Scripting 101

1
Scripting 101

• NT Users Group
• Roger Clauer
• May 11, 2001

2
Scripting

• Process to automate repetitive tasks
• Userid creation
• System backup
• Logon Scripts
• Common Scripting Tools
• .Bat files
• Perl
• Rexx
• WSH - Vbscript/Jscript

3
WSH - Windows Scripting Host

• Allows use of Jscript or VBScript to automate
  operations
• Standard feature of W98/NT/W2000
• Rich Object Model
• Shell Object
• Network Object
• FileSystem Object

4
WSH V2

• New Features
• Include Files
• XML support for mixed languages in single file
• Manipulation of Text Files

5
What do you need to get started?

• A familiarity with Visual Basic
• VBS is a subset of VB
• Documentation and differences is on Microsoft
  Scripting web site
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/scripting
• Ability to use a basic Text Editor - eg. Notepad

6
VBScript vs. VBA

• All variables are variants
• No traditional File I/O
• Limited Builtin Functions
• No financial functions
• No Val, Str, Lset, Rset
• Reduced Control Flow
• No GoTo
• No On Error GoTo

7
Two Applications

• Wscript
• Executes in Gui Envirionmnet
• Cscript
• Executes in a Console/Command Line Envirionment

8
The Classic

• Wscript.Echo Hello World

9
Objects in VBScript

• Represented by Variables
• General form
• Set variable object-reference-expression
• Create object example
• Dim objShell
• Set objShell Wscript.CreateObject(Wscript.Shell
  )

10
Accessing Methods and Properties

• objectref.method arglist
• Example
• intRet ojbShell.Run(command ipconfig.exe 0,
  True)
• Properties (Example2.VBS)
• dim fso, f, s
• filespec "c\Program Files"
• Set fso CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject
  ")
• Set f fso.GetFolder(filespec)
• s UCase(f.Name) " uses " f.size " bytes."
• Wscript.Echo s

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Wscript Object

• Methods
• CreateObject
• GetObject
• Echo
• Quit
• Sleep

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Wscript Properties

• .Fullname
• .ScriptFullName
• .Arguments
• Returns a pointer to the WshArguments Collection

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Arguments (Example3.VBS)

• Set oArgs Wscript.Arguments
• Wscript.Echo "You Entered the following
  Arguments"
• For i 0 to oArgs.Count-1
• Wscript.Echo "Argument " i1 " "
  oArgs(i)
• next

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WshNetwork Object

• Exposes the Windows Network allowing Mapping of
  Drives
• Properties
• .ComputerName
• .UserName
• .UserDomain

15
WshNetwork Methods

• MapNetworkDrive
• RemoveNetworkDrive
• EnumNetworkDrives
• AddWindowsPrinterConnection
• RemovePrinterConnection
• EnumPrinterConnection
• SetDefaultPrinter

16
WshShell Object

• Methods
• Run
• CreateShortCut Method
• RegRead, RegWrite, RegDelete
• ExpandEnvironmentStrings
• LogEvent
• AppActivate
• SendKeys

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Useability Improvements

• VBSEdit
• Debugging
• Cscript name.vbs //X parms

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Error Processing

• Err Object (VBScript)
• Information about Run Time Errors
• Properties
• Number
• Description
• On Error Resume Next
• On Error GoTo 0

19
FileSystem Objects

• File System Object - Root of the hierarchy
• Drive - Access to any Drive
• Folder - Access to file-system Directory
• File - Access to Files and properties
• TextStream - I/O to sequential Files

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Creating FSO

• Set fso CreateObject(Scripting.FileSystemObject
  )

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FSO Methods

• CopyFile
• CopyFolder
• CreateFolder
• DeleteFile
• DeleteFolder
• DriveExists
• FileExists

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FSO Methods

• FolderExists
• MoveFile
• MoveFolder

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Accessing Drives

• ' Example25 Code to Enumerate a Local Machine's
  Drives
• Dim fso, cDrives, drv, str
• Set fso CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject
  ")
• Set cDrives fso.Drives
• For Each drv In cDrives
• str str drv.DriveLetter vbCrLf
• Next
• MsgBox str

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Accessing Folders

• oFolder fso.GetFolder(folderspec)
• oFolder fso.CreateFolder(folderspec)
• Where folderspec can be
• absolute path
• eg. c\Program Files\Aim95
• relative path
• temp\data

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Folders Properties

• .Attributes
• .DateCreated
• .DateLastAccessed
• .DateLastModified
• .Drive
• .Files
• .Name
• .ParentFolder

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Folder Properties

• .ShortName
• .ShortPath
• .Size
• .SubFolders
• .Type

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Accessing Folders

• oFolder fso.GetSpecialFolder(folderspec)
• Where folderspce is a constant
• Windows Folder 0
• System Folder 1
• TemporaryFolder 2

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File Objects

• Do not provide access to the content of the files
• Two methods of Access
• .Getfile method of FileSystemObject
• .Files property of Folder Object

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File Properties

• .Attributes
• .DateCreate
• .DateLastAccessed
• .DateLastModified
• .Drive
• .Name

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File Properites

• .ParentFolder
• .Path
• .ShortName
• .ShortPath
• .Size
• .Type

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TextStreamObjects

• Methods
• .CreateTextFile of FileSystem Object
• .OpenTextFile of FileSystem Object
• .CreateTextFile of Folder Object
• .OpenAsTextStream of File Object

32
TextStream Objects

• Methods
• .ReadLine
• .WriteLine
• .Read
• .Write
• .SkipLine
• .Skip

33
TextStream Objects

• Properties
• ,AtEndofLine
• .AtEndofStream
• .Column
• .Line

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Resources

• Microsoft Scripting Site
• msdn.microsoft.com/scripting
• Getting Started with Windows Scripting Host (Tech
  Republic)
• http//www.techrepublic.com/article.jhtml?idr0022
  0010117jim01.htm
• Scripting Tutorial (Gunter Born)
• http//www.borncity.de/WSHBazaar/WSHBazaar.htm

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Resources

• Windows 2000 Windows Scrip Host by Tim Hill
  Macmillan Technical Publishing (New Riders)
• ADSI
• Msdn.microsoft.com
• Msdn Library
• Platform SDK Documentation
• Network and Directory Services
• Directory Services
• Active Direcory Service Interfaces