of the keyword in Visual Basic or VBA and in VBScript
Regardless of your level of experience programming with VBScript, VBScript in a Nutshell, Second Edition is the book you'll want by your side--the most complete, up-to-date, and easy-to-use language reference available.

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Table of contents

  1. Foreword
  2. Preface
    1. Why This Book?
    2. Who Should Read This Book?
    3. How This Book Should Be Used
      1. If You’re New to VBScript
      2. If You’re a VBScript Programmer
      3. If You’re a VB or VBA Developer New to VBScript
    4. How This Book Is Structured
      1. The Format of the Language Reference
    5. Conventions in This Book
    6. How To Contact Us
      1. Acknowledgments
  3. I. The Basics
    1. 1. Introduction
      1. 1.1. VBScript’s History and Uses
      2. 1.2. What VBScript Is Used For: Gluing Together Objects
        1. 1.2.1. Properties
        2. 1.2.2. Methods
        3. 1.2.3. Events
      3. 1.3. Differences Between VBScript and VBA
    2. 2. Program Structure
      1. 2.1. Functions and Procedures
        1. 2.1.1. Defining Subroutines: The Sub . . . End Sub Construct
        2. 2.1.2. Calling a Subroutine
        3. 2.1.3. Defining Functions: The Function . . . End Function Construct
        4. 2.1.4. Passing Variables into a Subroutine
        5. 2.1.5. Exiting a Routine with the Exit Statement
      2. 2.2. Classes
        1. 2.2.1. The Class Construct
        2. 2.2.2. Class Variables
        3. 2.2.3. Class Properties
        4. 2.2.4. Class Methods
        5. 2.2.5. Class Events
      3. 2.3. Global Code
        1. 2.3.1. Active Server Pages
        2. 2.3.2. Windows Script Host
        3. 2.3.3. Client-Side Scripts for Internet Explorer
        4. 2.3.4. Outlook Forms
      4. 2.4. Reusable Code Libraries
        1. 2.4.1. Active Server Pages
        2. 2.4.2. Windows Script Host
        3. 2.4.3. Client-Side Scripts for Internet Explorer
    3. 3. Data Types and Variables
      1. 3.1. VBScript Data Types: The Many Faces of the Variant
        1. 3.1.1. Variant Data Types
        2. 3.1.2. Determining the Variant Type
          1. 3.1.2.1. VarType
          2. 3.1.2.2. TypeName
        3. 3.1.3. Converting from One Data Type to Another
      2. 3.2. Variables and Constants
        1. 3.2.1. What Is a Variable?
        2. 3.2.2. What Is a Constant?
        3. 3.2.3. Intrinsic Constants
        4. 3.2.4. Constants in Type Libraries
        5. 3.2.5. Declaring Variables and Constants
          1. 3.2.5.1. Option Explicit
        6. 3.2.6. Array Variables
          1. 3.2.6.1. Fixed arrays
          2. 3.2.6.2. Dynamic arrays
          3. 3.2.6.3. Determining array boundaries: UBound and LBound
          4. 3.2.6.4. Multidimensional arrays
          5. 3.2.6.5. Dynamic multidimensional arrays
          6. 3.2.6.6. Using UBound with multidimensional arrays
        7. 3.2.7. Scope and Visibility
          1. 3.2.7.1. Global scope
          2. 3.2.7.2. Local scope
          3. 3.2.7.3. Public visibility
          4. 3.2.7.4. Private
    4. 4. Error Handling and Debugging
      1. 4.1. Debugging
        1. 4.1.1. Syntax Errors
          1. 4.1.1.1. Syntax errors at compile time
          2. 4.1.1.2. Syntax errors at runtime
        2. 4.1.2. Logical Errors
          1. 4.1.2.1. Logical errors that affect program results
          2. 4.1.2.2. Logical errors that generate error messages
        3. 4.1.3. The Microsoft Script Debugger
          1. 4.1.3.1. Launching the Script Debugger
          2. 4.1.3.2. The Script Debugger interface
          3. 4.1.3.3. Tracing execution with the Script Debugger
          4. 4.1.3.4. Determining the value of a variable, expression, or function at runtime
          5. 4.1.3.5. Changing variable values at runtime
      2. 4.2. Error Handling
        1. 4.2.1. The On Error Resume Next Statement
        2. 4.2.2. The Err Object
          1. 4.2.2.1. Err object properties
          2. 4.2.2.2. Err object methods
      3. 4.3. Common Problem Areas and How to Avoid Them
    5. 5. VBScript with Active Server Pages
      1. 5.1. How ASP Works
        1. 5.1.1. The global.asa File
        2. 5.1.2. Including Server-Side Script in Web Pages
      2. 5.2. Active Server Pages Object Model
    6. 6. Programming Outlook Forms
      1. 6.1. Why Program Outlook Forms?
      2. 6.2. The Form-Based Development Environment
        1. 6.2.1. Interfaces and Objects
        2. 6.2.2. Outlook Form Design Mode
        3. 6.2.3. The VBScript Environment
      3. 6.3. Running Your Code
      4. 6.4. Program Flow
      5. 6.5. The Outlook Object Model
        1. 6.5.1. The Current Item
        2. 6.5.2. The Inspector Object
        3. 6.5.3. The Pages Collection
        4. 6.5.4. The FormDescription Object
        5. 6.5.5. The NameSpace Object
        6. 6.5.6. The MAPIFolder Object
        7. 6.5.7. Outlook Constants
      6. 6.6. Accessing Other Object Models
    7. 7. Windows Script Host 5.6
      1. 7.1. Why Use WSH?
      2. 7.2. Running WSH Scripts
      3. 7.3. Program Flow
        1. 7.3.1. Simple Script Files
        2. 7.3.2. Script Files with XML Code
      4. 7.4. The WSH Object Model
        1. 7.4.1. The WScript Object
        2. 7.4.2. The WshArguments Object
        3. 7.4.3. The WshController Object
        4. 7.4.4. The WshEnvironment Object
        5. 7.4.5. The WshNamed Object
        6. 7.4.6. The WshNetwork Object
        7. 7.4.7. The WshRemote Object
        8. 7.4.8. The WshRemoteError Object
        9. 7.4.9. The WshScriptExec Object
        10. 7.4.10. The WshShell Object
        11. 7.4.11. The WshShortcut Object
        12. 7.4.12. The WshSpecialFolders Object
        13. 7.4.13. The WshUnnamed Object
        14. 7.4.14. The WshUrlShortcut Object
      5. 7.5. WSH Language Elements
      6. 7.6. Accessing Other Object Models
    8. 8. VBScript with Internet Explorer
      1. 8.1. The <SCRIPT> Tag
        1. 8.1.1. <SCRIPT> Attributes
          1. 8.1.1.1. The LANGUAGE attribute
          2. 8.1.1.2. The SRC attribute
          3. 8.1.1.3. The FOR attribute
        2. 8.1.2. Where to Place the <SCRIPT> Tag
        3. 8.1.3. Using <!——> with <SCRIPT>
      2. 8.2. What Can You Do with Client-Side Scripting?
        1. 8.2.1. Interacting with the Client
        2. 8.2.2. Handling Events
        3. 8.2.3. Data Validation
      3. 8.3. Understanding the IE Object Model
        1. 8.3.1. The Window Object
        2. 8.3.2. The Document Object
        3. 8.3.3. The Elements Collection and HTML Intrinsic Controls
          1. 8.3.3.1. The textbox control
          2. 8.3.3.2. The checkbox control
          3. 8.3.3.3. The radio button control
          4. 8.3.3.4. The list box
          5. 8.3.3.5. Command button controls
        4. 8.3.4. The History Object
        5. 8.3.5. The Event Object
        6. 8.3.6. Using the Document Object Model
    9. 9. Windows Script Components
      1. 9.1. The Script Component Wizard
      2. 9.2. Writing Component Code
      3. 9.3. Using the Component
        1. 9.3.1. Registration
        2. 9.3.2. Instantiating the Component
      4. 9.4. WSC Programming Topics
        1. 9.4.1. Handling Events
        2. 9.4.2. Using an Interface Handler: ASP
        3. 9.4.3. Using Resources
        4. 9.4.4. Building an Object Model
  4. II. Reference
    1. 10. The Language Reference
      1. Abs Function
      2. Array Function
      3. Asc, AscB, AscW Functions
      4. Atn Function
      5. Call Statement
      6. CBool Function
      7. CByte Function
      8. CCur Function
      9. CDate Function
      10. CDbl Function
      11. Chr, ChrB, ChrW Functions
      12. CInt Function
      13. Class Statement
      14. CLng Function
      15. Const Statement
      16. Cos Function
      17. CreateObject Function
      18. CSng Function
      19. CStr Function
      20. Date Function
      21. DateAdd Function
      22. DateDiff Function
      23. DatePart Function
      24. DateSerial Function
      25. DateValue Function
      26. Day Function
      27. Dictionary Object
      28. Dictionary.Add Method
      29. Dictionary.CompareMode Property
      30. Dictionary.Count Property
      31. Dictionary.Exists Method
      32. Dictionary.Item Property
      33. Dictionary.Items Method
      34. Dictionary.Key Property
      35. Dictionary.Keys Method
      36. Dictionary.Remove Method
      37. Dictionary.RemoveAll Method
      38. Dim Statement
      39. Do . . . Loop Statement
      40. Drive Object
      41. Drives Collection Object
      42. End . . . Statement
      43. Erase Statement
      44. Err Object
      45. Err.Clear Method
      46. Err.Description Property
      47. Err.HelpContext Property
      48. Err.HelpFile Property
      49. Err.Number Property
      50. Err.Raise Method
      51. Err.Source Property
      52. Escape Function
      53. Eval Function
      54. Execute Statement
      55. ExecuteGlobal Statement
      56. Exit Statement
      57. Exp Function
      58. File Object
      59. File.Copy Method
      60. File.Delete Method
      61. File.Move Method
      62. File.OpenAsTextStream Method
      63. File System Object Model
      64. Files Collection Object
      65. FileSystemObject Object
      66. FileSystemObject.BuildPath Method
      67. FileSystemObject.CopyFile Method
      68. FileSystemObject.CopyFolder Method
      69. FileSystemObject.CreateFolder Method
      70. FileSystemObject.CreateTextFile Method
      71. FileSystemObject.DeleteFile Method
      72. FileSystemObject.DeleteFolder Method
      73. FileSystemObject.DriveExists Method
      74. FileSystemObject.Drives Property
      75. FileSystemObject.FileExists Method
      76. FileSystemObject.FolderExists Method
      77. FileSystemObject.GetAbsolutePathName Method
      78. FileSystemObject.GetBaseName Method
      79. FileSystemObject.GetDrive Method
      80. FileSystemObject.GetDriveName Method
      81. FileSystemObject.GetExtensionName Method
      82. FileSystemObject.GetFile Method
      83. FileSystemObject.GetFileName Method
      84. FileSystemObject.GetFileVersion Method
      85. FileSystemObject.GetFolder Method
      86. FileSystemObject.GetParentFolderName Method
      87. FileSystemObject.GetSpecialFolder Method
      88. FileSystemObject.GetStandardStream Method
      89. FileSystemObject.GetTempName Method
      90. FileSystemObject.MoveFile Method
      91. FileSystemObject.MoveFolder Method
      92. FileSystemObject.OpenTextFile Method
      93. Filter Function
      94. Fix Function
      95. Folder Object
      96. Folder.Copy Method
      97. Folder.CreateTextFile Method
      98. Folder.Delete Method
      99. Folder.Move Method
      100. Folders Collection Object
      101. Folders.Add Method
      102. For . . . Next Statement
      103. For Each . . . Next Statement
      104. FormatCurrency, FormatNumber, FormatPercent Functions
      105. FormatDateTime Function
      106. Function Statement
      107. GetLocale Function
      108. GetObject Function
      109. GetRef Function
      110. Hex Function
      111. Hour Function
      112. If . . . Then . . . Else Statement
      113. Initialize Event
      114. InputBox Function
      115. InStr, InStrB Functions
      116. InstrRev Function
      117. Int Function
      118. Is Operator
      119. IsArray Function
      120. IsDate Function
      121. IsEmpty Function
      122. IsNull Function
      123. IsNumeric Function
      124. IsObject Function
      125. Join Function
      126. LBound Function
      127. LCase Function
      128. Left, LeftB Functions
      129. Len, LenB Functions
      130. LoadPicture Function
      131. Log Function
      132. LTrim Function
      133. Match Object
      134. Matches Collection Object
      135. Me Keyword
      136. Mid, MidB Functions
      137. Minute Function
      138. Month Function
      139. MonthName Function
      140. MsgBox Function
      141. Now Function
      142. Oct Function
      143. On Error Statement
      144. Option Explicit Statement
      145. Private Statement
      146. Property Get Statement
      147. Property Let Statement
      148. Property Set Statement
      149. Public Statement
      150. Randomize Sub
      151. ReDim Statement
      152. RegExp Object
      153. RegExp.Execute Method
      154. RegExp.Global Property
      155. RegExp.IgnoreCase Property
      156. RegExp.Pattern Property
      157. RegExp.Replace Method
      158. RegExp.Test Method
      159. Rem Statement
      160. Replace Function
      161. RGB Function
      162. Right, RightB Functions
      163. Rnd Function
      164. Round Function
      165. RTrim Function
      166. ScriptEngine Function
      167. ScriptEngineBuildVersion Function
      168. ScriptEngineMajorVersion Function
      169. ScriptEngineMinorVersion Function
      170. Second Function
      171. Select Case Statement
      172. SetLocale Function
      173. Set Statement
      174. Sgn Function
      175. Sin Function
      176. Space Function
      177. Split Function
      178. Sqr Function
      179. StrComp Function
      180. String Function
      181. StrReverse Function
      182. Sub Statement
      183. Tan Function
      184. Terminate Event
      185. TextStream Object
      186. TextStream.Close Method
      187. TextStream.Read Method
      188. TextStream.ReadAll Method
      189. TextStream.ReadLine Method
      190. TextStream.Skip Method
      191. TextStream.SkipLine Method
      192. TextStream.Write Method
      193. TextStream.WriteBlankLines Method
      194. TextStream.WriteLine Method
      195. Time Function
      196. Timer Function
      197. TimeSerial Function
      198. TimeValue Function
      199. Trim Function
      200. TypeName Function
      201. UBound Function
      202. UCase Function
      203. Unescape function
      204. VarType Function
      205. Weekday Function
      206. WeekdayName Function
      207. While . . . Wend Statement
      208. With Statement
      209. Year Function
  5. III. Appendixes
    1. A. Language Elements by Category
      1. A.1. Array Handling
      2. A.2. Assignment
      3. A.3. Comment
      4. A.4. Constants
      5. A.5. Data Type Conversion
      6. A.6. Date and Time
      7. A.7. Dictionary Object
      8. A.8. Error Handling
      9. A.9. File System Objects
        1. A.9.1. Drive Object
        2. A.9.2. Drives Collection Object
        3. A.9.3. File Object
        4. A.9.4. Files Collection Object
        5. A.9.5. FileSystemObject Object
        6. A.9.6. Folder Object
        7. A.9.7. Folders Collection Object
        8. A.9.8. TextStreamObject
      10. A.10. Information Functions
      11. A.11. Mathematical and Numeric
      12. A.12. Miscellaneous
      13. A.13. Object Programming
      14. A.14. Program Structure and Flow
      15. A.15. String Manipulation
      16. A.16. User Interaction
      17. A.17. Variable Declaration
    2. B. VBScript Constants
      1. B.1. Color Constants
      2. B.2. Comparison Constants
      3. B.3. Date and Time Constants
      4. B.4. Date Format Constants
      5. B.5. Error Constant
      6. B.6. Logical and TriState Constants
      7. B.7. Message Box Constants
      8. B.8. String Constants
      9. B.9. Variable Type Constants
    3. C. Operators
      1. C.1. Arithmetic Operators
      2. C.2. String Operator
      3. C.3. Comparison Operators
        1. C.3.1. The Is Operator
      4. C.4. Logical and Bitwise Operators
      5. C.5. Operator Precedence
    4. D. Locale IDs
    5. E. The Script Encoder
      1. E.1. How Encoding and Decoding Works
      2. E.2. Script Encoder Syntax
      3. E.3. Encoding Examples
        1. E.3.1. Encoding .vbs Files
        2. E.3.2. Encoding .wsf Files
        3. E.3.3. Encoding ASP Files with Client-Side Script
  6. About the Authors
  7. Colophon
  8. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Paul Lomax, Matt Childs, Ron Petrusha
  • Release date: March 2003
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596004880