This relatively widespread use of VBScript is not because of many special merits of VBScript-several useful features of the full Visual Basic, such as strong typing, extended error trapping and the ability to pass a variable number of parameters to a subroutine have been removed-but mainly because, apart from being easy to learn, royalties need not be paid to Microsoft by implementers as long as the VBScript trade mark is acknowledged.

The language of VBScript is modelled on Visual Basic, and therefore can be reviewed using similar categories: procedures, control structures, constants, variables, user interaction, array handling, date / time functions, error handling, mathematical functions, objects, regular expressions, string manipulation, and so on.

* Visual Basic Script Edition ( VBScript )

It features syntax highlighting for many programming languages: ASP, assembly language, C, C ++, C #, Common Gateway Interface ( CGI ), Cascading Style Sheets ( CSS ), HTML, Java, JavaScript, NSIS, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Python, SQL, Visual Basic ( VB ), VBScript, XHTML, and XML.

However, that entire technology was deprecated in version 2. 0 of the. NET Framework, leaving no clear upgrade path for applications desiring Active Scripting support ( although " scripts " can be created in C #, VBScript, Visual Basic. NET, and other. NET languages, which can be compiled and executed at run-time via libraries installed as part of the standard. NET runtime ).

For example, the ILOVEYOU, TRUELOVE, and AnnaK email viruses / worms all were implemented as mobile code ( VBScript in a. vbs email attachment that executed in Windows Scripting Host ).

For many of the above uses, Active Scripting is an addition to Windows which could be said to be similar to the functionality of Unix shell scripts, as well as an incrementation upon batch files ( command. com ), Windows NT style shell scripts ( cmd. exe ) and can even be said to be, by way of VBScript, the replacement for QBasic – which was last available on the supplementary disc for Windows 95.

Active Scripting is now deprecated in favor of. NET, with some continuing use of run-time interpretation of JScript with JScript. NET and VBScript within ASP. NET.

* Future of VBScript Language-Information about the future of Active Scripting technologies.

Microsoft and other industry leaders presented VBScript, an implementation of OLE Scripting ; ActiveX Controls, for embedding OLE Controls into HTML documents ; ActiveX Conferencing, which enables sharing data as well as applications over TCP / IP ; the Internet Control Pack, allowing developers to make their applications Internet aware ; and numerous other ActiveX technologies.

VBScript uses the Component Object Model to access elements of the environment within which it is running ; for example, the FileSystemObject ( FSO ) is used to create, read, update and delete files.

VBScript has been installed by default in every desktop release of Microsoft Windows since Windows 98 ; in Windows Server since Windows NT 4. 0 Option Pack ; and optionally with Windows CE ( depending on the device it is installed on ).

Additionally, the VBScript hosting environment is embeddable in other programs, through technologies such as the Microsoft Script Control (< tt > msscript. ocx </ tt >).

Finally, on August 1, 1996, Internet Explorer is made with features that include VBScript.

Although VBScript is a general-purpose scripting language, several particular areas of use are noteworthy.

Second, VBScript is the scripting language for Quick Test Professional, a test automation tool.

A third area to note is the adoption of VBScript as the internal scripting language for some embedded applications, such as industrial operator interfaces and human machine interfaces.

When employed for client-side web development in Microsoft Internet Explorer, VBScript is similar in function to JavaScript.

VBScript is also used for server-side processing of web pages, most notably with Microsoft Active Server Pages ( ASP ).

VBScript that is embedded in an ASP page is contained within <% and %> context switches.

The following example of an ASP page with VBScript displays the current time in 24-hour format ( Note that an '=' sign occurring after a context switch (<%) is short-hand for a call to Write () method of the Response object ), but it is also used as the default script for error messages with the windows operating systems.

The HTML in the file is used to generate the user interface, and a scripting language such as VBScript is used for the program logic.

A “ procedure ” is the main construct in VBScript for separating code into smaller modules.

However, as usual, it is considered a best practice of VBScript style to be consistent and to capitalize judiciously.

During a period of just over two years, VBScript advanced from version 1. 0 to 2. 0, and over that time it gained support from Windows system administrators seeking an automation tool more powerful than the batch language first developed in the early 1980s.

The hierarchical DBMS InterSystems Cache ( which has its roots in the language MUMPS ) also supports an implementation of VBScript, Cache BASIC, for programming stored code ..

The following are some key points of introduction to the VBScript language.

Other tools like awk can also be considered glue languages, as can any language implemented by an ActiveX WSH engine ( VBScript, JScript and VBA by default in Windows and third-party engines including implementations of Rexx, Perl, Tcl, Python, XSLT, Ruby, Delphi, & c ) A majority of applications can access and use operating system components via the object models or its own functions.

PC-based C cross-compilers for some of the TI and HP machines used in conjunction with tools that convert betwixt C and Perl, Rexx, awk, as well as shell scripts to Perl, VBScript to and from Perl make it possible to write a programme in a glue language for eventual implementation ( as a compiled programme ) on the calculator.

* VBScript, a computer scripting language developed by Microsoft

With the advent of the. NET framework, the scripting team took the decision to implement future support for VBScript within ASP. NET for web development, and therefore no new versions of the VBScript engine would be developed and it moved over to being supported by Microsoft's Sustaining Engineering Team, who are responsible for bug fixes and security enhancements.

VBScript ( and JScript ) can also be used in a Windows Script Component-an ActiveX-enabled script class that can be invoked by other COM-enabled applications.

Binary file and memory I / O is provided by the " ADODB. Stream " class, which can also be used as a string builder ( since a high amount of VBScript string concatenation is costly due to constant memory re-allocation ), and can be used to convert an array of bytes to a string and vice versa.

In contrast, server-side scripts, written in languages such as Perl, PHP, ASP. NET, Java, and server-side VBScript, are executed by the web server when the user requests a document.

Customization of version 1. x projects is typically done by writing independent VBScript files, and linking them to the project in project settings window (. GDP file ).

It can also be extended by using VBScript, JScript, Perl, Python, Ruby scripts and DLL plugins, which provide virtually unlimited possibilities.

Objects may be controlled by scripts written in either VBScript or JScript, although they are not always required.

* The Windows Script Host, which uses scripting engines for many glue languages like Perl, Rexx, PHP, Ruby, Tcl, Delphi, XSLT, Python and others and has those for VBScript, JScript, and VBA installed by default, is capable of running in interactive mode from cmd. exe, command. com, or most other shells running under Windows like the MKS Unix shells, ( or any script or program with OS access or the Run box of the GUI ) by invoking as CScript. exe // I.

A VBScript script must be executed within a host environment, of which there are several provided with Microsoft Windows, including: Windows Script Host ( WSH ), Internet Explorer ( IE ), and Internet Information Services ( IIS ).

VBScript began as part of the Microsoft Windows Script Technologies, launched in 1996.

VBScript can also be used to create applications that run directly on a workstation running Microsoft Windows.

Microsoft does not routinely make available an IDE ( Integrated Development Environment ) for VBScript, although the Microsoft Script Editor has been reported.

The editor uses Microsoft VBScript for user programming.

WMI allows scripting languages like VBScript or Windows PowerShell to manage Microsoft Windows personal computers and servers, both locally and remotely.

Examples of mobile code include scripts ( JavaScript, VBScript ), Java applets, ActiveX controls, Flash animations, Shockwave movies ( and Xtras ), and macros embedded within Microsoft Office documents.

Tests can be written in either of the Microsoft scripting languages: VBScript and JScript.