Introduction to VBScript

last modified February 19, 2025

VBScript (Visual Basic Scripting Edition) is a lightweight scripting language developed by Microsoft. It is often used for automating tasks in Windows environments. VBScript is executed by the Windows Script Host (WSH), which provides a runtime environment for scripts.

Windows Script Host (WSH)

The Windows Script Host (WSH) is a scripting host that allows you to run scripts written in VBScript or JScript. It provides two command-line tools for running scripts: wscript.exe and cscript.exe.

The wscript tool

The wscript is used to run scripts in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment. It displays output in message boxes and is suitable for scripts that require user interaction.

The cscript tool

The cscript is used to run scripts in a command-line environment. It displays output in the console and is suitable for scripts that do not require user interaction.

Common Options

Both wscript and cscript support the following options:

//T:nn: Sets a timeout for the script in seconds.
//I: Enables interactive mode.
//B: Batch mode. Suppresses script errors and prompts from displaying.
//D: Enables the Active Debugging.
//E:engine: Uses the specified script engine to run the script.
//H:CScript: Registers cscript.exe as the default script host for the given script file extension.
//H:WScript: Registers wscript.exe as the default script host for the given script file extension.
//Job:xxxxx: Executes a WSF job by name.
//Logo: Displays the logo banner (the default).
//NoLogo: Prevents display of the logo banner.

Simple Example

The first example demonstrates how to output text to the console.

hello.vbs

WScript.Echo "Hello there!"

The WScript.Echo function outputs the text "Hello there!" to the console. Run the script using cscript:

cscript hello.vbs

Variables in VBScript

Variables in VBScript are used to store data. They are declared using the Dim keyword.

variables.vbs

Dim name
name = "John Doe"

WScript.Echo "Name: " & name

This example declares a variable name and assigns it the value "John Doe". The value is then displayed using WScript.Echo.

Conditional Statements

VBScript supports conditional statements like If...Then...Else for decision-making.

conditions.vbs

Dim age
age = 20

If age >= 18 Then
    WScript.Echo "You are an adult."
Else
    WScript.Echo "You are a minor."
End If

This example checks the value of the age variable and outputs a message based on the condition.

Loops in VBScript

VBScript supports loops like For...Next and Do...Loop for repetitive tasks.

loops.vbs

Dim i

For i = 1 To 5
    WScript.Echo "Iteration: " & i
Next

This example uses a For...Next loop to output the iteration number five times.

Functions in VBScript

Functions in VBScript are reusable blocks of code that perform a specific task.

functions.vbs

Function Add(a, b)
    Add = a + b
End Function

Dim result
result = Add(5, 3)

WScript.Echo "Result: " & result

This example defines a function Add that takes two parameters and returns their sum. The result is displayed using WScript.Echo.

Working with Files

VBScript can interact with the file system using the FileSystemObject.

file_operations.vbs

Dim fso, file
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set file = fso.CreateTextFile("example.txt", True)

file.WriteLine("This is a test file.")
file.Close()

WScript.Echo "File created successfully."

This example creates a text file named example.txt and writes a line of text to it.

In this article, we introduced VBScript and the Windows Script Host (WSH). We covered the basics of VBScript programming, including variables, conditional statements, loops, functions, and file operations. We also discussed the wscript and cscript commands and their options. VBScript is a versatile scripting language that is widely used for automation and web development.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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