VBScript Programmer's Reference

Completely updated for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 R2, this book is packed with practical examples for today's programmer, Web developer, or system administrator Combines a comprehensive overview of the VBScript technology and associated technologies with sample code at every stage from beginner to advanced user Discusses the general syntax, functions, keywords, style, error handling, and similar language-specific topics and then moves into an expanded reference section covering the object models in detail Presents advanced coverage on Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI), PowerShell, security scripting, remote scripting, database scripting, and more

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xi Introduction xxv Chapter 1: A Quick Introduction to Programming 1 Variables and Data Types 2 Flow Control 9 Operators and Operator Precedence 18 Organizing and Reusing Code 19 Top-Down versus Event-Driven 23 Coding Guidelines 25 Summary 29 Chapter 2: What VBScript Is — and Isn’t! 31 Windows Script 31 Version Information 32 VBScript Is a Subset of VB 32 VBScript Is a Scripting Language 33 VBScript Is Interpreted at Runtime 33 Advantages of Using VBScript 36 Is VBScript Right for You? 37 How VBScript Fits in with the Visual Basic Family 38 What Can You Do with VBScript? 40 Tool of the Trade — Tools for VBScript 43 Summary 44 Chapter 3: Data Types 45 Scripting Languages as Loosely Typed 46 Why Data Types Are Important 47 The Variant: VBScript’s Only Data Type 49 Arrays as Complex Data Types 72 Summary 81 Chapter 4: Variables and Procedures 83 Option Explicit 83 Naming Variables 85 Procedures and Functions 86 Variable Scope, Declaration, and Lifetime 95 Design Strategies for Scripts and Procedures 99 ByRef and ByVal 101 Literals and Named Constants 104 Summary 108 Chapter 5: Control of Flow 109 Branching Constructs 109 Loop Constructs 114 Summary 128 Chapter 6: Error Handling and Debugging 129 Types of Errors 130 Error Visibility and Context 137 Handling Errors 139 Generating Custom Errors 152 Debugging 157 Summary 181 Chapter 7: The Scripting Runtime Objects 183 What Are Runtime Objects? 183 Object Basics 184 The Dictionary Object 190 The FileSystemObject Library 196 Summary 207 Chapter 8: Classes in VBScript (Writing Your Own COM Objects) 209 Objects, Classes, and Components 209 The Class Statement 211 Defining Properties 212 Defining Methods 218 Class Events 220 Class-Level Constants 222 Building and Using a Sample VBScript Class 223 Summary 232 Chapter 9: Regular Expressions 233 Introduction to Regular Expressions 233 The RegExp Object 238 The Matches Collection 252 A Few Examples 256 Summary 259 Chapter 10: Client-Side Web Scripting 261 Tools of the Trade 261 The Evolution of Scripting 262 Different Scripting Languages 263 Responding to Browser Events 265 The Document Object Model in Action 280 Summary 286 Chapter 11: Windows Sidebars and Gadgets 287 Gadget Basics 288 Building a Gadget 292 Auto-Refresh a Gadget 305 Packaging the Gadget 307 Summary 307 Chapter 12: Task Scheduler Scripting 309 Working with Task Scheduler 310 Task Scheduler 2.0 Scripting Objects 314 Sample Task Scheduler Script 340 Summary 344 Chapter 13: PowerShell 345 Requirements 345 Features 346 Why a New Scripting Language? 346 Getting Started 347 Working with Scripts in PowerShell 356 Creating and Calling Your First PowerShell Cmdlet Script 357 The Connection Between VBScript and PowerShell? 359 Summary 373 Chapter 14: Super-Charged Client-Side Scripting 375 Requirements and Browser Security 375 Scriptlets — Ancestors of Behaviors 376 Event Management 384 Scriptlets Are Deprecated in IE5 389 HTML Components (HTCs) 392 Summary 402 Chapter 15: Windows Script Host 405 Tools of the Trade 406 What Is WSH? 406 Types of Script Files 408 Running Scripts with the Windows Script Host 408 Using .WSH Files to Launch Scripts 411 Windows Script Host Intrinsic Objects 412 Summary 464 Chapter 16: Windows Script Components 465 What Are Windows Script Components? 465 What Tools Do You Need? 466 The Script Component Runtime 466 Script Component Files and Wizard 467 Exposing Properties, Methods, and Events 473 Registration Information 478 Creating the Script Component Type Libraries 479 How to Reference Other Components 481 Script Components for ASP 482 Compile-Time Error Checking 484 Using VBScript Classes in Script Components 484 Summary 488 Chapter 17: Script Encoding 489 Limitations of Script Encoding 490 Encoded Scripts — Dos and Don’ts 490 Encoding with the Microsoft Script Encoder 491 Decoding the Script 507 Other Methods of Script Obfuscation 507 Summary 508 Chapter 18: Remote Scripting 509 How Remote Scripting Works 509 Using VBScript for Remote Scripting 511 Summary 516 Chapter 19: HTML Applications 517 The Advantage of an HTML Application 517 How to Create a Basic HTA 518 The HTA:APPLICATION Element 522 HTAs and Security 527 HTA Deployment Models 530 What Isn’t Supported with HTAs? 532 Summary 533 Chapter 20: Server-Side Web Scripting 535 Understanding the Anatomy of the HTTP Protocol 536 Introducing Active Server Pages 540 Using the Active Server Pages Object Model 544 Using Active Server Pages Effectively 559 Summary 567 Chapter 21: Adding VBScript to Your VB and .NET Applications 569 Why Add Scripting to Your Application? 570 Macro and Scripting Concepts 570 Adding the Script Control to a VB 6 or .NET Application 572 Script Control Reference 573 Error Handling with the Script Control 592 Debugging 595 Using Encoded Scripts 596 Sample .NET Project 596 Sample Visual Basic 6 Project 597 Summary 602 Appendix A: VBScript Functions and Keywords 603 Appendix B: Variable Naming Convention 675 Appendix C: Coding Conventions 677 Appendix D: Visual Basic Constants Supported in VBScript 681 Appendix E: VBScript Error Codes and the Err Object 687 Appendix F: The Scripting Runtime Library Object Reference 703 Appendix G: The Windows Script Host Object Model 715 Appendix H: Regular Expressions 723 Appendix I: The Variant Subtypes 727 Appendix J: ActiveX Data Objects 731 Index 759

About the Author :
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has made his living as a technology writer for over a decade, with many books and articles to his name. He can also be found teaching classes on the Web, where he has successfully taught technology skills to thousands of learners, with his own special brand of knowledge, experience, wit, and poor spelling. He is also editor of the ZDNet blog Hardware 2.0 ( http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware ). Kathie Kingsley-Hughes has worked in IT training for many years. In addition to writing, she now works as a courseware developer and e-trainer, specializing in Internet technologies. She also runs a web development company in the United Kingdom. Daniel Read is a software developer living and working in Atlanta, GA, USA. He currently works for Connecture Inc., an Atlanta-based software consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry. Daniel also publishes and writes essays for developers at DeveloperDotStar.com , a web-based magazine for software professionals. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has made his living as a technology writer for over a decade, with many books and articles to his name. He can also be found teaching classes on the Web, where he has successfully taught technology skills to thousands of learners, with his own special brand of knowledge, experience, wit, and poor spelling. He is also editor of the ZDNet blog Hardware 2.0 ( http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware ). Kathie Kingsley-Hughes has worked in IT training for many years. In addition to writing, she now works as a courseware developer and e-trainer, specializing in Internet technologies. She also runs a web development company in the United Kingdom. Daniel Read is a software developer living and working in Atlanta, GA, USA. He currently works for Connecture Inc., an Atlanta-based software consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry. Daniel also publishes and writes essays for developers at DeveloperDotStar.com , a web-based magazine for software professionals.