VBScript - Reference 2

Using VBScript
with
InduSoft Web Studio
© InduSoft 2006
Table of Contents
About VBScript..............................................................................................................................................4
VBScript Limitations in IWS.........................................................................................................................6
The Microsoft Visual Basic Family ...............................................................................................................6
Differences between VBScript and VBA ......................................................................................................7
VBScript Hosting Environments ...................................................................................................................8
VBScript Language Overview .......................................................................................................................9
VBScript Functionality ..............................................................................................................................9
VBScript Elements.....................................................................................................................................9
Variable Data Types and Subtypes ..........................................................................................................10
Data Subtype Identification......................................................................................................................10
Data Subtype Conversion.........................................................................................................................10
Variable Naming Rules & Conventions...................................................................................................11
Variable Scope .........................................................................................................................................11
VBScript Constants..................................................................................................................................11
Declaring VBScript Variables and Constants ..........................................................................................12
VBScript Keywords .................................................................................................................................12
Operators ..................................................................................................................................................12
Operator Precedence ................................................................................................................................13
Functions ..................................................................................................................................................13
Statements ................................................................................................................................................16
Objects and Classes......................................................................................................................................19
VBScript Object Commands....................................................................................................................21
VBScript User-Defined Class Objects .....................................................................................................22
VBScript Objects and Collections ...........................................................................................................26
Err Object .............................................................................................................................................27
Scripting Dictionary Object .................................................................................................................28
Scripting FileSystemObject .................................................................................................................29
COM Objects and Collections .................................................................................................................36
VBScript Configuration and Operation in IWS ...........................................................................................40
Global Procedures ....................................................................................................................................41
Graphics Script.........................................................................................................................................42
Screen Scripts...........................................................................................................................................43
Command Dynamic .................................................................................................................................45
ActiveX Events ........................................................................................................................................46
Background Task Startup Script ..............................................................................................................47
Background Task Script Groups ..............................................................................................................47
Scope of VBScript Procedures and Variables..........................................................................................49
Accessing IWS Tags and IWS Built-in functions....................................................................................50
Accessing ActiveX Objects from VBScript.............................................................................................53
IntelliSense...............................................................................................................................................54
IntelliSense...............................................................................................................................................55
VBScript with Web Thin Clients .............................................................................................................57
VBScript Language Reference.....................................................................................................................58
VBScript Variables ..................................................................................................................................59
Variable Data Types and Subtypes ......................................................................................................59
Array Variables ....................................................................................................................................61
Boolean Variables ................................................................................................................................63
2
Byte, Integer & Long Variables ...........................................................................................................64
Currency Variables ..............................................................................................................................64
Date (and Time) Variables ...................................................................................................................65
Empty Variables...................................................................................................................................67
Error Variables .....................................................................................................................................67
Null Variables ......................................................................................................................................67
Object Variables...................................................................................................................................68
Real (Single, Double) Variables ..........................................................................................................68
Strings Variables .................................................................................................................................69
Data Subtype Identification..................................................................................................................71
Data Subtype Conversion.....................................................................................................................73
Data Subtype Conversion.....................................................................................................................74
VBScript Naming Rules and Conventions...........................................................................................74
VBScript Naming Rules and Conventions...........................................................................................75
Variable Scope .....................................................................................................................................76
VBScript Constants..................................................................................................................................78
Explicit Constants ................................................................................................................................78
Implicit Constants ................................................................................................................................79
Declaring Variables, Objects and Constants........................................................................................87
VBScript Keywords .................................................................................................................................89
VBScript Literals .................................................................................................................................89
VBScript Operators..................................................................................................................................90
Arithmetic Operators............................................................................................................................90
Assignment Operator ...........................................................................................................................90
Comparison Operators .........................................................................................................................90
String Concatenation Operators ...........................................................................................................90
Logical Operators.................................................................................................................................91
Is Operator............................................................................................................................................91
$ Operator ............................................................................................................................................91
Operator Precedence ..........................................................................................................................102
VBScript Functions................................................................................................................................103
VBScript Derived Functions ..................................................................................................................160
VBScript Statements ..............................................................................................................................161
VBScript Objects and Collections .........................................................................................................187
Scripting Type Library...........................................................................................................................203
Dictionary Object ...................................................................................................................................204
FileSystemObject (FSO) ........................................................................................................................207
TextStream Object .................................................................................................................................241
3
About VBScript
Visual Basic Script Language (VBScript) is one of Microsoft’s scripting languages that is commonly
associated with Server-side and Client-side web applications. However, Microsoft has opened up
VBScript to developers and now VBScript can be found in a variety of applications. InduSoft has
standardized on VBScript since it provides a significant subset of Microsoft Visual Basic’s functionality,
and VBScript supports all of Microsoft’s operating system platforms including Windows CE, unlike VBA
(Visual Basic for Applications) which cannot support the Windows CE runtime environment.
VBScript is a programming language that is often viewed as a dialect of VBA (Visual Basic for
Applications), although it is really its own language. The VBScript language attempts to balance flexibility,
capability and ease of use. VBA is a subset of Visual Basic that was developed to automate Microsoft
Office applications, whereas VBScript was originally developed to support Server-side and Client-side
web applications. Although VBScript and VBA provide many of the same features, there are some
differences between them, primarily due to the applications they were each developed to support.
So before we get into details of the VBScripting language, perhaps it is worthwhile to review how
VBScript is used with InduSoft Web Studio (IWS) or alternatively, why VBScript is included with IWS.
IWS provides an easy-to-use development environment that configures predefined objects to support an
HMI/SCADA application. Applications can be built quickly and are relatively easy to support, even by
someone other than the original developer. By comparison, programming languages such as Visual
Basic can be used to develop an HMI/SCADA application, but the lower per-copy licensing cost savings
quickly gets offset by much higher development costs and support costs. A programming development
environment is clearly more flexible than a configuration development environment, but there is a
significant cost associated with programming that makes it an unattractive alternative for HMI/SCADA
applications. By adding VBScript support to IWS, InduSoft lets you chose between configuration and
programming to meet your application needs and develop applications efficiently.
Using VBScript With InduSoft HMI/SCADA Applications
InduSoft Web Studio (IWS) supports both a simple, proprietary scripting language (worksheet style) using one or
more Math worksheets, as well as VBScript (new with IWS Version 6.1). Developers can use either scripting
language or a combination of both. VBScript code is placed in one of several modules, based on the
functionality to be performed and the scope of the code and its variables. This subject is covered more
completely in the VBScript Configuration and Operation in IWS section.
Examples of how VBScript can be used:

• To execute a logic sequence or a routine when opening or closing a screen, or while the screen is open
• To execute a logic sequence in the background
• Run a simple VBScipt code segment based on an IWS object’s command dynamic
• Interaction with IWS Tags and control of IWS built-in functions
• Manipulation of ActiveX Controls and ActiveX Control event handler
• Simple file I/O (e.g. text files)
• Database interfaces (e.g. via ADO.NET), especially where use of SQL is required
• Interface to Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and Web Services (via WSDL)
• Interface to Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Excel, Access, Word) and Microsoft Office components via
OLE Automation
• Run on a Web Thin Client
Where you should use IWS instead of VBScript

• User Interface. IWS does not support Windows Scripting, which typically provides the User Interface for
VBScript via Forms.
• Device I/O (e.g. PLC communications). VBScript does not directly support serial or network
communications.
4
IWS implements Visual Basic Script Edition 5.5 or higher, and functions as the “host” for VBScript. IWS
provides an integrated development environment where the HMI/SCADA application developer can take
advantage of the functionality and ease of use of VBScript, yet have access to all IWS tags and all built-
in functions directly from VBScript. The diagram below illustrates the IWS architecture. Since VBScript is
an interpreted language, the VBScript Engine parses the language at runtime and executes commands
subject to limitations placed by the VBScript Host. InduSoft allows VBScript code to be located several
areas in an IWS application:
• Global Procedures. This is an area for subroutines and functions that can be called by any other
VBScript routine, or by a built-in IWS function (requires IWS Version 6.1 Service Pack 1 or later).
• Graphic Script. Code in this area gets executed whenever any graphics (screens) are active.
• Screen Script. This is where code is executed when an individual screen is active.
• Command Dynamic. When an object has a Command Dynamic, one option is to run VBScript
code.
• ActiveX Events. A VBScript code segment can be run based on an ActiveX event
• Background Task. VBScript code can be running as a background task. One or more VBScript
groups are supported, allowing conditional processing of the various VBScript background tasks.
This subject is covered more completely later in the VBScript Configuration and Operation in IWS section.
InduSoft Web Studio Version 6.1 Internal Architecture
In a Web Thin Client configuration, VBScripts associated with a screen can run either on the workstation
runtime display or on a Web Thin Client station running Microsoft Internet Explorer. The VBScript
routines that can execute on a Web Thin Client include those located in a Screen Script, a Command
Dynamic, and an ActiveX Event. Since VBScript runs on all Microsoft operating system platforms, there
are no limitations to VBScript running on any Microsoft compatible platform.
5
VBScript Limitations in IWS
Microsoft initially developed VBScript to work with websites (web pages). In the web server environment,
VBScript was designed to work with the Windows Scripting host and ASP, which provide file access and
form generation. On the web client side, VBScript was designed to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer
using HTML and DHTML, which provide display generation. So as a result of the initial design goals,
VBScript does not have much in the way of built-in language support for Forms, File I/O,
Communications or direct Printing control. Additionally, IWS has its own built-in web server and does not
use ASP.
By using IWS built-in functions, ActiveX controls and Microsoft Office Applications (or components), there
are several methods for workarounds to these limitations as well as to extend VBScript’s capability.
The following are some of VBScript’s limitations and workarounds.

Item VBScript Workarounds
Forms Does not support Use IWS objects for user interface, pass parameters to
IWS. Can also use ActiveX Controls.
File I/O Limited support directly Use Scripting Objects and/or IWS built-in functions. Can
also use ActiveX Controls.
Communications Does not directly support Use IWS built-in functions or 3rd party ActiveX controls
Printing Does not directly support Use Microsoft Office Applications or IWS built-in functions
Charting/Graphing Does not directly support Use IWS trending, Microsoft Office Applications, Microsoft
Office Components, or 3rd party ActiveX controls
DDE Does not support Supported in IWS built-in commands (not under Windows
CE).
The Microsoft Visual Basic Family

VBScript is part of a family of Microsoft programming languages that support object-oriented
programming. This family of products is derived from the Basic programming language, first developed in
1964. Once study recently indicated that over 50% of all programmers are familiar with VB (Visual Basic)
programming.
Basic, VB (Visual Basic), VB.NET, VBA and VBScript – The Evolution
Most everyone is familiar with Basic, the Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code that has been around
since 1964. Originally designed to teach non-science students about computers, it was one of the first high-level
programming languages ported to the PC in the 1980’s. It has continued to evolve with programming and
operating system technology. Here is a quick summary of the different versions today:
• Basic A simple high-level programming language developed in 1964. Migrated to the PC platform in the
1980’s, with many versions developed.
• VB Visual Basic. An event-driven programming version of Basic, supporting graphical user interfaces
(GUI), database access and ActiveX controls that was introduced in 1991. VB Version 6 was the
last version released (1998).
• VB.NET The successor to VB launched in 2002. Supports Microsoft .NET framework architecture and is a
true object-oriented programming language.
• VBA Visual Basic for Applications is a version of VB (most compatible with Version 6) that is built into
Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint) and into some other 3rd
party products. Unlike VB or VB.NET, VBA does not run stand-alone and only runs from a host
application, usually within a Microsoft Office application. VBA can control an second application
while running in a host application. VBA works on Windows XP/2000/NT platforms only.
• VBScript VBScript is considered a dialect of VBA and is the default language for website Active Server
Pages (ASP). Like VBA, VBScript does not run stand-alone and only runs from a host
application. It is run by the operating system’s Windows Script Host and can be used for Server-
side Windows scripting or Client-side Web Page scripting using Microsoft Internet Explorer. A key
advantage of VBScript is that it is supported under Windows CE.
6
Differences between VBScript and VBA
Since other HMI/SCADA products support VBA, it might be worth highlighting some of the key
differences between VBScript and VBA. For HMI/SCADA applications, these differences are relatively
minor. However, VBScript support for the Windows CE operating system is a major differentiator
between the two products. For additional details or a complete listing of the differences, please reference
the MSDN website at http://msdn.microsoft.com.
Key differences between VBScript vs. VBA

Item VBA VBScript
Primary Purpose Automation of MS Office Applications Automation of Web Services
Support for Windows CE No Yes
Data Types Stronger Type Declaration. Many data Typeless, uses Variant Type. The final
types supported. (e.g. String, Integer, data subtype will be determined at
Date, Boolean) runtime based on use. Supports same
data subtypes as VBA and VB (e.g.
String, Integer, Date, Boolean, etc)
Dimension Statement Dim Var as Type Dim Var
(Cannot specify Type, but it is
determined at runtime based on use)
Class Block declaration Must use separate Class Module Class Block Declaration supported
Object Clipboard Not supported
Collection
Object Manipulation TypeOf Not supported
Eval function Not supported Expression evaluation supported
Execute function Not supported Allows interpreted code to be executed
on the fly.
RegExp No Allows creation of regular expressions
Error Handling Several different types Supported but more limited
Arrays Lower bound can be <>0 Lower bound is 0
File I/O Supported Not directly supported but VBScript can
use FileSystemObject and can access
IWS built-in I/O functions
DDE Supported Not supported
Financial functions Supported Not supported
Strings Fixed length strings Variable length only
Debugging Debug, Print, End, Stop Use MsgBox or IWS built-in functions
Line labels Supported Not supported
7
VBScript Hosting Environments
While much of the material contained in the document covers the VBScript language and its use for IWS
applications, it is important to understand conceptually how VBScript works in an IWS environment. If
you browse the web for information on VBScript, you will likely find a plethora of information, but many of
the examples are for running VBScript with ASP using the Windows Scripting Host.
VBScript was developed using a Microsoft technology called ActiveX scripting, which is a COM-based
specification that allows the development of runtime engines for virtually any scripting language. Other
scripting languages include JScript. VBScript can create an instance, or instantiate, a COM object, and
thus through VBScript, many system features can be controlled such as ActiveX Controls, the
FIleSystemObject (providing access to the Windows file system), Microsoft Office Automation (COM),
and ActiveX Database Objects (ADO).
The VBScript Scripting Engine runs on a host, and there are several hosts that can run VBScript (or any
ActiveX Scripting-compliant engines) including Windows Scripting Host and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
VBScript can be used in conjunction with Windows Scripting Host (WSH) to automate system
administration tasks. WSH is part of the Microsoft operating system and treats a VBScript application like
a powerful batch file. VBScript applications can also be found with Web-based shell views. Most
frequently, VBScript is used with Active Server Pages (ASP) for Server-side web applications and
Microsoft Internet Explorer for Client-side web applications.
Stating with Version 6.1, IWS is now a host for the VBScript Scripting Engine. When used in conjunction
with IWS, IWS becomes the only host for the VBScript Scripting Engine that is used. WSH is not used
by IWS, even though WSH may be resident on the PC running the IWS application.
InduSoft has placed implemented VBScript host environment in a manner that is logically consistent with
the current IWS application development environment and licensing method. What this means is that
there are multiple locations in the development environment where VBScript code segments can be
located (so the code is located close to its use), and restrictions placed on the scope of procedures and
variables. In IWS, there is no such thing as a Global Variable that is accessible by any VBScript code
segment. The IWS tags and built-in procedures can be accessed by any VBScript code segment. The
restrictions and interaction with IWS tags and built-in functions implemented by the IWS VBScript Host
are covered in more detail in the VB Configuration and Operation in IWS section.
The VBScript Scripting Engine performs a few key functions. It performs syntax checking in the
development environment (e.g. right mouse click on a VBScript Interface, then select Check Script). It
also interacts with IntelliSense, an auto-completion tool that provides reference to available functions
(VBScript and IWS), IWS tags and ActiveX Controls (name, Properties and Methods). And most
importantly, it executes the VBScript code at runtime, providing error messages if an error occurs. It
should be noted that unlike most programming languages, VBScript is not compiled; it runs in an
interpreted mode. The VBScript Scripting Engine (vbscript.dll) is responsible for interpreting (via the
VBScript Parser, a part of the VBScript Scripting Engine) and executing the VBScript statements, and it
does so quite efficiently. IWS uses Version 5.6 or later of the Microsoft VBScript Scripting Engine.
There are no limitations on the number of VBScript variables supported in IWS, however the amount of
storage for VBScript variables is determined by the amount of memory available in your system.
VBScript variables do not count against IWS tag limits for licensing purposes.
8
VBScript Language Overview
This section contains a short summary of the VBScript Language. A more complete reference of the
VBScript language can be found in the Appendix at the end of these materials.
VBScript Functionality
VBScript has inherited much of VB & VBA’s functionality including support for math operations, string
manipulation, arrays, flow control, data conversion, procedures, COM objects, and date/time functions.
Since VBScript was initially designed for Web applications, direct support for file I/O and user interface
functions was not included. However, VBScript can use the FileSystemObject COM object (scrrun.dll) to
manipulate local files and folders.
VBScript does not support explicitly declared data types. This was eliminated to speed up the runtime
performance of the VBScript Scripting Engine. All variables are type Variant and their subtype (e.g.
Integer, Real, etc.) is determined at runtime.
VBScript Elements
There are several VBScript elements, but the most important ones are variables, constants and types. A
variable is an item holding data that can change during the execution of the VBScript program. A
constant is an item that holds data but cannot change during the execution of the VBScript program. The
data that variables and constants hold can be classified into types.
Note that with IWS, you can check the VBScript syntax for errors by choosing the Check VBScript
command (right mouse click when in a VBScript interface). VBScript is always checked when saving the
Script interface.
The Check Script function can

be invoked following a right
mouse click when the cursor is
on the VBScript Interface. Note
that Comments are in Green,
VBScript Functions and
KeyWords are in Blue,
Variables are in Black
The VBScript elements that are covered in this material (and the Appendix) include:
• Variables (Type, Declaration, Scope)
• Constants (Explicit, Implicit)
• Keywords
• Errors (Runtime, Syntax)
• Operators
• Functions and Procedures
• Statements
• Objects and Collections
• Example VBScript Applications
9
Variable Data Types and Subtypes
All variables in VBScript are a data type called Variant. This means that you do not (and cannot)
explicitly declare the variable type. In fact, with VBScript you do not need the Dim statement to allocate
storage for a variable. At runtime, the Parser in the VBScript Scripting Engine determines the Variant
data subtype to be used. These correspond to the more traditional classifications of data types (see chart
below).
Variant data subtypes

Subtype Description
Boolean Either True or False
Byte Contains integer in the range 0 to 255
Currency Floating-point number in the range -922,337,203,685,477.5808 to 922,337,203,685,477.5807
Date(Time) Contains a number that represents a date between January 1, 100 to December 31, 9999
Double Contains a double-precision, floating-point number in the range -1.79769313486232E308 to -
4.94065645841247E-324 for negative values; 4.94065645841247E-324 to
1.79769313486232E308 for positive values
Empty Uninitialized Variant
Error Contains an error number used with runtime errors
Integer Contains integer in the range -32,768 to 32,767
Long Contains integer in the range -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
Null A variant containing no valid data
Object Contains an object reference
Single Contains a single-precision, floating-point number in the range -3.402823E38 to -1.401298E-45 for
negative values; 1.401298E-45 to 3.402823E38 for positive values
String Contains a variable-length string that can be up to approximately 2 billion characters in length.
The Parsers choice of data subtype will depend on how the variable is used in a statement or function.
Note that a variable’s subtype can change within a code segment.
Data Subtype Identification

If it is important to determine the Variant data subtype used at runtime, you may use any of the three
categories of functions to determine the data subtype:
• The VarType(variable) function which returns a code based on the Variant data subtype used
• Various IsXxxx(variable) functions which return boolean values indicating whether the variable is
of a specific data subtype.
• A TypeName(variable) function which returns a string based indicating the data subtype
Example: If varType(a) = vbInteger Then

Msgbox “a is an Integer”
EndIf
Data Subtype Conversion

VBScript provides several functions that convert a variable from one data subtype to another. Since
VBScript uses the Variant data type, these functions are not generally required. However, when passing
data between IWS (or CEView) and VBScipt, or calling built-in IWS functions from VBScript where
variables need to be put into the proper argument format, these VBScript data subtype conversion
functions can be very useful.
Example: a = 4.2
b = cInt (a) ‘ b is an Integer with a value of 4
10
Variable Naming Rules & Conventions
VBScript has four primary rules for naming. These are:
1. Variable names must begin with an alpha character (a..z, A...Z) or an underscore character
2. After the first character, the variable name can contain letters, digits and underscores
3. Variable names must be less than 255 characters in length
4. The variable name must be unique in the scope in which they are declared
VBScript variable names are not case sensitive. Microsoft recommends following their naming
convention for variables, which puts attaches different prefixes to the variable name based on the data
subtype.
Variable Scope
Variables have “scope” which defines a variable’s visibility or accessibility from one procedure (or
VBScript Interface) to another, which is principally determined by where you declare the variable.
Generally, when you declare a variable within a procedure, only code within that procedure can access
or change the value of that variable. This is called local scope and is for a procedure-level variable.
If you declare a variable outside a procedure, you make it recognizable to all the procedures in your
Script. This is a Script-level variable, and it has Script-level scope. However, as previously noted,
InduSoft enforces certain restrictions on the scope of Variables and Procedures.
VBScript Constants
VBScript supports both explicit and implicit constants. Constants should never be used as variable
names.
Explicit constants are defined by the programmer. Explicit constants have a defined value which, unlike a
variable, is not allowed to change during the life of the script.
Implicit constants are pre-defined by VBScript. VBScript implicit constants usually begin with a vb prefix.
VBScript implicit constants are available to the VBScript programmer without having to define them.
Other objects, such as those used by ADO.NET, also have implicit constants predefined, usually with
different prefixes. However, the implicit constants for these objects may not be know to VBScript and if
not, will have to be defined as an explicit constant.
VBScript defines the following categories of implicit Constants:
Intrinsic Constant Category Intrinsic Constant Category

Color Constants File Attribute Constants
Comparison Constants File Input/Output Constants
Date and Time Constants MsgBox Constants
Date Format Constants MsgBox Function Constants
Days of Week Constants SpecialFolder Constants
New Years Week Constants String Constants
Error Constants Tristate Constants
VBScript Runtime Errors VarType Constants
VBScript Syntax Errors Locale ID (LCID)
11
Declaring VBScript Variables and Constants
VBScript does not require the explicit declaration of scalar variables, i.e. those variables with only one
value assigned at any given time. Arrays, Objects (except Err) and Constants must be declared. While it
may initially be convenient not to declare variables, any typing (spelling) errors of the variable or constant
names may produce unexpected results at runtime.
VBScript Keywords
VBScript has many keywords. Keywords are merely the names or symbols used with built-in VBScript
functions. Keywords are reserved, i.e. they may not be used by the programmer as names of variables
or constants. VBScript keywords can be grouped into categories which include:
• Constants & Literals
• Operators
• Functions
• Statements
• Objects
Operators
VBScript defines various operators that perform operations based on the Variant subdata type(s).
Arithmetic operators are used to perform operations on two or more numbers.
Arithmetic Comparison
Symbol Definition Symbol Definition
+ Add < Less than
- Subtract <= Less than or equal
* Multiply > Greater than
/ Divide >= Greater than or equal
\ Integer Divide = Equal or assignment
^ Exponentiation <> Not equal
MOD Modulus Division
Logical String
AND And &, + Concatenation
OR, | Or
XOR Exclusive OR
Eqv Equivalence
Imp Implication
Not NOT
Object IWS
Is Is (compare) $ Access to IWS Tags and Built-in functions
12
Operator Precedence
When several operations occur in an expression, each part is evaluated and resolved in a predetermined
order called operator precedence. Parentheses can be used to override the order of precedence and
force some parts of an expression to be evaluated before other parts. Operations within parentheses are
always performed before those outside. Within parentheses, however, normal operator precedence is
maintained.
When expressions contain operators from more than one category, arithmetic operators are evaluated
first, comparison operators are evaluated next, and logical operators are evaluated last. Comparison
operators all have equal precedence; that is, they are evaluated in the left-to-right order in which they
appear. Arithmetic and logical operators are evaluated in the following order of precedence:
When multiplication and division occur together in an expression, each operation is evaluated as it
occurs from left to right. Likewise, when addition and subtraction occur together in an expression, each
operation is evaluated in order of appearance from left to right.
The string concatenation operator (&) is not an arithmetic operator, but its precedence does fall in after
all arithmetic operators and before all comparison operators. The Is operator is an object reference
comparison operator. It does not compare objects or their values; it only checks to determine if two
object references refer to the same object.
Operator Precedence
Arithmetic Comparison Logical
Negation (-) Equality (=) Not
Exponentiation (^) Inequality (<>) And
Multiplication and division (*, /) Less than (<) Or
Integer division (\) Greater than (>) Xor
Modulus arithmetic (Mod) Less than or equal to (<=) Eqv
Addition and subtraction (+, -) Greater than or equal to (>=) Imp
String concatenation (&, +) Is &
Functions
VBScript contains a number of built-in functions (not to be confused with the Function Procedure). These
functions may or may not have arguments. These functions are called in a statement and may return a
result that can be assigned to a variable. VBScript’s functions are grouped as follows:
Array Functions
Array Functions Description
Array Returns a variant containing an array
Filter Returns a zero-based array that contains a subset of a string array based on a filter criteria
IsArray Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether a specified variable is an array
Join Returns a string that consists of a number of substrings in an array
LBound Returns the smallest subscript for the indicated dimension of an array
Split Returns a zero-based, one-dimensional array that contains a specified number of substrings
UBound Returns the largest subscript for the indicated dimension of an array
13
Data Conversion Functions
Function Description
Abs Returns the absolute value of a specified number
Asc Converts the first letter in a string to its ASCII decimal representation
CBool Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Boolean
CByte Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Byte
CCur Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Currency
CDate Converts a valid date and time expression to the variant of subtype Date
CDbl Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Double
Chr Converts the specified ANSI code to a character
CInt Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Integer
CLng Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Long
CSng Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Single
CStr Converts an expression to a variant of subtype String
Fix Returns the integer part of a specified number
Hex Returns the hexadecimal value of a specified number
Int Returns the integer part of a specified number
Oct Returns the octal value of a specified number
Round Returns a rounded number
Sgn Returns the integer portion of a number
Date and Time Functions

Date Returns the current system date
DateAdd Returns a date to which a specified time interval has been added
DateDiff Returns the number of intervals between two dates
DatePart Returns the specified part of a given date
DateSerial Returns the date for a specified year, month, and day
DateValue Returns a date
Day Returns a number that represents the day of the month (between 1 and 31, inclusive)
FormatDateTime Returns an expression formatted as a date or time
Hour Returns a number that represents the hour of the day (between 0 and 23, inclusive)
IsDate Returns a Boolean value that indicates if the evaluated expression can be converted to a date
Minute Returns a number that represents the minute of the hour (between 0 and 59, inclusive)
Month Returns a number that represents the month of the year (between 1 and 12, inclusive)
MonthName Returns the name of a specified month
Now Returns the current system date and time
Second Returns a number that represents the second of the minute (between 0 and 59, inclusive)
Time Returns the current system time
Timer Returns the number of seconds since 12:00 AM
TimeSerial Returns the time for a specific hour, minute, and second
TimeValue Returns a time
Weekday Returns a number that represents the day of the week (between 1 and 7, inclusive)
WeekdayName Returns the weekday name of a specified day of the week
Year Returns a number that represents the year
Expression Functions
Expressions Description
Eval Evaluates an expression and returns the result
RegExp Provides simple regular expression support.
14
Format Functions
FormatCurrency Returns an expression formatted as a currency value
FormatNumber Returns an expression formatted as a number
FormatPercent Returns an expression formatted as a percentage
I/O Functions
Input/Output Description
InputBox Displays a prompt in a dialog box, waits for the user to input text or click a button, and
returns the contents of the text box.
MsgBox Displays a message in a dialog box, waits for the user to click a button, and returns a value
indicating which button the user clicked.
LoadPicture Returns a picture object
Math Functions
Atn Returns the arctangent of a specified number
Cos Returns the cosine of a specified number (angle)
Exp Returns e raised to a power
Log Returns the natural logarithm of a specified number
Randomize Initializes the random-number generator
Rnd Returns a random number less than 1 but greater or equal to 0
Sgn Returns an integer that indicates the sign of a specified number
Sin Returns the sine of a specified number (angle)
Sqr Returns the square root of a specified number
Tan Returns the tangent of a specified number (angle)
Miscellaneous Functions
Miscellaneous Description
GetLocale Returns the current locale ID
RGB Returns a whole number representing an RGB color value
SetLocale Sets the current locale ID
Script Engine Functions

Script Engine ID Description
ScriptEngine Returns a string representing the scripting language in use
ScriptEngineBuildVersion Returns the build version number of the scripting engine in use
ScriptEngineMajorVersion Returns the major version number of the scripting engine in use
ScriptEngineMinorVersion Returns the minor version number of the scripting engine in use
15
String Functions
InStr Returns the position of the first occurrence of one string within another. The search begins at the
first character of the string
InStrRev Returns the position of the first occurrence of one string within another. The search begins at the
last character of the string
LCase Converts a specified string to lowercase
Left Returns a specified number of characters from the left side of a string
Len Returns the number of characters in a string
LTrim Removes spaces on the left side of a string
Mid Returns a specified number of characters from a string
Replace Replaces a specified part of a string with another string a specified number of times
Right Returns a specified number of characters from the right side of a string
RTrim Removes spaces on the right side of a string
Space Returns a string that consists of a specified number of spaces
StrComp Compares two strings and returns a value that represents the result of the comparison
String Returns a string that contains a repeating character of a specified length
StrReverse Reverses a string
Trim Removes spaces on both the left and the right side of a string
UCase Converts a specified string to uppercase
Variant Identification Functions

Variant Function Description
IsArray Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable is an array
IsDate Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be converted to a date
IsEmpty Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable has been initialized.
IsNull Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether an expression contains no valid data (Null).
IsNumeric Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be evaluated as a number
IsObject Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression refers to a valid Automation object.
TypeName Returns a string that provides Variant subtype information about a variable
VarType Returns a value indicating the subtype of a variable
Statements
VBScript statements are used to perform fundamental operations such as decision making, repetition
(looping) and assignments. Statements combined with Operators are the building blocks for more
complex code.
Multiple statements can appear on the same line as long as they are separated by a colon (:). For
purposes of code readability, it is recommended to use one statement per line.
Assignment Statements
Many of VBScripts assignment statements have already been covered. For consistency purposes, they
are listed here. Please refer to the Appendix for a more detailed description of their use.
Assignment Statements
Statement Description
Const Declares constants for use in place of literal values
Dim Declares variables and allocates storage space
Erase Reinitializes the elements of fixed-size arrays, deallocates dynamic-array storage space.
Option Explicit Forces explicit declaration of all variables in the script
Private Declares private variables and allocates storage space
Public Declares public variables and allocates storage space
ReDim Declare dynamic array variables, allocates or reallocates storage space at procedural level
16
Comment Statements
Comment statements are used to provide documentation comments with the code.
Comment Statements
Comments Description
Rem Includes explanatory remarks in a program
‘ Includes explanatory remarks in a program (single quote)
Control Flow Statements

By default, VBScript sequentially moves (flows) through the script from statement to statement. As is
typical with virtually all high-level programming languages, control flow statements can alter this flow by
branching to other code sections based upon logic conditions, inputs, errors, etc.
One of the most commonly used control flow statement is the If..Then..Else statement. This control flow
statement takes the following format:
{simple format} If condition Then statement(s) [Else elsestatement(s) ]
{block format}
If condition Then
[statement(s)]
[ElseIf condition-n Then
[elseifstatement(s)]] . . .
[Else
[elsestatement(s)]]
End If
The condition can be a boolean constant or boolean variable, or a numeric or string expression that
evaluates to True or False.
Refer to the Appendix for a detail description of these functions.
Control Flow Statements

Do…Loop Repeats a block of statements while a condition is True or until a condition becomes True
Execute Executes one or more specified statements
Execute Global Executes one or more specified statements in the global namespace of a script
Exit Do Exit a Do Loop Function. Transfers control to the statement following the Loop statement.
Exit For Exit a For Loop Function (For…Next or For Each…Next loop). Transfers control to the
statement following the Next statement.
For...Next Repeats a group of statements a specified number of times
For Each…Next Repeats a group of statements for each element in an array or collection
If…Then…Else Conditionally executes a group of statements, depending on the value of an expression
Select Case Executes one of several groups of statements, depending on the value of an expression
While…Wend Executes a series of statements as long as a given condition is True
With…End With Executes a series of statements on a single object
Procedure Statements
There are two types of procedure statements; the Sub procedure and the Function procedure. Both of
these procedure statements are intended to encapsulate a set of statements that provide functionality
that can be repeatedly called, but the difference between the two is how arguments are passed and
results returned.
The Sub procedure is a series of VBScript statements (enclosed by Sub and End Sub statements) that
perform actions but don't return a value as part of the Sub name. A Sub procedure can take arguments
17
(constants, variables, or expressions that are passed by a calling procedure). A resultant value or set of
values can be returned through the arguments. If a Sub procedure has no arguments, its Sub statement
must include an empty set of parentheses ().
The Function procedure is a series of VBScript statements enclosed by the Function and End
Function statements. A Function procedure is similar to a Sub procedure, but can also return a value in
the Function name. A Function procedure can take arguments (constants, variables, or expressions
that are passed to it by a calling procedure). If a Function procedure has no arguments, its Function
statement must include an empty set of parentheses. A Function returns a value by assigning a value to
its name in one or more statements of the procedure. The return type of a Function is always a Variant.
Procedure Statements
Call Transfers control to a Sub or Function procedure
End Function Immediately exits a Function procedure
End Sub Immediately exits a Sub procedure
Exit Function Exit a Function, generally as a result of a condition
Exit Sub Exit a Subroutine, generally as a result of a condition
Function Declares the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Function procedure
GetRef Associates an event handler with a specific function
Sub Declares the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Sub procedure (Subroutine).
18
Objects and Classes
Traditional programming is made up of a collection of subroutines and functions that are typically
processed in a sequential or looping manner. In contrast, object oriented programming is a different
programming methodology where a program is viewed as being composed of a collection of individual
objects. These objects process data and can interact with other objects directly without having to be
explicitly programmed to do so. The advantages claimed by object-oriented program include code
reusability, rapid deployment of large-scale complex tasks, and ease of use/debugging. Today, object-
oriented programming is widely used and is supported with both programming languages (e.g. VB.NET,
C++, Visual C++) and operating systems (e.g. Microsoft’s .NET architecture). Object-oriented
programming has also become popular within scripting languages, such as VBScript. Beginning with
VBScript 5.0, developers have been able to use user-defined Classes.
The key concepts with object-oriented programming include:
• Class
The class is the highest level that defines a unit (set) of data and its behavior. Classes form the
basis for modularity and structure in an object-oriented program. The class should sufficiently
describe the set of data, and the code for a class should be contained within it and be self-
sufficient (except for operating system support). While the terms classes and objects often get
used interchangeably, classes describe the structure of objects. One way to think of a class is
that it is a container for code. It can also be viewed as a template for an object. When a class is
declared (instantiated) by the Set statement, it then becomes an object and memory is allocated
for it.
• Object
An object is an in-memory instance of a class. In computer science terms, it is a run-time
manifestation (instantiation) of a particular exemplar of a class. Each object has its own data, but
the code within a class can be shared (for efficiency). Programs generally have multiple objects.
Multiple copies (objects) of a given class can be created. Objects are temporary, i.e. they can be
created and removed at will, depending on the programming needs.
• Encapsulation
Encapsulation wraps the data and functions into a single unit, ensuring that the object can be
changed only through established interfaces. Encapsulation is sometimes referred to as
information hiding. Some of these common interfaces are:
o Fields
Fields are simply public variables stored within the object, as defined by the class. These
variables store items of information about an object.
o Properties
Properties, like fields, also store items of information on an object. But Properties use
Property procedures to control how values are set or returned. VBScript has two primary
Property procedures; Let and Get. The Get property procedure retrieves a Property value,
while the Let Property procedure assigns a value to the property value. A third Property
procedure Set is used with an Object inside of the Class block.
o Methods
Methods are a collection of subroutines (Sub) and function procedures (Function)
declared within a class.
o Events
An event is a message sent by an object announcing that something important has
happened.
Access of an object’s methods, properties and fields are made by referring to the object, followed
by a period, then the particular method, property or field of interest. E.g.
Object.Method
Object.Property
19
Object.Property.Item
• Dynamism
Dynamism relates to the method of allocating computer resources and definition resources
required to run an object-oriented program. There are different types, but VBScript used late-
bound (late-binding) dynamic typing. This means that the VBScript engine will make the object
type determination at runtime and allocate sufficient memory at that time. Note that VBScript and
VB.NET are slightly different in their approach to dynamism, and therefore they can declare some
variables and objects in different manners (although many forms of declaration are the same).
• Outlet Connections
At times, Objects will connect together and this connection needs to be defined. With IWS, an
example of a connection would be between a VBScript object (e.g. ADODB) and a Database
Provider (a Provider is a front-end to a database). This connection needs to be defined, and then
the connection string (of parameters) between the objects gets defined. When the need for the
connection is finished, the connection should be closed.
While a full treatment of object-oriented programming is beyond the scope of these materials, the
fundamental concepts of Objects and Classes are important to understand. VBScript supports COM-
based Objects (Component Object Module, a Microsoft standard) such as the ActiveX controls,
ADO.NET, FileSystemObject, and Microsoft Office Automation objects. VBScript also supports user-
defined classes, or Class Objects.
VBScript COM objects and VBScript Class objects differ from each other in several important respects.
These differences lead to each type of object having its unique strengths:
• VBScript classes are more flexible than VBScript COM objects. Class Objects have an abstract
subtype that encapsulates the data you want and the functions you need to work with that data.
VBScript COM objects have only basic subtypes (integer or string).
• VBScript classes are slightly more efficient than COM objects. The VBScript parser can execute
the classes' code directly instead of asking the COM object to execute a method.
• COM objects are binary modules. VBScript classes are ASCII files.
• You can use any scripting language to write COM objects. You can only use VBScript to write
VBScript classes.
• You can use COM objects from within any development environment that supports COM
automation. VBScript classes can only be used within development and runtime environments
that support VBScript (e.g IWS and Microsoft Internet Explorer).
20
VBScript Object Commands
VBScript includes several Functions and Statements that can be used to access objects, including their
methods and properties. There are a large variety of objects available to VBSript, including user-defined
objects, intrinsic objects and extrinsic objects.
VBScript Object Functions

CreateObject Creates and returns a reference to an Automation object
GetObject Returns a reference to an Automation object from a file
IsObject Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression references a valid Automation
object.
Object Statements
Class Declares the name of a class, as well as a definition of the variables, properties, and methods
that comprise the class
Exit Property Forces an exit from inside a Property Set function.
For Each…Next Repeats a group of statements for each element in an array or a collection.
Property Get Declares, in a Class block, the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Property
procedure that gets (returns) the value of a property
Property Let Declares, in a Class block, the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Property
procedure that assigns (sets) the value of a property
Property Set Sets a reference to an object
Set Assigns an object reference to a variable or property, or associates a procedure reference with
an event. Usually used to instantiate an object.
Error Handling Statements

On Error Enables or disables error-handling
Object & Collection Summary

Objects & Collections Description
The Debug object is an intrinsic global object that can send an output to a script
Debug
debugger, such as the Microsoft Script Debugger.
Dictionary An associative array that can store any type of data. Data is accessed by a key.
Drive An object that refers to a specific Drive
Drives A collection of Drive objects.
Contains information about the last run-time error. Accepts the Raise and Clear
Err
methods for generating and clearing run-time errors.
File An object that refers to a specific File
Files A collection of File objects.
FileSystemObject An object model used to access the Windows file system
Folder An object that refers to a specific Folder
Folders A collection of Folder objects.
Match Provides access to the read-only properties of a regular expression match.
Matches Collection of regular expression Match objects.
Submatches A collection of regular expression submatch strings.
TextStream An object that refers to a text File
21
VBScript User-Defined Class Objects
To define a user-defined Class Object, you use the Class statement to declare a class. The End Class
statement defines the termination of the Class. Together, these statements form a Class construct, or
Class block. E.g.
Class objName
‘ Place the Class variables, Properties and Methods here
End Class
In this syntax, objName is the name given to the Class Object. The class object name must follow
standard VBScript variable naming conventions. Class Objects are usually declared in the variable
definition sections. You can have multiple Class blocks in a single VBScript file, but each block must
contain the Class …End Class statements. Classes cannot be nested.
Once you have defined the Class Object, you need to create an instance of the Class, similar to how
other objects are created. When the Class Object is instantiated, memory is allocated for the Class
Object. The Set statement is used with the New keyword to assign an instance of the class to a variable.
With VBScript, this is the only time the New keyword is used (i.e. to instantiate a user-defined Class).
E.g.
Dim MyObj
Set MyObj = New objName
The Object name MyObj is the Object variable name, and must follow standard VBScript variable naming
conventions. The Object variable name is a reference (address) of the Object stored in memory, it is not
the Object itself.
Inside the Class block, any Class variables, Properties, Methods and Events can be defined by the
developer. The developer does not have to use all of the capabilities of the Class construct, i.e. Classes
can be created without Methods or Properties. The design of the Class Object is completely up to the
developer.
Class variables are created within the Class structure by using the Dim, Public, or Private statements.
Variables defined within the Class structure by any of these statements must follow the standard
VBScript variable naming conventions. Variables can be simple variables or arrays. E.g.
Class className
Dim var1, var2
Public var3, var4
Private var5, var6
End Class
The choice of the Dim, Public, or Private statements determine whether the variable is accessible
outside of the Class Object. Variables are public by default, i.e. they are accessible outside of the Class
Object. Both the Dim and the Public statements create public variables, while the Private statement
creates variables that are not public. As a general rule, it is good programming practice to make all Class
variables private, since the developer will want to tightly control when these variables are changed.
VBScript does not support Class-level Constants, i.e. named constants declared at the Class level. You
cannot use the Const statement at the Class-level so that a constant can be used throughout a Class,
but you can use the Const statement within a Property or Method. However, the constant will only have
local scope within the Property or Method.
Class Object variables are accessible to VBScript code outside the Class through Class Properties.
Class Properties “wrap” the Private variables of a Class. Inside the Class block, the Properties are
defined by Property Get [|Let|Set] … End Property statement(s). For VBScript code outside the Class,
the Property is accessed by referencing the Object Name.Property.
22
There are different type of Class Properties, depending on whether the Class variable is to be read,
written to, or the Class variable is itself a Class Object. These Properties can be declared Public or
Private.
Property Get
The Property Get procedure is used to access (return) private variables inside of the Class
structure that are used as a read-only Property, or the read portion of a read-write Property. For
VBScript code outside the Class, this type of Class Object Property is generally assigned to a
variable or used in a conditional expression. The Property Get procedure returns a value to the
calling code, and is general not used with any arguments. [Note: VBScript will let you add
arguments to the Property Get procedure, but if you do so you must add the additional argument
to the corresponding Property Let or Property Set procedure, since Property Let/Property Set
must have one more argument than the corresponding Property Get procedure. It is generally
considered bad programming form to have arguments in the Property Get procedure].
Property Let
The Property Let procedure is used to access (assign) private variables inside of the Class
structure that are used as a write-only Property or are the write portion of a read-write Property.
For VBScript code outside of the Class, this type of Class Object Property is usually assigned by
a variable or a constant.
Property Set
The Property Set procedure is exclusively used when the Class Object needs to store Properties
that are object-based instead of numeric, date, boolean or string subtype variables. Property Set
replaces the Property Let procedure. While Property Set and Property Let are functionally similar,
there are two key differences:
1. With the Property Set procedure, in the VBScript code segment (outside the Class block) you
must use the syntax
Set Object1.Property = Object2
This is because VBScript does not let you use the assignment operator (=) to assign objects
without the Set command.
2. The Property Set procedure makes it clear that the Property is an object-based Property
Example:
Class FileSpec ‘ Define a Class block
Private master_file
Private master_FSO
Public Property Let FileName(strName) ‘ Define a Public Property to assign the file name
master_file = strName
End Property
Public Property Get FileName ‘ Define a Public Property to retrieve a file name
FileName = master_file
End Property
Public Property Set FSO(m_FSO) ‘ Define a Public Property for an object
Set master_FSO = m_FSO
End Property
End Class
Rem Below is the VBScript code
Dim objFSO ‘ Declare variables and objects

Dim objFilePointer, cur_file
Set objFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”) ‘ Instantiate the COM object
Set objFilePointer = New FileSpec ‘ Instantiate the Class Object
objFilePointer.FileName = “Myfile.mdb” ‘ Assigns “Myfile.mdb” as the file name
23
cur_file = objFilePointer.FileName ‘ Retrieves the current file name “Myfile.MDB”
Set objFilePointer.FSO = objFSO ‘ Assigns an Object to the Property
Set objFilePointer = Nothing ‘ Keyword Nothing releases the object memory
A couple notes on the example above. The CreateObject command is used to instantiate an Object that
is known at the system level (e.g. a COM object). Also, so far this example only shows how to assign and
retrieve property values. It is generally the Method(s) that control the action an object performs, not the
properties.
A Property can be made read-only by only providing a Property Get procedure, or by declaring the
Property Let procedure as Private instead of Public. A Property can be made write-only by only providing
the Property Let procedure, or by declaring the Property Get procedure as Private instead of Public.
Class Methods are really just Functions and Subroutines inside of a Class block. These functions and
subroutines can be either Private or Public. If they are public, they will be accessible to a VBScript code
segment outside of the Class block by referencing the obj.Method. If they are private, they will only be
available to code within the Class block.
An example of Class Methods is as follows:

Class FileSpec
Private master_file
Private master_FSO Private master_file
Private Sub Class_Initialize ‘ Class Object initialization code
‘ code goes here
End Sub
Private Sub Class_Terminate ‘ Class Object termination code
‘ code goes here
End Sub
End Property
End Property
End Property
Public Sub Delete ‘Method to delete the master file
master_FSO.DeleteFile (master_file)
End Sub
End Class
Rem Below is the VBScript code

Dim objFSO ‘ Declare variables and objects
Dim objFilePointer, cur_file
Set objFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”) ‘ Instantiate the COM object
Set objFilePointer = New FileSpec ‘ Instantiate the Class Object
objFilePointer.FileName = “Myfile.mdb” ‘ Assigns “Myfile.mdb” as the file name
cur_file = objFilePointer.FileName ‘ Retrieves the current file name “Myfile.MDB”
Set objFilePointer.FSO = objFSO ‘ Assigns an Object to the Property
objFilePointer.Delete ‘ Executes a Method to delete a file
Set objFilePointer = Nothing ‘ Keyword Nothing releases the object memory
VBScript Class Objects automatically supports two type of Class Events; Class_Initialize and
Class_Terminate Events. The code inside the Class_Initialize event executes once when an Object
based on the Class is first instantiated. Any code put in this event is optional, and is typically used for
initialization. Code inside the Class_Terminate event executes once just before the Object based on the
Class is destroyed (i.e. Set to Nothing, or the Object goes out of scope). Usage is as follows:
Class FileSpec
24
Private master_file
Private master_FSO Private master_file
Private Sub Class_Initialize ‘ Class Object initialization code
‘ code goes here
End Sub
Private Sub Class_Terminate ‘ Class Object termination code
‘ code goes here
End Sub
End Property
End Property
End Property
End Class
25
VBScript Objects and Collections
VBScript has certain Objects and Collections that are inherent with VBScript. These include:
• Debug
• Err Object
• Match Object & Matches Collections
• Scripting Dictionary Object
• Scripting FileSystemObject
o Drive Object
o File Object
o FileSystemObject Collections
o Folder Object
• Regular Expression Object & Submatches Collection
• TextStream Object
VBScript Implicit Objects and Collections

Declares the name of a class, as well as a definition of the variables, properties,
Class Object
and methods that comprise the class
The Debug object is an intrinsic global object that can send an output to a script
Debug
debugger, such as the Microsoft Script Debugger.
Contains information about the last run-time error. Accepts the Raise and Clear
Err
methods for generating and clearing run-time errors.
Match Object
Dictionary An associative array that can store any type of data. Data is accessed by a key.
Matches Collection
RegExp Object
SubMatches Collection
Object & Collection Summary

Drive An object that refers to a specific Drive

Drives A collection of Drive objects.
File An object that refers to a specific File

Files A collection of File objects.
FileSystemObject An object model used to access the Windows file system
Folder An object that refers to a specific Folder
Folders A collection of Folder objects.
Match Provides access to the read-only properties of a regular expression match.
Matches Collection of regular expression Match objects.
Submatches A collection of regular expression submatch strings.
TextStream An object that refers to a text File
26
Err Object
The VBScript Err object contains information about run-time errors.
Err Object Properties

Properties Description
Description The descriptive string associated with an error.
HelpContext A context ID for a topic in a Windows help file.
HelpFile A fully qualified path to a Windows help file.
Number A numeric value identifying an error.
Source The name of the object or application that originally generated the error.
Err Object Methods

Clear Clears all property settings.
Raise Generates a run-time error.
The properties of the Err object are set by the generator of an error-Visual Basic, an Automation object,
or the VBScript programmer.
The default property of the Err object is Number. Err.Number contains an integer and can be used by an
Automation object to return an SCODE.
When a run-time error occurs, the properties of the Err object are filled with information that uniquely
identifies the error and information that can be used to handle it. To generate a run-time error in your
code, use the VBScript Err Object Raise Method. The Err object's properties are reset to zero or zero-
length strings ("") after an On Error Resume Next statement. The VBScript Err Object Clear Method can
be used to explicitly reset Err.
The Err object is an intrinsic object with global scope-there is no need to create an instance of it in your
code.
27
Scripting Dictionary Object
A dictionary object is part of the Scripting type library. The dictionary object is a special type of an array
which stores a data item that is associated with a unique key. The key, which is usually a number or a
string, is used to retrieve an individual item. You can use a Dictionary when you need to access random
elements frequently or need to access information contained in the array based on its value, not position.
The Dictionary object has both Methods and Properties that can be used to manipulate the Dictionary.
Dictionary Methods
Method Description
Add Adds a key and item pair
Exists Indicates if a specific key exists
Items Returns an array containing all items in a Dictionary object
Keys Returns an array containing all keys in a Dictionary object
Remove Removes a key, item pair
RemoveAll Removes all key, item pairs
Dictionary Properties
Method Description
CompareMode The comparison mode for string keys
Count The number of items in a Dictionary object
Item An item for a key
Key A key
The following code creates a Dictionary object and adds items and keys:
Dim d 'Create a variable
Set d = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")
d.Add "a", "Athens" 'Add some keys and items
d.Add "b", "Belgrade"
d.Add "c", "Cairo"
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Scripting FileSystemObject
The VBScript FileSystemObject object provides access to a computer's file system
FileSystemObject Methods
Method Description
BuildPath Appends a name to an existing path.
CopyFile Copies one or more files from one location to another.
CopyFolder Recursively copies a folder from one location to another.
CreateFolder Creates a folder.
CreateTextFile Creates a specified file name and returns a TextStream object.
DeleteFile Deletes a folder and its contents.
DeleteFolder Deletes a folder and its contents.
DriveExists Indicates the existence of a drive.
FileExists Indicates the existence of a file.
FolderExists Indicates the existence of a folder.
GetAbsolutePathName Returns a complete and unambiguous path from a provided path specification.
GetBaseName Returns the base name of a path.
GetDrive Returns a Drive object corresponding to the drive in a path
GetDriveName Returns a string containing the name of the drive for a path.
GetExtensionName Returns a string containing the extension for the last component in a path.
GetFile Returns a File object corresponding to the file in a path.
GetFileName Returns the last component of a path that is not part of the drive specification.
GetFolder Returns a Folder object corresponding to the folder in a specified path.
GetParentFolderName Returns a string containing the name of the parent folder of the last component in a
path.
GetSpecialFolder Returns the special folder requested.
GetTempName Returns a randomly generated temporary file or folder name.
MoveFile Moves one or more files from one location to another.
MoveFolder Moves one or more folders from one location to another.
OpenTextFile Opens a file and returns a TextStream object
FileSystemObject Properties
Drives A Drives collection of all Drive objects available on the local machine.
Collections returned by FileSystemObject method calls reflect the state of the file system when the
collection was created. Changes to the file system after creation are not reflected in the collection. If the
file system might be changed during the lifetime of the collection object, the method returning the
collection should be called again to ensure that the contents are current.
Set fs = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set a = fs.CreateTextFile("c:\testfile.txt", True)
a.WriteLine("This is a test.")
a.Close
In the code shown above, the CreateObject function returns the FileSystemObject (fs). The
CreateTextFile method then creates the file as a TextStream object (a) and the VBScript TextStream
Object WriteLine Method writes a line of text to the created text file. The VBScript TextStream Object
Close Method flushes the buffer and closes the file.
29
Drive Object
The Drive object provides access to the properties of a particular disk drive or network shared drive.
Drive Object Properties

AvailableSpace The amount of space available to a user on the specified drive or network share.
DriveLetter The drive letter of a physical local drive or network share
DriveType A value indicating the type of a drive.
FileSystem The amount of free space available to a user on the drive or network share.
FreeSpace The amount of free space available to a user on the drive or network share.
IsReady True if the drive is ready, False if not.
Path The file system path for a drive.
RootFolder A Folder object representing the root folder of a drive.
SerialNumber The decimal serial number used to uniquely identify the disk volume.
ShareName The network share name of a drive
TotalSize The total space, in bytes, of a drive or network share
VolumeName The volume name of a drive.
The following code illustrates the use of the Drive object to access drive properties:
Sub ShowFreeSpace(drvPath)
Dim fs, d, s
Set d = fs.GetDrive(fs.GetDriveName(drvPath))
s = "Drive " & UCase(drvPath) & " - "
s = s & d.VolumeName & vbCrLf
s = s & "Free Space: " & FormatNumber(d.FreeSpace/1024, 0)
s = s & " Kbytes"
Response.Write s
End Sub
File Object
The File object provides access to all the properties of a file.
File Object Methods

Copy Copies a file from one location to another.
Delete Deletes a file.
Move Moves a file from one location to another.
OpenAsTextStream Opens a file and returns a TextStream object.
File Object Properties

Attributes The attributes of a file.
DateCreated The date and time that the file was created.
DateLastAccessed The date and time that the file was last accessed.
DateLastModified The date and time that the file was last modified.
Drive The drive letter of the drive on which the file resides.
Name The name of the file.
ParentFolder The Folder object for the parent of the file.
Path The file system path to the file.
ShortName The short name used by programs that require 8.3 names.
ShortPath The short path use by programs that require 8.3 names.
Size The size, in bytes, of a file.
Type Information about the type of a file.
30
The following code illustrates how to obtain a File object and how to view one of its properties.
Sub ShowFileInfo(filespec)
Dim fs, f, s
Set f = fs.GetFile(filespec)
s = f.DateCreated
Response.Write s
End Sub
Folder Object
The VBScript Folder object provides access to all the properties of a folder.
Folder Object Methods

Copy Copies a folder from one location to another.
Delete Deletes a folder.
Move Moves a folder from one location to another.
CreatTextFile Creates a file and returns a TextStream object.
Folder Object Properties

Attributes The attributes of a folder.
DateCreated The date and time a folder was created.
DateLastAccessed The date and time that the folder was last accessed.
DateLastModified The date and time that the folder was last modified.
Drive The drive letter of the drive on which the folder resides.
Files A Files collection of all File objects in the folder.
IsRootFolder True if this is the root folder of a drive.
Name The name of the folder.
ParentFolder The Folder object for the parent of the folder.
Path The file system path to the folder.
ShortName The short name used by programs that require 8.3 names.
ShortPath The short path used by programs that require 8.3 names.
Size The size, in bytes, of all files and subfolders contained in a folder
SubFolders A Folders collection containing all the folders in a Folder object
The following code illustrates how to obtain a Folder object and how to return one of its properties:
Sub ShowFolderInfo(folderspec)
Dim fs, f, s,
Set f = fs.GetFolder(folderspec)
s = f.DateCreated
Response.Write s
End Sub
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Example
Const OverWrite = TRUE
Const DeleteRdOnly = True
SourceFile = “C:\data\MyData.MDB”
SourceFiles = “C:\data\*.MDB”
DestPath = “C:\Backup”
DeleteFile = “C:\backup\Mydata.MDB”
DeleteFiles = “C:\backup\*.MDB)
Set objFS = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
‘ Copy a single file to a new folder, overwrite any existing file in destination folder
objFS.CopyFile (SourceFile, DestPath, OverWrite)
‘ Copy a set of files to a new folder, overwrite any existing files in destination folder
objFS.CopyFile (SourceFiles, DestPath. OverWrite)
‘ Delete a file
objFS.DeleteFile(DeleteFile)
‘ Delete a set of files in a folder

objFS.DeleteFile(DeleteFiles, DeleteRdOnly)
‘ Move a file to a new folder

objFS.MoveFile(SourceFile, DestPath)
‘ Move a set of files to a new folder

objFS.MoveFile(SourceFiles, DestPath)
‘ Rename a file
objFS.MoveFile(SourceFile, “C:\data\MyData041406.MDB”)
‘ Verify if a file exists

If objFS.FileExists (SourceFile) Then
Set objFolder =objFS.GetFile(SourceFile)
MsgBox “File Exists “ & objFolder ‘ Will display “File Exists “ and Path + File
Else
MsgBox “File does not exist”
End If
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VBScript Drives Collection
Read-only collection of all available drives. Removable-media drives need not have media inserted for
them to appear in the Drives collection.
Drives Collection Object Properties

Count Returns the number of items in a collection. Read-only
Item Returns an item on the specified key. Read/Write
The following code illustrates how to get the Drives collection and iterate the collection using the For
Each...Next statement:
Sub ShowDriveList
Dim fs, d, dc, s, n
Set dc = fs.Drives
For Each d in dc
s = s & d.DriveLetter & " - "
If d.DriveType = Remote Then
n = d.ShareName
Else
n = d.VolumeName
End If
s = s & n & vbCrLf
Next
Response.Write s
End Sub
VBScript Files Collection

Collection of all File objects within a folder.
Files Collection Object Properties

The following code illustrates how to get a Files collection and iterate the collection using the For
Each...Next statement:
Sub ShowFolderList(folderspec)
Dim fs, f, f1, fc, s
Set fc = f.Files
For Each f1 in fc
s = s & f1.name
s = s & vbCrLf
Next
Response.Write s
End Sub
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VBScript Folders Collection
Collection of all Folder objects contained within a Folder object.
Folders Collection Methods

Add Adds a new Folder to a Folders collection
Folders Collection Properties

The following code illustrates how to get a Folders collection and how to iterate the collection using the
For Each...Next statement:
Sub ShowFolderList(folderspec)
Dim fs, f, f1, fc, s
Set fc = f.SubFolders
For Each f1 in fc
s = s & f1.name
s = s & vbCrLf
Next
Response.Write s
End Sub
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TextStream Object
The VBScript TextStream object facilitates sequential access to a file
TextStream Object Methods

Close Closes an open stream.
Read Reads a specified number of characters from a stream.
ReadAll Reads an entire stream.
ReadLine Reads an entire line from a stream.
Skip Skips a specified number of characters when reading a stream.
SkipLine Skips the next line when reading a stream.
Write Writes a specified string to a stream.
WriteBlankLines Writes a specified number of newline characters to a stream.
WriteLine Writes a specified string and newline character to a stream.
TextStream Object Properties

AtEndOfLine True if the file pointer is before the end-of-line marker.
AtEndOfStream True if the file pointer is at the end of the stream
Column The column number of the current character in the stream.
Line The current line number of the stream.
VBScript TextStream Object

Description: The VBScript TextStream object
Usage: oTextStream.{property | method}
Return: Depends on Property or Method used
Remarks
Example: In the following code, a is the TextStream object returned by the CreateTextFile method on the
FileSystemObject:
Set a = fs.CreateTextFile("c:\testfile.txt", True)
a.WriteLine("This is a test.")
a.close
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COM Objects and Collections
In addition to user-defined Class Objects and VBScript Objects and Collections, there are many different
COM Objects (and Object Collections) and other system objects based on COM technology that are
accessible from VBScript. These Objects include:
• ActiveX Controls inserted on an IWS Screen (via Insert OCX tool)
• ActiveX Controls instantiated via VBScript
• ADODB and ADOX Objects and Collections
• Microsoft Office OLE Automation (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook & Components)
• WMI
• WSH
• WSDL
• XMLDOM
ActiveX Controls Inserted On An IWS Screen

InduSoft Web Studio (IWS) serves as an ActiveX control container, which is a parent program that
supplies the environment for an ActiveX control to run. Through the IWS development interface (insert
OCX tool), one or more ActiveX controls can be added to a screen. The OCX (ActiveX Control) must first
be registered, if it was not already done so as part of the installation of the ActiveX control. IWS provides
a Register Controls tool (under Tools on the toolbar) to allow registration of ActiveX controls, and to
verify if a control has already been registered.
After the OCX is inserted on the screen, IWS will assign the control a name. This name can be changed
in the Object Properties dialog box, accessed by double clicking on the control in the IWS development
environment, but the name of the control must be unique from any other control used by the current IWS
application. In the Object Properties dialog box, the Configuration button will provide access to the
Properties, Methods and Events accessible for this ActiveX control. In the Configuration dialog box, there
is a tab for Events, which allow for the execution of a VBScript code segment if an Event is triggered for
the ActiveX control. In the Properties and Methods tabs, parameters, triggers, IWS tags, etc. can be tied
to the various Properties and Methods.
Microsoft Slider Control 6.0
Configure the Control’s Properties,

Methods & Events
Select to input VBScript code

segments for the ActiveX
Control Events
36
Interaction with the ActiveX control from VBScript is accomplished through VBScript code placed in a
Screen Script that is associated with the screen where the ActiveX control is placed. By entering a right
mouse click on a blank portion of the screen, and selecting Screen Script, the Screen Script is accessed.
For ActiveX Objects placed on the screen, you do not need to instantiate the Object in VBScript, IWS has
already taken care of this. You simply need to reference the ActiveX control by its name, found in the
Object Properties dialog box. Note: when referring to the name from VBScript, the ActiveX control
name is case sensitive. From the VBScript screen interface, you can access the ActiveX control’s
Properties and Methods. Events are not accessible from the VBScript Screen Script interface. The Active
Key Notes:
• You must use the VBScript Screen Script interface for the screen which contains the
ActiveX control in order to access the ActiveX control’s Properties and Methods. You
cannot access the ActiveX control’s Properties and Methods from another Screen
Script, or from any other VBScript interface in IWS.
• From VBScript, you can only access the ActiveX control’s Properties and Methods.
VBScript code segments for Events that are triggered by the ActiveX control can be
entered, but these VBScript code segments must be entered from the Configuration
dialog box (i.e. Object Properties Æ Configuration Æ Events).
• When the ActiveX control is referenced from the VBScript Screen Script interface, the
ActiveX control’s name is case-sensitive.
• You do not need to instantiate the ActiveX control. IWS has already taken care of this.
Simply refer to the ActiveX control name followed by a “.” and then the Property or
Method.
• In the VBScript Screen Script interface, place the cursor in a code segment area
(Subroutine) and press Ctrl –Space to invoke IntelliSense to see the VBScript
statements and functions, as well as the ActiveX controls available for this Script
Interface.
• Once you enter the ActiveX control object name, when you type a period (“.”),
Intellisense will display a list of available Properties and Methods for the ActiveX
control referenced.
Additional information on this topic is covered in the VBScript Configuration and Operation in IWS section
later in this material.
ActiveX Controls Instantiated from VBScript

ActiveX controls can be instantiated from VBScript by using the CreateObject and referencing the
Program ID (ProgID) of the ActiveX object, although the ActiveX object will not show up on the IWS
screen if the script segment is associated with a Screen.
ADODB and ADOX Objects and Collections

ADODB is the database wrapper for ADO.NET, or ActiveX Data Objects for Microsoft’s .NET Framework.
ADO.NET is Microsoft’s database interface technology that provides an API to database client
applications (i.e. IWS and VBScript), supporting a common interface to access and manipulate data
contained in a wide variety of database servers from different vendors. From the database client side,
there is a level of abstraction provided by the API that enables interaction (e.g. database access and
manipulation) to various vendor’s databases with virtually no code changes, except for the connection
string to the database Provider (an object that interacts with the physical database). There are various
ADODB Objects and Collections available to the developer.
37
ADOX are Microsoft’s ActiveX Data Object Extensions for Data Definition Language (database schema
creation, modification and deletion) and Security. It is a companion set of Objects to the core ADO.NET
objects.
Microsoft Office Automation

VBScript can access the various Microsoft Office Automation COM servers. These include:
• Microsoft Access (“Access.Application”)
• Microsoft Excel (“Excel.Application”)
• Microsoft Word (“Word.Application”)
• Microsoft Outlook (“Outlook.Application”)
• Microsoft Graph
• Microsoft Excel Chart (“Excel.Chart”)
To instantiate a Excel and a Word Application, for example, we would use the following VBScript
statements:
Set objXL = CreateObject(“Excel.Application”)
Set objWrd = CreateObject(“Word.Application”)
Once the Microsoft Office COM object is instantiated, the VBScript Programmer can access the various
Properties and Methods. Using VBScript, objects can be moved from one Microsoft application to
another.
WMI
Windows Management Instrumentation, or WMI, is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that
provide an interface from a program (such as VBScript) into various components of the Windows
operating system to retrieve information and notification. Using WMI and VBScript, management of
Windows-based PCs and Servers can be accomplished either locally or remotely. WMI is based on the
Common Information Model (CIM), allowing a uniform methodology of managing various Windows
components. WMI is available to all .NET applications and is supported under Windows 2000, XP or
Server 2003, but not Windows CE at present. Examples of Microsoft Windows components accessible
through WMI include:
• Control Panel (can manipulate basic system settings and controls)
• Device Manager (display and control hardware added to the PC, which drivers are used)
• Event Viewer (view the system event log locally or remotely)
• RegEdit (Windows Registry Editor)
• Various applications (Notepad, Command.Com and Cmd.exe)
• Windows Core Components
Windows Script Host

Windows Script Host, or WSH, is the successor to the Batch File first introduced for DOS. WSH
automates system administration tasks, and supports multi-lingual scripting including VBScript. Scripts
can be run locally, or on remote computers. There are several WSH objects including:
• WScript Object (not available from IWS, since IWS is the host)
• WshShell (allows scripts to work with the Windows Shell – e.g. read/write to registry, shortcuts,
system administration tasks, running programs)
• WshNetwork (manages network drives and printers)
• WshController (runs scripts locally or remotely)
38
WSDL
Web Services Definition Language, or WSDL, is an XML-based language for describing network services
as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented
information. WSDL is frequently used in conjunction with SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol, a
simple XML-based protocol for applications to exchange information using HTTP). Common examples of
WSDL are stock price, news services, weather information, currency conversion, etc.
VBScript code in an IWS application can instantiate a SOAP client object through the following
statement:
Set oSOAP = CreateObject("MSSOAP.SoapClient")
XMLDOM
XMLDOM is the XML Document Object Model that defines a standardized approach for creating,
accessing and manipulation XML documents. The DOM structures the XML document as a tree-like
structure (the node), with each node having elements, attributes and text. There is a root element, which
is the highest level element, and 0 or more child (sibling) nodes. Each node can also have 0 or more
child nodes.
A VBScript code segment can be created in an IWS application to allow creation, accessing and
manipulation of XML Documents. This allows passing of data between IWS and another computer in
XML format. Note that in addition to XMLDOM, ADO.NET also supports XML databases.
39
VBScript Configuration and Operation in IWS
IWS acts as the host application for the Microsoft VBScript Engine. This means that to write VBScript,
you need to be in the IWS development (engineering) environment. It is important to note that there is no
one central location where a VBScript interface is located inside an IWS application. The location of the
VBScript interface (where the VBScript code gets placed) depends on the function the VBScript code is
to perform and the scope of access to its Procedures and Variables. InduSoft has implement VBScript in
this manner to simplify its use, and to be consistent with the IWS architecture as well as current licensing
methods.
VBScript is interpreted code. While it executes fairly efficiently, it is nevertheless interpreted and will
never execute as efficiently as compiled code. This should not present any concern for HMI/SCADA
applications since IWS is performing the real-time management of the tag database and key functions
such as alarming, logging, etc. The interpreted nature of VBScript allows changes to be made quickly to
an application. IWS supports dynamic, on-line configuration and this capability is maintained with the
addition of VBScript support
Developers familiar with IWS know that in the bottom left corner of the development window are tabs that
provide access to the Database, Graphics, Tasks, and Communications Workspace folders containing
the different application components. The developer will need to navigate among these different folders
and application components when using VBScript.
VBScript interfaces can be found in 6 different areas:

• Database Workspace folder – Global Procedures
• Graphics Workspace folder - Graphics Script
• Graphic Screens – Screen Scripts
• IWS Objects on a Screen – Command Dynamic
• ActiveX Objects on a screen – ActiveX Events
• Tasks Workspace folder – Background Startup Script and Background Script Groups
Subfolders and Icons

within a Workspace
folders
Tabs to access various

Workspace folders
40
The figure below shows the structure of the VBScript interfaces within a typical IWS project (application).
Note that there are certain types of VBScript interfaces that have one instance (e.g. Global Procedures,
Background Startup Tasks and Graphic Script) while others can have multiple instances (e.g.
Background Script Groups, Screen Scripts, Command Dynamic and ActiveX Events).
Global Procedures
Global Procedures are located in the Database Worksheet folder. Global Procedures are shared by both
the Graphics Module Scripts (Graphics Script and Screen Scripts) and the Background Task Scripts
(Background Startup Script and Background Script Groups). Note that it this is only the Procedures that
are shared, not the Variables. Other VBScript interfaces within the Graphic Module or Background Task
do not share variables or procedures between them; they are independent of each other.
Global Procedures Subfolder in VBScript Interface

Database Worksheet folder
41
Key Notes:
• Before executing the application, be sure to save (or close) the Screen after any
VBScript is entered. Otherwise the changes might not be updated. This is true for all
VBScript interfaces.
Graphics Script
The Graphics Script is located in the Graphics Worksheet folder. Procedures and Variables declared in
the Graphics Script interface are available locally but are not accessible by any Screen Script interface,
or from any other VBScript interface within IWS. Procedures and Variables declared in a Screen Script
interface are not accessible by the Graphics Script. If common Procedure(s) are required, they should be
put into the Global Procedures interface. Note that the Graphics Script is scanned (processed) by IWS
before the Screen Scripts.
The Graphics Script has three different pre-configured subroutines to execute VBScript code. These
subroutines execute the VBScript contained in them based on the event state of the Graphics Module.
These are:
Graphics_OnStart
Code contained within this subroutine is automatically executed just once when the Graphics Module is
started. This is a good area to initialize variables or execute start-up code.
Graphics_WhileRunning
Code contained within this subroutine is automatically executed continuously while the Graphics Module is
running. The rate at which this subroutine is called depends on the performance of the hardware platform
and other tasks running at the time.
Graphics_OnEnd
Code contained within this subroutine is automatically executed just once when the Graphics Module is
closed.
Graphic Script Icon in VBScript Interface

Graphics Worksheet folder
42
Key Notes:
• Do not change the name of the pre-configured subroutines in the VBScript
interface. Otherwise they many not properly execute.
The Graphics Script operates for both the Server (the host processor where the IWS application is
running) and Web Thin Clients (web browser interface using Microsoft Internet Explorer). For the Server,
the Graphics module is the Viewer task (the display on the host processor), while the ISSymbol control is
the Graphics module for Web Thin Clients.
The operation of the Graphics Script on the Server is described above, and starts when the application is
started on the Server, assuming there are one or more screens. But since Web Thin Clients can log on
at any time after the Server is started, the functioning of the Graphics Script is different for Web Thin
Clients and is independent of the operation of the Graphics Script on the host Server. Web Thin Client
operation is as follows:
• When a Web Thin Client logs on to the Server, following completion of the log on process, the
Graphics_OnStart subroutine will be executed for the Web Thin Client. This will occur each time
any new Web Thin Client logs on to the Server.
• Following completion of the execution of the Graphics_OnStart subroutine, the
Graphics_WhileRunning subroutine will be executed for as long as the Web Thin Client (browser)
hosts the ISSymbol control (i.e. while an active network link exists and the ISSymbol is active in
the browser).
• When the Web Thin Client is shut down or when the ISSymbol control is no longer hosted by the
browser, the Graphics_OnEnd subroutine is executed
Screen Scripts
Screen Scripts are associated with individual graphical screens. These screens can be for display on the
host Server (where the IWS application is running), for a Web Thin Client, or both. Procedures and
Variables declared in a Screen Script VBScript interface are not accessible by any other VBScript
interface within IWS. However, the Screen Script interface can access procedures declared in the Global
Procedures script interface.
Screen subfolder in VBScript Interface

Graphics Worksheet folder
43
There are two methods to access a Screen Script. The first is to select the
desired Screen and have it displayed on the active IWS workspace. Then,
perform a right mouse click while the cursor is located on the display screen. A
pop-up menu will let you select the Screen Script (as shown at the right). When
the Screen Script option is selected, the IWS workspace will display the Screen
Script VBScript interface.
Notice the Screen Script VBScript interface looks very similar to the Graphics
Script interface. The differences between the Screen Script and the Graphics
Script are:
• There is only one Graphics Script. The Graphics Script is activated when
the Graphics Module starts Pop-Up Menu
• You can have multiple Screen Scripts. There is one Screen Script
available per Screen, but you can have multiple screens.
The second method to access a Screen Script is to select the desired Screen and
have it displayed on the active IWS workspace. Then from the top toolbar, select
View. A pull-down menu (as shown at the right) will have the Screen Script
option available. By selecting this option, you will activate the Screen Script
VBScripting interface.
The Screen Script interface has three predefined subroutines. These are:
Screen_OnOpen Pull-down Menu

Code contained within this subroutine is automatically executed just once when
the Screen is opened.
Screen_WhileOpen
Code contained within this subroutine is automatically executed continuously
while the Screen is open. The rate at which this subroutine is called depends on
the performance of the hardware platform and other tasks running at the time.
Screen_OnClose
Code contained within this subroutine is automatically executed just once when
the Screen is closed.
The execution of the Screen Script subroutines on the Server executes independently from the execution
on Web Thin Clients.
Key Notes:
• Do not change the name of the pre-configured subroutines in the VBScript
interface. Otherwise they many not properly execute.
VBScript is entered. Otherwise it might not be updated. This is true for all
VBScript interfaces.
• The Graphic Script is scanned (processed) by IWS before the Screen Scripts are
processed.
44
Command Dynamic
A Command Dynamic is associated with a specific object on a Screen, and allows one or more actions to
take place when an event occurs with the specific object. A typical use is a button (perhaps a rectangle)
that is placed on the screen. When an operator selects on the button (via mouse click or pressing a
touchscreen over the object), this action is expected to initiate some action. That action may be to
set/reset a PLC bit, jump to a different screen, whatever. The Command Dynamic allows the developer
to chose what action to take.
With Version 6.1, IWS adds new capability to the Command Dynamic interface. In addition to the IWS
built-in language command, the Command Dynamic can now execute VBScript code. The steps to
access the VBScript interface within a Command Dynamic are:
1. Select the object on the Screen currently opened in the IWS workspace. If the object has
a Command Dynamic associated with it, then right click on the object. Otherwise, click on
the Command Dynamic icon (right) from the Mode toolbar and then right click on the
object.
2. Now, the Object Properties dialog box for the

Command Dynamic will open. Click on the Config…
button in the lower right corner of the dialog box.
3. Select the event condition (e.g. On Down) where

your want code to be execute and then select
VBScript as the Type.
4. Enter your VBScript code (variable declarations

and executable statements).
Within the Command Dynamic, you enter VBScript

variables and executable statements subject to the
following conditions:
• Any variable declared in this interface will only
have a local scope.
• You cannot implement procedures (i.e.
Subroutines or Functions) within this interface.
Notwithstanding these restrictions, VBScript code within

a Command Dynamic still has access to all Global
Procedures.
VBScript code within the Command Dynamic interface is executed whenever one or more of the selected
event conditions (listed in the Command Dynamic configuration screen) occur for the selected object.
The execution of the Command Object script on the Server executes independently from the execution
on Web Thin Clients.
Key Notes:
VBScript is entered. Otherwise it might not be updated. This is true for all VBScript
interfaces.
45
ActiveX Events
IWS is an ActiveX container, supporting ActiveX controls, generally inserted on a given graphical screen.
With IWS Version 6.1, there is a VBScript interface to ActiveX Events so that an ActiveX object event can
trigger a VBScript code segment.
The steps to accessing the VBScript ActiveX Event interface are as follows:
1. Select the ActiveX object on the Screen currently opened in the IWS workspace. Right
click on the object to open its Object Properties dialog box. If you need to insert an
ActiveX object, select the ActiveX Control icon from the Mode toolbar and then right click
on the object
In the lower right corner of the ActiveX

Object Properties dialog box will be a
Configuration button. Click this to open up
the Configuration options dialog box.
2. Click on the Events tab (as

shown at the right).
3. Click on the … button in the

Script Column for the event you
want to write VBScript for.
This is the scripting interface for ActiveX Events. Be sure

VBScript language is selected. You can now insert code that
will execute when the selected ActiveX Event is triggered.
Within the ActiveX Event interface, you enter VBScript

variables and executable statements subject to the following
conditions:
• Any variable declared in this interface will only have a
local scope.
• You cannot implement procedures (i.e. Subroutines or
Functions) within this interface.
Notwithstanding these restrictions, VBScript code within the

ActiveX Event interface still has access to all Global
Procedures, as well as any procedures in the Screen Script
for the same Screen where the ActiveX object is configured.
46
VBScript code within the ActiveX Event interface is executed whenever one or more of the selected
Event conditions (listed in the Configuration dialog box) occur for the selected ActiveX object. The
execution of the script on the Server executes independently from the execution on Web Thin Clients.
Key Notes:
• Before executing the application, be sure to save (or close) the Screen
after any VBScript is entered. Otherwise it might not be updated. This is
true for all VBScript interfaces.
Background Task Startup Script

In the Tasks Worksheet folder is the Script subfolder which
will contain a default Startup Script icon and any
Background Task Script Groups declared. To edit the
Background Task Startup Script:
1. Click on the Tasks Worksheet folder
2. Click on the Script subfolder.
Any VBScript code placed in this interface will execute when

the Background Task module is started, which occurs when
the IWS application is started. This code will only execute
once, and is meant for initialization purposes.
Variables and Procedures declared in the Background Task

Startup Script are available to the Background Task Script Group, but are not available to any VBScript
interfaces in the Graphic Module. Remember that the Background Task Group Startup Script can access
the procedures declared in Global Procedures.
Since the Background Task Startup Script has no interaction with a Graphics script, the only Server
display I/O functions that can be implemented are MsgBox and InputBox functions.
Since the Background Task Startup Script runs on the IWS Server, there is no effect with Web Thin
Clients.
Background Task Script Groups

The Background Task Script Groups consist of one or more VBScript interface groups that run in the
Background Task. By default, there are no Background Task Script Groups unless added by the
developer. These Script Groups will execute in a background as long as their Execution Field is in a
TRUE state.
Background Task Script Groups have the following limitations:

• Variables declared in a Background Task Script Group have a local scope for it’s specific Script
Group only. Variables cannot be shared with other Script Groups, nor any other VBScript
Interface.
• Background Task Script Groups cannot declare their own Procedures (Subroutines and
Functions).
• The Execution Field of the Script Group will only support IWS tags or built-in functions. No
support for VBScript variables or Procedures is provided in the Execution Field.
47
However, the Background Task Script Groups can do the following:
• Access Procedures and Variables within the Background Task Startup Script.
• Access Procedures declared in Global Procedures.
To create a new Script Group, right-click on the Script

subfolder in the Tasks tab of the Workspace. Select the
Insert option from the pop-up menu. Note that the Startup
Script is already defined. To open (edit) an existing Script
Group, simply click its icon in the Script subfolder of the
Tasks workspace tab.
The code configured in each Script Group is executed by

the Background Task. IWS scans the Script Groups
sequentially (based on the number of the group) and
executes only the Groups in which the condition configured
in the Execution Field of the Script Group is set to or is
evaluated to be TRUE (a value different from 0).
When any Script Group is saved during runtime (e.g. from an on-line configuration download), the
Startup Script interface will be executed again, and the current value of the local variables contained in
any Script Group will be reset, if any exist.
Since the Background Task Script Groups run on the IWS Server, there is no effect with Web Thin
Clients.
Key Notes:
• The Execution Field of the Script Group only supports syntax as specified by the IWS
built-in language.
VBScript is entered. Otherwise it might not be updated. This is true for all VBScript
interfaces.
• If any Script Group is saved during runtime (i.e. on-line configuration), the Startup
Script Group will be executed again and the current value of local variables will be
reset
48
Scope of VBScript Procedures and Variables
The following table summarizes the relationship between the IWS VBScript interface location and its
Scope of Variables and Procedures. The table also defines where the Scripts are located
Scope of
Item Procedures and Execution Functionality Location/Access
Variables
Declaration of
All Procedures are
Procedures
global, Variables are Procedures are
Global (Functions and Database Workspace
accessible only accessible to any Script
Procedures Subroutines) that Folder
within Global on the host Server
are available
Procedures (local)
globally
Condition-based
Procedures and execution
Variables accessible - Graphics Start
Executes on host
within - Graphics Open
Server and/or Web Thin Graphics Workspace
Graphics Scripts Graphics Script - Graphics Close
Client where any Folder
interface only. Can
screen is displayed.
Call Global Graphics Scripts
Procedures. execute before
Screen Scripts
Procedures and
Variables accessible
within Screen where
the Script is written.
Executes on host Condition-based
Screen Script
Server and/or Web Thin execution
procedures
Screen Scripts Client where the - Screen Start Within the Screen.
accessible to
specific screen is - Screen Open
ActiveX Events for
displayed - Screen Close
ActiveX objects
contained in the
Screen. Can Call
Global Procedures.
Variables and Script
Executes on host Within Object
accessible only in
Server and/or Web Thin Execution of Script (Command)
Command Object where the
Client where the screen when Object Properties. The
Dynamic Script is configured.
with the specific Object condition is met Screen that uses the
Can Call Global
is displayed Object must be open.
Procedures.
Variables accessible
only in Object where
Executes on host
the Script is Execution of Script Within the ActiveX
Server and/or Web Thin
configured. Screen when selected object. The Screen
ActiveX Events Client where the screen
Script Procedures ActiveX Event that uses the Object
with the specific Object
are accessible. Can occurs must be open.
is displayed
Call Global
Procedures.
Procedures and Declaration of
Variables accessible Procedures and
Background Executes on Server as Tasks Workspace
within the Script Variables that are
Startup Script a background task Folder
Group. Can Call available for
Global Procedures. Background Scripts
Condition-based
Accessible within
Background execution in
Script Group only. Executes on Server as Tasks Workspace
Script Groups background mode.
Can Call Global a background task Folder
Can have multiple
Procedures.
Script pages.
49
Accessing IWS Tags and IWS Built-in functions
When writing your code in a VBScript interface, you can access any tag from the IWS tags database or
any function from the IWS built-in language by applying the "$" prefix to the tag/function name, as in the
examples below:
CurTime = $Time ‘ Returns the value of the tag Time from the tags database
a = $MyTag ‘ Sets a to the value of the IWS tag MyTag
$Open("main.scr") ‘ Executes the Open() function to open the "main" screen
IWS tags and built-in functions are accessible from any VBScript code segment, regardless where
located. If the IWS function returns a value (e.g. error or status information), this can be assigned to a
VBScript variable. IWS tags can be used as arguments in VBScript statements and functions.
If an undefined name follows the “$”, when the programmer does a Check Script function or attempts to
Save the script, IWS will ask the programmer if they want to define the IWS tag, and if so, prompt for the
tag type.
IWS supports the following application tag types:

• Boolean (a Boolean (True/False) or digital value (0 or 1))
• Integer (a 32-bit long-word signed integer type)
• Real (a real number stored as a double precision word)
• String (a string of characters of up to 255 characters that holds letters, numbers, or special
characters)
• Class (a user-defined, compound tag)
• Array (an array of values from 0 to 16,384)
Passing variables between VBScript and IWS is straightforward but there are some conversion
considerations that should be noted:
IWS Boolean
With VBScript, variable can be of the data subtype Boolean. VBScript defines keywords True and
False for logical states True and False, respectively. In VBScript, False has a numeric value of 0,
while True has a numeric value of -1. This is because Booleans are not actually stored as bits, but as
32-bit signed integers. If all bits are zero, then it is a 0 or logical False. If all bits are set to 1, then it is
a signed value of -1 or a logical True.
IWS objects that display IWS-defined boolean tags (e.g. Text I/O) will have the boolean values
displayed as 0 or 1 (0=False, 1=True), not as False or True. Consider the following VBScript code
segment:
$MyBool = True ‘ Will be displayed as a “1” in an IWS object (*see below)
$MyBool = False ‘ Will be displayed as a “0” in an IWS object
The value for True assumed by Boolean IWS tags depends on the value of the parameter
BooleanTrueAboveZero that is located in the [Options] section of the <Application>.APP file. To
access this parameter, you need to open the <Application>.APP file with a simple text editor such as
Microsoft Notepad. For example:
[Options]
BooleanTrueAboveZero = 0 IWS Boolean tag set to value 1 (True) when value <> 0
[Options]
BooleanTrueAboveZero = 1 IWS Boolean tag set to value 1 (True) only when value > 0
50
One item to watch for is the boolean NOT operator. With an IWS tag, even though the tag is of type
Boolean, it is really stored internally as a 32-bit signed variable. If you NOT a 0, the lower bit is set to
one but in reality all the bits are set to 1’s, meaning that with a variable that is a signed integer, the
NOT of 0 is really -1. For example,
a = CBool(Not(0))
$c = a ‘ $c (IWS tag c) will display as -1
One programming trick that can be used when attempting to toggle IWS Boolean Tags between 0
and 1 is either:
$tag = Abs ($tag=0) ‘ Either one of these statements will toggle the tag
$tag = $If ($tag=0,1,0) ‘ between 0 and 1
IWS Integer
All IWS integer tags are stored as 32-bit values. VBScript has 3 different variant subtypes that are of
interest. Bytes are 8-bit values that are positive whole numbers ranging from 0 to 255. Integers are
16-bit signed values that range from -32,768 to 32,767. Long Integers are 32-bit values that range
from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.
When storing to an IWS integer tag, the conversion to a 32-bit signed integer type will be
automatically made. For example:
a = CInt (-30) ‘ a is a 16-bit signed integer with a value of -30
$MyInt = a ‘ MyInt is a 32-bit signed integer with a value of -30
b = CByte (-30) ‘ Generates an error since Bytes are 0 to 255, not negative
b = CByte (30) ‘ b is a 8-bit unsigned integer with a value of 30
$MyInt = b ‘ MyInt is a 32-bt signed integer with a value of 30
When converting from an IWS integer tag to an IWS tag, this is really not a problem since VBScript
variables are type variant. For example:
$MyInt = 400 ‘ Store a vale larger than 255 (the Byte limit)
a = CByte (10) ‘ store as a byte subdata type
a = $MyInt ‘ a will equal 400.
IWS Strings
In IWS, strings are up to 255 in length, while VBScript strings can be virtually unlimited in length
(limited by available memory only). During the conversion from a VBScript string variable to an IWS
string, any characters beyond the first 255 will be truncated. For example:
a = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789”
a = a & a & a & a & a & a & a & a & a & a ‘ String is 360 characters long
$MyStr = a ‘ Store string in IWS string
‘ Result is 7 strings of a + “ABC” for total of 255 characters
In most cases, this string length difference is not of material significance. However, certain ActiveX
Controls can be used for block transfer of data to real-world devices and strings are ideal for forming
variable length data blocks. The string can then be parsed to extract the data of interest.
51
IWS Classes
IWS Classes are simply user-defined compound tags that can be made up of one or more IWS tag
type. The IWS Classes and Tags are defined in the Database Worksheet. For example, if we define a
IWS Class (under the Classes Folder in the Database worksheet ) called MyClass with the following
elements
MyClass
Item1 Integer
Item2 Integer
Message String
Next, a Class tag is created (in the Application Tags Folder)

Cls1 MyClass
Finally, in VBScript, we can refer to the elements in the Class tag as follows:
$Cls1.Item1 = 10
$Cls1.Item2 = 20
$Cls1.Message = “Hello World”
IWS Arrays
Using the Class example from above, if (in the Application Tags folder) we had declared the variable
Cls1 to have a size of 10, this would be an array with 11 elements. [Remember that the count starts
at 0, not 1].
In VBScript, we would refer to the elements in the Class array tag as follows:
$Cls1[1].Item1 = 10
$Cls1[1].Item2 = 20
$Cls1[1].Message = “Hello World”
We can also use a VBScript variable for the index of the Class array tag. For example:
Dim i
i=1
$Cls1[i].Item1 = 10
$Cls1[i].Item2 = 20
$Cls1[i].Message = “Hello World”
Key Notes:
• IWS tags can be added through the VBScript interface. Simply type a “$” followed by a
valid IWS name, and when the Script is Saved, Closed or Check Script function invoked,
the programmer will be prompted to create new IWS tag(s).
• VBScript variables and IWS variables can be passed to each other.
• Watch for string length differences with IWS (max. 255 characters) versus VBScript (no
limit).
52
Accessing ActiveX Objects from VBScript
Any of the VBScript interfaces relating to a Screen (i.e. Screen Script, Command Dynamic, and/or
ActiveX Events) can directly access the Properties and Methods of an ActiveX control (OCX) that is
inserted on a screen.
Using ActiveX Controls is fairly straight forward. First, the ActiveX controls must be registered (i.e. the
Operating System Windows Registry must have an entry and Class ID (CLSID) established for the
ActiveX Control). Usually when an ActiveX Control is installed in the PC, the installation program will
register the ActiveX Control in the final stage of the installation process. If not, registration can be done
with one of two methods:
1. Use the Microsoft RegSvr32 command
- Invoke the Microsoft Windows Run command
- In the dialog box, type CMD, then OK
- Type REGSVR32 “C:\<path to OCX control>\<ActiveX Control Name>.OCX”, then Enter
(Be sure path name is in quotes)
- If the ActiveX Control registers properly, you will get a message indicated this
- Close the dialog box
2. Use the Register Controls utility provided by IWS (under Tools on the main toolbar)
- Click on Tools, then Register Controls
- On the dialog box that pops up, click on Register
- Use the file navigator to locate the ActiveX Control that you want to register
- Click on Open.
- Click on Close in the Register Controls dialog box.
You can also use the IWS Register Controls utility to verify that the ActiveX Control has been registered.
Beware that the registered name and the file name may not be the same, and in many cases they are
not. The best way to verify the control is properly registered is to examine the path of the registered
Control.
When the ActiveX Control has been registered, it can be inserted onto a display screen using either the
OCX tool in the IWS toolbar or by using the Insert -> ActiveX Object from the top toolbar. A dialog box
will appear with a scrolled list of ActiveX objects that are available. Insert the ActiveX object(s) that are
appropriate for the application by clicking on OK. IWS will automatically assign a unique name to the
ActiveX control. You can use this name or change it, the only requirement being that it must be unique
from other ActiveX controls.
Now that an ActiveX Control has been placed on the Screen, any VBScript interface associated with that
screen can access the ActiveX Control. These VBScript interfaces are limited to the Screen Script,
Command Dynamic for objects located on the same Screen, and ActiveX Event Handler for other
ActiveX objects located on the same Screen.
For example, Microsoft has an ActiveX scrollbar control called “MicrosoftFlatScrollBarControl 6.0 (SP6)”.
Assuming this was inserted for the first time onto a Screen in an IWS application, IWS would likely name
this Control “MicrosoftFlatScrollbarControl1”. For brevity, let us rename this to “MFSC1”. I could easily
click on the ActiveX Control on the screen to access its Property Pages, Properties, Methods and Events.
Note that Property Pages and Events are not accessible through the VBScript Interface, although a
VBScript Interface is available with the ActiveX’s Event Handler. Only an ActiveX Control’s Properties
and Methods are available from VBScript as implemented in IWS. By clicking on the object to get the
Object Properties dialog box
53
ActiveX Control Name
established by IWS. You
can rename this Control.
Use this interface to tie

Properties and Methods to
IWS tags.
To access the ActiveX Control’s Properties and Methods from VBScript, you simply type the name of the
Control, followed by a Period “.” and then the Property or Method. You will need to reference
documentation from the developer of the ActiveX Control to determine which properties are setting (Set)
or retrieving (Get), and the functioning of the Methods available. For example, with the Microsoft scroll
bar control, we access Properties using the following code:
MFSC1.Min = 0 ’ Set the min value of the scroll bar to 0
MFSC1.Max = 100 ’ Set the max value of the scroll bar to 100
$LocTag = MFSC1.Value ’ Get the current location of the scroll bar, pass to IWS tag
IWS tools such as Position and Command can be used with ActiveX controls. To enable these tools,
insert the ActiveX control on the Screen and then make sure the ActiveX control is selected (highlighted).
Then, select the Position or Command tool. For example, with the Position tool, you can control the
visibility of the ActiveX Control, or change its location on the screen.
Key Notes:
• All ActiveX Controls must have a unique name
• When referencing an ActiveX object name that has been inserted on a screen, note that
the reference is case-sensitive from VBScript.
• Only ActiveX Properties and Methods can be accessed via VBScript. Event handling
must be set-up by configuring the object (i.e. right click on the object)
• ActiveX Controls can only be accessed by VBScript interfaces associated with the
Screen which contains the ActiveX Control (i.e. Screen Script, Command Dynamic,
ActiveX Event Handler)
54
IntelliSense
The VBScript Editor provides a useful tool called IntelliSense, a feature first popularized in Microsoft
Visual Studio. Intellisense can be thought of providing “auto-completion” based on the language
elements, variables and class members, as well as a convenient listing of available functions. As the
developer
IntelliSense the dialog box can display the following:

• VBScript Functions
• ActiveX Controls, Properties and Methods (the ActiveX Control must be inserted on the Screen
where the Screen Script, Command Dynamic or ActiveX Event is used)
• IWS tags and tag fields.
• IWS built-in functions
As the programmer begins to type and characters are recognized, IntelliSense may turn on. If not, the
programmer can activate IntelliSense by pressing the Ctrl key plus the Spacebar (“Ctrl” + “ “). By typing a
“$” at the beginning of a line, this allows access to IWS tags and built-in functions to be referenced.
When IntelliSense is activate, a pop-up box will appear. The contents of the pop-up box depend on what
the programmer has already typed. Sample IntelliSense pop-up dialogs are shown below:
IntelliSense Dialog for IntelliSense Dialog for IntelliSense Dialog for

VBScript Functions IWS Functions IWS Tag Fields
Note that VBScript variables are not accessible through the IntelliSense dialog box.
IntelliSense uses different Icons to indicate the type of item that is being referenced. Some Icons are
used to indicate different items, so it is important to notice what object is being referenced (i.e. is it an
IWS tag, ActiveX Control, VBScript function, etc.)
IntelliSense Icon Use

IWS Boolean Tag
IWS Integer Tag
IWS Real Tag
IWS String Tag
IWS Class Tag
VBScript Function, built-in IWS function, or ActiveX Control Method
ActiveX Control Property, VBScript Constants
For many of the functions (both VBScript functions and IWS built-in functions), IntelliSense provide a
Parameter Quick Info pop-up dialog. This pop-up dialog may appear once the VBScript or IWS function
is entered. An example is:
55
Key Notes:
• Use the Ctrl key plus Spacebar key (“Ctrl” + “ ”) to activate IntelliSense. Doing this on
a blank line will show all available VBScript functions and any ActiveX controls
available.
• Use the Ctrl key plus Spacebar key (“Ctl” + “ ”) to auto-complete any VBScript function,
IWS tag, IWS tag field, IWS Class or Class Member, IWS built-in function, or ActiveX
Control name, Property or Method once enough of the characters have been entered so
that the reference is no longer ambiguous.
• Typing a “$” at the beginning of a line will invoke IntelliSense, referencing existing IWS
tags and built-in functions
• Typing the name of an IWS tag, followed by the minus key “-“ plus a greater than arrow
key “>” will open the list of available fields for the IWS tag
56
VBScript with Web Thin Clients
In a Web Thin Client environment, the browser serves as the host for both HTML web pages published
by the IWS Server, as well as the host for VBScript code segments that are associated with a particular
Screen or object on the Screen. Generally, Microsoft Internet Explorer serves as the browser in a Web
Thin Client environment. A InduSoft ActiveX Control (ISSymbol) is used to coordinate communications
between the IWS Server and a Web Thin Client.
In a Windows XP/2000/NT-based Web Thin Client environment, Microsoft Internet Explorer (e.g. Version
6 or later) supports VBScripts and ActiveX by default. In a Windows CE-based Web Thin Client
environment, Microsoft Internet Explorer (typically provided with PocketPC products) supports both
VBScript and ActiveX, but VBScript support must be enabled in the Windows CE image (part of the
Platform Build process, typically done by the hardware supplier). Windows CE systems with Microsoft
Pocket Explorer (different that Microsoft Internet Explorer) will not work with VBScript as Pocket Explorer
does not support VBScript due to memory limitations. Also remember that any ActiveX controls used on
a Windows CE Web Thin Client must be developed to support Windows CE.
VBScript Interface Functioning related to a Web Thin Client

VBScript Global Procedures are accessible to VBScript code segments that execute
Global Procedures
on a Web Thin Client
Operates on IWS Server PC only. Procedures and Variables not accessible to a
Graphics Module
Web Thin Client.
This VBScript interface (for a Web Page) executes independently from the VBScript
Interface for a Screen running on the IWS Server.
• The Graphics_OnStart() subroutine starts when the Web Thin Client Station
is successfully logged in and ISSymbol is hosted on the Web Browser
Screen Scripts • The Graphics_WhleRunning() subroutine executes on the Web Thin Client
while the Web Thin Client remains logged in and the ISSymbol Control
remain hosted on the Web Browser
• The Graphics_OnEnd() subroutine is executed once the Web Thin Client
logs off or the ISSymbol Control is no longer hosted by the Web Browser
Command Dynamic
ActiveX Event Handler
Background Task Startup
Web Thin Client.
Background Task Scripts
Web Thin Client.
Key Notes:
• Under Windows XP/2000/NT, to check or modify Internet Explorer’s settings for support
of VBScript and ActiveX Controls, open Internet Explorer, then click on Tools ->
Internet Options -> Security -> Custom Level.
• All VBScript interfaces unique to the Web Thin Client continue to have access to IWS
tags and IWS built-in functions.
• When using a Windows CE device for the Web Thin Client, be sure ActiveX support and
VBScript support is enabled. This is a function of the Windows CE OS image built
using Microsoft Platform Builder.
• When using a Windows CE device for the Web Thin Client, verify that MsgBox and
InputBox functions are enabled in the Windows CE OS image if you intent to use them,
57
VBScript Language Reference
This Language Reference section is intended to cover VBScript as it is intended to be used with InduSoft
Web Studio (IWS) and CEView.
VBScript, or more properly Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition, is one of the members of the
Microsoft Visual Basic family. VBScript is primarily a subset of VBA, or Visual Basic for Applications,
although VBA and VBScript are targeted at different applications. VBA was intended to be used for the
automation of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project applications, while VBScript was designed for use
with Web-based applications, both on the client side (e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer) where it
compliments Jscript, and on the Server side, where it works with ASP (Active Server Pages) applications
and WSH (Windows Script Host) scripts.
InduSoft provides a VBScript Hosting environment for the InduSoft Web Studio (IWS) and CEView
HMI/SCADA software, allowing developers to use both VBScript programmability and native IWS (and
CEView) configurability. This combination of development methodologies lets developers chose which
development methodology best suits their application requirements. InduSoft has chosen to implement
VBScript instead of VBA, since VBScript has a number of advantages not inherent in VBA, including the
support for thin clients and Windows CE runtime environments.
This VBScript Language Reference covers the following material:

• Variables (Type, Declaration, Scope)
• Constants (Explicit, Implicit)
• Keywords
• Errors (Runtime, Syntax)
• Operators (Type, Precedence)
• Functions and Procedures
• Statements
• Objects and Collections
• VBScript restrictions within the IWS development environment
• Example VBScript Applications
58
VBScript Variables
Variable Data Types and Subtypes

VB and VBA are compiled languages that require you to explicitly declare the variables you are going to
use and their data type. To explicitly declare a VB or VBA variable, you would use the Dim keyword.
The following example shows how VB or VBA would declare the variable x as an integer:
Dim x As Integer
Dim a, b, c As Integer
With VBScript, you also use the Dim statement to explicitly declare a variable. However, you are not
required to explicitly declare variables in VBScript. If you do not explicitly declare a variable, it is implicitly
declared when the variable is used. However, typing (spelling) errors can typically go undetected until a
problem occurs, and then must be detected and corrected. By adding the Option Explicit command at
the beginning of the script, you can force the VBScript Scripting Engine to only use the variables that are
explicitly declared.
Example Dim a,b ‘ explicitly declares the variables a & b
a=4 ‘ assigns the value of 4 to variable a
b=4 ‘ assigns the value of 4 to variable b
c=a+b ‘ VBScript will create a variable c, and then perform the add
Example Option Explicit ‘ Force explicit definition of variables
Dim a, b ‘ declare variables a and b
a=4 ‘ define variable a
b=4 ‘ define variable b
c=a+b ‘ will generate an error since c not explicitly declared
Interestingly, VBScript does not allow you declare the variable data type (i.e. integer, real, etc.) in the
Dim statement. In fact, VBScript does not support data Type declarations. This is a major difference
between VBScript and VB/VBA. Instead, all VBScript variables are of a data type called Variant,
meaning the data type can be whatever is required. However, there are a variety of VBScript Variant
data subtypes that correspond to traditional data types familiar to programmers. These variant data
subtypes are:
Variant data subtypes
Subtype Description
Array An indexed list of variants
Boolean Boolean value of either True or False. False has a value of 0, and True has a value of -1.
Byte Contains integer in the range 0 to 255
Currency Floating-point number in the range -922,337,203,685,477.5808 to 922,337,203,685,477.5807
Date(Time) Contains a number that represents a date between January 1, 100 to December 31, 9999
Double Contains a double-precision, floating-point number in the range -1.79769313486232E308 to -
4.94065645841247E-324 for negative values; 4.94065645841247E-324 to
1.79769313486232E308 for positive values
Empty Uninitialized Variant
Error Contains an error number used with runtime errors
Integer Contains integer in the range -32,768 to 32,767
Long Contains integer in the range -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
Null A variant containing no valid data
Object Contains an object reference. Note that this is not the object itself.
Single Contains a single-precision, floating-point number in the range -3.402823E38 to -1.401298E-45 for
negative values; 1.401298E-45 to 3.402823E38 for positive values
String Contains a variable-length string that can be up to approximately 2 billion characters in length.
This relationship between type Variant and the various data subtypes is explained by the fact that
VBScript uses what is called “late-bound” typing, meaning that the data subtype is determined at runtime
by its usage or by a function. At runtime, the Parser in the VBScript Scripting Engine will determine the
59
data type required and allocate storage accordingly, then execute the statements or functions
accordingly for the data type. Microsoft reportedly implemented VBScript with late-bound data typing in
order to improve execution speed.
In its simplest form, a Variant contains either numeric or string data. A Variant behaves as a number
when you use it in a numeric expression and as a string when you use it in a string expression. That is, if
you are working with data that looks like numbers, VBScript assumes that it is a number and does what
is most appropriate for numbers. Similarly, if you're working with data that can only be string data,
VBScript treats it as string data. If you enclose a variable in quotation marks (" "), you will always make
the variable behave as a strings. When variables are initialized, a numeric variable is initialized to 0 and
a string variable is initialized to a zero-length string ("").
A variable that refers to an object must be assigned to an existing object using the Set statement before
it can be used. Until it is assigned an object, the declared object variable has the special value Nothing.
Beyond simple numeric or string classifications, a Variant can be distinguished by the specific nature of
data it contains or represents. For example, numeric information can represent date or time. When the
variable is used with other date or time variables or operations, the result is always expressed as a date
or a time.
The Variant type is best thought of as a super data type which includes all the data subtypes. You can
change a variable’s value and subtype at runtime by assigning a new value to the variable from one
previously assigned to it. For example:
Dim x
x = “message1” ‘ x would be a string subtype
x=1 ‘ x would now become a integer subtype
Just to make this a little more confusing, if you had the statement
x = 2.5
this could be a Currency, Single or Double data subtype. By default, VBScript would consider 2.5 to be a
Double data subtype. In the previous example, the variable x which was assigned a value of 1 could be a
data subtype of Boolean, Byte, Integer or Long. VBScript by default would consider the variable x with a
value of 1 to be an Integer data subtype.
Key Notes:
• The Dim keyword can be used to declare one or more variables. Multiple variables are
separated by comma(s).
• Option Explicit requires all variables to be declared, and is helpful to reduce typing
(spelling) errors
• The value assigned to a variable can be another variable, a named constant (implicit or
explicit) or a literal. A literal is simply static data, and can be a string of text, number,
date or a boolean value. E.g.
a=2
myStr = “Alarm 1 on”
60
Array Variables
Most variables discussed to this point have been of the type that contain a single value. These are called
scalar variables. Variables that contain a series of values are called array variables. Scalar variables and
array variables can be explicitly declared the same way using the Dim keyword, except that array
variables use the parentheses () following the variable name, used to indicate the size of the array. An
example of a single dimension array containing 10 elements is declared by:
Dim a(9)
All arrays in VBScript are zero-based, meaning that the number of array elements is always equal to the
number of elements shown in the parentheses plus one. This is consistent with arrays in IWS.
Arrays that are declared with a number in the parentheses are called fixed-size arrays. Data can be
assigned to each element of the array as follows:
Dim a(9)
a(0) = 1
a(1) = 20
a(2) = -3
Data can be retrieved from an element of the array by using an index into the array. For example:
Dim a(9), array_index, x, y
a(0) = 1
a(1) = 20
a(2) = -3
x = a(0) ‘ variable x is assigned a value of 1
array_index = 2
y = a(array_index) ‘ variable y is assigned a value of -3
Arrays can be multi-dimensional, with up to 60 dimensions. For a two-dimensional array, the first number
is referred to as the number of rows, and the second number being the number of columns. Examples of
multi-dimensional array declaration is as follows:
Dim a(4,9) ‘ array has 5 rows and 10 columns
Dim b(4,4,9) ‘ a 5 x 5 x 10 3-dimensional array
VBScript supports dynamic arrays, whose size can change during runtime. Dynamic arrays can change
the number of dimensions and the size of any or all dimensions. These arrays are initially declared using
the Dim (or ReDim) keyword followed by a closed parenthesis. Then, prior to using the dynamic array,
the ReDim keyword is used to specify the number of dimensions and size of each dimension. The
ReDim can subsequently be used to modify the dynamic array’s number of dimensions or size of each
dimension. The Preserve keyword can be used to preserve the contents of the array as the resizing
takes place. For example:
Dim MyArray(), x
ReDim MyArray(19) ‘ MyArray has 20 elements
MyArray(0) = 10 ‘ Assign values to first 2 elements
MyArray(1) = 20
ReDim Preserve MyArray(24) ‘ change MyArray to a 25 element array
x = MyArray(0) ‘ variable x is assigned value of 10
There is no limit to the number of times you can resize a dynamic array. However, if you make the array
smaller you will lose the data in the eliminated elements.
VBScript provides several functions for the manipulation of arrays. These include:
61
Array Functions & Statements
Array Functions Description
Erase Reinitializes the elements of fixed-size arrays, deallocates dynamic-array storage space.
ReDim Declare dynamic array variables, allocates or reallocates storage space at procedural level
Examples using these array functions are:

Dim MyArray(3), MyString, VarArray(), MyIndex, littleArray
MyArray(0) = “President ”
MyArray(1) = “George ”
MyArray(2) = “W. ”
MyArray(3) = “Bush”
MyString = Join(MyArray) ‘ MyString equals “President George W. Bush”
MyString = “HelloxWidexWorld”
MyArray = Split (MyString, “x”, -1,1) ‘ MyArray(0) contains “Hello”
‘ MyArray(1) contains “Wide”
‘ MyArray(2) contains “World”
MyIndex = Filter(MyArray, “W. “) ‘ MyIndex will equal 2
ReDim VarArray(10) ‘ Redimension the VarArray array
ReDim VarArray(20) ‘ Redimension the VarArray array
VarArray(19) = 19
VarArray(20) = 20
littleArray = Array(12.3.64, 15) ‘ Populate the array with the Array function
Erase VarArray ‘ Deallocates memory for the dynamic array
Erase MyArray ‘ Simply erases the fixed size array
Key Notes:
• VBScript Array indices always start with 0. This is not the case with VBA.
• An array MyArray(2) has 3 elements, with indices 0, 1, and 2.
• Multi-dimensional arrays are supported up to 60 dimensions.
• Dim MyArray() is a dynamic array, and must be sized later with the ReDim statement .
• The Preserve keyword will preserve existing elements in a dynamic array
• Erase function deallocates memory for dynamic arrays, only clears fixed size arrays
62
Boolean Variables
Boolean variables have one of two values; True or False. The VBScript Keywords True or False can be
used to assign a value to the boolean variable. A boolean False is stored as a 0, but the boolean True is
not stored as a 1. Since the data storage element for the boolean value is a signed 32-bit value, a
boolean True will have all bits in the 32-bit value set to 1, which is a negative signed integer value of -1.
It is best to work with the boolean values True or False when working with boolean variables.
Literal Keywords used with Boolean data subtypes

Keyword Description
False Boolean condition that is not correct (false has a value of 0)
True Boolean condition that is correct (true has a value of -1)
An example would be:

Dim overtemp_condition
If $temperature > 100 then
overtemp_condtion = True
Else
Overtemp_condition = False
End If
There are several logical operators available in VBScript that can be used to evaluate logical expressions.
These logical operators can be used with both Boolean data subtypes as well as in Comparison
expressions. In the table below, a and b are assumed to represent logical expressions.
Logical Operators
Logic Operator Example Returns
AND And a AND b True only if a and b are both true
OR Or, | a OR b True if a or b is true, or both are true
Exclusive OR Xor a Xor b True if a or b is true, but not both
Equivalence Eqv a Eqv b True if a and b are the same
Implication Imp a Imp b False only if a is true and b is false otherwise true
NOT Not a Not b True if a is false; False if a is true
A couple examples of the logical operators are:

Dim temp, pressure
If (temp > 212) And (pressure > 1) then ‘ evaluate a conditional expression
Call Alarm_routine
End If
Dim a, b, temp, pressure

a = (temp > 212) And (pressure > 1) ‘ conditional expression stored as a boolean
If a = True Then ‘ logical condition test
Call Alarm_routine
End If
Note that the | operator (shift \) can be used instead of the Or logical operator. The statements (a | b) and
(a Or b) are equivalent.
Logical Truth Table

a b a And b a Or b a Xor b a Eqv b a Imp b Not a
T T T T F T T F
T F F T T F F F
F T F T T F T T
F F F F F T T T
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Byte, Integer & Long Variables
These three data subtypes are whole numbers that vary by the range of values that they can hold. Note
that the Byte data subtype has only a positive range (i.e. it is an unsigned value), while Integer and Long
are signed values. Byte is an 8-bit number, Integer a 16-bit number and Long a 32-bit number.
Subtype Range
Byte 0 to 255
Integer -32,768 to 32,767
Long -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
There are several types of operations that can be performed on these data subtypes, such as arithmetic,
comparison and logical operators. Also, many math functions can be used with these data subtypes.
Some examples are:
Dim MyByte, MyInt, MyHex
MyByte = $input_val – 5 ‘ read integer IWS tag input_val and subtract 5
If MyByte > 255 Then MyByte = 255 ‘ used in a condition statement. Make a byte value
MyInt = 459
MyHex = Hex(MyInt) ‘ returns 1CB
In addition to these functions, there are Byte versions of string operations that can be used with Byte
data contained in strings. For example, data from a serial port might be stored in a string. Remember that
strings can be essentially any length. The Mid function could be used to return a specified number of
characters from a string, but the MidB function will return a specified number of Bytes from the string.
Currency Variables
VBScript supports a currency data type. The valid range for currency is from -922,337,203,685,477.5808
to 922,337,203,685,477.5807. You can perform most of the same operations on the currency data type
as you can perform on other numbers. The primary difference is that the currency data subtype will
contain the currency symbol, and is formatted using the FormatCurrency function.
Currency Format Function

Example1:
Dim val, f_val ‘ This example limits the number of decimal places
val = 123.456 ‘ assign a currency value to val
f_val = FormatCurrency(val, 2) ‘ 2 digits after decimal, result is f_val = $123.45
Example2:
Dim price ‘ This example changes the currency symbol
price = 123.456
SetLocale(1033) ' Set locale to United States, use $ currency symbol
curDollars = FormatCurrency(price, 2) ' curDollars set to $123.46
myLocale = SetLocale(2057) ' Set locale to UK, use £ currency symbol
curPounds = FormatCurrency(price, 2) ' curPounds set to £123.46
Note: To use the Euro € symbol for a country that uses the Euro, make sure the system’s Region
Settings is properly set, otherwise the pre-Euro symbol will be used.
64
Date (and Time) Variables
Date is another of VBScript’s data subtypes. The Date data subtype actually contains both date and time
information that can be stored in variables and constants. The Date format is Gregorian and the Time is
local, with Day Lights Savings changes ignored unless specified in the system settings. The date subtype
is a number that represents a date in the range of January 1, 100 to December 31, 9999. The following
are valid ranges for the date and time fields:
Second 0 to 59
Minute 0 to 59
Hour 0 to 23
Day 0 to 31
Month 1 to 12
Year 100 to 9999
With the date subtype, there are predefined VBScript constants that refer to the day of the week and
New Year’s week. There are also Date and Time formatting constants that are used with the
FormatDateTime function. In addition, there are several Date and Time functions available in VBScript.
A literal date can be defined by surrounding a date/time value with the # symbol on each end.
Some examples using Date and Time include:
Dim CurDay, OldDay, DayDiff, HourDiff
Dim MyDay, MyMonth, MyYear, RecentDay, OtherDay, MyDate
OldDay = #3/27/2006 08:20:59# ‘ Set an old date
CurDay = Now() ‘ reads current System time and date
DayDiff = DateDiff(“d”. OldDay. CurDay) ‘ returns # days between OldDay and CurDay
HourDiff = DateDiff(“h”, OldDay, CurDay) ‘ returns # hours between OldDay and CurDay
MyDay = 27 ‘ specify day, month, year
MyMonth = 3
MyYear = 2006
RecentDay = DateSerial(MyYear, MyMonth, MyDay) ‘ converts into a Date subtype variable
OtherDay = DateSerial(MyYear, MyMonth-2, MyDay) ‘ you can use expressions in this function
MyDate = FormatDateTime(CurDay, vbLongDate) ‘ displays a date in the long format,
‘ uses computer’s regional settings
Days of Week Constants

Constant Value Description
vbUseSystem 0 Use system value
vbSunday 1 Sunday (Default)
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbWednesday 4 Wednesday
vbThursday 5 Thursday
vbFriday 6 Friday
New Years Week Constants

vbFirstJan1 1 Start with the week in which January 1st occurs (default)
vbFirstFourDays 2 Start with the week that has at least four days in the new year
vbFirstFullWeek 3 Start with the first complete week of the new year
65
Date and Time Format Constants (used with FormatDateTime function)
Display a date and/or time. For real numbers, display a date and time. If there is no
vbGeneralDate 0 fractional part, display only a date. If there is no integer part, display time only. Date
and time display is determined by your system settings
Display a date using the long date format specified in your computer's regional
vbLongDate 1
settings.
Display a date using the short date format specified in your computer's regional
vbShortDate 2
settings.
Display a time using the long time format specified in your computer's regional
vbLongTime 3
settings.
Display a time using the short time format specified in your computer's regional
vbShortTime 4
settings.
Date and Time Functions

Key Notes:
• VBScript Date and Time formats can change based on the user logged into the
system. Reference Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 218964.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q218964/
• VBScript Date and Time functions may not be formatted properly in non-English (US)
locales. Reference Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 264063.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/264063
66
Empty Variables
Empty is a single VBScript variable that has been declared, but has no explicitly assigned value. This is
also known as an uninitialized variable. There are two ways a variable can be uninitialized. The first is
when it is explicitly declared but has not yet been assigned a value. For example:
Dim a, b
a=2 ‘ a is initialized, b is still uninitialized
The second way a variable can be uninitialized is by assigning it a value of Empty. Empty is VBScript
keyword. For example:
a=2 ‘ a is a integer variable
b = “Hello” ‘ b is a string variable
a = Empty ‘ makes variable a uninitialized
b = Empty ‘ makes variable b uninitialized
If the variable was a numeric data subtype and set to a value of Empty (making it a Empty subtype), its
value will be 0. If the variable was a string data subtype and set to a value of Empty, its value will be “”.
The numeric and string subtypes can still be used in statements without generating a VBScript error
although their values were set to Null
Note that a variable being Empty is different that variable having a Null value. An Empty variable is
uninitialized, while a Null variable contains no valid data.
Error Variables
A variable with an Error data subtype contains an error number generated by the VBScript Parser or
Runtime Engine (signifying the VBScript Syntax error or Runtime error). An Error variant data subtype
can only be created by the VBScript Parser or Runtime Engine, or by calls to VBScript Object Methods.
The programmer cannot directly create or manipulate Error data subtypes.
See the Err Object for examples of how to use errors.
Null Variables
A Null variable is a single variable that indicates the variable contains no valid data. A null value is
typically used to represent missing data. A variable becomes a Null variable when it is assigned a null
value by using the Null keyword. For example:
Dim a,b
a=2 ‘ a is initialized, b is uninitialized
a = Null ‘ a is Null, b is uninitialized (Empty)
One of the main differences between Empty and Null is that a variable can be of type Empty (uninitialized)
when it is declared but not assigned a value, or when it is assigned a value of Empty. A Null variable, on
the other hand, must be assigned a Null value.
67
Object Variables
The Object data subtype references an object. Although the topic of objects will be covered in detail later,
at this point it is worth noting that there are two types of Objects; Intrinsic (i.e. VBScript-based) and
Extrinsic Objects.
Intrinsic Objects are pre-defined by VBScript. VBScript includes the intrinsic Err object for error handling.
The programmer can only use the Err object name for this object.
Extrinsic objects need to be declared, or instantiated (i.e. create an instance of the Object). With extrinsic
objects, the programmer defines an object name in the declaration statement. The object name can be
any valid variable name allowed by VBScript, although following variable naming conventions is strongly
suggested.
Depending on the type of extrinsic object, different statements are used to instantiate the object. For
example, with user-defined Classes, you would use the following format to instantiate the object.
Set cObj = New classname
where cObj is the name of the new object being instantiated, New is a VBScript Keyword, and
classname is the name of the user-defined class, which is merely a template for the object.
Other extrinsic objects include ActiveX Objects, ADO.NET, and OLE Automation Objects such as
Microsoft Office applications and components. These objects use a different statement format for
instantiation. They use either the CreateObject or GetObject functions. For example:
Set cObj = CreateObject(“ADODB.Connection”)
Set xlObj = CreateObject(“Excel.Application”)
Set xlBook = GetObject(“C:\Test.XLS”)
The difference between CreateObject and GetObject is that CreateObject is used to create an interface
to a new instance of an application (or object) while the GetObject is used with an application that is
already loaded.
Real (Single, Double) Variables

Real data types in VBScript are floating point numbers that can be either single precision (Single) or
double precision (Double). Their ranges are:
Single -3.402823E+38 to -1.401298E-45 for negative values
1.401298E-45 to 3.402823E+38 for positive values
Double -1.79769313486232E+308 to -4.94065645841247E-324 for negative values

4.94065645841247E-324 to 1.79769313486232E+308 for positive values
There are several types of operations that can be performed on the Real data subtype, such as
arithmetic, comparison and logical operators. Also, many math functions can be used with this data
subtypes. Some examples are:
Dim R1, R2, R3, Radius
R1 = 3.14159
Radius = 2
R2 = R1 * radius * radius
R3 = FormatNumber (R2, 2) ‘ R3 equals 12.57 (R2 = 12.56636)
Number Format Functions

68
Key Notes:
1. If you use a floating point number in VBScript, you are better off to use a Double. When
VBScript performs all floating point operation on a Single, VBScript will first convert the
Single into a Double, performs the operation, and converts back to a Single.
Additionally, VBScript Single is not smaller in memory size than a VBScript Double.
Strings Variables
VBScript supports the String data subtype. Strings are variable length, limited only by the available
system memory. In practice of course, they are not that long. Strings are a set of characters enclosed in
(double) quotation marks. Variables are assigned a string value in the following manner:
Dim str
str = “hello”
The quotation marks signify the beginning and the end of a string. If you want to embed quotation marks
in a string (without intending to signify the end of the string), you need to use two double quotation marks
(adjacent) to embedded one of the quotation marks. For example,
Dim msg
msg = “Mr. Smith says “”hello””” ‘ String data is: Mr. Smith says “hello”
VBScript has predefined string constants that can be used for formatting strings used for text messages.
These string constants include:
String Constants
vbCr Chr(13) Carriage return
vbCrLf Chr(13) & Chr(10) Carriage return and linefeed combination
vbFormFeed Chr(12) Form feed
vbLf Chr(10) Line feed
vbNewLine Chr(13) & Chr(10) or Chr(10) Platform-specific newline character
vbNullChar Chr(0) Null Character
vbNullString Null String Null String - Not the same as a zero-length string ("")
vbTab Chr(9) Horizontal tab
vbVerticalTab Chr(11) Vertical tab
Strings can be easily concatenated by use of the & operator. For example:
Dim str
str = “hello”
str = str & “ world” ‘ variable str now contains the string “hello world”
Using the string concatenation operator, another method of adding embedded quotation marks (or other
characters) to a string would be:
Dim str, str_quotemark
str_quotemark = chr(34)
str = “Mr. Smith says” & str_quotemark & “hello” & str_quotemark
While VBScript string handling capability can be very useful, programmers should be aware of
information given in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 1709641. This article states that when strings get
1
See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q170964/
69
very large (e.g. 50kB or larger), the time to concatenate these strings can be very long. For example, a
typical string concatenation where:
Dim dest, source ‘ String variables
Dim i, N
For i = 1 to N
dest = dest & source
Next N
Using the programming method above, the Article notes that the length of time to perform the
concatenation increase proportionately to N-squared. This increase in time is due to the method VBScript
uses to concatenate strings, which is:
• allocate temporary memory large enough to hold the result.
• copy the dest string to the start of the temporary area.
• copy the source string to the end of the temporary area.
• de-allocate the old copy of dest.
• allocate memory for dest large enough to hold the result.
• copy the temporary data to dest.
The Article details a method using the Mid$ statement and pre-allocation of memory to significantly
reduce the time to concatenate large strings. Also, you can reference the section on Classes for another
method to speed string concatenation.
There are several functions available to manipulate strings. Refer to the reference material in the
Appendix for a detail description of these functions.
String Functions
70
Data Subtype Identification
The Parser that is part of the VBScript Scripting Engine automatically defines a variable’s data subtype
for you at runtime. However, there are times when the programmer may need to know the variable’s data
subtype. To determine the specific data subtype used, VBScript you can use any of the three categories
of functions to determine the data subtype:
• The VarType(variable) function which returns a code based on the Variant data subtype used
• Various IsXxxx(variable) functions which return boolean values indicating whether the variable is
of a specific data subtype.
• A TypeName(variable) function which returns a string based indicating the data subtype
Variant Data Subtype Identification Functions

Variant Function Description
IsArray() Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable is an array
IsDate() Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be converted to a date
IsEmpty() Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable has been initialized.
IsNull() Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether an expression contains no valid data (Null).
IsNumeric() Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be evaluated as a number
IsObject() Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression refers to a valid Automation object.
TypeName() Returns a string that provides Variant subtype information about a variable
VarType() Returns a value indicating the subtype of a variable
VarType() Function
This function is similar to TypeName except that a numeric value, or ID, is returned that is used to
identify the data subtype. This ID can then, as an example, be used in a flow control statement.
VarType Constants (returned from the VarType() function)

vbEmpty 0 Empty (uninitialized)
vbNull 1 Null (no valid data)
vbInteger 2 Integer
vbLong 3 Long Integer
vbSingle 4 Single-precision floating-point number
vbDouble 5 Double-precision floating-point number
vbCurrency 6 Currency
vbDate 7 Date
vbString 8 String
vbObject 9 Object
vbError 10 Error
vbBoolean 11 Boolean
vbVariant 12 Variant (Used only with Arrays)
vbDataObject 13 Data-access Object
vbDecimal 14 Decimal
vbByte 17 Byte
vbArray 8192 Array
Example:
Myval = 23.3
If VarType(Myval) = vbSingle Then
Msgbox “MyVal is a Single Precision Floating Point Number”
End If
71
Key Notes:
2. If VBScript detects that the variant subtype is an Array, the VarType function never
returns 8192. This is a base figure, and the actual value returned is 8192 plus the value of
the array type. For instance, if you have an Array of Boolean values, the value returned
would be vbArray + vbBoolean, or 8192 + 11 = 8203.
IsXxxx() Functions
This is a series of functions that lets you determine whether a specific variable or constant is a
certain data subtype. These functions check the variable or constant against a specific data
subtype and return a Boolean value (True or False) indicating whether the variable or constant is
the specified data subtype. Examples include:
Dim MyArray(5) ‘ Declare an array

Dim MyVal ‘ Declare a variable
Date1 = “April 14, 2006” ‘ Assign Date
Date2 = #6/10/89# ‘ Assign Date
Date3 = “Hello World” ‘ Assign string
MyCheck = IsArray(MyArray) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
MyCheck = IsDate(Date1) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
MyCheck = IsDate(Date2) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
MyCheck = IsDate(Date3) ‘ Returns a Boolean False
MyCheck = IsEmpty(MyVal) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
MyVal = 5 ‘ Assign a value of 5
MyCheck = IsNumeric(MyVal) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
MyCheck = IsEmpty(MyVal) ‘ Returns a Boolean False
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVal) ‘ Returns a Boolean False
MyVal = Null ‘ Assign a null value (contains no valid data)
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVal) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
MyVal = Empty ‘ Assign Empty (uninitialized state)
MyCheck = IsEmpty(MyVal) ‘ Returns a Boolean True
Alternatively, you can use the IsXxxx() function in a conditional statement. For example,
Dim sInput
sInput = InputBox (“Enter a data value”)
If IsNumeric (sInput) Then
MsgBox “Valid Input”
Else
Msgbox “Invalid Input”
EndIf
72
TypeName() Function
TypeName is a read-only function that identifies the data subtype and returns a string that
contains the data subtype. This string can then be used in a flow control statement, or in a
message.
Return values from TypeName function

Return Value Description
<object type> Actual Type name of an Object
Boolean Boolean value (True or False)
Byte Byte value
Currency Currency value
Date Date or Time value
Decimal Decimal value
Double Double-precision floating-point value
Empty Uninitialized
Error Error
Integer Integer value
Long Long integer value
Nothing Object variable that doesn’t yet refer to an object instance
Null No valid data
Object Generic object
Single Single-precision floating-point value
String Character string value
Variant() Variant Array
Unknown Unknown object type
Dim MyVal
Dim a(9)
MsgBox TypeName(MyVal) ‘ Will get message “Empty”
MyVal = 5.2
MsgBox TypeName(MyVal) ‘ Will get message “Double”
Msgbox Typename(a) ‘ Will get message Variant()”
Key Notes:
3. When you pass an Array argument to the TypeName function, it will return value of
Variant(). This return value is not listed in Microsoft’s official documentation. Since
VBScript does not support data typing, there is no way to determine the data type of the
array. Instead, you must determine the data type of each element in the array, one
element at a time.
73
Data Subtype Conversion
VBScript provides several functions that convert a VBScript variable from one data subtype to another.
Since VBScript uses the Variant data type, these functions are not generally required. However, when
passing data between IWS (or CEView) and VBScipt, or calling built-in IWS functions from VBScript
where variables need to be put into the proper argument format, these VBScript data subtype conversion
functions can be very useful.
Data Subtype Conversion Functions
CBool() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Boolean
CByte() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Byte
CCur() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Currency
CDate() Converts a valid date and time expression to the variant of subtype Date
CDbl() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Double
CInt() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Integer
CLng() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Long
CSng() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Single
CStr() Converts an expression to a variant of subtype String
Example:
a = -5.2
b=4
c = “A”
LState = True
StartDate = #4/6/2005#
StartTime = #10:05:20#
d = CByte(a) ‘ Will generate overflow error, Bytes are only positive
d = CByte(d) ‘ d will equal 5 (Byte)
d = CStr(a + b) ‘ d will be “-1.2” (string)
d = CDate(StartDate + 20) ‘ d will be 4/26/2005 (date)
d = CDate(StartTime) ‘ d will be 10:05:20 am (date/time)
d = CDate(StartTime + 20) ‘ d will be 1/19/1900 10:05:20 am (date/time)
d = CDate(StartTime + #1:5#) ‘ d will be 11:10:20 am
d = CInt(LState) ‘ d will be -1
Since VBScript does not use explicit data typing, one might expect that you would not get a type
mismatch error. This however, is not necessarily true. For example, if you attempted to sum a number
and a string, you will get a type mismatch error. Users are not allowed to freely mix heterogenous data
even if all data is of type Variant. Again, type Variant allows the variable and constant data type to be
determined at runtime, instead of being explicitly predefined.
More detail on the Data Subtype Conversion Functions is provided in the VBScript Functions section.
Key Notes:
• You can’t pass an alphanumeric string to a conversion function that returns a number
(e.g. CInt() or CLng() functions) if the string has more than one character containing an
ASCII number. If you try to do this, a type mismatch error will occur
• The CStr() function provides the greatest flexibility when converting an expression into
a String data subtype. If you use the CStr() function with a Boolean expression, the
result will be a string of either “True” or “False”. If you use the CStr() function with a
date expression, the date string will follow the operating systems short date format.
• To convert a string into a date data subtype, you can use either the CDate() function, or
simply assign a date value to a variable, enclosing the value in hashes (#) as follows:
MyDate = “#3/22/2006#”
74
VBScript Naming Rules and Conventions
VBScript has some simple standard rules that apply to all VBScript variable names. These are:
• Must begin with an alpha character (A...Z)
• After the first character, they can contain letters, digits and underscores. No other embedded
characters are permissible.
• Must be less than 255 characters in length
• Must be unique in the scope in which they are declared
• Cannot use names that are Keywords
Permissible Not permissible

a class.item
b2 +a
c_34_ @Test123
Microsoft recommends following a naming convention for variables, based on their data type. The
variable name would contain a prefix, signifying its data type. Microsoft used the vb prefix for VBScript
defined constants, and it is recommended to avoid using these prefixes with variables. The Microsoft
recommended prefixes for programmer defined variables and constants are:
Microsoft Suggested Naming Convention for Variables
Data Subtype Prefix Example
Boolean bln blnFound
Byte byt bytRasterData
Currency cur curTotal
Date/Time dtm dtmStart
Double dbl dblTolerance
Error err errOrderNum
Integer int intQuantity
Long lng lngDistance
Object obj objCurrent
Single sng sngAverage
String str strFirstName
Variant Var varNumber
The Microsoft suggested naming convention are part of the “Hungarian Notation Standard” prefixes,
developed by Microsoft in 1972. Although many of the other prefixes are for C++ programmers, there are
a couple other Hungarian Notation prefixes that might be useful:
Additional Hungarian Notation Prefixes

Use Prefix Example
Pointer p pIndex
Class c cObject
Float f fCalc
Nested Class X X
Key Notes:
• Good programming would suggest that variable names are descriptive
• While VBScript variable names are not case sensitive, the name of an ActiveX control
inserted by IWS is case sensitive when referenced from a VBScript code segment.
• Most VBScript naming rules can be overridden by enclosing the name in brackets. For
example, [@a.1] would be a valid VBScript name.
75
Variable Scope
All VBScript variables have “scope”. Scope defines a variable’s visibility or accessibility from one
procedure (or VBScript Interface) to another, which in IWS is principally determined by where you
declare the variable. As a general rule, when you declare a variable within a procedure, only code within
that procedure can access or change the value of that variable. This is called local scope and is for a
procedure-level variable.
If you declare a variable outside a procedure, you make it recognizable to all the procedures in your
Script. This is a Script-level variable, and it has Script-level scope. However, as previously noted,
InduSoft enforces certain restrictions on the scope of Variables and Procedures.
A variable’s lifetime depends on how long it exists (i.e. for how long memory is allocated for the variable).
The lifetime of a script-level variable extends from the time it is declared until the time the script is
finished running, or until the memory is released (e.g. SET obj = Nothing statement).
At procedure level, a variable exists only for as long as you are in the procedure. When the procedure
exits, the variable is destroyed, and the memory previously allocated to the variable is released. Local
variables are ideal as temporary storage space when a procedure is executing. Local variables with the
same name can exist in several different procedures since the local variable is recognized only by the
procedure in which it is declared.
VBScript allows for explicit declaration of the scope of a variable through the Public or Private
declarations. These declarations can also define the size of an array. The Public or Private declarations
must be made at the beginning of a script, while the Dim declaration can be made at any point in the
script. When using the Public or Private declarations with IWS, be sure to use them in the variable
declaration section. You cannot use Public or Private declarations in IWS with Global Procedures,
Command Dynamic or ActiveX events (these are sections in IWS where VBScript can be placed). Note
that the use of the Public declaration of a variable may be limited by IWS, as Public variables defined in
one section in an IWS application are not necessarily accessible in another section. See the VBScript
Configuration and Operation in IWS section for more details on this topic.
Example:
Sub MySub(a,b)
Dim c
c =a + b
End Sub
Call MySub (1,2) ‘ Call the subroutine MySub
MsgBox c ‘ c will be uninitialized, not the same variable as in
Example:
Sub Calc
Dim a
a=6
End Sub
Dim a
a=2
GoSub Calc
MsgBox “a = ” & a ‘ a would equal 2, not 6
Example:
Private MyArray(5) ‘ Private variables
Public MyVal, MyList(5) ‘ Public variables
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The following table is a brief summary of a VBScript variable’s scope based on which IWS module the
variable is declared in.
VBScript Variable Scope based on IWS module

IWS Module Scope of Variables
Global Procedures Variables accessible only within Global Procedures
Graphics Scripts Variables accessible only within Graphics Script interface
Screen Scripts Variables accessible only within the Screen where the Script is written
Command Dynamic Variables accessible only in the IWS object where the Script is configured
ActiveX Events Variables accessible only in ActiveX object where the Script is configured
Variables accessible within Background Startup Script and all Background Script
Background Startup Script
Groups, but no where else
Background Script Groups Variables accessible only within the Background Script Group where it is declared
Key Notes:
• A variable’s scope is determined by where the variable is located (i.e. in a Subroutine or
Procedure, or in a main code segment)
• A variable’s scope can be made Public or Private via Public and Private statements.
These statements can also be used to declare the variable (allocate storage).
• With IWS, be sure to use the Public and Private declarations in the variable declaration
section. You cannot use the Public or Private declarations in Global Procedures,
Command Dynamic, or ActiveX events (see below).
• IWS places further limits on a variable’s scope. Using the Public statement does not
insure the variable is accessible by all VBScript code segments.
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VBScript Constants
VBScript supports both explicit and implicit constants. Constants should never be used as variables, and
you can only assign a fixed value to a constant; assigning a variable to a constant is not allowed.
Explicit constants are defined by the programmer. Explicit constants have a defined value which, unlike a
variable, is not allowed to change during the life of the script.
Implicit constants are pre-defined by VBScript. VBScript implicit constants usually begin with a vb prefix.
VBScript implicit constants are available to the VBScript programmer without having to define them.
Other objects, such as those used by ADO.NET, also have implicit constants predefined, usually with
different prefixes. However, the implicit constants for these objects may not be know to VBScript and if
not, will have to be defined as an explicit constant.
Constants have scope similar to variables. Implicit constants have scope throughout a VBScript program,
while explicit constants can have the same or a more limited scope. You can use the Private or Public
keyword in front of the Const declaration statement to define the scope of the constant. Keep in mind
that the scope of a constant be have further limitations placed on it by IWS. Constants declared at the
script level (or code segment level) have scope within the script, whether used in the code, procedures,
functions or user-defined classes. Constants declared inside of a procedure or function have procedure-
level scope, and cannot be used outside of the procedure or function.
Key Notes:
• Use named constants instead of literals, especially if a literal is used more than once.
This will help reduce programming errors, and allow changes to be made from one
location. E.g.
Const max_speed = 200 Å Preferred method using constant
Dim speed
If speed >= max_speed Then GoSub SlowDown
vs.
Dim speed Å Non-preferred method using literal
If speed >= 200 Then GoSub SlowDown
• Use the same naming rules for constants as for variables. Some authors recommend
using all capital letters for constants to easily differentiate them from variables.
Explicit Constants
An explicit constant is one which has an explicitly defined value, such as a number, string or other data
subtype, assigned to a name by the programmer. The constant cannot be changed during the lifetime of
the script. Constants are used in place of explicit values, making the VBScript easier to read and allowing
for changes to be made simply.
The constant name needs to follow the same rules as VBScript variable naming. Some authors advocate
using all capital letters for constants in an effort to distinguish them from variables.
To create an explicit constant, you use the keyword Const. You cannot use a function or another
constant as part of the explicit value. You cannot use an expression with a VBScript Operator. For
example:
Const Threshold = 101.5 ‘ Explicit constant Threshold has a value of 101.5
Const MyColor = &hFFFF ‘ assigns a color constant to MyColor
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Const CrLf = Chr(13) & Chr(10) ‘ Not allowed to use a function
Const MyVal = 2 + 4 ‘ Not allowed to have an operator in assignment
String literals are enclosed in double quotation marks (“), while date and time literals are enclosed in
hashes (#). For example:
Const MyString = “Hello World”
Const StartDate = #4-1-2006#
After creating the constant, you can use the constant name in lieu of specifying an explicit value. For
example:
Dim Alarm1, Alarm2
Const Threshold = 101.5 ‘ Create a constant, value = 101.5
Alarm1 = Threshold ‘ Assigns the constant to the variable Alarm1
Alarm2 = Threshold + 5 ‘ Adds 5 to the constant and assigns to Alarm2
Key Notes:
• Use the following formats to assign constant values
Const MyVal = &hFFFF to assign a hexadecimal value
Const MyVal = "Hello" to assign a string value
Const MyVal = “He was “”lost””” to embed quotation marks
Const MyVal = #9-11-2001# to assign a date and time literal
• Use the same naming rules for variables as for constants
• Can’t use functions or operators in the assignment statement
Implicit Constants
VBScript defines a number of implicit (or intrinsic) constants that can be used by the programmer in
VBScript code, regardless of the location of the VBScript code in the IWS development environment. The
intrinsic constants are grouped into various categories based on their use. For example, Color Constants
are used to define a color, instead of entering a hex value. VBScript defines the following different
categories of intrinsic Constants:
• Color Constants
• Comparison Constants
• Date and Time Constants
• Date Format Constants
• Days of Week Constants
• New Years Week Constants
• Error Constants
• Errors - VBScript Runtime
• Errors - VBScript Syntax
• File Attribute
• File Input/Output
• MsgBox Constants (determines what buttons appear and which are default)
• MsgBox Function Constants (identifies what buttons have been selected)
• SpecialFolder Constants
• String Constants
• Tristate Constants
• VarType Constants
• Locale ID (LCID)
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VBScript implicit constants do not need to be defined by the programmer, they are predefined by
VBScript. The VBScript implicit constants start with a prefix of “vb”. Some examples are:
vbBlack ‘ The implicit color constant for black
vbFriday ‘ The implicit day of week constant for Friday
vbCrLf ‘ Implicit string constant for a Cr and a Lf
The following is a list of the various VBScript implicit constants:

Color Constants
Constant Hex Value Decimal Value Description
vbBlack &h00 0 Black
vbRed &hFF 255 Red
vbGreen &hFF00 65280 Green
vbYellow &hFFFF 65535 Yellow
vbBlue &hFF0000 16,711,680 Blue
vbMagenta &hFF00FF 16,711,935 Magenta
vbCyan &hFFFF00 16,776,960 Cyan
vbWhite &hFFFFFF 16,777,215 White
Comparison Constants
vbBinaryCompare 0 Binary Comparison
vbTextCompare 1 Text-based Comparison
VBScript Date and Time Format Constants

Display a date and/or time. For real numbers, display a date and time. If there is no
vbGeneralDate 0 fractional part, display only a date. If there is no integer part, display time only. Date
and time display is determined by your system settings
Display a date using the long date format specified in your computer's regional
vbLongDate 1
settings.
Display a date using the short date format specified in your computer's regional
vbShortDate 2
settings.
Display a time using the long time format specified in your computer's regional
vbLongTime 3
settings.
Display a time using the short time format specified in your computer's regional
vbShortTime 4
settings.
VBScript Days of Week Constants

vbSunday 1 Sunday (Default)
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbFriday 6 Friday
vbSaturday 7 Saturday
VBScript New Years Week Definition

vbUseSystemDayOfWeek 0 Use system value for the first day of the week.
vbFirstJan1 1 Start with the week in which January 1st occurs (default).
This is the default value for both DateDiff and DatePart.
vbFirstFourDays 2 Start with the week that has at least four days in the new year
vbFirstFullWeek 3 Start with the first complete week of the new year
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VBScript Error Constants
The base error number, to which a user-defined error number is added when a
vbObjectError -2147221504 user-defined error is raised. To raise error #1000, the following format should
be used: Err.Raise Number = vbObjectError + 1000
VBScript Runtime Errors

Error Number Description
5 Invalid procedure call or argument
6 Overflow
7 Out of Memory
9 Subscript out of range
10 This array is fixed or temporarily locked
11 Division by zero
13 Type mismatch
14 Out of string space
17 Can't perform requested operation
28 Out of stack space
35 Sub or function not defined
48 Error in loading DLL
51 Internal error
91 Object variable not set
92 For loop not initialized
94 Invalid use of Null
424 Object required
429 ActiveX component can't create object
430 Class doesn't support Automation
432 File name or class name not found during Automation operation
438 Object doesn't support this property or method
445 Object doesn't support this action
447 Object doesn't support current locale setting
448 Named argument not found
449 Argument not optional
450 Wrong number of arguments or invalid property assignment
451 Object not a collection
458 Variable uses an Automation type not supported in VBScript
462 The remote server machine does not exist or is unavailable
481 Invalid picture
500 Variable is undefined
502 Object not safe for scripting
503 Object not safe for initializing
504 Object not safe for creating
505 Invalid or unqualified reference
506 Class not defined
507 An exception occurred
5008 Illegal assignment
5017 Syntax error in regular expression
5018 Unexpected quantifier
5019 Expected ']' in regular expression
5020 Expected ')' in regular expression
5021 Invalid range in character set
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VBScript Syntax Errors
Error Number Description
1052 Cannot have multiple default property/method in a Class
1044 Cannot use parentheses when calling a Sub
1053 Class initialize or terminate do not have arguments
1058 'Default' specification can only be on Property Get
1057 'Default' specification must also specify 'Public'
1005 Expected '('
1006 Expected ')'
1011 Expected '='
1021 Expected 'Case'
1047 Expected 'Class'
1025 Expected end of statement
1014 Expected 'End'
1023 Expected expression
1015 Expected 'Function'
1010 Expected identifier
1012 Expected 'If'
1046 Expected 'In'
1026 Expected integer constant
1049 Expected Let or Set or Get in property declaration
1045 Expected literal constant
1019 Expected 'Loop'
1020 Expected 'Next'
1050 Expected 'Property'
1022 Expected 'Select'
1024 Expected statement
1016 Expected 'Sub'
1017 Expected 'Then'
1013 Expected 'To'
1018 Expected 'Wend'
1027 Expected 'While' or 'Until'
1028 Expected 'While,' 'Until,' or end of statement
1029 Expected 'With'
1030 Identifier too long
1014 Invalid character
1039 Invalid 'exit' statement
1040 Invalid 'for' loop control variable
1013 Invalid number
1037 Invalid use of 'Me' keyword
1038 'loop' without 'do'
1048 Must be defined inside a Class
1042 Must be first statement on the line
1041 Name redefined
1051 Number of arguments must be consistent across properties specification
1001 Out of Memory
1054 Property Set or Let must have at least one argument
1002 Syntax error
1055 Unexpected 'Next'
1015 Unterminated string constant
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VBScript MsgBox Constants (settings)
vbOKOnly 0 Display OK button only. This is the default value
vbOKCancel 1 Display OK and Cancel buttons.
vbAbortRetryIgnore 2 Display Abort, Retry, and Ignore buttons.
vbYesNoCancel 3 Display Yes, No, and Cancel buttons.
vbYesNo 4 Display Yes and No buttons.
vbRetryCancel 5 Display Retry and Cancel buttons.
vbCritical 16 Display Critical Message icon.
vbQuestion 32 Display Warning Query (question mark) icon.
vbExclamation 48 Display Warning Message icon.
vbInformation 64 Display Information Message icon.
vbDefaultButton1 0 First button is the default.
vbDefaultButton2 256 Second button is the default.
vbDefaultButton3 512 Third button is the default.
vbDefaultButton4 768 Fourth button is the default.
vbMsgBoxRight 524288 Right align text
On Hebrew and Arabic systems, specifies that text should appear from
vbMsgBoxRtlReading 1048576
right to left.
vbMsgBoxSetForeground 65536 Makes the message box the foreground window
Application modal. The focus cannot move to another interface in the
vbApplicationModal 0
application until the dialog is closed
System modal. On Win32 systems, this constant provides an application
vbSystemModal 4096 modal message box that always remains on top of any other programs
you may have running.
vbMsgBoxHelpButton 16384 Help button.
VBScript MsgBox Function Constants (identifies what buttons have been selected)
vbOK 1 OK button was clicked.
vbCancel 2 Cancel button was clicked.
vbAbort 3 Abort button was clicked.
vbRetry 4 Retry button was clicked.
vbIgnore 5 Ignore button was clicked.
vbYes 6 Yes button was clicked.
vbNo 7 No button was clicked.
VBScript String Constants

vbCr Chr(13) Carriage return
vbCrLf Chr(13) & Chr(10) Carriage return and linefeed combination
vbFormFeed Chr(12) Form feed
vbLf Chr(10) Line feed
vbNewLine Chr(13) & Chr(10) or Chr(10) Platform-specific newline character
vbNullChar Chr(0) Null Character
vbNullString 0 Null String - Not the same as a zero-length string ("")
vbTab Chr(9) Horizontal tab
vbVerticalTab Chr(11) Vertical tab
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VBScript Tristate Constants
vbFalse 0 False
vbTrue -1 True
vbUseDefault -2 Default. Uses default from computer’s regional settings
The tristate constants are used when there are three possible options: True, False and Default.
VBScript VarType Constants (defines the possible subtypes of variables)

vbInteger 2 Integer
vbLong 3 Long Integer
vbDate 7 Date
vbString 8 String
vbObject 9 Object
vbError 10 Error
vbVariant 12 Variant (Used only with Arrays)
vbDataObject 13 Data-access Object
vbByte 17 Byte
vbArray 8192 Array
These constants are used with the VarType() function.
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VBScript Locale ID (LCID) Chart
Short Hex Dec. Short Hex Dec.
Locale Locale
String Value Value String Value Value
Afrikaans af 0x0436 1078 Icelandic is 0x040F 1039
Albanian sq 0x041C 1052 Indonesian id 0x0421 1057
Arabic - United Arab
ar-ae 0x3801 14337 Italian - Italy it-it 0x0410 1040
Emirates
Arabic - Bahrain ar-bh 0x3C01 15361 Italian - Switzerland it-ch 0x0810 2064
Arabic - Algeria ar-dz 0x1401 5121 Japanese ja 0x0411 1041
Arabic - Egypt ar-eg 0x0C01 3073 Korean ko 0x0412 1042
Arabic - Iraq ar-iq 0x0801 2049 Latvian lv 0x0426 1062
Arabic - Jordan ar-jo 0x2C01 11265 Lithuanian lt 0x0427 1063
Arabic - Kuwait ar-kw 0x3401 13313 Macedonian (FYROM) mk 0x042F 1071
Arabic - Lebanon ar-lb 0x3001 12289 Malay - Malaysia ms-my 0x043E 1086
Arabic - Libya ar-ly 0x1001 4097 Malay – Brunei ms-bn 0x083E 2110
Arabic - Morocco ar-ma 0x1801 6145 Maltese mt 0x043A 1082
Arabic - Oman ar-om 0x2001 8193 Marathi mr 0x044E 1102
Arabic - Qatar ar-qa 0x4001 16385 Norwegian - Bokml no-no 0x0414 1044
Arabic - Saudi Arabia ar-sa 0x0401 1025 Norwegian - Nynorsk no-no 0x0814 2068
Arabic - Syria ar-sy 0x2801 10241 Polish pl 0x0415 1045
Arabic - Tunisia ar-tn 0x1C01 7169 Portuguese - Portugal pt-pt 0x0816 2070
Arabic - Yemen ar-ye 0x2401 9217 Portuguese - Brazil pt-br 0x0416 1046
Armenian hy 0x042B 1067 Raeto-Romance rm 0x0417 1047
Azeri - Latin az-az 0x042C 1068 Romanian - Romania ro 0x0418 1048
Azeri - Cyrillic az-az 0x082C 2092 Romanian - Moldova ro-mo 0x0818 2072
Basque eu 0x042D 1069 Russian ru 0x0419 1049
Belarusian be 0x0423 1059 Russian - Moldova ru-mo 0x0819 2073
Bulgarian bg 0x0402 1026 Sanskrit sa 0x044F 1103
Catalan ca 0x0403 1027 Serbian - Cyrillic sr-sp 0x0C1A 3098
Chinese - China zh-cn 0x0804 2052 Serbian - Latin sr-sp 0x081A 2074
Chinese - Hong Kong
zh-hk 0x0C04 3076 Setsuana tn 0x0432 1074
SAR
Chinese - Macau SAR zh-mo 0x1404 5124 Slovenian sl 0x0424 1060
Chinese - Singapore zh-sg 0x1004 4100 Slovak sk 0x041B 1051
Chinese - Taiwan zh-tw 0x0404 1028 Sorbian sb 0x042E 1070
Croatian hr 0x041A 1050 Spanish - Spain es-es 0x0C0A 1034
Czech cs 0x0405 1029 Spanish - Argentina es-ar 0x2C0A 11274
Danish da 0x0406 1030 Spanish - Bolivia es-bo 0x400A 16394
Dutch - Netherlands nl-nl 0x0413 1043 Spanish - Chile es-cl 0x340A 13322
Dutch - Belgium nl-be 0x0813 2067 Spanish - Colombia es-co 0x240A 9226
English - Australia en-au 0x0C09 3081 Spanish - Costa Rica es-cr 0x140A 5130
Spanish - Dominican
English - Belize en-bz 0x2809 10249 es-do 0x1C0A 7178
Republic
English - Canada en-ca 0x1009 4105 Spanish - Ecuador es-ec 0x300A 12298
English - Caribbean en-cb 0x2409 9225 Spanish - Guatemala es-gt 0x100A 4106
English - Ireland en-ie 0x1809 6153 Spanish - Honduras es-hn 0x480A 18442
English - Jamaica en-jm 0x2009 8201 Spanish - Mexico es-mx 0x080A 2058
English - New Zealand en-nz 0x1409 5129 Spanish - Nicaragua es-ni 0x4C0A 19466
English - Phillippines en-ph 0x3409 13321 Spanish - Panama es-pa 0x180A 6154
English - South Africa en-za 0x1C09 7177 Spanish - Peru es-pe 0x280A 10250
English - Trinidad en-tt 0x2C09 11273 Spanish - Puerto Rico es-pr 0x500A 20490
English – UK en-gb 0x0809 2057 Spanish - Paraguay es-py 0x3C0A 15370
English - United States en-us 0x0409 1033 Spanish - El Salvador es-sv 0x440A 17418
Estonian et 0x0425 1061 Spanish - Uruguay es-uy 0x380A 14346
Farsi fa 0x0429 1065 Spanish - Venezuela es-ve 0x200A 8202
Finnish fi 0x040B 1035 Southern Sotho st 0x0430 1072
Faroese fo 0x0438 1080 Swahili sw 0x0441 1089
French - France fr-fr 0x040C 1036 Swedish - Sweden sv-se 0x041D 1053
French - Belgium fr-be 0x080C 2060 Swedish - Finland sv-fi 0x081D 2077
85
Short Hex Dec. Short Hex Dec.
Locale Locale
String Value Value String Value Value
French - Canada fr-ca 0x0C0C 3084 Tamil ta 0x0449 1097
French - Luxembourg fr-lu 0x140C 5132 Tatar tt 0X0444 1092
French - Switzerland fr-ch 0x100C 4108 Thai th 0x041E 1054
Gaelic - Ireland gd-ie 0x083C 2108 Turkish tr 0x041F 1055
Gaelic - Scotland gd 0x043C 1084 Tsonga ts 0x0431 1073
German - Germany de-de 0x0407 1031 Ukrainian uk 0x0422 1058
German - Austria de-at 0x0C07 3079 Urdu ur 0x0420 1056
German - Liechtenstein de-li 0x1407 5127 Uzbek - Cyrillic uz-uz 0x0843 2115
German - Luxembourg de-lu 0x1007 4103 Uzbek – Latin uz-uz 0x0443 1091
German - Switzerland de-ch 0x0807 2055 Vietnamese vi 0x042A 1066
Greek el 0x0408 1032 Xhosa xh 0x0434 1076
Hebrew he 0x040D 1037 Yiddish yi 0x043D 1085
Hindi hi 0x0439 1081 Zulu zu 0x0435 1077
Hungarian hu 0x040E 1038
Common VBScript Locale ID (LCID) Chart (partial list)

Short Hex Dec.
Locale
String Value Value
English - United States en-us 0x0409 1033
English – UK en-gb 0x0809 2057
German - Germany de-de 0x0407 1031
Spanish - Mexico es-mx 0x080A 2058
Chinese - China zh-cn 0x0804 2052
Japanese ja 0x0411 1041
French - France fr-fr 0x040C 1036
Russian ru 0x0419 1049
Italian - Italy it-it 0x0410 1040
Key Notes:
• You cannot re-assign a value to an implicit VBScript Constant. E.g.
vbNull = 5 ‘ Will generate an error. vbNull = 1
• Use implicit constants instead of literals where possible in order to improve code
readability.
86
Declaring Variables, Objects and Constants
VBScript does not require the explicit declaration of scalar variables, i.e. those variables with only one
value assigned at any given time. Arrays, Objects (except Err) and Constants must be declared. Scalar
variables used but not declared are called implicit variables. While it may initially be convenient not to
declare variables, any typing (spelling) errors of the variable or constant names may produce unexpected
results at runtime.
The Option Explicit statement can be invoked at the beginning of the variable declaration script
segment to force the declaration of variables. This statement must be placed above the first Dim
statement. Any variables not declared will invoke an error message “Variable is undefined”.
All variables and constants must follow the variable naming rules, and should follow standard naming
conventions although not required to do so. Multiple assignments can be made on the same line when
the variable declarations are separated by the colon character :.
Example:
Dim a, b, c ‘ Declares variables a, b & c
Dim k(9) ‘ Declares an array k with 10 elements
‘ since VBScript is 0 based
a=2:b=3:c=4 ‘ Assign values to variables
d=a+b+c ‘ Implicitly defined variable d, equals 9
Example:
Option Explicit ‘ Force explicit variable declaration
Dim a, b, c ‘ Declares variables a, b & c
a=2:b=3:c=4 ‘ Assign values to variables
d=a+b+c ‘ Error since d not explicitly defined
Scalar variables and Fixed-sized Arrays are declared using the Dim statement. Fixed-sized arrays have
a defined number of dimensions and defined size to each dimension that do not change during the life of
the variable.
Dynamic arrays are a type of array that can be dynamically resized during runtime. Dynamic arrays are
initially declared using the Dim statement followed by closed parentheses. Then, at one or more points in
the program, the ReDim statement is used to dynamically resize the array. For example:
Dim myDynamicArray() ‘ Declare a dynamic array
ReDim myDynamicArray(10) ‘ Now declare it to have 11 elements
The Array function can be used to initially populate the array. The following is an example
Dim myArray
myArray = Array(4.56.82. 3.82)
Extrinsic Objects must also be declared. Depending on the type of extrinsic object, different statements
are used to instantiate (declare and allocate memory for) the object. For example, with user-defined
Classes, you would use the following format to instantiate the object.
Set cObj = New classname
where cObj is the name of the new object being instantiated, New is a VBScript Keyword, and
classname is the name of the user-defined class, which is merely a template for the object.
Other extrinsic objects include ActiveX Objects, ADO.NET, and OLE Automation Objects such as
Microsoft Office applications and components. These objects use a different statement format for
instantiation. They use either the CreateObject or GetObject functions. For example:
87
Set cObj = CreateObject(“ADODB.Connection”)
Set xlObj = CreateObject(“Excel.Application”)
Set xlBook = GetObject(“C:\Test.XLS”)
The difference between CreateObject and GetObject is that CreateObject is used to create an interface
to a new instance of an application (or object) while the GetObject is used with an application that is
already loaded.
To declare constants, you use the Const statement. An example is:

Const mySetting = 100
As previously discussed, constants have scope. The scope of a constant can be modified by adding
either the keyword Public or Private in front of the Const declaration.
Key Notes:
• All Arrays in VBScript are zero-based, meaning that the array myArray(10) really has 11
elements. Unlike VB or VBA, all arrays in VBScript are zero-based.
• Arrays, Objects (except implicit Err Object) and Named Constants must be declared.
• Using Option Explicit forces all variables to be declared. This helps prevent runtime
errors due to mis-typing.
88
VBScript Keywords
VBScript has many keywords. These keywords include the built-in constants and literals, operators,
functions, statements and objects. These keywords are reserved, i.e. they cannot be used as names of
variables or constants.
We have already covered the VBScript built-in implicit constants (keywords). Below are the VBScript
literal keywords, followed by operators, functions, statements and objects.
VBScript Literals
Literal keywords are used to define variables and constants, or comparison of variables.
VBScript Literal Keywords

Keyword Description
Empty Uninitialized variable value, e.g. a variable it is created but no value has been assigned to it, or when
a variable value is explicitly set to empty. Note: Empty is not the same as Null.
False Boolean condition that is not correct (false has a value of 0)
IsNothing Variable is an initialized object.
IsEmpty Variable is uninitialized.
IsNull Variable contains invalid data.
Nothing Indicates an uninitialized object value, or disassociate an object variable from an object to release
system resources.
Null Variable contains no valid data. Note: This is not the same as Empty or Nothing
True Boolean condition that is correct (true has a value of -1)
The following are example uses literal keywords

Dim valve_closed, pump_on, a
If valve_closed = True Then pump_on = False
a = Empty
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VBScript Operators
Operators act on one or more operands. VBScript provides operators to perform arithmetic, assignment,
comparison, concatenation and logical operations. In some cases, the operation varies based on the
Variant subdata type.
Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operator are used to calculate a numeric value, and are normally used with in conjunction with
the assignment operator or one of the comparison operators. Note that the minus (–) operator can also
be a unary operator to indicate a negative number. The plus (+) operator can be used for addition of two
numbers or to concatenate strings, although the ampersand (&) operator is the preferred operator for
string concatenation.
Operators Name Description
+ Addition Adds two numbers together
- Subtraction Subtracts one number from the other
^ Exponentiation Raises number to the power of the exponent
Mod Mod Divides one number by the other and returns only the remainder
* Multiplication Multiplies two numbers
/ Division Divides one number by the other with a floating point result
\ Integer Division Divides one number by the other with an integer result
Assignment Operator
The assignment operator is used to assign a value to a variable or to a property of an object. See the Set
statement for referencing and assigning Objects.
= Assignment Assign a value to a variable or property, reference and assign objects
Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare numeric values and string expressions against other
variables, expressions or constants. The result of the comparison is either a logical True or a logical
False.
Operators Name Example Description
< Less than a<b Returns TRUE if a < b
<= Less than or equal a <= b Returns TRUE if a is not greater than b
> Greater than a>b Returns TRUE if a is greater than b
>= Greater than or equal a >=b Returns TRUE if a is not less than b
= Equals a=b Returns TRUE if a is equal to b
<> Not equal a <> b Returns TRUE if a is not equal to b
String Concatenation Operators

The String operators are used to concatenate (combine) strings. There are two string concatenation
operators, but it is recommended to use the & operator for string concatenation, so as not to confuse it
with the + addition operator.
& String Concatenation Concatenates two strings. Preferred method.
+ String Concatenation Concatenates two strings. Non-preferred method.
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Logical Operators
Logical Operators are used to perform logical operations on expressions, and can also be used as bit-
wise operators.
Operators Function Example Returns
And Logical And a AND b True only if a and b are both true
Eqv Logical Equivalent a Eqv b True if a and b are the same
Imp Logical Implication a Imp b False only if a is true and b is false otherwise true
Not Logical Not a Not b True if a is false; False if a is true
Or, | Logical Or a OR b True if a or b is true, or both are true
Xor Logical Exclusive Or a Xor b True if a or b is true, but not both
A word of caution about the NOT operator. The NOT operator inverts boolean NOT of
“True” and “False” values as expected. However, the NOT operator can also Expression
Expression
operate on other data subtypes and IWS data types. The chart to the right True False
shows the result of the NOT operation on integer (or Real) values. False True
3 -4
2 -3
1 -2
0 -1
-1 0
-2 1
-3 2
Is Operator
The Is operator is used to compare one object variable to another to determine if they reference the
same object. In addition, the Nothing keyword can be used to determine whether a variable contains a
valid object reference..
$ Operator
The $ operator is a very special operator which has been added by InduSoft. The $ operator allows
VBScript to access IWS tags and built-in functions. IWS tags can be used in expressions similar to
VBScript variables. Remember that IWS variable types can be different that VBScript data subtypes.
When the $ operator is used, Intellisense (part of VBScript) will display all current IWS tags and built-in
functions in a scroll-down menu. The developer can choose from any of these, or add new tags by typing
a unique name. If a new tag name is entered, IWS will then prompt the developer for tag type
specifications.
Example: $Temp1 = 100 ‘ Sets IWS tag Temp1 to a value 100
MsgBox $temp1 ‘ Prints the value of IWS tag Temp1
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Addition Operator (+)
Description Sums two numbers.
Usage result = expression1 + expression2
Arguments result
Any numeric or string variable.
expression1
Any valid numeric or string expression.
expression2
Result Either numeric or string, depending on the arguments
Remarks Although you can also use the + operator to concatenate two character strings, you should use the
& operator for concatenation to eliminate ambiguity and provide self-documenting code.
When you use the + operator, you may not be able to determine whether addition or string
concatenation will occur.
The underlying subtype of the expressions determines the behavior of the + operator in the
following way:
If Then
Both expressions are numeric Add
Both expressions are strings Concatenate
One expression is numeric and the
other is a string Add
If one or both expressions are Null expressions, result is Null. If both expressions are Empty, result
is an Integer subtype. However, if only one expression is Empty, the other expression is returned
unchanged as result.
See also Concatenation Operator (&), Concatenation Operator (+), Subtraction Operator (-)
Example: a=5:
b=6
c=a+b ‘ Variable c is now 11
And Operator (And)

Description Performs a logical conjunction on two expressions to see if both are True
Usage result = expression1 And expression2
Arguments result
Any variable..
expression1
Any expression.
expression2
Any expression.
Return If, and only if, both expressions evaluate to True, result is True. If either expression evaluates to
False, result is False.
Remarks The following table illustrates how result is determined:
If expression1 is And expression2 is Then result is

True True True
True False False
True Null Null
False True False
False False False
False Null False
Null True Null
Null False False
Null Null Null
The And operator also performs a bitwise comparison of identically positioned bits in two numeric
expressions and sets the corresponding bit in result according to the following table:
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If bit in expression1 is And bit in expression2 is Then result is
0 0 0
0 1 0
1 0 0
1 1 1
Example: Dim pump_on
Dim valve_closed
If ( (pump_on = True) And (valve_closed = True)) then pump_on = False
Example a=5 ‘ a = 5 (bits 0000 0000 0000 0101)

b=4 ‘ b = 4 (bits 0000 0000 0000 0100)
c = a And b ‘ c = 4 (bitwise AND operation)
Assignment Operator (=)

Description Used to assign a value to a variable or a property.
Usage variable = value
Arguments variable
Any variable or writable property.
value
Any numeric or string literal, constant or expression.
Remarks The name on the left side of the equal sign can be a simple scalar variable or an element of an
array. Properties on the left side of the equal sign can only be those properties that are writeable at
runtime.
See also Comparison Operator, Set Statement
Example: a=5
b=6
c=a+b ‘ Variable c is now 11
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Comparison Operators (<, <=, >, >=, =, <>)
Description Used to compare expressions
Usage result = expression1 comparisonoperator expression2
Conditional
Arguments result
Any numeric variable.
expression
Any expression.
comparisonoperator
Any comparison operator.
Remarks The following table contains a list of the comparison operators and the conditions that determine
whether result is True, False, or Null:
Operator Description True if False if Null if
< Less than expression1 < expression1 >= expression1 or
expression2 expression2 expression2 = Null
<= Less than or equal expression1 <= expression1 > expression1 or

to expression2 expression2 expression2 = Null
> Greater than expression1 > expression1 <= expression1 or

>= Greater than expression1 >= expression1 < expression1 or

or equal to expression2 expression2 expression2 = Null
= Equal to expression1 = expression1 <> expression1 or

<> Not equal to expression1 <> expression1 = expression1 or

When comparing two expressions, you may not be able to easily determine whether the
expressions are being compared as numbers or as strings. The following table shows how
expressions are compared or what results from the comparison, depending on the underlying
subtype:
If Then
Both expressions are numeric Perform a numeric comparison.
Both expressions are strings Perform a string comparison.
One expression is numeric and the The numeric expression is less than the string other is a string
expression.
One expression is Empty and the Perform a numeric comparison, using 0 as the other is numeric
Empty expression.
One expression is Empty and the Perform a string comparison, using a zero-length
other is a string string ("") as the Empty expression.
Both expressions are Empty The expressions are equal
Example: If a>b then c = c +1
MyResult = a = b ‘ If a = b, then MyResult = True, otherwise False
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Concatenation Operator (&)
Description Forces string concatenation of two expressions.
Usage result = expression1 & expression2
Arguments result
Any variable..
expression1
Any expression.
expression2
Any expression.
Return Result will be converted to a string subtype if it is not already
Remarks Whenever an expression is not a string, it is converted to a String subtype. If both
expressions are Null, result is also Null. However, if only one expression is Null, that
expression is treated as a zero-length string ("") when concatenated with the other
expression. Any expression that is Empty is also treated as a zero-length string.
Note: In addition to the & operator, you can also use the + operator for string
concatenation, although use of the & operator is the preferred method.
Example: Dim str1, str2, str3
str1 = “AB”
str2 = “CD”
str3 = str1 & str2 ‘ str3 equals “ABCD”
Concatenation Operator (+)

Description Concatenates two strings.
Usage result = expression1 + expression2
Arguments result
Any numeric or string variable.
expression1
expression2
Result Either numeric or string, depending on the arguments
Remarks Although you can also use the + operator to concatenate two character strings, you should use the
& operator for concatenation to eliminate ambiguity and provide self-documenting code.
When you use the + operator, you may not be able to determine whether addition or string
concatenation will occur.
The underlying subtype of the expressions determines the behavior of the + operator in the
following way:
If Then
Both expressions are numeric Add
Both expressions are strings Concatenate
One expression is numeric and the
other is a string Add
If one or both expressions are Null expressions, result is Null. If both expressions are Empty, result
is an Integer subtype. However, if only one expression is Empty, the other expression is returned
unchanged as result.
See also Addition Operator (+),Concatenation Operator (&), Subtraction Operator (-)
Example: a = “ABC” :
b = “DEF”
c=a+b ‘ Variable c is now “ABCDEF”
a=1
b = “1”
c=a+b ‘ Variable c is now 2 (numeric value)
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Division Operator (/)
Description Divides two numbers and returns a floating-point result
Usage result = number1 / number2
Arguments result
number1
Any valid numeric expression.
number2
Return A floating point number.
Remarks If one or both expressions are Null expressions, result is Null. Any expression that is Empty is
treated as 0.
See also Multiplication Operator(*), Integer Division Operator(\)
Example: Dim a, b
a=3
b=A/2 ‘ The result b is equal to 1.5
Eqv Operator (Eqv)

Description Performs a logical equivalence on two expressions, checking if both expressions evaluate to the
same value
Usage result = expression1 Eqv expression2
Arguments result
expression1
Any expression, must evaluate to True, False, or Null
expression2
Any expression, must evaluate to True, False, or Null
Return Returns True is both expressions evaluate to the same value (True or False)
Remarks If either expression is Null, result is also Null. When neither expression is Null, result is determined
according to the following table:
True True True
True False False
False True False
False False True
The Eqv operator performs a bitwise comparison of identically positioned bits in two numeric
0 0 1
0 1 0
1 0 0
1 1 1
Example: Dim cond1, cond2, cond3
cond1 = False
cond2 = False
cond3 = cond1 Eqv cond2 ‘ cond3 is set to True
Example a=5 ‘ Bitwise 5= 0000 0000 0000 0101
b=4 ‘ Bitwise 4 = 0000 0000 0000 0100
MyResult = a Eqv b ‘ Result = -2 = 1111 1111 1111 1110
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Exponentiation Operator (^)
Description Raises a number to the power of an exponent
Usage result = number ^ exponent
Arguments result
number
Any valid numeric expression
exponent
Remarks number can be negative only if exponent is an integer value. When more than one exponentiation
is performed in a single expression, the ^ operator is evaluated as it is encountered from left to
right. If either number or exponent is a Null expression, result is also Null.
Example: Dim a
a=2
a=a^2 ‘ a now equal 4
a=5^5 ‘ a is now 3,125
Imp Operator (Imp)

Description Performs a logical implication on two expressions
Usage result = expression1 Imp expression2
Arguments result
Any variable.
expression1
Any expression.
expression2
Any expression
True True True
True False False
True Null Null
False True True
False False True
False Null True
Null True True
Null False Null
Null Null Null
The Imp operator performs a bitwise comparison of identically positioned bits in two numeric
0 0 1
0 1 1
1 0 0
1 1 1
Example: Dim cond1, cond2, cond3
cond1 = True
cond2 = Null
cond3 = cond1 Imp cond2 ‘ cond3 is set to Null
Example MyResult = 0 Imp 0 ‘ Returns 1
MyResult = 1 Imp 0 ‘ Returns 0
MyResult = 1 Imp 1 ‘ Returns 1
Example a=5 ‘ Bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0101
b=4 ‘ Bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0100
c = a Imp b ‘ Bitwise 1111 1111 1111 1110 (-2) result
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Integer Division Operator (\)
Description Divides two numbers and returns an integer result
Usage result = number1 \ number2
Arguments result
number1
number2
Return The integer part of the result when dividing two numbers
Remarks Before division is performed, numeric expressions are rounded to Byte, Integer, or Long subtype
expressions. If any expression is Null, result is also Null. Any expression that is Empty is treated as
0.
See also Multiplication Operator (*) and Division Operator(/)
Example: Dim a, b
a=3
b=A\2 ‘ The result b is equal to 1
Is Operator (Is)
Description Compares two object reference variables
Usage result = object1 Is object2
Arguments result
number1
Any object name
number2
Any object name.
Return Logical True if both objects refer to the same object, otherwise False
Remarks If object1 and object2 both refer to the same object, result is True, otherwise result is False.
See also Set Statement
Example: Set obj1 = CreateObject(“ADODB.Connection”)
Set obje2 = obj1
MyTest = obj1 Is obj2 ‘ Returns a true
MyTest = obj1 Not Is obj2 ‘ Returns false
MyTest = obj1 Is Nothing ‘ Checks to see if object is valid. Returns False
Modulus Division Operator (Mod)

Description Divides two numbers and returns only the remainder.
Usage result = number1 Mod number2
Arguments result
number1
number2
Remarks The modulus, or remainder, operator divides number1 by number2 (rounding floating-point
numbers to integers) and returns only the remainder as result. Bytes, Integers and Long subtype
are rounded to the smallest possible subtype before the Modulus division is performed. If any
expression is Null, result is also Null. Any expression that is Empty is treated as 0.
Example: A = 19 Mod 6.7 ‘ The result A equals 5
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Multiplication Operator (*)
Description Multiplies two numbers
Usage result = number1 * number2
Arguments result
number1
number2
Remarks If one or both expressions are Null expressions, result is Null. If an expression is Empty, it is
treated as if it were 0.
See also Division Operator (/), Integer Division (\)
Example: Dim A, B, C
A=2:B=3
C=A*B ‘ The result C is equal to 6
Not Operator (Not)

Description Performs a logical Not on an expression
Usage result = Not expression
Arguments result
Any variable.
expression
Any valid expression
Returns A logical True or False
If expression is Then result is
True False
False True
Null Null
In addition, the Not operator inverts the bit values of any variable and sets the corresponding bit in
result according to the following table:
Bit in expression Bit in result
0 0
1 1
See also AND Operator, OR Operator, XOR Operator
Example: Dim cond1, cond2, a
cond1 = True
cond2 = Not cond1 ‘ cond2 set to False
Example a=5 ‘ a = 5 (bit 0000 0000 0000 0101)
a = Not a ‘ a = -6 (bit 1111 1111 1111 1010)
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Or Operator (Or, |)
Description Performs a logical disjunction on two expressions.
Usage result = expression1 Or expression2
Arguments result
Any variable.
expression1
Any valid expression.
expression2
Remarks If either or both expressions evaluate to True, result is True. The following table illustrates how
result is determined:
True True True
True False True
True Null True
False True True
False False False
False Null Null
Null True True
Null False Null
Null Null Null
The Or operator also performs a bitwise comparison of identically positioned bits in two numeric
0 0 0
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 1
See also AND Operator, NOR Operator, XOR Operator
Example: Dim alarm1, alarm2
Dim alarm_light
If ( (alarm1 = True) Or (alarm2 = True)) then
alarm_light = True
Else
alarm_light = False
End If
Example a=5 ‘ a = 5 (bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0101)
b=4 ‘ b = 4 (bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0100)
MyResult = a Or b ‘ Result = 5
100
Subtraction Operator (-)
Description Finds the difference between two numbers or indicates the negative value of a numeric expression.
Usage result = number1 - number2 (Syntax 1)
result = - number (Syntax 2)
Arguments result
number1
number2
number
Any valid numeric value or numeric expression
Remarks In Syntax 1, the - operator is the arithmetic subtraction operator used to find the difference between
two numbers. In Syntax 2, the - operator is used as the unary negation operator to indicate the
negative value of an expression. If one or both expressions are Null expressions, result is Null. If
an expression is Empty, it is treated as if it were 0.
Example: MyResult = 5 - 4 ' MyResult is 1
a=5
MyResult = -a ‘ MyResult is -5
MyResult = -(5-4) ‘ MyResult is -1
Xor Operator (Xor)

Description Performs a logical exclusion on two expressions.
Usage result = expression1 Xor expression2
Arguments result
Any variable.
expression1
expression2
Remarks If one, and only one, of the expressions evaluates to True, result is True. However, if either
expression is Null, result is also Null. When neither expression is Null, result is determined
according to the following table:
True True False
True False True
False True True
False False False
The Xor operator also performs a bitwise comparison of identically positioned bits in two numeric
0 0 0
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 0
See also And Operator, Not Operator, Or Operator
Example: Dim cond1, cond2, flag
cond1 = True
cond2 = False
If (cond1 = True) Xor (cond2 = True) Then
flag = True
Else
flag = False
End If
Example a=5 ‘ Bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0101
b=4 ‘ Bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0100
c = a Xor b ‘ Bitwise 0000 0000 0000 0001 result (=1)
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Operator Precedence
When expressions contain operators from more than one category, arithmetic operators are evaluated
first, comparison operators are evaluated next, and logical operators are evaluated last. Comparison
operators all have equal precedence; that is, they are evaluated in the left-to-right order in which they
appear. Arithmetic and logical operators are evaluated in the following order of precedence:
Arithmetic Comparison Logical Highest Priority

Negation (-) Equality (=) Not
Exponentiation (^) Inequality (<>) And
Multiplication and division (*, /) Less than (<) Or
Integer division (\) Greater than (>) Xor
Modulus arithmetic (Mod) Less than or equal to (<=) Eqv
Addition and subtraction (+, -) Greater than or equal to (>=) Imp Lowest Priority
String concatenation (&) Is &
Highest Priority Lowest Priority
When multiplication and division occur together in an expression, each operation is evaluated as it
occurs from left to right. Likewise, when addition and subtraction occur together in an expression, each
operation is evaluated in order of appearance from left to right.
The string concatenation operator (&) is not an arithmetic operator, but its precedence does fall in after
all arithmetic operators and before all comparison operators. The Is operator is an object reference
comparison operator. It does not compare objects or their values; it only checks to determine if two
object references refer to the same object.
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VBScript Functions
Function Summary
Functions
Abs Escape LCase Second
Array Eval Left SetLocale
Asc Exp LeftB Sgn
AscB Filter Len Sin
AscW Fix LenB Space
Atn FormatCurrency LoadPicture Split
CBool FormatDateTime Log Sqr
CByte FormatNumber LTrim StrComp
CCur FormatPercent Mid String
CDate GetLocale MidB StrReverse
CDbl GetObject Minute Tan
Chr GetRef Month Time
ChrB Hex MonthName Timer
ChrW Hour MsgBox TimeSerial
CInt InputBox Now TimeValue
CLng InStr Oct Trim
Cos InstrB Replace TypeName
CreateObject InStrRev RGB UBound
CSng Int Right UCase
CStr IsArray RightB Unescape
Date IsDate Rnd VarType
DateAdd IsEmpty Round Weekday
DateDiff InNull RTrim WeekdayName
DatePart IsNumeric ScriptEngine Year
DateSerial IsObject ScriptEngineBuildVersion
DateValue Join ScriptEngineMajorVersion
Day LBound ScriptEngineMinorVersion
VBScript Array Functions

Note: See VBScript Statements as well
VBScript Object Functions

CreateObject Creates and returns a reference to an Automation object
GetObject Returns a reference to an Automation object from a file
IsObject Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression references a valid Automation object.
Note: See VBScript Objects and Collections as well
103
VBScript Math Functions
Atn Returns the arctangent of a specified number
Cos Returns the cosine of a specified number (angle)
Exp Returns e raised to a power
Log Returns the natural logarithm of a specified number
Randomize Initializes the random-number generator
Rnd Returns a random number less than 1 but greater or equal to 0
Sgn Returns an integer that indicates the sign of a specified number
Sin Returns the sine of a specified number (angle)
Sqr Returns the square root of a specified number
Tan Returns the tangent of a specified number (angle)
Note: See VBScript Derived Functions as well
VBScript String Functions

Escape Encodes a string so it contains only ASCII characters
InStrB Returns the position of the first occurrence of one string within another. The search begins at the
first byte of the string
LeftB Returns a specified number of bytes from the left side of a string
LenB Returns the number of bytes in a string
MidB Returns a specified number of bytes from a string
RightB Returns a specified number of bytes from the right side of a string
UnEscape Decodes a string encoded with the Escape function
104
VBScript Conversions Functions
Asc Converts the first letter in a string to ANSI code
CBool Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Boolean
CByte Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Byte
CCur Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Currency
CDbl Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Double
Chr Converts the specified ANSI code to a character
CInt Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Integer
CLng Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Long
CSng Converts an expression to a variant of subtype Single
CStr Converts an expression to a variant of subtype String
Round Returns a rounded number
Sgn Returns the integer portion of a number
VBScript Format Functions

VBScript Time and Date Functions

105
VBScript Expression Functions
Expressions Description
Eval Evaluates an expression and returns the result
Note: See VBScript Objects and Collections as well
VBScript I/O Functions

Input/Output Description
InputBox Displays a prompt in a dialog box, waits for the user to input text or click a button, and
MsgBox Displays a message in a dialog box, waits for the user to click a button, and returns a value
LoadPicture Returns a picture object
VBScript Script Engine Functions

Script Engine ID Description
ScriptEngine Returns a string representing the scripting language in use
ScriptEngineBuildVersion Returns the build version number of the scripting engine in use
ScriptEngineMajorVersion Returns the major version number of the scripting engine in use
ScriptEngineMinorVersion Returns the minor version number of the scripting engine in use
VBScript Variant Functions

Variants Description
IsArray Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable is an array
IsDate Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be converted to a date
IsEmpty Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable has been initialized.
IsNull Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether an expression contains no valid data (Null).
IsNumeric Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be evaluated as a number
IsObject Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression references a valid Automation
object.
TypeName Returns a string that provides Variant subtype information about a variable
VarType Returns a value indicating the subtype of a variable
VBScript Miscellaneous Functions

Miscellaneous Description
RGB Returns a whole number representing an RGB color value
GetLocale Returns the current locale ID
SetLocale Sets the current locale ID
106
VBScript Functions
Abs
Description Returns the absolute value of a number
Usage result = Abs(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression. If number contains Null, Null is
returned; if it is an uninitialized variable, zero is returned.
Returns The absolute value of a number is its unsigned magnitude. The data type returned is the same as
that of the number argument.
Remarks Abs(-1) and Abs(1) both return 1.
Example myNumber = Abs(-50.3) ‘ Returns 50.3
Array
Description Returns a Variant containing an subtype array
Usage varArray = Array (arglist)
Arguments arglist
The required arglist argument is a comma-delimited list of values that are assigned to the
elements of an array contained with the Variant. If no arguments are specified, an array of zero
length is created. All arrays are zero-based, meaning that the first element in the list will be
element 0 in the Array.
Returns Returns a Variant array
Remarks The notation used to refer to an element of an array consists of the variable name followed by
parentheses containing an index number indicating the desired element. A variable that is not
declared as an array can still contain an array. Although a Variant variable containing an array is
conceptually different from an array variable containing Variant elements, the array elements are
accessed in the same way.
See also Dim, Erase
Example Dim A
A = Array (10, 20, 30)
B = A(2) ‘ B is now 30
Asc
Description Finds the ANSI character code corresponding to the first letter in a string
Usage intCode = Asc(string)
Arguments string
The string argument is any valid string expression.
Returns Returns an integer code representing the ANSI character code corresponding to the first letter in a
string
Remarks If the string expression contains no characters, a run-time error occurs. string is converted to a
String subtype if it contains numeric data.
See also AscB, AscW, Chr, ChrB, ChrW
Example Dim myNumber
myNumber = Asc(“A”) ‘ Returns 65
myNumber = Asc(“a”) ‘ Returns 97
mynumber = Asc(“Apple”) ‘ Returns 65
107
AscB
Description Returns the ANSI character code for the first byte in a string of byte data
Usage intCode = AscB(string)
Arguments string
The string argument is any valid string expression.
Return Returns an integer code representing the ANSI character code corresponding to the first byte in a
string containing byte data
Remarks The AscB function is used with byte data contained in a string. Instead of returning the character
code for the first character, AscB returns the first byte. Remember that Intel machines use little
endian (i.e. in a double word, the least significant byte is first, then the most significant). Motorola
architectures are big endian (most significant byte first). If the string contains no characters, a run-
time error occurs. For normal ANSI (8-bit) strings, this function will return the same result as the
Asc function. Only if the string is in UniCode (16-bit) format will it be different from the Asc function.
A runtime error will occur if string does not contain any characters.
See also Asc, AscW, Chr, ChrB, ChrW
Example inBuffer = “” ‘Null out the buffer string
For k = 1 To 4 ‘Load a buffer string
inBuffer = inBuffer & k ‘will have the characters 1, 2, 3, 4
Next
myStr = “” ‘null out buffer
For k = 1 To LenB(inBuffer) Step 2 ‘Get buffer length, every char = 2 bytes
myStr = myStr & Hex(AscB(MidB(inBuffer, k, 1)))
Next ‘get the individual character, convert it to an ASCII
‘value, then show the hex equivalent
MsgBox myStr ‘Displays 31323334
AscW
Description Returns the UniCode character code for the first character in a string
Usage intCode = AscW(string)
Arguments String
The string argument is any valid string expression. If the string contains no characters, a run-
time error occurs
Return Returns an integer code representing the UniCode character code corresponding to the first letter
in a string.
Remarks AscW is provided for 32-bit platforms that use Unicode characters. It returns a Unicode (16-bit)
character code, thereby avoiding the conversion from Unicode to ANSI. A runtime error will occur if
string does not contain any characters. string is converted to a String subtype if it contains numeric
data.
See also Asc, AscB, Chr, ChrB, ChrW
Example in_buffer = “Ö” ‘Unicode character Ö in buffer
MsgBox AscW(in_buffer) ‘Displays 214 (decimal)
MsgBox Hex(AscW(in_buffer)) ‘Displays D6 (hexadecimal)
108
Atn
Description Returns the arctangent of a number
Usage realRslt = Atn(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression.
Return Returns the arctangent of a number as Variant subtype Double. Result is in radians.
Remarks The Atn function takes the ratio of two sides of a right triangle (number) and returns the
corresponding angle in radians. The ratio is the length of the side opposite the angle divided by the
length of the side adjacent to the angle. The range of the result is -pi /2 to pi/2 radians. To convert
degrees to radians, multiply degrees by pi/180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply radians by
180/pi.
Note: Atn is the inverse trigonometric function of Tan, which takes an angle as its argument and
returns the ratio of two sides of a right triangle. Atn is not to be confused with the cotangent, which
is the simple inverse of a tangent (1/tangent).
See also Cos, Sin, and Tan
Example Dim pi
pi = 4 * Atn(1) ' Calculate the value of pi.
CBool
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Boolean
Usage boolRslt = CBool(expression)
Arguments expression
Any valid expression
Return Boolean value corresponding to the value of the expression
Remarks If the expression is zero, False is returned; otherwise True is returned. If the expression cannot be
interpreted as a numeric value, a run-time error occurs.
See also CByte, CCur, CDbl, CInt, CLng, CSng, CStr
Example Dim A, B, Check
A=5
B= 5
Check = CBool (A = B) ‘ Check contains True
A= 0
Check = CBool (A) ‘ Check contains False
CByte
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Byte
Usage byteVal = CByte (expression)
The expression argument is any valid numeric expression
Return An expression converted to a Byte value
Remarks A runtime error occurs if expression can’t be evaluated to a numeric value. If expression lies
outside the acceptable range for the byte subtype (0-255), an Overflow error occurs. If expression
is a floating point number, it is rounded to the nearest integer and then converted to byte subtype.
Use the CByte function to provide internationally aware conversions from any other data type to a
Byte subtype. For example, different decimal separators are properly recognized depending on the
locale setting of your system, as are different thousand separators.
See also CBool, CCur, CDbl, CInt, CLng, CSng, CStr
Example Dim myDouble, myByte
myDouble = 123.45678
myByte = CByte(myDouble) ‘ myByte contains 123
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CCur
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Currency
Usage curVal = CCur(expression)
The expression argument is any valid expression
Return An expression converted to a Currency value
Remarks CCur provides an internationally aware conversion from any data type to a Currency subtype. The
return value is based on the locale settings on the local PC. For example, different decimal
separators and thousands separators are properly recognized depending on the locale setting of
your system.
See also CBool, CByte, CDbl, CInt, CLng, CSng, CStr
Example Dim myDouble, myCurr
myDouble = 543.214588 'myDouble is a Double.
myCurr = CCur(myDouble * 2) 'Multiply by * 2 and convert
MsgBox myCurr ‘Result 1086.4292 (based on local PC settings)
CDate
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Date.
Usage dateVal = CDate(date)
Arguments The date argument is any valid date expression, of numeric or string type .
Remarks Use the IsDate function to determine if date can be converted to a date or time. CDate recognizes
date literals and time literals as well as some numbers that fall within the range of acceptable dates.
When converting a number to a date, the whole number portion is converted to a date. Any
fractional part of the number is converted to a time of day, starting at midnight.
CDate recognizes date formats according to the locale setting of your system. The correct order of
day, month, and year may not be determined if it is provided in a format other than one of the
recognized date settings. In addition, a long date format is not recognized if it also contains the
day-of-the-week string.
If your PC is set to the American date format (mm/dd/yy), and you enter the British date format
(dd/mm/yy) in a text box, the CDate function will convert it to the American mm/dd/yy format.
The following example uses the CDate function to convert a string to a date. In general, hard
coding dates and times as strings (as shown in this example) is not recommended. Use date and
time literals (such as #10/19/1962#, #4:45:23 PM#) instead.
See also IsDate, DateValue, TimeValue
Example myDate = "October 19, 1962" 'Define date.
myShortDate = CDate(myDate) 'Convert to Date data type.
myTime = "4:35:47 PM" 'Define time.
myShortTime = CDate(myTime) 'Convert to Date data type
myShortDate = CDate(#04/18/2006#) ‘myShortDate holds value 4/18/2006
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CDbl
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Double.
Usage dblVal = CDbl(expression)
Return An expression converted to a double precision real value
Remarks CDbl provides an internationally aware conversion from any data type to a Double (double
precision real) subtype. The return value is based on the locale settings on the local PC. For
example, different decimal separators and thousands separators are properly recognized
depending on the locale setting of your system.
See Also CBool, CByte, CCur, CInt, CLng, CSng, CStr
Example Dim myCurr, myDouble
myCurr = CCur(234.456784) 'myCurr is a Currency (234.4567).
myDouble = CDbl(myCurr * 8.2 * 0.01) 'Convert result to a Double (19.2254576).
Chr
Description Returns the ANSI character corresponding to a character code
Usage strChar = Chr(charcode)
Arguments charcode
The charcode argument is a numeric value that identifies the character
Return An ANSI character (string)
Remarks Numeric values from 0 to 31 are the same as standard, nonprintable ASCII codes. For example,
Chr(10) returns a linefeed character. The following example uses the Chr function to return the
character associated with the specified character code:
See Also Asc, AscB, AscW, ChrB, ChrW
Example Dim myChar
myChar = Chr(65) ‘Returns A
myChar = Chr(97) ‘Returns a
mychar = Chr(37) ‘Returns %
ChrB
Description Returns the ANSI character corresponding to a character code contained in a byte data string.
Usage strChar = ChrB(bytecode)
Arguments bytecode
The bytecode argument is a numeric value that indicates the character
Return This function is used instead of the Chr function when you want only the first byte of the character
returned. Numeric values from 0 to 31 are the same as standard, nonprintable ASCII codes. For
example, ChrB(10) returns a linefeed character.
Remarks The ChrB function is used with byte data contained in a string. Instead of returning a character,
which may be one or two bytes, ChrB always returns a single byte.
See Also Asc, AscB, AscW, Chr, ChrW
Example Dim myChar
myChar = Chr(89) ‘Returns Y
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ChrW
Description Returns the UniCode character corresponding to a character code
Usage strChar = ChrW(charcode)
Arguments charcode
The charcode argument is a numeric value that indicates the character
Return A UniCode character
Remarks ChrW is used instead of the Chr or ChrB functions to return a 2-byte UniCode character. ChrW is
provided for 32-bit platforms that use Unicode characters.
See Also Asc, AscB, AscW, Chr, ChrB
Example Dim myChar
myChar = ChrW(214) ‘Returns Ö
CInt
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Integer.
Usage intVal = CInt(expression)
Return An integer value
Remarks CInt provides an internationally aware conversion from any other data type to an Integer subtype.
For example, different decimal separators are properly recognized depending on the locale setting
of your system, as are different thousand separators. If expression lies outside the acceptable
range for the Integer subtype, an error occurs.
CInt differs from the Fix and Int functions, which truncate, rather than round, the fractional part of a
number. When the fractional part is exactly 0.5, the CInt function always rounds it to the nearest
even number. For example, 0.5 rounds to 0, and 1.5 rounds to 2.
See Also CBool, CByte, CCur, CDbl, CLng, CSng, CStr
Example Dim MyDouble, MyInt
MyDouble = 2345.5678 ' MyDouble is a Double.
MyInt = CInt(MyDouble) ' MyInt contains 2346.
CLng
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Long.
Usage LngVal = CLng(expression)
Return A long integer value
Remarks CLng provides an internationally aware conversion from any other data type to a Long subtype.
range for the Long subtype, an error occurs.
CLng differs from the Fix and Int functions, which truncate, rather than round, the fractional part of
a number. When the fractional part is exactly 0.5, the CLng function always rounds it to the nearest
even number. For example, 0.5 rounds to 0, and 1.5 rounds to 2.
See Also CBool, CByte, CCur, CDbl, CInt, CSng, CStr
Example Dim MyVal1, MyVal2, MyLong1, MyLong2
MyVal1 = 25427.45: MyVal2 = 25427.55 ' MyVal1, MyVal2 are Doubles.
MyLong1 = CLng(MyVal1) ' MyLong1 contains 25427.
MyLong2 = CLng(MyVal2) ' MyLong2 contains 25428.
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Cos
Description Returns the cosine of an angle.
Usage realVal = Cos(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression that expresses an angle in radian
Return Returns the cosine of an angle as a Variant subtype Double. Result is in radians.
Remarks The Cos function takes an angle and returns the ratio of two sides of a right triangle. The ratio is
the length of the side adjacent to the angle divided by the length of the hypotenuse. The result lies
in the range -1 to 1. To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by pi /180. To convert radians
to degrees, multiply radians by 180/pi.
See also Atn, Sin, and Tan
Example Dim MyAngle, MySecant
MyAngle = 1.3 ' Define angle in radians.
MySecant = 1 / Cos(MyAngle) ' Calculate secant.
Angle = (30 * 3.14159/180) ‘ Convert 30 degrees into radians
AngleCos = Cos(Angle) ‘ Compute cosine of angle
CreateObject
Description Creates and returns a reference to an Automation object.
Usage Set objName = CreateObject(servername.typename [, location])
Arguments servername
Required. The name of the application providing the object.
typename
Required. The type or class of the object to create.
location
Optional. The name of the network server where the object is to be created.
Return An object reference
Remarks The servername and typename together are often referred to as a ProgID, or Programmatic ID. A
ProgID may actually have multiple parts (e.g. servername.typename.version)To avoid confusion,
note that the parameter servername refers to a Microsoft COM server (automation server)
applications such as Microsoft Access, Excel, Word. Other COM servers such as ADO.NET can be
referenced. Automation servers provide at least one type of object. For example, a word-
processing application may provide an application object, a document object, and a toolbar object.
To create an Automation object, assign the object returned by CreateObject to an object variable.
This code starts the application that creates the object (in this case, a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet).
Dim ExcelSheet
Set ExcelSheet = CreateObject("Excel.Sheet")
Once an object is created, refer to it in VBScript code using the object variable you defined. As
shown in the following example, you can access properties and methods of the new object using
the object variable, ExcelSheet, and other Excel objects, including the Application object and the
ActiveSheet.Cells collection.
ExcelSheet.Application.Visible = True ' Make Excel object. visible
ExcelSheet.ActiveSheet.Cells(1,1).Value = "ABC" ‘ Place text in row 1, col 1
ExcelSheet.SaveAs "C:\DOCS\TEST.XLS" ' Save the sheet.
ExcelSheet.Application.Quit ‘ Close Excel
Set ExcelSheet = Nothing ' Release the object variable.
Creating an object on a remote server can only be accomplished when Internet security is turned
off. You can create an object on a remote networked computer by passing the name of the
computer to the servername argument of CreateObject. That name is the same as the machine
name portion of a share name. For a network share named "\\myserver\public", the servername is
"myserver". In addition, you can specify servername using DNS format or an IP address.
Example The following code returns the version number of an instance of Excel running on a remote network
computer named "myserver". An error occurs if the specified remote server does not exist or
cannot be found.
Dim XLApp
Set XLApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application", "MyServer")
GetVersion = XLApp.Version
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CSng
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype Single
Usage sngVal = CSng(expression)
Return A single-precision real value
Remarks CSng provides an internationally aware conversion from any other data type to a Single subtype.
range for the Single subtype, an error occurs
See Also CBool, CByte, CCur, CDbl, CInt, CLng, CStr
Example Dim MyDouble1, MyDouble2,
Dim MySingle1, MySingle2 'MyDouble1, MyDouble2 are Doubles.
MyDouble1 = 75.3421115
MyDouble2 = 75.3421555
MySingle1 = CSng(MyDouble1) 'MySingle1 contains 75.34211.
MySingle2 = CSng(MyDouble2) 'MySingle2 contains 75.34216.
CStr
Description Returns an expression that has been converted to a Variant of subtype String
Usage strVal = CStr(expression)
Return A string value
Remarks You should use the CStr function instead of Str to provide internationally aware conversions from
any other data type to a String subtype. For example, different decimal separators are properly
recognized depending on the locale setting of your system.
The data in expression determines what is returned according to the following table:
If expression is CStr returns
Boolean A String containing True or False
Date A String containing a date in the short-date format of your system
Null A run-time error
Empty A zero-length String (“”)
Error A String containing the word Error followed by the error number
Other numeric A String containing the number
See Also CBool, CByte, CCur, CDbl, CInt, CLng, CSng
Example Dim MyDouble, MyString
MyDouble = 437.324 ' MyDouble is a Double.
MyString = CStr(MyDouble) ' MyString contains the string "437.324".
Date
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Date indicating the current system date.
Usage dateVal = Date
Arguments none
Return Returns a Variant subtype Date
Remarks The locale setting can be specified to use the dash “-“ or the forward slash “/” as a separator
See Also Now, Time
Example Dim Mydate
MyDate = Date ‘ Mydate contains the current system date
MsgBox Date
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DateAdd
Description Returns a date to which a specified time interval has been added or subtracted
Usage dateVal = DateAdd(interval, number, date)
Arguments interval
Required. String expression that is the interval you want to add. .
number
Required. Numeric expression that is the number of interval you want to add. The numeric
expression can either be positive, for dates in the future, or negative, for dates in the past.
date
Required. Variant or Date literal representing the date to which interval is added
Settings The interval argument can have the following values:
Setting Description
yyyy Year
q Quarter
m Month
y Day of year
d Day
w Weekday
ww Week of Year
h Hour
n Minute
s Second
Return A Date value
Remarks You can use the DateAdd function to add or subtract a specified time interval from a date. For
example, you can use DateAdd to calculate a date 30 days from today or a time 45 minutes from
now. To add days to date, you can use Day of Year ("y"), Day ("d"), or Weekday ("w").
The DateAdd function won't return an invalid date. If the calculated date would precede the year
100, an error occurs. If number isn't a Long value, it is rounded to the nearest whole number before
being evaluated.
DateAdd is internationally aware, meaning the return value is based on the locale setting on the
local machine. Included in the locale settings are the appropriate date and time separators, the
dates in the correct order of day, month and year.
See Also DateDiff, DatePart
Example The following example adds one month to January 31: In this case, DateAdd returns 28-Feb-95,
not 31-Feb-95. If date is 31-Jan-96, it returns 29-Feb-96 because 1996 is a leap year.
NewDate = DateAdd("m", 1, "31-Jan-95")
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DateDiff
Description Returns the number of intervals between two dates
Usage intVal = DateDiff(interval, date1, date2 [,firstdayofweek[, firstweekofyear]])
Arguments interval
Required. String expression that is the interval you want to use to calculate the differences
between date1 and date2. See Settings section for values.
date1, date2
Required. Date expressions. Two dates you want to use in the calculation.
firstdayofweek
Optional. Constant that specifies the day of the week. If not specified, Sunday is assumed. See
Settings section for values.
firstweekofyear
Optional. Constant that specifies the first week of the year. If not specified, the first week is
assumed to be the week in which January 1 occurs. See Settings section for values.
Setting Description
yyyy Year
q Quarter
m Month
y Day of year
d Day
w Weekday
ww Week of Year
h Hour
n Minute
s Second
The firstdayofweek argument can have the following values:

vbUseSystemDayofWeek 0 Use National Language Support (NLS) API setting for
different language and locale specific settings
vbSunday 1 Sunday (default)
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbFriday 6 Friday
The firstweekofyear argument can have the following values:

vbUseSystem 0 Use National Language Support (NLS) API setting for
different language and locale specific settings
vbFirstJan1 1 Start with the week in which Jan 1 occurs (default)
vbFirstFourDays 2 Start with the week that has at least 4 days in the new
year
vbFirstFullWeek 3 Start with the first fill week of the new year
Remarks You can use the DateDiff function to determine how many specified time intervals exist between
two dates. For example, you might use DateDiff to calculate the number of days between two
dates, or the number of weeks between today and the end of the year.
To calculate the number of days between date1 and date2, you can use either Day of year ("y") or
Day ("d"). When interval is Weekday ("w"), DateDiff returns the number of weeks between the two
dates. If date1 falls on a Monday, DateDiff counts the number of Mondays until date2. It counts
date2 but not date1. If interval is Week ("ww"), however, the DateDiff function returns the number
of calendar weeks between the two dates. It counts the number of Sundays between date1 and
date2. DateDiff counts date2 if it falls on a Sunday; but it doesn't count date1, even if it does fall on
a Sunday.
If date1 refers to a later point in time than date2, the DateDiff function returns a negative number.
116
The firstdayofweek argument affects calculations that use the "w" and "ww" interval symbols.
If date1 or date2 is a date literal, the specified year becomes a permanent part of that date.
However, if date1 or date2 is enclosed in quotation marks (" ") and you omit the year, the current
year is inserted in your code each time the date1 or date2 expression is evaluated. This makes it
possible to write code that can be used in different years.
When comparing December 31 to January 1 of the immediately succeeding year, DateDiff for Year
("yyyy") returns 1 even though only a day has elapsed.
See Also DateAdd, DatePart
Example The following example uses the DateDiff function to display the number of days between a given
date and today:
Function DiffADate(theDate)
DiffADate = "Days from today: " & DateDiff("d", Now, theDate)
End Function
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DatePart
Description Returns the specified part of a given date.
Usage DatePart(interval, date[, firstdayofweek[, firstweekofyear]])
Arguments interval
Required. String expression that is the interval you want to return. See Settings section for
values.
date
Required. Date expression you want to evaluate.
firstdayofweek
Optional. Constant that specifies the day of the week. If not specified, Sunday is assumed. See
Settings section for values.
firstweekofyear
Optional. Constant that specifies the first week of the year. If not specified, the first week is
assumed to be the week in which January 1 occurs. See Settings section for values.
Setting Description
yyyy Year
q Quarter
m Month
y Day of year
d Day
w Weekday
ww Week of Year
h Hour
n Minute
s Second
The firstdayofweek argument can have the following values:

vbUseSystemDayofWeek 0 Use National Language Support (NLS) API setting
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbFriday 6 Friday
The firstweekofyear argument can have the following values:

vbUseSystem 0 Use National Language Support (NLS) API setting
vbFirstJan1 1 Start with the week in which Jan 1 occurs (default)
vbFirstFourDays 2 Start with the week that has at least 4 days in the
new year
vbFirstFullWeek 3 Start with the first fill week of the new year
Remarks You can use the DatePart function to evaluate a date and return a specific interval of time. For
example, you might use DatePart to calculate the day of the week or the current hour. The
firstdayofweek argument affects calculations that use the "w" and "ww" interval symbols.
If date is a date literal, the specified year becomes a permanent part of that date. However, if date
is enclosed in quotation marks (" "), and you omit the year, the current year is inserted in your code
each time the date expression is evaluated. This makes it possible to write code that can be used
in different years.
See Also DateAdd, DateDiff
Example This example takes a date and, using the DatePart function, displays the quarter of the year in
which it occurs.
Function GetQuarter(TheDate)
GetQuarter = DatePart("q", TheDate)
End Function
118
DateSerial
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Date for a specified year, month, and day
Usage dateVal = DateSerial(year, month, day)
Arguments year
Any numeric value or expression that evaluates to a number between 100 and 9999
month
day
Return A date value
Remarks To specify a date, such as December 31, 1991, the range of numbers for each DateSerial
argument should be in the accepted range for the unit; that is, 1–31 for days and 1–12 for months.
However, you can also specify relative dates for each argument using any numeric expression that
represents some number of days, months, or years before or after a certain date. For the year
argument, values between 0 and 99, inclusive, are interpreted as the years 1900–1999. For all
other year arguments, use a complete four-digit year (for example, 1800).
When any argument exceeds the accepted range for that argument, it increments to the next larger
unit as appropriate. For example, if you specify 35 days, it is evaluated as one month and some
number of days, depending on where in the year it is applied. The same is true for negative values
and the value 0, but instead of incrementing, the next larger unit is decremented. However, if any
single argument is outside the range -32,768 to 32,767, or if the date specified by the three
arguments, either directly or by expression, falls outside the acceptable range of dates, an error
occurs.
See Also Date, DateValue, Day, Month, Now, TimeSerial, TimeValue, Weekday, Year
Example The following example uses numeric expressions instead of absolute date numbers. Here the
DateSerial function returns a date that is the day before the first day (1 – 1) of two months before
August (8 – 2) of 10 years before 1990 (1990 – 10); in other words, May 31, 1980.
Dim MyDate1, MyDate2
MyDate1 = DateSerial(1970, 1, 1) ' Returns January 1, 1970.
MyDate2 = DateSerial(1990 - 10, 8 - 2, 1 - 1) ' Returns May 31, 1980.
DateValue
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Date
Usage dateVal = DateValue(date)
Arguments date
Date is an expression representing a date, time or both, in the range January 1, 100 to
December 31, 9999.
Return A date value
Remarks Time information in date is not returned. However, if date includes invalid time information (such as
"89:98"), a runtime error occurs. DateValue is internationally aware and uses the system locale
setting on the local machine to recognize the order of a date with only numbers and a separator. If
date is a string that includes only numbers separated by valid date separators, DateValue also
recognizes unambiguous dates that contain month names, either in long or abbreviated form. For
example, in addition to recognizing 12/30/1991 and 12/30/91, DateValue also recognizes
December 30, 1991 and Dec 30, 1991. If the year part of date is omitted, DateValue uses the
current year from your computer's system date.
See Also Date, DateSerial, Day, Month, Now, TimeSerial, TimeValue, Weekday, Year
Example The following example uses the DateValue function to convert a string to a date. You can also use
date a date to a Variant variable, for example, MyDate = #9/11/63#.
Dim MyDate
MyDate = DateValue("September 11, 1963") ' Return a date 9/11/1963
119
Day
Description Returns a whole number between 1 and 31, inclusive, representing the day of the month
Usage intVal = Day(date)
Arguments date
The date argument is any valid date expression.
Return An integer value representing the day of the month (1-31).
Remarks A runtime error occurs if date is not a valid expression. If date contains Null, Null is returned
See Also Date, DateSerial, DateValue, Month, Now, TimeSerial, TimeValue, Weekday, Year
Example Dim MyDay
MyDay = Day (“October 19, 1962”) ‘ MyDay contains 19
Escape
Description Encodes a string so it contains only ASCII characters
Usage strChar = Escape(charString)
Arguments charString
Required. String expression to be encoded.
Remarks The Escape function returns a string (in ASCII format) that contains the contents of charString. All
spaces, punctuation, accented characters, and other non-ASCII characters are replaced with %xx
encoding, where xx is equivalent to the hexadecimal number representing the character. Unicode
characters that have a value greater than 255 are stored using the %uxxxx format
See Also UnEscape
Example Dim cs
cs = Escape(“aÖ”) ‘Returns “a%D6”
Eval
Description Evaluates an expression and returns the result
Usage boolVal = Eval(expression)
Required. String containing any legal VBScript expression
Returns A boolean value
Remarks In VBScript, x = y can be interpreted two ways. The first is as an assignment statement, where the
value of y is assigned to x. The second interpretation is as an expression that tests if x and y have
the same value. If they do, the result is True; if they are not, the result is False. The Eval method
always uses the second interpretation, whereas the Execute statement always uses the first
See Also Execute
Example Sub GuessANumber
Dim Guess, RndNum
RndNum = Int((100) * Rnd(1) + 1)
Guess = CInt(InputBox("Enter your guess:",,0))
Do
If Eval("Guess = RndNum") Then
MsgBox "Congratulations! You guessed it!"
Exit Sub
Else
Guess = CInt(InputBox("Sorry! Try again.",,0))
End If
Loop Until Guess = 0
End Sub
120
Exp
Description Returns e (the base of natural logarithms) raised to a power
Usage realVal = Exp(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression
Return Returns a Variant subtype Double
Remarks If the value of number exceeds 709.782712893, a runtime error occurs. The constant e is
approximately 2.718282. The Exp function complements the action of the Log function and is
sometimes referred to as the antilogarithm.
See also Log
Example Dim MyAngle, MyHSin
MyAngle = 1.3 'Define angle in radians.
MyHSin = (Exp(MyAngle) - Exp(-1 * MyAngle)) / 2 'Calculate hyperbolic sine. Result 1.69838
Filter
Description Returns a zero-based array containing a subset of a string array based on a specified filter criteria
Usage strArray = Filter(InputStrings, Value[, Include[, Compare]])
Arguments InputStrings
Required. One-dimensional array of strings to be searched.
Value
Required. String to search for.
Include
Optional. Boolean value indicating whether to return substrings that include or exclude Value. If
Include is True, Filter returns the subset of the array that contains Value as a substring. If
Include is False, Filter returns the subset of the array that does not contain Value as a
substring. Default is True
Compare
Optional. Numeric value indicating the kind of string comparison to use. See Settings section
for values.
Settings The Compare argument can have the following values:
vbBinaryCompare 0 Perform a binary comparison.
vbTextCompare 1 Perform a textual comparison
Return A string array
Remarks If no matches of Value are found within InputStrings, Filter returns an empty array. An error occurs
if InputString is Null or is not a one-dimensional array. The array returned by the Filter function
contains only enough elements to contain the number of matched items. You can use the Ubound
function to determine the size of the zero-based array returned.
Example The following example uses the Filter function to return the array containing the search criteria
"Mon":
Dim MyIndex
Dim MyArray (3)
MyArray(0) = "Sunday"
MyArray(1) = "Monday"
MyArray(2) = "Tuesday"
MyIndex = Filter(MyArray, "Mon") 'MyIndex(0) contains "Monday".
MyIndex = Filter(MyArray, “n”) ‘MyIndex(0) contains “Sunday”
‘MyIndex(1) contains “Monday”
MyIndex = Filter(MyArray, “n”, False) ‘MyIndex(0) contains “Tuesday”
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Fix
Description Returns the integer portion of a number
Usage intVal = Fix(number)
Arguments number
Remarks If number contains Null, Null is returned. Fix is internationally aware, meaning the return value is
based on the Locale setting on the PC. The data type will be determined from the size of the
Integer part. Possible return data types are Integer, Long, Double. Both Int and Fix remove the
fractional part of number and return the resulting integer value.
The difference between Int and Fix is that if number is negative, Int returns the first negative
integer less than or equal to number, whereas Fix returns the first negative integer greater than or
equal to number. For example, Int converts -8.4 to -9, and Fix converts -8.4 to -8. Fix(number) is
equivalent to: Sgn(number) * Int(Abs(number)).
See also Int, Round, CInt, CLng
Example MyNumber = Int(99.8) ' Returns 99.
MyNumber = Fix(99.2) ' Returns 99.
MyNumber = Int(-99.8) ' Returns -100.
MyNumber = Fix(-99.8) ' Returns -99.
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FormatCurrency
Description Formats an expression as a currency value using the currency symbol defined in the system
control panel.
Usage curValue = FormatCurrency(Expression[,NumDigitsAfterDecimal [,IncludeLeadingDigit
[,UseParensForNegativeNumbers [,GroupDigits]]]])
Arguments Expression
Required. Any valid expression to be formatted.
NumDigitsAfterDecimal
Optional. Numeric value indicating how many places to the right of the decimal are displayed.
Default value is -1, which indicates that the computer's regional settings are used.
IncludeLeadingDigit
Optional. Tristate constant that indicates whether or not a leading zero is displayed for
fractional values. See Settings section for values. Can use one of the following constants:
vbUseDefault 2 Uses settings from the Number tab in Control Panel
vbTrue -1
vbFalse 0
UseParensForNegativeNumbers
Optional. Tristate constant that indicates whether or not to place negative values within
parentheses. Can use one of the following constants:
vbTrue -1
vbFalse 0
GroupDigits
Optional. Tristate constant that indicates whether or not numbers are grouped using the group
delimiter specified in the computer's regional settings. Can use one of the following constants:
vbTrue -1
vbFalse 0
Settings The IncludeLeadingDigit, UseParensForNegativeNumbers, and GroupDigits arguments have the
following settings:
TristateTrue -1 True
TristateFalse 0 False
TristateUseDefault -2 Use the setting from the computer’s regional settings
Return Returns Currency value
Remarks When one or more optional arguments are omitted, values for omitted arguments are provided by
the computer's regional settings. The position of the currency symbol relative to the currency value
is determined by the system's regional settings.
All settings information comes from the Regional Settings Currency tab, except leading zero, which
comes from the Number tab.
See also FormatDateTime, FormatNumber, FormatPercent
Example Dim MyCurrency
MsgBox FormatCurrency(1000,2) ' Displays $1,000.00
MyCurrency = FormatCurrency(1000,2) ‘ MyCurrency contains “$1,000.00”
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FormatDateTime
Description Returns an string formatted as a date or time
Usage dateVal = FormatDateTime(Date[, NamedFormat])
Arguments Date
Required. Date expression to be formatted.
NamedFormat
Optional. Numeric value that indicates the date/time format used. If omitted, vbGeneralDate is
used.
Settings The NamedFormat argument has the following settings:
vbGeneralDate 0 Display a date and/or time. If there is a date part, display it as
a short date. If there is a time part, display it as a long time. If
present, both parts are displayed.
vbLongDate 1 Display a date using the long date format specified in your
computer's regional settings.
vbShortDate 2 Display a date using the short date format specified in your
vbLongTime 3 Display a time using the time format specified in your
vbShortTime 4 Display a time using the 24-hour format (hh:mm).
Return A string formatted as a date and/or time.
Remarks A runtime error occurs if date is not a valid expression. Null will be returned if date contains Null.
FormatDateTime will use the locale settings to determine the format of the date display.
See Also FormatCurrency, FormatNumber, FormatPercent
Example Function GetCurrentDate
Dim GetCurrentDate
GetCurrentDate = FormatDateTime(Date, 1) ' Formats Date into long date.
Msgbox FormatDateTime(Now, vbShortDate)
End Function
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FormatNumber
Description Returns an expression formatted as a number.
Usage realVal = FormatNumber(Expression [,NumDigitsAfterDecimal [,IncludeLeadingDigit
Required. Expression to be formatted.
IncludeLeadingDigit
fractional values. See Settings section for values.
parentheses. See Settings section for values.
GroupDigits
delimiter specified in the control panel. See Settings section for values.
following settings:
TristateUseDefault -2 Use the setting from the computer's regional settings.
Return A real number either Single or Double subVariant type
Remarks When one or more of the optional arguments are omitted, the values for omitted arguments are
provided by the computer's regional settings. All settings information comes from the Regional
Settings Number tab (locale setting).
See Also FormatCurrency, FormatDateTime, FormatPercent

Example Function FormatNumberDemo
Dim MyAngle, MySecant, MyNumber
MySecant = 1 / Cos(MyAngle) ' Calculate secant.
FormatNumberDemo = FormatNumber(MySecant,4) ' Format MySecant to four decimal places.
End Function
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FormatPercent
Description Returns an expression formatted as a percentage (multiplied by 100) with a trailing % character
Usage realvar = FormatPercent(Expression[,NumDigitsAfterDecimal [,IncludeLeadingDigit
Required. Expression to be formatted.
IncludeLeadingDigit
fractional values. See Settings section for values.
parentheses. See Settings section for values.
GroupDigits
delimiter specified in the control panel. See Settings section for values.
following settings:
TristateUseDefault -2 Use the setting from the computer's regional settings.
Return A real number either Single or Double subVariant type
Remarks When one or more of the optional arguments are omitted, the values for omitted arguments are
provided by the computer's regional settings. All settings information comes from the Regional
Settings Number tab.
See Also FormatCurrency, FormatDateTime, FormatNumber
Example Dim MyPercent
MyPercent = FormatPercent(2/32) ' MyPercent contains 6.25%.
GetLocale
Description Returns the current locale ID value
Usage intVal = GetLocale()
Arguments None.
Return An integer value that determines locale
Remarks A locale is a set of user preference information related to the user's language, country/region, and
cultural conventions. The locale determines such things as keyboard layout, alphabetic sort order,
as well as date, time, number, and currency formats. Refer to the Locale ID chart.
See Also SetLocale
Example MyLocale = GetLocale '.
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GetObject
Description Returns a reference to an Automation object from a file.
Usage objName = GetObject([pathname] [, class])
Arguments pathname
Optional; String. Full path and name of the file containing the object to retrieve. If pathname is
omitted, class is required.
class
Optional; String. Class of the object. The class argument uses the syntax appname.objectype
and has these parts:
appname
Required; String. Name of the application providing the object.
objectype
Required; String. Type or class of object to create.
Remarks If an object has registered itself as a single-instance object, only one instance of the object is
created, no matter how many times CreateObject is executed. With a single-instance object,
GetObject always returns the same instance when called with the zero-length string ("") syntax,
and it causes an error if the pathname argument is omitted.
Use the GetObject function when there is a current instance of the object or if you want to create
the object with a file already loaded. If there is no current instance, and you don't want the object
started with a file loaded, use the CreateObject function.
Use the GetObject function to access an Automation object from a file and assign the object to an
object variable. Use the Set statement to assign the object returned by GetObject to the object
variable. For example
Dim CADObject
Set CADObject = GetObject("C:\CAD\SCHEMA.CAD")
When this code is executed, the application associated with the specified pathname is started and
the object in the specified file is activated. If pathname is a zero-length string (""), GetObject
returns a new object instance of the specified type. If the pathname argument is omitted,
GetObject returns a currently active object of the specified type. If no object of the specified type
exists, an error occurs.
Some applications allow you to activate part of a file. Add an exclamation point (!) to the end of the
file name and follow it with a string that identifies the part of the file you want to activate. For
information on how to create this string, see the documentation for the application that created the
object.
For example, in a drawing application you might have multiple layers to a drawing stored in a file.
You could use the following code to activate a layer within a drawing called SCHEMA.CAD:
Set LayerObject = GetObject("C:\CAD\SCHEMA.CAD!Layer3")
If you don't specify the object's class, Automation determines the application to start and the object
to activate, based on the file name you provide. Some files, however, may support more than one
class of object. For example, a drawing might support three different types of objects: an
Application object, a Drawing object, and a Toolbar object, all of which are part of the same file. To
specify which object in a file you want to activate, use the optional class argument. For example:
Dim MyObject
Set MyObject = GetObject("C:\DRAWINGS\SAMPLE.DRW", "FIGMENT.DRAWING")
In the preceding example, FIGMENT is the name of a drawing application and DRAWING is one of
the object types it supports. Once an object is activated, you reference it in code using the object
variable you defined. In the preceding example, you access properties and methods of the new
object using the object variable MyObject. For example:
MyObject.Line 9, 90
MyObject.InsertText 9, 100, "Hello, world."
MyObject.SaveAs "C:\DRAWINGS\SAMPLE.DRW"
See Also CreateObject
Example See Remarks
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GetRef
Description Returns a reference to a DHTML procedure that can be bound to an event
Usage Set object.eventname = GetRef(procname)
Arguments object
The name of a DHTML object to which a DHTML event is associated
event
Required. Name of the event to which the function is to be bound.
procname
Required. String containing the name of the Sub or Function procedure being associated with
the event.
Return A reference to a DHTML procedure
Remarks The GetRef function allows you to connect a VBScript procedure (Function or Sub) to any available
event on your DHTML (Dynamic HTML) pages. The DHTML object model provides information
about what events are available for its various objects. In other scripting and programming
languages, the functionality provided by GetRef is referred to as a function pointer, that is, it points
to the address of a procedure to be executed when the specified event occurs.
Note: This function has limited applicability when used with IWS.
Example: Function GetRefTest()
Dim Splash
Splash = "GetRefTest Version 1.0" & vbCrLf
Splash = Splash & Chr(169) & " YourCompany"
End Function
Set Window.Onload = GetRef("GetRefTest")
Hex
Description Returns a string representing the hexadecimal value of a number.
Usage strVal = Hex(number)
Arguments number
The number argument is any valid expression.
Return A String Variant.
Remarks Returns up to 8 characters. If number is not already a whole number, it is rounded to the nearest
whole number before being evaluated. Null will be returned if number is Null.
If number is Hex returns
Null Null
Empty Zero (0)
Any other number Up to eight hexadecimal characters
See Also Oct
Example Dim MyHex
MyHex = Hex(5) ' Returns 5.
MyHex = Hex(10) ' Returns A.
MyHex = Hex(459) ' Returns 1CB.
128
Hour
Description Returns a whole number between 0 and 23, inclusive, representing the hour of the day.
Usage intVal = Hour(time)
Arguments time
The time argument is any expression that can represent a time.
Return An integer value between 0 and 23
Remarks A runtime error occurs if time is not a valid time expression. If time contains Null, Null is returned.
See Also Date, Day, Minute, Month, Now, Second, Weekday, Year
Example Dim MyTime, MyHour
MyTime = Now
MyHour = Hour(MyTime) ‘Contains the number representing the current hour.
InputBox
Description Displays a dialog box with a custom prompt, waits for the user to input text or click a button, and
Usage strRet = InputBox(prompt[, title][, default][, xpos][, ypos][, helpfile, context])
Arguments prompt
String expression displayed as the message in the dialog box. The maximum length of prompt
is approximately 1024 characters, depending on the width of the characters used. If prompt
consists of more than one line, you can separate the lines using a carriage return character
(Chr(13)), a linefeed character (Chr(10)), or carriage return–linefeed character combination
(Chr(13) & Chr(10)) between each line.
title
String expression displayed in the title bar of the dialog box. If you omit title, the application
name is placed in the title bar.
default
String expression displayed in the text box as the default response if no other input is provided.
If you omit default, the text box is displayed empty.
xpos
Numeric expression that specifies, in twips, the horizontal distance of the left edge of the dialog
box from the left edge of the screen. If xpos is omitted, the dialog box is horizontally centered.
ypos
Numeric expression that specifies, in twips, the vertical distance of the upper edge of the dialog
box from the top of the screen. If ypos is omitted, the dialog box is vertically positioned
approximately one-third of the way down the screen.
helpfile
String expression that identifies the Help file to use to provide context-sensitive Help for the
dialog box. If helpfile is provided, context must also be provided.
context
Numeric expression that identifies the Help context number assigned by the Help author to the
appropriate Help topic. If context is provided, helpfile must also be provided.
Remarks When both helpfile and context are supplied, a Help button is automatically added to the dialog box.
If the user clicks OK or presses ENTER, the InputBox function returns whatever is in the text box.
If the user clicks Cancel, the function returns a zero-length string ("").
See Also MsgBox
Example Dim myInput
myInput = InputBox("Enter your name")
MsgBox ("You entered: " & myInput)
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InStr
Description Returns an integer indicating the position of the first occurrence of one string within another.
Usage intVal = InStr([start, ]string1, string2[, compare])
Arguments start
Optional. Is any valid non-negative numeric expression that indicates the starting position for
each search. Non-integer values are rounded. If omitted, search begins at the first character
position. The start argument is required if compare is specified.
string1
Required. String expression being searched.
string2
Required. String expression searched for.
compare
Optional. Numeric value indicating the kind of comparison to use when evaluating substrings.
See Settings section for values. If omitted, a binary comparison is performed.
Settings The compare argument can have the following values:
vbBinaryCompare 0 Perform a binary comparison. (default)
Return An integer value indicating the character position.
The InStr function returns the following values:
If InStr returns
string1 is zero-length 0
string1 is Null Null
string2 is zero-length start
string2 is not found 0
string2 is found within string1 Position at which match is found
start > Len(string2) 0
Remarks The InStrB function is used with byte data contained in a string. Instead of returning the character
position of the first occurrence of one string within another, InStrB returns the byte position. If start
contains Null, a runtime error occurs. If start is larger than the length of string2 (start>Len(string2)),
0 will be returned.
See Also InStrB, InStrRev
Example The following examples use InStr to search a string:
Dim SearchString, SearchChar, MyPos
SearchString ="XXpXXpXXPXXP" ' String to search in.
SearchChar = "P" ' Search for "P".
MyPos = Instr(4, SearchString, SearchChar, 1) ‘Comparison starting at position 4. Returns 6.
MyPos = Instr(1, SearchString, SearchChar, 0) ‘Comparison starting at position 1. Returns 9.
MyPos = Instr(,SearchString, SearchChar) ‘Comparison is binary (default). Returns 9.
MyPos = Instr(1, SearchString, "W") 'Binary compare. Returns 0 ("W" is not found).
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InStrB
Description Returns an integer indicating the byte position of the first occurrence of one string within a string
containing byte data.
Usage intVal = InStrB([start, ]string1, string2[, compare])
Arguments start
Optional. Is any valid non-negative numeric expression that indicates the starting position for
each search. Non-integer values are rounded. If omitted, search begins at the first character
position. The start argument is required if compare is specified.
string1
string2
compare
See Settings section for values. If omitted, a binary comparison is performed.
vbBinaryCompare 0 Perform a binary comparison. (default)
Return An integer value indicating the byte position.
The InStr function returns the following values:
If InStr returns
Remarks The InStrB function is used with byte data contained in a string. Instead of returning the character
position of the first occurrence of one string within another, InStrB returns the byte position. If start
contains Null, a runtime error occurs. If start is larger than the length of string2 (start>Len(string2)),
0 will be returned.
See Also InStr, InStrRev
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InStrRev
Description Returns the position of an occurrence of one string within another, from the end of string
Usage intVal = InStrRev(string1, string2[, start[, compare]])
Arguments string1
string2
start
Optional. Numeric expression that sets the starting position for each search. If omitted, -1 is
used, which means that the search begins at the last character position. If start contains Null,
an error occurs.
compare
Optional. Numeric value indicating the kind of comparison to use when evaluating substrings. If
omitted, a binary comparison is performed. See Settings section for values.
Return An integer value indicating the position
InStrRev returns the following values:
If InStr returns
Remarks Note: The syntax for the InStrRev function is not the same as the syntax for the InStr function.
Note that with UniCode characters, the second byte is usually non-zero (e.g. Asian characters). If
start is Null, a runtime error will occur. If start > Len(string2), 0 will be returned.
See Also InStr, InStrB
Example The following examples use the InStrRev function to search a string:
Dim SearchString, SearchChar, MyPos
SearchString ="XXpXXpXXPXXP" 'String to search in.
SearchChar = "P" 'Search for "P".
MyPos = InstrRev(SearchString, SearchChar, 10, 0) ‘Binary comparison. Returns 9.
MyPos = InstrRev(SearchString, SearchChar, -1, 1) ‘Textual comparison. Returns 12
MyPos = InstrRev(SearchString, SearchChar, 8) 'Comparison is binary. Returns 0.
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Int
Description Returns the integer portion of a number
Usage intVal = Int(number)
Arguments number
Remarks If number contains Null, Null is returned. Int is internationally aware, meaning the return value is
based on the Locale setting on the PC. The data type will be determined from the size of the
Integer part. Possible return data types are Integer, Long, Double.
Both Int and Fix remove the fractional part of number and return the resulting integer value.
The difference between Int and Fix is that if number is negative, Int returns the first negative
integer less than or equal to number, whereas Fix returns the first negative integer greater than or
equal to number. For example, Int converts -8.4 to -9, and Fix converts -8.4 to -8. Fix(number) is
equivalent to: Sgn(number) * Int(Abs(number)).
See also Fix, Round, CInt, CLng
Example MyNumber = Int(99.8) ' Returns 99.
MyNumber = Fix(99.2) ' Returns 99.
IsArray
Description Returns a Variant subtype Boolean value indicating whether a variable is an array
Usage result = IsArray(varname)
Arguments varname
The varname argument can be any variable subtype
Returns IsArray returns True if the variable is an array; otherwise it returns False.
See also IsDate, IsEmpty, IsNull, IsNumeric, IsObject, and VarType
Example Dim MyVariable
Dim MyArray(2)
MyArray(0) = “Sunday”
MyArray(1) = “Monday”
MyArray(2) = “Tuesday”
MyVariable = IsArray (MyArray) ‘ MyVariable contains True
IsDate
Description Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be converted to a valid date.
Usage boolVal = IsDate(expression)
The expression argument can be any date expression or string expression recognizable as a
date or time.
Remarks IsDate returns True if the expression is a date or can be converted to a valid date; otherwise, it
returns False. In Microsoft Windows, the range of valid dates is January 1, 100 A.D. through
December 31, 9999 A.D.; the ranges vary among operating systems.
See Also CDate, IsArray, IsEmpty, IsNull, IsNumeric, IsObject, VarType
Example The following example uses the IsDate function to determine whether an expression can be
converted to a date:
Dim MyDate, YourDate, NoDate, MyCheck
MyDate = "October 19, 1962"
YourDate = #10/19/62#
NoDate = "Hello"
MyCheck = IsDate(MyDate) ' Returns True.
MyCheck = IsDate(YourDate) ' Returns True.
MyCheck = IsDate(NoDate) ' Returns False.
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IsEmpty
Description Returns a Boolean value indicating whether a variable has been initialized.
Usage boolVal = IsEmpty(expression)
The expression argument can be any valid expression. However, because IsEmpty is used to
determine if individual variables are initialized, the expression argument is most often a single
variable name.
Return A Boolean value
Remarks IsEmpty returns True if the variable is uninitialized, or is explicitly set to Empty; otherwise, it
returns False. False is always returned if expression contains more than one variable. If two or
more variables are concatenated in expression and one of them is set to Empty, the IsEmpty
function will return False since the expression is not empty.
See Also IsArray, IsDate, IsNull, IsNumeric, IsObject, VarType
Example The following examples uses the IsEmpty function to determine whether a variable has been
initialized:
Dim MyVar, MyCheck
MyCheck = IsEmpty(MyVar) ' Returns True.
MyVar = Null ' Assign Null.
MyCheck = IsEmpty(MyVar) ' Returns False.
MyVar = Empty ' Assign Empty.
MyCheck = IsEmpty(MyVar) ' Returns True.
IsNull
Description Returns a Boolean value that indicates whether an expression contains no valid data (Null).
Usage boolVal = IsNull(expression)
The expression argument can be any valid expression.
Remarks IsNull returns True if expression evaluates to Null, that is, it contains no valid data; otherwise,
IsNull returns False. The Null value indicates that the variable contains no valid data. Null is not
the same as Empty, which indicates that a variable has not yet been initialized. It is also not the
same as a zero-length string (""), which is sometimes referred to as a null string.
You should always use the IsNull function when checking for Null values since using the normal
operators will return False even if one variable is Null. For example, expressions that you might
expect to evaluate to True under some circumstances, such as If Var = Null and If Var <> Null, are
always False. This is because any expression containing a Null is itself Null, and therefore, False.
See Also IsArray, IsDate, IsEmpty, IsNumeric, IsObject, VarType
Example The following example uses the IsNull function to determine whether a variable contains a Null:
Dim MyVar, MyCheck
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVar) ' Returns False.
MyVar = Null ' Assign Null.
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVar) ' Returns True.
MyVar = Empty ' Assign Empty.
MyCheck = IsNull(MyVar) ' Returns False.
134
IsNumeric
Description Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression can be evaluated as a number.
Usage boolVal = IsNumeric(expression)
The expression argument can be any valid expression.
Remarks IsNumeric returns True if the entire expression is recognized as a number; otherwise, it returns
False. IsNumeric returns False if expression is a date expression, since it is not considered a
numeric expression.
See Also IsArray, IsDate, IsEmpty, IsNull, IsObject, VarType
Example The following example uses the IsNumeric function to determine whether a variable can be
evaluated as a number:
Dim MyVar, MyCheck
MyVar = 53 ' Assign a value.
MyCheck = IsNumeric(MyVar) ' Returns True.
MyVar = "459.95" ' Assign a value.
MyCheck = IsNumeric(MyVar) ' Returns True.
MyVar = "45 Help" ' Assign a value.
MyCheck = IsNumeric(MyVar) ' Returns False.
IsObject
Function Returns a Boolean value indicating whether an expression references a valid Automation object.
Usage boolVal = IsObject(expression)
The expression argument can be any expression.
Remarks IsObject returns True if expression is a variable of Object subtype or a user-defined object;
otherwise, it returns False.
See Also IsArray, IsDate, IsEmpty, IsNull, IsNumeric, VarType
Example The following example uses the IsObject function to determine if an identifier represents an object
variable:
Dim MyInt, MyCheck, MyObject
Set MyObject = Me
MyCheck = IsObject(MyObject) ' Returns True.
MyCheck = IsObject(MyInt) ' Returns False.
Join
Description Returns a string created by joining a number of substrings contained in an array
Usage strVal = Join(list[, delimiter])
Arguments list
Required. One-dimensional array containing substrings to be joined.
delimiter
Optional. String character used to separate the substrings in the returned string. If omitted, the
space character (" ") is used.
Return A String
Remarks If delimiter is a zero-length string, all items in the list are concatenated with no delimiters. This
function is not to be confused with the SQL Join function
See Also Split
Example The following example uses the Join function to join the substrings of MyArray:
Dim MyString
Dim MyArray(3)
MyArray(0) = "Mr."
MyArray(1) = "John "
MyArray(2) = "Doe "
MyArray(3) = "III"
MyString = Join(MyArray) ' MyString contains "Mr. John Doe III".
135
LBound
Description Returns the smallest possible subscript for the indicated dimension of an array.
Usage intVal = LBound(arrayname[, dimension])
Arguments arrayname
Name of the array variable; follows standard variable naming conventions.
dimension
Whole number (integer) indicating which dimension's lower bound is returned. Use 1 for the
first dimension, 2 for the second, and so on. If dimension is omitted, 1 is assumed.
Return An Integer representing the smallest subscript for an array, which in VBScript is always 0 since
VBScript arrays are zero-based. Return value will be a Variant subtype Long..
Remarks The LBound function is used with the UBound function to determine the size of an array. Use the
UBound function to find the upper limit of an array dimension. The lower bound for any dimension
is always 0 in VBScript. LBound will raise a runtime error if the array has not been initialized.
See also Dim, ReDim, UBound
Example Dim MyArray(3)
MsgBox LBound(MyArray) ‘ Displays 0
LCase
Function Converts all alpha characters in a string to lowercase.
Usage strVal = LCase(string)
Arguments string
Any valid string expression..
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. Only uppercase letters are converted to lowercase; all
lowercase letters and non-letter characters remain unchanged.
Return A String.
See Also UCase
Example The following example uses the LCase function to convert uppercase letters to lowercase:
Dim MyString
Dim LCaseString
MyString = "VBSCript"
LCaseString = LCase(MyString) ' LCaseString contains "vbscript".
136
Left
Description Returns a specified number of characters from the left side of a string
Usage strVal = Left(string, length)
Arguments string
String expression from which the leftmost characters are returned.
length
Numeric expression indicating how many characters to return.
Return A String.
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. If length = 0, a zero-length string("") is returned. If length is
greater than or equal to the number of characters in string, the entire string is returned. To
determine the number of characters in string, use the Len function.
See Also LeftB, Len, LenB, LTrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
Example Dim myStr, extStr
myStr = “UpAndDown”
extStr = Left(myStr, 2) ‘Returns “Up”
LeftB
Description Returns a specified number of bytes from the left side of a string
Usage strVal = Left(string, length)
Arguments string
String expression from which the leftmost bytes are returned.
length
Numeric expression indicating how many bytes to return.
Return A String.
Remarks The LeftB function is used with byte data contained in a string instead of character data. If string
contains Null, Null is returned. If length = 0, a zero-length string("") is returned. If length is greater
than or equal to the number of characters in string, the entire string is returned. To determine the
number of characters in string, use the Len function.
See Also Left, Len, LenB, LTrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
Example The following example uses the Left function to return the first three characters of MyString
Len
Description Returns the number of characters in a string.
Usage intVal = Len(string)
Arguments string
Any valid string expression.
Return An Integer
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. The Len function is used with character data contained in a
string.
See Also Left, LeftB, LenB, LTrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
Example Dim MyString
MyString = Len("VBSCRIPT") ' MyString contains 8.
LenB
Description Returns the number of bytes used to represent a string.
Usage LenB(string)
Arguments string
Any valid string expression containing byte data.
Return An Integer.
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. The LenB function is used with byte data contained in a
string. Instead of returning the number of characters in a string, LenB returns the number of bytes
used to represent that string.
See Also Left, LeftB, Len, LTrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
137
LoadPicture
Description Returns a picture object.
Usage objPict = LoadPicture(picturename)
Arguments picturename
The picturename argument is a string expression that indicates the name of the picture file to
be loaded.
Return An object reference to a picture file
Remarks Graphics formats recognized by LoadPicture include bitmap (.bmp) files, icon (.ico) files, run-
length encoded (.rle) files, metafile (.wmf) files, enhanced metafiles (.emf), GIF (.gif) files, and
JPEG (.jpg) files. Once the picture object is loaded, it can be manipulated by other controls (e.g.
ActiveX controls). A runtime error occurs if picturename does not exist or is not a valid picture file.
Use LoadPicture(“”) to clear a particular picture. This function is available on 32-bit platforms only.
Example objPic = LoadPicture (“c:\mypictures\picture1.jpg”)
Log
Description Returns the natural logarithm of a number.
Usage realVal = Log(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression greater than 0.
Return A Real.
Remarks The natural logarithm is the logarithm to the base e. The constant e is approximately 2.718282.
You can calculate base-n logarithms for any number x by dividing the natural logarithm of x by the
natural logarithm of n as follows: Logn(x) = Log(x) / Log(n)
See also Exp
Example Function Log10(X) ‘ Calculate base-10 logarithm
Log10 = Log(X) / Log(10)
End Function
LTrim
Description Returns a copy of a string without leading spaces (LTrim), trailing spaces (RTrim), or both leading
and trailing spaces (Trim).
Usage strVal = LTrim(string)
Arguments string
Required. Any valid string expression.
Return A String.
Remarks A space “ “ is Chr(32). If string contains Null, Null is returned.
See Also Left, LeftB, Len. LenB, Mid, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
Example The following example uses the LTrim, RTrim, and Trim functions to trim leading spaces, trailing
spaces, and both leading and trailing spaces, respectively
Dim MyVar
MyVar = LTrim(" vbscript ") ' MyVar contains "vbscript ".
MyVar = RTrim(" vbscript ") ' MyVar contains " vbscript".
MyVar = Trim(" vbscript ") ' MyVar contains "vbscript".
138
Mid
Description Returns a specified number of characters from any position in a string
Usage strVal = Mid(string, start[, length])
Arguments string
Any valid string expression from which characters are returned.
start
Is the starting position in the character string for extracting the characters.
length
Optional. Number of characters to return.
Return A String.
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. If start is greater than the number of characters in the string,
Mid returns a zero-length string (""). If length is omitted or if there are fewer than length characters
in the text (including the character at start), all characters from the start position to the end of the
string are returned. To determine the number of characters in string, use the Len function.
See Also Left, LeftB, Len. LenB, LTrim, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
Example The following example uses the Mid function to return six characters, beginning with the fourth
character, in a string:
Dim MyVar
MyVar = Mid("VBScript is fun!", 3, 6) ' MyVar contains "Script".
MidB
Description Returns a specified number of bytes from any position in a string containing byte data.
Usage strVal = Mid(string, start[, length])
Arguments string
Any valid string expression containing byte data from which characters are returned.
start
Is the starting position in the character string for extracting the bytes.
length
Optional. Number of bytes to be returned.
Return A String.
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. If start is greater than the number of bytes in the string,
MidB returns a zero-length string (""). If length is omitted or if there are fewer than length bytes in
the text (including the character at start), all bytes from the start position to the end of the string are
returned. To determine the number of bytes in string, use the LenB function.
See Also Left, LeftB, Len. LenB, LTrim, Mid, Right, RTrim, Trim
Minute
Description Returns a whole number between 0 and 59, inclusive, representing the minute of the hour.
Usage invVal = Minute(time)
Arguments time
The time argument is any expression that can represent a time.
Return An Integer value
See Also Date, Day, Hour, Month, Now, Second, Weekday, Year
Example Dim MyVar
MyVar = Minute(Now) ‘ Returns the value of the current minute
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Month
Description Returns a whole number between 1 and 12, inclusive, representing the month of the year
Usage intVal = Month(date)
Arguments date
The date argument is any valid expression that can represent a date.
See Also Date, Day, Hour, Minute, Now, Second, Weekday, Year
Example Dim MyVar
MyVar = Month(Now) ‘MyVar contains the number = the current month.
MonthName
Description Returns a string indicating the specified month.
Usage strVal = MonthName(month[, abbreviate])
Arguments month
Required. A number between 1 and 12 for each month of the year, beginning in January. For
example, January is 1, February is 2, and so on.
abbreviate
Optional. Boolean value that indicates if the month name is to be abbreviated. If omitted, the
default is False, which means that the month name is not abbreviated (it is spelled out).
Return A String.
Remarks A runtime error if month is outside the valid range (1-12). MonthName is internationally aware,
meaning that the returned string is localized by the language specified as part of your locale setting.
See Also WeekDayName
Example Dim MyVar
MyVar = MonthName(10, True) ' MyVar contains "Oct".
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MsgBox
Description Displays a message in a dialog box, waits for the user to click a button, and returns a value
Usage intRet = MsgBox(prompt[, buttons][, title][, helpfile, context])
MsgBox(prompt[, buttons][, title][, helpfile, context])
Arguments prompt
String expression displayed as the message in the dialog box. The maximum length of prompt
is approximately 1024 characters, depending on the width of the characters used. If prompt
consists of more than one line, you can separate the lines using a carriage return character
(Chr(13)), a linefeed character (Chr(10)), or carriage return–linefeed character combination
(Chr(13) & Chr(10)) between each line.
buttons
Numeric expression that is the sum of values specifying the number and type of buttons to
display, the icon style to use, the identity of the default button, and the modality of the message
box. See Settings section for values. If omitted, the default value for buttons is 0. See
examples below for using multiple buttons.
title
String expression displayed in the title bar of the dialog box. If you omit title, the application
name is placed in the title bar.
helpfile
String expression that identifies the Help file to use to provide context-sensitive Help for the
dialog box. If helpfile is provided, context must also be provided. Not available on 16-bit
platforms.
context
Numeric expression that identifies the Help context number assigned by the Help author to the
appropriate Help topic. If context is provided, helpfile must also be provided. Not available on
16-bit platforms.
Settings The buttons argument settings are:
vbOKOnly 0 Display OK button only.
vbOKCancel 1 Display OK and Cancel buttons.
vbAbortRetryIgnore 2 Display Abort, Retry, and Ignore buttons.
vbYesNoCancel 3 Display Yes, No, and Cancel buttons.
vbYesNo 4 Display Yes and No buttons.
vbRetryCancel 5 Display Retry and Cancel buttons.
vbCritical 16 Display Critical Message icon.
vbQuestion 32 Display Warning Query icon.
vbExclamation 48 Display Warning Message icon.
vbInformation 64 Display Information Message icon.
vbDefaultButton1 0 First button is default.
vbDefaultButton2 256 Second button is default.
vbDefaultButton3 512 Third button is default.
vbDefaultButton4 768 Fourth button is default.
vbApplicationModal 0 Application modal; the user must respond to the message
box before continuing work in the current application.
vbSystemModal 4096 System modal; all applications are suspended until the
user responds to the message box.
vbMsgBoxRight 524288 Right align text
vbMsgBoxRtlReading 1048576 On Hebrew and Arabic systems, specifies that text should
appear from right to left.
vbMsgBoxSetForeground 65536 Makes the message box in the foreground window
The first group of values (0–5) describes the number and type of buttons displayed in the dialog
box; the second group (16, 32, 48, 64) describes the icon style; the third group (0, 256, 512, 768)
determines which button is the default; and the fourth group (0, 4096) determines the modality of
the message box. When adding numbers to create a final value for the argument buttons, use only
one number from each group.
Return Value The MsgBox function has the following return values:
Constant Value Button
141
vbOK 1 OK
vbCancel 2 Cancel
vbAbort 3 Abort
vbRetry 4 Retry
vbIgnore 5 Ignore
vbYes 6 Yes
vbNo 7 No
Remarks When both helpfile and context are provided, the user can press F1 to view the Help topic
corresponding to the context.
If the dialog box displays a Cancel button, pressing the ESC key has the same effect as clicking
Cancel. If the dialog box contains a Help button, context-sensitive Help is provided for the dialog
box. However, no value is returned until one of the other buttons is clicked.
When the MsgBox function is used with Microsoft Internet Explorer, the title of any dialog
presented always contains "VBScript:" to differentiate it from standard system dialogs.
See Also InputBox
Example Dim MyVar
MyVar = MsgBox ("Hello World!", 65, "MsgBox Example")
' MyVar contains either 1 or 2, depending on which button is clicked.
myResult = MsgBox(“Is this OK?”, vbYesNo Or vbQuestion Or vbApplicationModal, “Delete File”)
Now
Desciption Returns the current date and time according to the setting of your computer's system date and time.
Usage dateVal = Now()
Arguments None
Remarks The following example uses the Now function to return the current date and time:
See Also Date, Day, Hour, Month, Minute, Second, Weekday, Year
Example(s) Dim MyVar
MyVar = Now ' MyVar contains the current date and time.
Oct
Description Returns a string representing the octal value of a number
Usage strVal = Oct(number)
Arguments number
The number argument is any valid expression.
Return A String value
Remarks Returns up to 11 characters. If number is not already a whole number, it is rounded to the nearest
whole number before being evaluated. You can represent octal numbers directly by preceding
numbers in the proper range with &O. For example, &O10 is the octal notation for decimal 8.
If number is Hex returns
Null Null
Empty Zero (0)
Any other number Up to 11 octal characters
See Also Hex
Example Dim MyOct MyOct = Oct(4) 'Returns 4.
MyOct = Oct(8) 'Returns 10.
MyOct = Oct(459) 'Returns 713.
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Replace
Description Returns a string in which a specified substring has been replaced with another substring a
specified number of times.
Usage strVal = Replace(expression, find, replacewith[, start[, count[, compare]]])
Required. String expression containing substring to replace.
find
Required. Substring being searched for.
replacewith
Required. Replacement substring.
start
Optional. Position within expression where substring search is to begin. If omitted, 1 is
assumed. Must be used in conjunction with count.
count
Optional. Number of substring substitutions to perform. If omitted, the default value is -1, which
means make all possible substitutions. Must be used in conjunction with start.
compare
See Settings section for values. If omitted, the default value is 0, which means perform a binary
comparison.
Return A String. Replace returns the following values:
If Replace returns
expression is zero-length Zero-length string ("").
expression is Null An error.
find is zero-length Copy of expression.
replacewith is zero-length Copy of expression with all occurrences of find removed.
start > Len(expression) Zero-length string.
count is 0 Copy of expression.
Remarks The return value of the Replace function is a string, with substitutions made, that begins at the
position specified by start and concludes at the end of the expression string. It is not a copy of the
original string from start to finish
See Also Left, LeftB, Len, LenB, LTrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RTrim, Trim
Example Dim MyString
Rem A binary comparison starting at the beginning of the string.
MyString = Replace("XXpXXPXXp", "p", "Y") ' Returns "XXYXXPXXY".
Rem A textual comparison starting at position 3.

MyString = Replace("XXpXXPXXp", "p", "Y", 3, -1, 1) ' Returns "YXXYXXY".
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RGB
Description Returns a whole number representing an RGB color value
Usage intVal = RGB(red, green, blue)
Arguments red
Required. Number in the range 0-255 representing the red component of the color.
green
Required. Number in the range 0-255 representing the green component of the color.
blue
Required. Number in the range 0-255 representing the blue component of the color.
Remarks Application methods and properties that accept a color specification expect that specification to be
a number representing an RGB color value. An RGB color value specifies the relative intensity of
red, green, and blue to cause a specific color to be displayed. The low-order byte contains the
value for red, the middle byte contains the value for green, and the high-order byte contains the
value for blue. A runtime error occurs if any of the arguments cannot be evaluated to a numeric
value.
For applications that require the byte order to be reversed, the following function will provide the
same information with the bytes reversed:
Function RevRGB(red, green, blue)
RevRGB= CLng(blue + (green * 256) + (red * 65536))
End Function
Example MyColor = RGB(130, 155, 204)
Right
Description Returns length number of characters from the right side of a string
Usage strVal = Right(string, length)
Arguments string
String expression from which the characters are extracted from.
length
Numeric expression indicating how many characters to return (extract).
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. If length is 0, a zero-length string("") is returned. If length is
greater than or equal to the number of characters in string, the entire string is returned. To
determine the number of characters in the string, use the Len function.
See Also Left, LeftB, Len, LenB, Mid, MidB, RightB
Example The following example uses the Right function to return a specified number of characters from the
right side of a string:
Dim AnyString, MyStr
AnyString = "Hello World" 'Define string
MyStr = Right(AnyString, 1) 'Returns "d"
MyStr = Right(AnyString, 6) 'Returns " World"
MyStr = Right(AnyString, 20) 'Returns "Hello World"
RightB
Description Returns length number of bytes from the right side of a string
Usage strVal = Right(string, length)
Arguments string
String expression from which the bytes are extracted from.
length
Numeric expression indicating how many bytes to return (extract).
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. If length is 0, a zero-length string("") is returned. If length is
greater than or equal to the number of bytes in the string, the entire string is returned. To determine
the number of bytes in the string, use the LenB function.
See Also Left, LeftB, Len, LenB, Mid, MidB, Right
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Rnd
Description Returns a random number less than 1 but greater than or equal to 0.
Usage realVal = Rnd[(number)]
Arguments number
Optional. The number argument can be any valid numeric expression.
Result A Real value.
Return Values A random number less than 1 but greater than 0.
If number is Rnd generates
Less than zero The same number every time, using number as the seed
Greater than zero The next random number in the sequence
Equal to zero The most recently generated number
Not supplied The next random number in the sequence
Remarks The Rnd function returns a value less than 1 but greater than or equal to 0. The value of number
determines how Rnd generates a random number: For any given initial seed, the same number
sequence is generated because each successive call to the Rnd function uses the previous
number as a seed for the next number in the sequence. Before calling Rnd, use the Randomize
statement without an argument to initialize the random-number generator with a seed based on the
system timer.
To repeat sequences of random numbers, call Rnd with a negative argument immediately before
using Randomize with a numeric argument. Using Randomize with the same value for number
does not repeat the previous sequence.
To produce random integers in a given range, use this formula:
Int((upperbound - lowerbound + 1) * Rnd + lowerbound)
Here, upperbound is the highest number in the range, and lowerbound is the lowest number in the
range.
See also Randomize
Example Const UpperBound = 10
Const LowerBound = 1
Dim counter
For counter = 1 to 10 ‘ Produces 10 numbers between 1-20
value = Int((UpperBound-LowerBound+1)*Rnd + LowerBound)
MsgBox “Random Number is = “ & value
Next
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Round
Description Returns a number rounded to a specified number of decimal places
Usage Round(expression[, numdecimalplaces])
Required. Numeric expression being rounded.
numdecimalplaces
Optional. Number indicating how many places to the right of the decimal are included in the
rounding. If omitted, integers are returned by the Round function.
Return A Variant subtype Double. A number rounded to a specified number of decimal places.
Remarks The Round function performs round to even, which is different from round to larger. The return
value is the number closest to the value of expression, with the appropriate number of decimal
places. If expression is exactly halfway between two possible rounded values, the function returns
the possible rounded value whose rightmost digit is an even number. (In a round to larger function,
a number that is halfway between two possible rounded values is always rounded to the larger
number.)
See also Int and Fix
Example Rem Using the Round function to round a number to two decimal places:
Dim MyVar, pi
pi = 3.14159
MyVar = Round(pi, 2) ' MyVar contains 3.14.
Rem How rounding to even works:
Dim var1, var2, var3, var4, var5
var1 = Round(1.5) 'var1 contains 2
var4 = Round(0.985, 2) 'var4 contains 0.98
var5 = Round(0.995, 2) 'var5 contains 1.00
RTrim
Usage strVal = RTrim(string)
Arguments string
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned.
See Also Left, LeftB, LTrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RightB, Trim
Dim MyVar
146
ScriptEngine
Description Returns a string representing the scripting language in use
Usage ScriptEngine
Arguments none
Return Value A String. The ScriptEngine function can return the following strings:
VBScript Indicates that Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition is the current scripting
engine
Remarks Other 3rd party ActiveX scripting engines can also be returned if they are installed.
See Also ScriptEngineBuildVersion, ScriptEngineMajorVersion, ScriptEngineMinorVersion
Example The following example uses the ScriptEngine function to return a string describing the scripting
language in use:
Function GetScriptEngineInfo
Dim s
s = "" ' Build string with necessary info.
s = ScriptEngine & " Version "
s = s & ScriptEngineMajorVersion & "."
s = s & ScriptEngineMinorVersion & "."
s = s & ScriptEngineBuildVersion
GetScriptEngineInfo = s ' Return the results.
End Function
ScriptEngineBuildVersion
Description Returns the build version number of the scripting engine in use.
Usage ScriptEngineBuildVersion
Arguments none
Remarks The return value corresponds directly to the version information contained in the DLL for the
scripting language in use.
See Also ScriptEngine, ScriptEngineMajorVersion, ScriptEngineMinorVersion
Example The following example uses the ScriptEngineBuildVersion function to return the build version
number of the scripting engine::
Dim s
End Function
147
ScriptEngineMajorVersion
Description Returns the major version number of the scripting engine in use.
Usage ScriptEngineMajorVersion
Arguments none
See Also ScriptEngine, ScriptEngineBuildVersion, ScriptEngineMinorVersion
Example The following example uses the ScriptEngineMajorVersion function to return the build version
Dim s
End Function
ScriptEngineMinorVersion
Description Returns the minor version number of the scripting engine in use.
Usage ScriptEngineMinorVersion
Arguments none
See Also ScriptEngine, ScriptEngineBuildVersion, ScriptEngineMajorVersion
Example The following example uses the ScriptEngineMinorVersion function to return the build version
Dim s
End Function
Second
Description Returns a whole number between 0 and 59, inclusive, representing the second of the minute.
Usage dateVal = Second(time)
Arguments time
The time argument is any valid expression that can represent a time.
Remarks A runtime error will occur if time is not a valid time expression. If time contains Null, Null is returned.
See Also Date, Day, Hour, Minute, Month, Now, Weekday, Year
Example Dim MyVar
MyVar = Second(Now) ‘ Returns the value of the current second
148
SetLocale
Description Sets the current locale ID value
Usage SetLocale(lcid)
Arguments lcid
The lcid cab be any valid 32-bit value or short string that uniquely identifies a geographical
locale. Recognized values can be found in the Locale ID chart. If lcid is zero, the locale is set to
match the current system setting.
Remarks A locale is a set of user preference information related to the user's language, country/region, and
cultural conventions. The locale determines such things as keyboard layout, alphabetic sort order,
as well as date, time, number, and currency formats. This function can be used in conjunction
with the IWS run-time translation tool to automatically switch the language displayed
See Also GetLocale
Example SetLocale (”en=gb”)
Sgn
Description Returns the integer indicating the sign of a number
Usage intVal = Sgn(number)
Arguments number
Return An Integer.
Remarks The sign of the number argument determines the return value of the Sgn function.
If number is Sgn returns
Greater than zero 1
Equal to zero 0
Less than zero -1
See also Abs
Example Dim MyVar1, MyVar2, MyVar3, MySign
MyVar1 = 12
MyVar2 = -2.4
MyVar3 = 0
MySign = Sgn(MyVar1) ' Returns 1.
MySign = Sgn(MyVar2) ' Returns -1.
MySign = Sgn(MyVar3) ' Returns 0.
Sin
Function Returns the sine of an angle.
Usage dblVal = Sin(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression that expresses an angle in radians.
Return Returns a Variant subtype Double specifying the sine of an angle in radians
Remarks The Sin function takes an angle and returns the ratio of two sides of a right triangle. The ratio is the
length of the side opposite the angle divided by the length of the hypotenuse. The result lies in the
range -1 to 1. To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by pi /180. To convert radians to
degrees, multiply radians by 180/pi. Pi = 3.14159
See Also Atn, Cos, Tan
Example Dim MyAngle, MyCosecant
MyCosecant = 1 / Sin(MyAngle) ' Calculate cosecant.
149
Space
Description Returns a string consisting of the specified number of spaces (“ “).
Usage strVal = Space(number)
Arguments number
The number argument is the number of spaces you want in the string.
Return A String.
Remarks None
See Also String
Example The following example uses the Space function to return a string consisting of a specified number
of spaces
Dim MyString
MyString = Space(10) ' Returns a string with 10 spaces.
MyString = "Hello" & Space(10) & "World" ' Insert 10 spaces between two strings.
Split
Description Returns a zero-based, one-dimensional array extracted from the supplied string expression.
Usage strVal = Split(expression[, delimiter[, count[, compare]]])
Required. String expression containing substrings and delimiters.
delimiter
Optional. String character used to identify substring limits.
count
Optional. Number of substrings to be returned; -1 indicates that all substrings are returned.
compare
See Settings section for values.
Return A zero-based, one-dimensional array string.
Remarks If expression is a zero-length string, Split returns an empty array, that is, an array with no elements
and no data. If delimiter is omitted, the space character (" ") is assumed to be the delimiter. If
delimiter is a zero-length string, a single-element array containing the entire expression string is
returned. The result of the Split function cannot be assigned to a variable of Variant subtype Array,
otherwise a runtime error will occur.
See Also Join
Example The following example uses the Split function to return an array from a string. The function
performs a textual comparison of the delimiter, and returns all of the substrings
Dim MyString, MyArray, Msg
MyString = "VBScriptXisXfun!"
MyArray = Split(MyString, "x", -1, 1)
' MyArray(0) contains "VBScript".
' MyArray(1) contains "is".
' MyArray(2) contains "fun!".
Msg = MyArray(0) & " " & MyArray(1)
Msg = Msg & " " & MyArray(2)
MsgBox Msg
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Sqr
Function Returns the square root of a number.
Usage val = Sqr(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression greater than or equal to 0.
Return Returns the square root of a number.
Example Dim MySqr
MySqr = Sqr(4) ' Returns 2.
MySqr = Sqr(23) ' Returns 4.79583152331272.
MySqr = Sqr(0) ' Returns 0.
MySqr = Sqr(-4) ' Generates a run-time error.
StrComp
Description Performs a string comparison and returns the result.
Usage intVal = StrComp(string1, string2[, compare])
Arguments string1
string2
compare
Optional. Numeric value indicating the comparison method to use when evaluating strings. If
omitted, a binary comparison is performed. See Settings section for values.
Return An Integer. The StrComp function has the following return values:
If StrComp returns
string1 is less than string2 -1
string1 is equal to string2 0
string1 is greater than string2 1
string1 or string2 is Null Null
Remarks Null is returned if string1 or string2 is Null.
See Also String
Example The following example uses the StrComp function to return the results of a string comparison. If
the third argument is 1, a textual comparison is performed; if the third argument is 0 or omitted, a
binary comparison is performed.
Dim MyStr1, MyStr2, MyComp
MyStr1 = "ABCD": MyStr2 = "abcd" ' Define variables.
MyComp = StrComp(MyStr1, MyStr2, 1) ' Returns 0.
MyComp = StrComp(MyStr1, MyStr2, 0) ' Returns -1.
MyComp = StrComp(MyStr2, MyStr1) ' Returns 1.
151
String
Description Returns a character string with a substring repeated a specific number of times.
Usage strVal = String(number, character)
Arguments number
Length of the returned string.
character
Character code specifying the character or string expression whose first character is used to
build the return string.
Return A String.
Remarks If number contains Null, Null is returned. If character contains Null, Null is returned. If you specify
a number for character greater than 255, String converts the number to a valid character code
using the formula: character Mod 256.
See Also Space, StrComp
Example The following example uses the String function to return repeating character strings of the length
specified:
Dim MyString
MyString = String(5, "*") ' Returns "*****".
MyString = String(5, 42) ' Returns "*****".
MyString = String(10, "ABC") ' Returns "AAAAAAAAAA".
StrReverse
Description Returns a string in which the character order of a specified string is reversed.
Usage StrReverse(string1)
Arguments string1
The string1 argument is the string whose characters are to be reversed.
Return A String.
Remarks If string1 is a zero-length string (""), a zero-length string is returned. If string1 is Null, a runtime
error occurs
Example The following example uses the StrReverse function to return a string in reverse order:
Dim MyStr
MyStr = StrReverse("VBScript") ' MyStr contains "tpircSBV".
Tan
Description Returns the tangent of an angle in radians.
Usage dblVal = Tan(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression that expresses an angle in radians
Return A Variant of subtype Double. Specifies the tangent of an angle in radians
Remarks Tan takes an angle and returns the ratio of two sides of a right triangle. The ratio is the length of
the side opposite the angle divided by the length of the side adjacent to the angle.
To convert degrees to radians, multiply degrees by pi /180. To convert radians to degrees, multiply
radians by 180/pi.
See also Atn, Cos, Sin
Example Dim MyAngle, MyCotangent, MyValue
MyCotangent = 1 / Tan(MyAngle) ' Calculate cotangent.
MyValue = Tan(10.4) ‘ Returns 1.475667914
MyValue = Tan(0) ‘ Returns 0
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Time
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Date indicating the current system time
Usage dateVal = Time()
Arguments None
Remarks None
See Also Date, Now
Example Dim MyTIme
MyTime = Time ‘ Return current system time
Timer
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Single indicating the number of seconds that have elapsed since
12:00AM (midnight)
Usage realVal = Timer()
Arguments none
Remarks The timer is reset every 24 hours.
Example Function TimeIt(N)
Dim StartTime, EndTime
StartTime = Timer
For I = 1 To N
Next
EndTime = Timer
TimeIt = EndTime - StartTime
End Function
TimeSerial
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Date containing the time for a specific hour, minute, and second.
Usage dateVal = TimeSerial(hour, minute, second)
Arguments hour
Number or valid expression that evaluated to a number between 0 (12:00 A.M.) and 23 (11:00
P.M.).
minute
Number or valid expression that evaluated to a number between 0 and 59.
second
Number or valid expression that evaluated to a number between 0 and 59.
Remarks To specify a time, such as 11:59:59, the range of numbers for each TimeSerial argument should
be in the accepted range for the unit; that is, 0–23 for hours and 0–59 for minutes and seconds.
However, you can also specify relative times for each argument using any numeric expression that
represents some number of hours, minutes, or seconds before or after a certain time.
When any argument exceeds the accepted range for that argument, it increments to the next larger
unit as appropriate. For example, if you specify 75 minutes, it is evaluated as one hour and 15
minutes. However, if any single argument is outside the range -32,768 to 32,767, or if the time
specified by the three arguments, either directly or by expression, causes the date to fall outside
the acceptable range of dates, an error occurs.
See Also Date, DateSerial, DateValue, Day, Month, Now, TimeValue, Weekday, Year
Example The following example uses expressions instead of absolute time numbers. The TimeSerial
function returns a time for 15 minutes before (-15) six hours before noon (12 - 6), or 5:45:00 A.M.
Dim MyTime1
MyTime1 = TimeSerial(12 - 6, -15, 0) ' Returns 5:45:00 AM.
153
TimeValue
Description Returns a Variant of subtype Date containing the time
Usage dateVal = TimeValue(time)
Arguments time
Time argument is an expression in the range of 0:00:00 to 23:59:59
Remarks Date information in time is not returned. The time argument is usually a string expression
representing a time from 0:00:00 (12:00:00 A.M.) to 23:59:59 (11:59:59 P.M.), inclusive. However,
time can also be any expression that represents a time in that range. If time contains Null, Null is
returned.
You can enter valid times using a 12-hour or 24-hour clock. For example, "2:24PM" and "14:24" are
both valid time arguments. If the time argument contains date information, TimeValue doesn't
return the date information. However, if time includes invalid date information, an error occurs.
See Also Date, DateSerial, DateValue, Day, Month, Now, TimeValue, Weekday, Year
Example The following example uses the TimeValue function to convert a string to a time. You can also use
date literals to directly assign a time to a Variant (for example, MyTime = #4:35:17 PM#).
Dim MyTime
MyTime = TimeValue("4:35:17 PM") ' MyTime contains 4:35:17 PM.
Trim
Usage strVal = Trim(string)
Arguments string
Return A String.
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned.
See Also Left, LeftB, Ltrim, Mid, MidB, Right, RightB, RTrim
Dim MyVar
154
TypeName
Description Returns a string that provides Variant subtype information about a variable.
Usage TypeName(varname)
Arguments varname
The required varname argument can be any variable.
Return A String. The TypeName function has the following return values:
Value Description
Byte Byte value
Integer Integer value
Long Long integer value
Single Single-precision floating-point value
Double Double-precision floating-point value
Currency Currency value
Decimal Decimal value
Date Date or time value
String Character string value
Boolean Boolean value; True or False
Empty Uninitialized
Null No valid data
<object type> Actual type name of an object
Object Generic object
Unknown Unknown object type
Nothing Object variable that doesn't yet refer to an object instance
Error Error
See Also IsArray, IsDate, IsEmpty, IsNull, IsNumeric, IsObject, VarType
Example The following example uses the TypeName function to return information about a variable:
Dim ArrayVar(4), MyType
NullVar = Null ' Assign Null value.
MyType = TypeName("VBScript") ' Returns "String".
MyType = TypeName(4) ' Returns "Integer".
MyType = TypeName(37.50) ' Returns "Double".
MyType = TypeName(NullVar) ' Returns "Null".
MyType = TypeName(ArrayVar) ' Returns "Variant()".
UBound
Description Returns the largest available subscript for the indicated dimension of an array.
Usage IntVal = UBound(arrayname[, dimension])
Arguments arrayname
Name of the array variable; follows standard variable naming conventions.
dimension
Optional whole (integer) number indicating which dimension's upper bound is returned. Use 1
for the first dimension, 2 for the second, and so on. If dimension is omitted, 1 is assumed.
Returns Returns the largest available subscript for the indicated dimension of an array. If the array is empty,
-1 is returned. If the array has not been initialized, a runtime error will occur.
Remarks The UBound function is used with the LBound function to determine the size of an array. Use the
LBound function to find the lower limit of an array dimension. The lower bound for any dimension
is always 0.
See also Dim, LBound, ReDim
Example Dim A(100,3,4)
Dim B(3)
myVal = UBound(A,1) ‘ Return value = 100
myVal = UBound(B) ‘ Return value = 3
155
UCase
Description Converts all alpha characters in a string to uppercase and returns the result.
Usage strVal = UCase(string)
Arguments string
Any valid string expression.
Return A String.
Remarks If string contains Null, Null is returned. Only lowercase letters are converted to uppercase; all
uppercase letters and non-letter characters remain unchanged.
See Also LCase
Example The following example uses the UCase function to return an uppercase version of a string
Dim MyWord, MyString, LeftString
MyWord = UCase("Hello World") ' Returns "HELLO WORLD".
UnEscape
Description Decodes a string encoded with the Escape function.
Usage strVal = UnEscape(charstring)
Arguments charstring
Return A String in UniCode format.
Remarks The Unescape function returns a string (in Unicode format) that contains the contents of
charString. ASCII character set equivalents replace all characters encoded with the %xx
hexadecimal form. Characters encoded in %uxxxx format (Unicode characters) are replaced with
the Unicode character with hexadecimal encoding xxxx.
See Also Escape
156
VarType
Description Returns a value indicating the subtype of a variable.
Usage VarType(varname)
Arguments varname
The required varname argument can be any variable.
Return An Integer. The VarType function returns the following values
vbInteger 2 Integer
vbLong 3 Long integer
vbDate 7 Date
vbString 8 String
vbObject 9 Automation object
vbError 10 Error
vbVariant 12 Variant (used only with arrays of Variants)
vbDataObject 13 A data-access object
vbByte 17 Byte
vbArray 8192 Array
Remarks These constants are specified by VBScript. As a result, the names can be used anywhere in your
code in place of the actual values.
The VarType function never returns the value for Array by itself. It is always added to some other
value to indicate an array of a particular type. The value for Variant is only returned when it has
been added to the value for Array to indicate that the argument to the VarType function is an array.
For example, the value returned for an array of integers is calculated as 2 + 8192, or 8194. If an
object has a default property, VarType (object) returns the type of its default property.
See Also IsArray, IsDate, IsEmpty, IsNull, IsNumeric, IsObject, TypeName
Example The following example uses the VarType function to determine the subtype of a variable.
Dim MyCheck
MyCheck = VarType(300) ' Returns 2.
MyCheck = VarType(#10/19/62#) ' Returns 7.
MyCheck = VarType("VBScript") ' Returns 8.
157
Weekday
Description Returns a whole number representing the day of the week
Usage intVal = Weekday(date, [firstdayofweek])
Arguments date
Any valid expression that can represent a date.
firstdayofweek
A constant that specifies the first day of the week. If omitted, vbSunday is assumed.
Settings The firstdayofweek argument can have the following values:
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbFriday 6 Friday
Return Value The weekday function can return any of these values:
vbSunday 1 Sunday
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbFriday 6 Friday
Remarks If date contains Null, Null is returned.
See Also Date, Day, Month, Now, Year.
Example Dim MyDate, MyWeekDay
MyDate = #October 19, 1962# ' Assign a date.
MyWeekDay = Weekday(MyDate)
Rem MyWeekDay contains 6 because MyDate represents a Friday.
158
WeekdayName
Description Returns a Variant of subtype String indicating the specified day of the week.
Usage strDayName = WeekdayName(weekday, [abbreviate], [firstdayofweek])
Arguments weekday
Required. The numeric designation for the day of the week. Numeric value of each day
depends on setting of the firstdayofweek setting. Value is between 1 and 7.
abbreviate
Optional. Boolean value that indicates if the weekday name is to be abbreviated. If omitted, the
default is False, which means that the weekday name is not abbreviated (is spelled out).
firstdayofweek
Optional. Numeric value indicating the first day of the week. See Settings section for values
Settings The firstdayofweek argument can have the following values:
vbMonday 2 Monday
vbTuesday 3 Tuesday
vbFriday 6 Friday
Return A Variant of subtype String indicating the specified day of the week.
Remarks A runtime error occurs if weekday is outside the valid range of 1-7. WeekdayName is
internationally aware, which means that the returned strings are localized into the language that is
specified in the system’s locale settings.
See Also MonthName
Example Dim MyDate
MyDate = WeekDayName(6, True) ' MyDate contains Fri.
Year
Description Returns a whole number representing the year
Usage Year(date)
Arguments date
The date argument is any valid expression that can represent a date.
Remarks If date contains Null, Null is returned. A runtime error occurs if date is not a valid date expression.
See Also Date, Day, Month, Now, Weekday
Example(s) Dim MyDate, MyYear
MyDate = #October 19, 1962# ' Assign a date.
MyYear = Year(MyDate) ' MyYear contains 1962.
159
VBScript Derived Functions
The following non-intrinsic math functions can be derived from the intrinsic math functions:
Function Derived equivalents
Secant Sec(X) = 1 / Cos(X)
Cosecant Cosec(X) = 1 / Sin(X)
Cotangent Cotan(X) = 1 / Tan(X)
Inverse Sine Arcsin(X) = Atn(X / Sqr(-X * X + 1))
Inverse Cosine Arccos(X) = Atn(-X / Sqr(-X * X + 1)) + 2 * Atn(1)
Inverse Secant Arcsec(X) = Atn(X / Sqr(X * X - 1)) + Sgn((X) -1) * (2 * Atn(1))
Inverse Cosecant Arccosec(X) = Atn(X / Sqr(X * X - 1)) + (Sgn(X) - 1) * (2 * Atn(1))
Inverse Cotangent Arccotan(X) = Atn(X) + 2 * Atn(1)
Hyperbolic Sine HSin(X) = (Exp(X) - Exp(-X)) / 2
Hyperbolic Cosine HCos(X) = (Exp(X) + Exp(-X)) / 2
Hyperbolic Tangent HTan(X) = (Exp(X) - Exp(-X)) / (Exp(X) + Exp(-X))
Hyperbolic Secant HSec(X) = 2 / (Exp(X) + Exp(-X))
Hyperbolic Cosecant HCosec(X) = 2 / (Exp(X) - Exp(-X))
Hyperbolic Cotangent HCotan(X) = (Exp(X) + Exp(-X)) / (Exp(X) - Exp(-X))
Inverse Hyperbolic Sine HArcsin(X) = Log(X + Sqr(X * X + 1))
Inverse Hyperbolic Cosine HArccos(X) = Log(X + Sqr(X * X - 1))
Inverse Hyperbolic Tangent HArctan(X) = Log((1 + X) / (1 - X)) / 2
Inverse Hyperbolic Secant HArcsec(X) = Log((Sqr(-X * X + 1) + 1) / X)
Inverse Hyperbolic Cosecant HArccosec(X) = Log((Sgn(X) * Sqr(X * X + 1) +1) / X)
Inverse Hyperbolic Cotangent HArccotan(X) = Log((X + 1) / (X - 1)) / 2
Logarithm to base N LogN(X) = Log(X) / Log(N)
160
VBScript Statements
VBScript Statements
Call ExecuteGlobal Private Select Case
Class Exit Property Get Set
Const For Each…Next Property Let Stop
Dim For…Next Property Set Sub
Do…Loop Function Public While…Wend
Erase If…Then…Else Randomize With
End On Error ReDim
Execute Option Explicit Rem
VBScript Declaration Statements

Class Declares the name of a class, as well as a definition of the variables, properties, and methods
that comprise the class
Const Declares constants for use in place of literal values
Option Forces explicit declaration of all variables in a script.
Explicit
Private Declares private variables and allocates storage space. Declares, in a Class block, a private
variable.
Property Get Declares, in a Class block, the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Property
procedure that gets (returns) the value of a property
Property Let Declares, in a Class block, the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Property
procedure that assigns (sets) the value of a property
Property Set Sets a reference to an object
Public Declares public variables and allocates storage space. Declares, in a Class block, a public
variable
ReDim Declare dynamic array variables, and allocates or reallocates storage space at the procedural
level
Sub Declares the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Sub procedure.
VBScript Array Statements

Erase Reinitializes the elements of fixed-size arrays and deallocates dynamic-array storage space.
ReDim Declare dynamic array variables, and allocates or reallocates storage space at the procedural level
VBScript Procedure Statements

Call Transfers control to a Sub or Function procedure
End Function End of a Function
End Sub End of a Sub
Exit Function Exit a Function, generally as a result of a condition
Exit Property Forces an exit from inside a Property Set function
Exit Sub Exit a Subroutine, generally as a result of a condition
Sub Declares the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Sub procedure (Subroutine).
161
VBScript Assignment Statements
Set Assigns an object reference to a variable or property, or associates a procedure reference with an
event.
VBScript Comment Statements

Comments Description
Rem or ‘ Includes explanatory remarks in a program
VBScript Error Handling Functions

Error Handling Description
On Error Enables or disables error-handling
162
Call
Description Transfers control to a Sub or Function procedure
Usage Call name [argumentlist]
Arguments Call
Optional keyword. If specified, you must enclose argumentlist in parentheses.
For example: Call MyProc(0)
name
Required. Name of the procedure to call.
argumentlist
Optional. Comma-delimited list of variables, arrays, or expressions to pass to the procedure.
Remarks You are not required to use the Call keyword when calling a procedure. However, if you use the
Call keyword to call a procedure that requires arguments, argumentlist must be enclosed in
parentheses. If you omit the Call keyword, you also must omit the parentheses around argumentlist.
If you use either Call syntax to call
Example Function MyFunction(text)
MsgBox text
End Function
Call MyFunction("Hello World")
MyFunction “Hello World”
163
Class
Description Declares the name of a class, as well as a definition of the variables, properties, and methods that
comprise the class
Usage Class classname
statements
End Class
Arguments classname
Required. Name of the Class; follows standard variable naming conventions.
statements
Required. One or more statements that define the variables, properties, and methods of the
Class.
Remarks Within a Class block, members are declared as either Private or Public using the appropriate
declaration statements. Anything declared as Private is visible only within the Class block.
Anything declared as Public is visible within the Class block, as well as by code outside the Class
block. Anything not explicitly declared as either Private or Public is Public by default. Procedures
(either Sub or Function) declared Public within the class block become methods of the class.
Public variables serve as properties of the class, as do properties explicitly declared using
Property Get, Property Let, and Property Set. Default properties and methods for the class are
specified in their declarations using the Default keyword. See the individual declaration statement
topics for information on how this keyword is used. You must instantiate an object to use it, using
the Set command; i.e. Set objname = New classname
See Also Property Get, Property Let, Property Set
Example Class SignOn
Private MyName, MyLevel ‘Variable declaration
Public Property Let UsrName(strName) ‘Set the property value for user name
MyName = strName
End Property
Public Property Let UsrLevel(strLevel) ‘Set the property value for user level
MyLevel = strLevel
End Property
Public Property Get UsrName ‘Return the property value
UsrName = MyName
End Property
Public Property Get UsrLevel ‘Return the property value
UsrLevel = MyLevel
End Property
Public Sub LogOnMsg ‘LogOnMsg is a method. No parameters passed
MsgBox MakeMsg(MyLevel)
EndSub
Private Function MakeMsg(strLevel)
Select Case StrLevel
Case “User”
MakeMsg = “Hello “ & MyName & vbCrLf & “Logged on as “ & MyLevel
Case “Supervisor”
MakeMsg = “Welcome “ & MyName & vbCrLf & “Your level is “ & MyLevel
End Select
End Function
End Class
Dim LogOn
Set LogOn = New SignOn ‘Instantiate the object
With LogOn
.UsrName = “Joe” ‘Set the name property
.UsrLevel = “Supervisor” ‘Set the level property
.LogOnMsg ‘Invoke logon method
End With
Set LogOn = Nothing
164
Const
Description Declares constants for use in place of literal values
Usage [Public | Private] Const constname = expression
Arguments Public
Optional. Keyword used at script level to declare constants that are available to all procedures
in all scripts. Not allowed in procedures.
Private
Optional. Keyword used at script level to declare constants that are available only within the
script where the declaration is made. Not allowed in procedures.
constname
Required. Name of the constant; follows standard variable naming conventions.
expression
Required. Literal or other constant, or any combination that includes all arithmetic or logical
operators except Is.
Remarks Constants are public by default. Within procedures, constants are always private; their visibility
can't be changed. Within a script, the default visibility of a script-level constant can be changed
using the Private keyword.
To combine several constant declarations on the same line, separate each constant assignment
with a comma. When constant declarations are combined in this way, the Public or Private
keyword, if used, applies to all of them.
You can't use variables, user-defined functions, or intrinsic VBScript functions (such as Chr) in
constant declarations. By definition, they can't be constants. You also can't create a constant from
any expression that involves an operator, that is, only simple constants are allowed. Constants
declared in a Sub or Function procedure are local to that procedure. A constant declared outside
a procedure is defined throughout the script in which it is declared. You can use constants
anywhere you can use an expression.
Example Const MyVar = 459 'Constants are Public by default.
Private Const MyString = "HELP" 'Declare Private constant.
Const MyStr = "Hello", MyNumber = 3.4567 ‘Declare multiple constants on same line.
Dim
Description Declares variables and allocates storage space
Usage Dim varname[([subscripts])][, varname[([subscripts])]] . . .
Arguments varname
Name of the variable, following standard variable naming conventions
subscripts
Dimensions of an array variable, up to 60 multiple dimensions may be declared. The subscripts
argument uses the following syntax: Upper[,upper]…
The lower bound of an array is always zero.
Remarks Variables declared with the Dim statement at the script level are available to all procedures within
the script. Variables declared within a procedure are available only within the procedure. A
Dim statement with empty parentheses declares a dynamic array, which can be defined
later within a procedure using the ReDim statement.
Returns N/A
Example Dim counter ‘ Declare a variable
Dim counter1, counter2 ‘ Declares two variables
Dim item(9) ‘ Declares an array with 10 elements
Dim item() ‘ Declares a dynamic array
165
Do…Loop
Description Repeats a block of statements while a condition is True or until a condition becomes True.
Usage Do [{While | Until} condition]
[statements]
[Exit Do]
[statements]
Loop ' or use this syntax
Do
[statements]
[Exit Do]
[statements]
Loop [{While | Until} condition]
Arguments condition
Numeric or string expression that is True or False. If condition is Null, condition is treated as
False.
statements
One or more statements that are repeated while or until condition is True.
Remarks The Exit Do can only be used within a Do...Loop control structure to provide an alternate way to
exit a Do...Loop. Any number of Exit Do statements may be placed anywhere in the Do...Loop.
Often used with the evaluation of some condition (for example, If...Then), Exit Do transfers control
to the statement immediately following the Loop.
When used within nested Do...Loop statements, Exit Do transfers control to the loop that is nested
one level above the loop where it occurs.
Example Do Until DefResp = vbNo
MyNum = Int (6 * Rnd + 1) ' Generate a random integer between 1 and 6.
DefResp = MsgBox (MyNum & " Do you want another number?", vbYesNo)
Loop
Dim Check, Counter

Check = True: Counter = 0 'Initialize variables.
Do 'Outer loop.
Do While Counter < 20 'Inner loop
Counter = Counter + 1 'Increment Counter.
If Counter = 10 Then 'If condition is True...
Check = False 'Set value of flag to False.
Exit Do 'Exit inner loop.
End If
Loop
Loop Until Check = False 'Exit outer loop immediately
166
Erase
Description Reinitializes the elements of fixed-size arrays and deallocates storage space used if it is a
dynamic-array.
Usage Erase array
Arguments array
The array argument is the name of the array variable to be reinitialized or erased
Return N/A
Remarks It is important to know whether an array is fixed-size (ordinary) or dynamic because Erase behaves
differently depending on the type of array. Erase recovers no memory for fixed-size arrays. Erase
sets the elements of a fixed array as follows:
Type of array Effect of Erase on fixed-array elements
Fixed numeric array Sets each element to zero
Fixed string array Sets each element to zero length (“”)
Array of objects Sets each element to the special value Nothing
Erase frees the memory used by dynamic arrays. Before your program can refer to the dynamic
array again, it must re-declare the array variable's dimensions using a ReDim statement.
See also Dim, ReDim
Example Dim NumArray(9) ‘ Declare a fixed-size array
Dim DynamicArray() ‘ Declare a dynamic array
ReDim DynamicArray(9) ‘ Allocate storage space
Erase NumArray ‘ Each element is reinitialized
Erase DynamicArray ‘ Free memory that was used by array
End
Description Ends a procedure or a block of code
Usage End [Class | Function | If | Property | Select | Sub | Type | With]
Arguments None
Return N/A
Remarks Must be used with a procedure statement of a block of code. Provides the normal termination to the
procedure or block of code. Must choose the appropriate form of the statement to match the
procedure statement or block of code.
See Also Exit
Example If a = b Then
b = b +2
End If
167
Execute
Description Executes one or more specified statements in the local namespace.
Usage Execute statement
Arguments The required statement argument is a string expression containing one or more statements for
execution. Include multiple statements in the statement argument, using colons or embedded line
breaks to separate them.
the same value. If they do, result is True; if they are not, result is False. The Execute statement
always uses the first interpretation, whereas the Eval method always uses the second.
The context in which the Execute statement is invoked determines what objects and variables are
available to the code being run. In-scope objects and variables are available to code running in an
Execute statement. However, it is important to understand that if you execute code that creates a
procedure, that procedure does not inherit the scope of the procedure in which it occurred.
Like any procedure, the new procedure's scope is global, and it inherits everything in the global
scope. Unlike any other procedure, its context is not global scope, so it can only be executed in the
context of the procedure where the Execute statement occurred. However, if the same Execute
statement is invoked outside of a procedure (i.e., in global scope), not only does it inherit
everything in global scope, but it can also be called from anywhere, since its context is global. The
following example illustrates this behavior:
Example Sub Proc1 'Declare procedure.
Dim X 'Declare X in local scope.
X = "Local" 'Assign local X a value.
Execute "Sub Proc2: MsgBox X: End Sub" ‘Create a subroutine. Proc2 is local in scope
MsgBox Eval("X") 'Print local X.
Proc2 'Invoke Proc2 in Proc1's scope.
End Sub
Rem Main Program
Dim X, s 'Declare X in global scope.
X = "Global" 'Assign global X a value.
Proc2 ‘Error - Proc2 is unavailable outside Proc1.
Proc1 'Invokes Proc1.
s = “ Main Program”
Execute (“X = X & s”) ‘Concatenates strings
Execute "Sub Proc2: MsgBox X: End Sub"
Proc2 'Succeeds as Proc2 is now available globally.
The result when executing the above code is:

Local From MsgBox Eval(“X”) in Proc1
Global From Proc2 statement in Proc1
Global Main Program From Proc2 statement in Main program
The following example shows how the Execute statement can be rewritten so you don't have to
enclose the entire procedure in the quotation marks:
S = "Sub Proc2" & vbCrLf
S = S & " Print X" & vbCrLf
S = S & "End Sub"
Execute S
168
ExecuteGlobal
Description Executes one or more specified statements in the global namespace.
Usage Execute statement
Arguments The required statement argument is a string expression containing one or more statements for
execution. Include multiple statements in the statement argument, using colons or embedded line
breaks to separate them.
the same value. If they do, result is True; if they are not, result is False. The Execute statement
always uses the first interpretation, whereas the Eval method always uses the second.
The context in which the Execute statement is invoked determines what objects and variables are
available to the code being run. In-scope objects and variables are available to code running in an
Execute statement. However, it is important to understand that if you execute code that creates a
procedure, that procedure does not inherit the scope of the procedure in which it occurred.
Like any procedure, the new procedure's scope is global, and it inherits everything in the global
scope. Unlike any other procedure, its context is not global scope, so it can only be executed in the
context of the procedure where the Execute statement occurred. However, if the same Execute
statement is invoked outside of a procedure (i.e., in global scope), not only does it inherit
everything in global scope, but it can also be called from anywhere, since its context is global. The
following example illustrates this behavior:
The difference between Execute and ExecuteGlobal is that Execute operates in the local
namespace while ExecuteGlobal operates in the Global namespace. The ExecuteGlobal
statement will have limited applicability since IWS does not support a global namespace for
variables.
Example Sub Proc1 'Declare procedure.
Dim X 'Declare X in local scope.
X = "Local" 'Assign local X a value.
Execute "Sub Proc2: MsgBox X: End Sub" ‘Create a subroutine. Proc2 is local in scope
MsgBox Eval("X") 'Print local X.
Proc2 'Invoke Proc2 in Proc1's scope.
End Sub
Rem Main Program
Dim X, s 'Declare X in global scope.
X = "Global" 'Assign global X a value.
Proc2 ‘Error - Proc2 is unavailable outside Proc1.
Proc1 'Invokes Proc1.
s = “ Main Program”
Execute (“X = X & s”) ‘Concatenates strings
Execute "Sub Proc2: MsgBox X: End Sub"
Proc2 'Succeeds as Proc2 is now available globally.
The result when executing the above code is:

Local From MsgBox Eval(“X”) in Proc1
Global From Proc2 statement in Proc1
Global Main Program From Proc2 statement in Main program
The following example shows how the Execute statement can be rewritten so you don't have to
enclose the entire procedure in the quotation marks:
S = "Sub Proc2" & vbCrLf
S = S & " Print X" & vbCrLf
S = S & "End Sub"
Execute S
169
Exit
Description Allows premature exiting of a block of code
Usage Exit [Do | For | Function | Property | Sub]
Arguments None
Return N/A
Remarks Must be used with a procedure statement of a block of code. Provides early termination. Must
choose the appropriate form of the statement to match the procedure statement or block of code.
See Also End
Example Do 'Outer loop.
Do While Counter < 20 'Inner loop
Counter = Counter + 1 'Increment Counter.
If Counter = 10 Then 'If condition is True...
Check = False 'Set value of flag to False.
Exit Do 'Exit inner loop.
End If
Loop
Loop Until Check = False 'Exit outer loop immediately
For Each…Next
Description Repeats a group of statements for each element in an array or a collection.
Usage For Each element In group
[statements]
[Exit For]
[statements]
Next [element]
Arguments element
Variable used to iterate through the elements of the collection or array. For collections, element
can only be a Variant variable, a generic Object variable, or any specific Automation object
variable. For arrays, element can only be a Variant variable.
group
Name of an object collection or array.
statements
One or more statements that are executed on each item in group.
Return N/A
Remarks The For Each block is entered if there is at least one element in the array or the collection. Once
the loop has been entered, all the statements in the loop are executed for the first element in group.
As long as there are more elements in group, the statements in the loop continue to execute for
each element. When there are no more elements in group, the loop is exited and execution
continues with the statement following the Next statement.
The Exit For can only be used within a For Each...Next or For...Next control structure to provide
an alternate way to exit. Any number of Exit For statements may be placed anywhere in the loop.
The Exit For is often used with the evaluation of some condition (for example, If...Then), and
transfers control to the statement immediately following Next.
You can nest For Each...Next loops by placing one For Each...Next loop within another. However,
each loop element must be unique. If you omit element in a Next statement, execution continues
as if you had included it. If a Next statement is encountered before it's corresponding For
statement, an error occurs.
Example Function ShowFileList (folderspec)
Dim fso, f, f1, fc, s
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set f = fso.GetFolder(folderspec)
Set fc = f.Files
For Each f1 in fc
s = s & f1.name & vbCrLf
Next
MsgBox “Files in “ & folderspec & “ = “ & s
End
170
For…Next
Description Repeats a group of statements a specified number of times.
Usage For counter = start To end [Step step]
[statements]
[Exit For]
[statements]
Next
Arguments counter
Numeric variable used as a loop counter. The variable can't be an array element or an element
of a user-defined type.
start
Initial value of counter.
end
Final value of counter.
step
Amount counter is changed each time through the loop. If not specified, step defaults to one.
statements
One or more statements between For and Next that are executed the specified number of
times.
Remarks The step argument can be either positive or negative. The value of the step argument determines
loop processing as follows:
Value Loop executes if
Positive or 0 counter <= end
Negative counter >= end
Once the loop starts and all statements in the loop have executed, step is added to counter. At this
point, either the statements in the loop execute again (based on the same test that caused the loop
to execute initially), or the loop is exited and execution continues with the statement following the
Next statement
Exit For can only be used within a For Each...Next or For...Next control structure to provide an
alternate way to exit. Any number of Exit For statements may be placed anywhere in the loop. Exit
For is often used with the evaluation of some condition (for example, If...Then), and transfers
control to the statement immediately following Next.
You can nest For...Next loops by placing one For...Next loop within another. Give each loop a
unique variable name as its counter.
Note that changing the value of the counter while inside a loop can make debugging the code
difficult
Example(s) For j = 1 to 10
For j= 1 to 10
For l = 1 to 10
…..
Next
Next
Next
171
Function
Description Declares the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Function procedure
Usage [Public [Default] | Private] Function name [(arglist)]
[statements]
[name = expression]
[Exit Function]
[statements]
[name = expression]
End Function
Arguments Public
Indicates that the Function procedure is accessible to all other procedures in all scripts.
Default
Used only with the Public keyword in a Class block to indicate that the Function procedure is
the default method for the class. An error occurs if more than one Default procedure is
specified in a class.
Private
Indicates that the Function procedure is accessible only to other procedures in the script
where it is declared or if the function is a member of a class, and that the Function procedure
is accessible only to other procedures in that class.
name
Name of the Function; follows standard variable naming conventions.
arglist
List of variables representing arguments that are passed to the Function procedure when it is
called. Commas separate multiple variables.
The arglist argument has the following syntax and parts:
[ByVal | ByRef] varname[( )]
ByVal
Indicates that the argument is passed by value.
ByRef
Indicates that the argument is passed by reference.
varname
Name of the variable representing the argument; follows standard variable naming
conventions.
statements
Any group of statements to be executed within the body of the Function procedure.
expression
Return Value of the Function.
Remarks If not explicitly specified using either Public or Private, Function procedures are public by default,
that is, they are visible to all other procedures in your script. The value of local variables in a
Function is not preserved between calls to the procedure.
You cannot define a Function procedure inside any other procedure (e.g. Sub or Property Get).
The Exit Function statement causes an immediate exit from a Function procedure. Program
execution continues with the statement that follows the statement that called the Function
procedure. Any number of Exit Function statements can appear anywhere in a Function
procedure.
Like a Sub procedure, a Function procedure is a separate procedure that can take arguments,
perform a series of statements, and change the values of its arguments. However, unlike a Sub
procedure, you can use a Function procedure on the right side of an expression in the same way
you use any intrinsic function, such as Sqr, Cos, or Chr, when you want to use the value returned
by the function.
You call a Function procedure using the function name, followed by the argument list in
parentheses, in an expression. See the Call statement for specific information on how to call
Function procedures.
172
To return a value from a function, assign the value to the function name. Any number of such
assignments can appear anywhere within the procedure. If no value is assigned to name, the
procedure returns a default value: a numeric function returns 0 and a string function returns a zero-
length string (""). A function that returns an object reference returns Nothing if no object reference
is assigned to name (using Set) within the Function.
Variables used in Function procedures fall into two categories: those that are explicitly declared
within the procedure and those that are not. Variables that are explicitly declared in a procedure
(using Dim or the equivalent) are always local to the procedure. Variables that are used but not
explicitly declared in a procedure are also local unless they are explicitly declared at some higher
level outside the procedure.
Caution: Function procedures can be recursive, that is, they can call themselves to perform a
given task. However, recursion can lead to stack overflow.
Caution: A procedure can use a variable that is not explicitly declared in the procedure, but a
naming conflict can occur if anything you have defined at the script level has the same name. If
your procedure refers to an undeclared variable that has the same name as another procedure,
constant, or variable, it is assumed that your procedure is referring to that script-level name. To
avoid this kind of conflict, use an Option Explicit statement to force explicit declaration of variables.
Caution: VBScript may rearrange arithmetic expressions to increase internal efficiency. Avoid
using a Function procedure in an arithmetic expression when the function changes the value of
variables in the same expression.
See Also Sub
Example The following example shows how to assign a return value to a function named BinarySearch. In
this case, False is assigned to the name to indicate that some value was not found.
Function BinarySearch(. . .)
...
' Value not found. Return a value of False.
If lower > upper Then
BinarySearch = False
Exit Function
End If
...
End Function
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If …Then…Else
Description Conditionally executes a group of statements, depending on the value of an expression.
Usage If condition Then statements [Else elsestatements ]
(Or, you can use the block form syntax)
If condition Then
statements]
[ElseIf condition-n Then
[elseifstatements]] . . .
[Else
[elsestatements]]
End If
Arguments condition
One or more of the following two types of expressions:
1) A numeric or string expression that evaluates to True or False. If condition is Null,
condition is treated as False.
2) An expression of the form TypeOf objectname Is objecttype. The objectname is any
object reference and objecttype is any valid object type. The expression is True if
objectname is of the object type specified by objecttype; otherwise it is False.
statements
One or more statements separated by colons; executed if condition is True.
condition-n
Same as condition.
elseifstatements
One or more statements executed if the associated condition-n is True.
elsestatements
One or more statements executed if no previous condition or condition-n expression is
True.
Remarks You can use the single-line form (first syntax) for short, simple tests. However, the block form
(second syntax) provides more structure and flexibility than the single-line form and is usually
easier to read, maintain, and debug. With the single-line syntax, it is possible to have
multiple statements executed as the result of an If...Then decision, but they must all
be on the same line and separated by colons, as in the following statement:
If A > 10 Then A= A+ 1 : B = B + A : C = C + B
When executing a block If (second syntax), condition is tested. If condition is True, the statements
following Then are executed. If condition is False, each ElseIf (if any) is evaluated in turn. When a
True condition is found, the statements following the associated Then are executed. If none of the
ElseIf statements are True (or there are no ElseIf clauses), the statements following Else are
executed. After executing the statements following Then or Else, execution continues with the
statement following End If.
The Else and ElseIf clauses are both optional. You can have as many ElseIf statements as you
want in a block If, but none can appear after the Else clause. Block If statements can be nested;
that is, contained within one another.
What follows the Then keyword is examined to determine whether or not a statement is a block If.
If anything other than a comment appears after Then on the same line, the statement is treated as
a single-line If statement.
A block If statement must be the first statement on a line. The block If must end with an End If
statement.
Example If A > 10 then A = A + 1
If C = 10 then D = 5 Else E = 4
174
On Error
Description Enables or disables error handling.
Usage On Error Resume Next
On Error GoTo 0
Arguments none
Remarks If you don't use an On Error Resume Next statement anywhere in your code, any run-time error
that occurs can cause an error message to be displayed and code execution stopped. However,
the host running the code determines the exact behavior. The host can sometimes opt to handle
such errors differently. In some cases, the script debugger may be invoked at the point of the error.
In still other cases, there may be no apparent indication that any error occurred because the host
does not to notify the user. Again, this is purely a function of how the host handles any errors that
occur.
Within any particular procedure, an error is not necessarily fatal as long as error-handling is
enabled somewhere along the call stack. If local error-handling is not enabled in a procedure and
an error occurs, control is passed back through the call stack until a procedure with error-handling
enabled is found and the error is handled at that point. If no procedure in the call stack is found to
have error-handling enabled, an error message is displayed at that point and execution stops or the
host handles the error as appropriate.
On Error Resume Next causes execution to continue with the statement immediately following the
statement that caused the run-time error, or with the statement immediately following the most
recent call out of the procedure containing the On Error Resume Next statement. This allows
execution to continue despite a run-time error. You can then build the error-handling routine inline
within the procedure.
An On Error Resume Next statement becomes inactive when another procedure is called, so you
should execute an On Error Resume Next statement in each called routine if you want inline error
handling within that routine. When a procedure is exited, the error-handling capability reverts to
whatever error-handling was in place before entering the exited procedure.
Use On Error GoTo 0 to disable error handling if you have previously enabled it using On Error
Resume Next.
See Also Err object, Exit
Example The following example illustrates use of the On Error Resume Next statement.
On Error Resume Next
Err.Raise 6 ' Raise an overflow error.
MsgBox "Error # " & CStr(Err.Number) & " " & Err.Description
Err.Clear ' Clear the error.
Option Explicit
Description Forces explicit declaration of all variables in a script.
Usage Option Explicit
Arguments none
Remarks If used, the Option Explicit statement must appear in a script before any other statements. A
compile-time error occurs whenever a variable is encountered that has not been previously
declared.
When you use the Option Explicit statement, you must explicitly declare all variables using the
Dim, Private, Public, or ReDim statements. If you attempt to use an undeclared variable name, an
error occurs.
Use Option Explicit to avoid incorrectly typing the name of an existing variable or to avoid
confusion in code where the scope of the variable is not clear.
Example The following example illustrates use of the Option Explicit statement.
Option Explicit ' Force explicit variable declaration.
Dim MyVar ' Declare variable.
MyInt = 10 ' Undeclared variable generates error.
MyVar = 10 ' Declared variable does not generate error.
175
Private
Description Declares private variables and allocates storage space. Declares, in a Class block, a private
variable.
Usage Private varname[([subscripts])][, varname[([subscripts])]] . . .
Arguments varname
subscripts
Returns N/A
Remarks Private statement variables are available only to the script in which they are declared. A variable
that refers to an object must be assigned an existing object using the Set statement before it can
be used. Until it is assigned an object, the declared object variable is initialized as Empty.
You can also use the Private statement with empty parentheses to declare a dynamic array. After
declaring a dynamic array, use the ReDim statement within a procedure to define the number of
dimensions and elements in the array. If you try to re-declare a dimension for an array variable
whose size was explicitly specified in a Private, Public, or Dim statement, an error occurs.
When you use the Private statement in a procedure, you generally put the Private statement at the
beginning of the procedure.
Example Private MyNumber ‘ Private Variant variable
Private MyArray(9) ‘ Private Array variable
Private MyNumber, MyVar ‘ Multiple Private declarations
176
Property Get
Description Declares, in a Class block, the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Property
procedure that gets (returns) the value of a property.
Usage [Public [Default] | Private] Property Get name [(arglist)]
[statements]
[[Set] name = expression]
[Exit Property]
[statements]
[[Set] name = expression]
End Property
Arguments Public
Indicates that the Property Get procedure is accessible to all other procedures in all scripts.
Default
Used only with the Public keyword to indicate that the property defined in the Property Get
procedure is the default property for the class.
Private
Indicates that the Property Get procedure is accessible only to other procedures in the Class
block where it's declared.
name
Name of the Property Get procedure; follows standard variable naming conventions, except
that the name can be the same as a Property Let or Property Set procedure in the same
Class block.
arglist
List of variables representing arguments that are passed to the Property Get procedure when
it is called. Commas separate multiple arguments. The name of each argument in a Property
Get procedure must be the same as the corresponding argument in a Property Let procedure
(if one exists).
statements
Any group of statements to be executed within the body of the Property Get procedure.
Set
Keyword used when assigning an object as the return value of a Property Get procedure.
expression
Return Value of the Property Get procedure.
Remarks If not explicitly specified using either Public or Private, Property Get procedures are public by
default, that is, they are visible to all other procedures in your script. The value of local variables in
a Property Get procedure is not preserved between calls to the procedure.
You can't define a Property Get procedure inside any other procedure (e.g. Function or Property
Let).
The Exit Property statement causes an immediate exit from a Property Get procedure. Program
execution continues with the statement that follows the statement that called the Property Get
procedure. Any number of Exit Property statements can appear anywhere in a Property Get
procedure.
Like a Sub and Property Let procedure, a Property Get procedure is a separate procedure that
can take arguments, perform a series of statements, and change the value of its arguments.
However, unlike a Sub and Property Let, you can use a Property Get procedure on the right side
of an expression in the same way you use a Function or property name when you want to return
the value of a property.
See Also Property Let, Property Set
Example Class myExample
Private myName
Public Property Let cName (strName) ‘Sets the value
myName = strName
End Property
Public Property Get cName() ‘Returns the value
cName = myName
End Property
End Class
177
Property Let
procedure that assigns (sets) the value of a property.
Usage [Public | Private] Property Let name ([arglist,] value)
[statements]
[Exit Property]
[statements]
End Property
Arguments Public
Indicates that the Property Let procedure is accessible to all other procedures in all scripts.
Private
Indicates that the Property Let procedure is accessible only to other procedures in the Class
name
Name of the Property Let procedure; follows standard variable naming conventions, except
that the name can be the same as a Property Get or Property Set procedure in the same
Class block.
arglist
List of variables representing arguments that are passed to the Property Let procedure when
it is called. Commas separate multiple arguments. The name of each argument in a Property
Let procedure must be the same as the corresponding argument in a Property Get procedure.
In addition, the Property Let procedure will always have one more argument than its
corresponding Property Get procedure. That argument is the value being assigned to the
property.
value
Variable to contain the value to be assigned to the property. When the procedure is called, this
argument appears on the right side of the calling expression.
statements
Any group of statements to be executed within the body of the Property Let procedure
Remarks If not explicitly specified using either Public or Private, Property Let procedures are public by
a Property Let procedure is not preserved between calls to the procedure.
You can't define a Property Let procedure inside any other procedure (e.g. Function or Property
Get).
The Exit Property statement causes an immediate exit from a Property Let procedure. Program
execution continues with the statement that follows the statement that called the Property Let
procedure. Any number of Exit Property statements can appear anywhere in a Property Let
procedure.
Like a Function and Property Get procedure, a Property Let procedure is a separate procedure
that can take arguments, perform a series of statements, and change the value of its arguments.
However, unlike a Function and Property Get procedure, both of which return a value, you can
only use a Property Let procedure on the left side of a property assignment expression
Note: Every Property Let statement must define at least one argument for the procedure it defines.
That argument (or the last argument if there is more than one) contains the actual value to be
assigned to the property when the procedure defined by the Property Let statement is invoked.
That argument is referred to as value in the preceding syntax.
See Also Property Get, Property Set
Example Class myExample
Private myName
Public Property Let cName (strName) ‘Sets the value
myName = strName
End Property
Public Property Get cName() ‘Returns the value
cName = myName
End Property
End Class
178
Property Set
procedure that sets a reference to an object.
Usage [Public | Private] Property Set name([arglist,] reference)
[statements]
[Exit Property]
[statements]
End Property
Arguments Public
Indicates that the Property Set procedure is accessible to all other procedures in all scripts.
Private
Indicates that the Property Set procedure is accessible only to other procedures in the Class
name
Name of the Property Set procedure; follows standard variable naming conventions, except
that the name can be the same as a Property Get or Property Let procedure in the same
Class block.
arglist
List of variables representing arguments that are passed to the Property Set procedure when
it is called. Commas separate multiple arguments. In addition, the Property Set procedure will
always have one more argument than its corresponding Property Get procedure. That
argument is the object being assigned to the property.
reference
Variable containing the object reference used on the right side of the object reference
assignment.
statements
Any group of statements to be executed within the body of the Property Set procedure.
Remarks Property Set is very similar to Property Let except that the Property Set procedure is used
exclusively for object-based properties.
If not explicitly specified using either Public or Private, Property Set procedures are public by
a Property Set procedure is not preserved between calls to the procedure.
You can't define a Property Set procedure inside any other procedure (e.g. Function or Property
Let).
The Exit Property statement causes an immediate exit from a Property Set procedure. Program
execution continues with the statement that follows the statement that called the Property Set
procedure. Any number of Exit Property statements can appear anywhere in a Property Set
procedure.
Like a Function and Property Get procedure, a Property Set procedure is a separate procedure
that can take arguments, perform a series of statements, and change the value of its arguments.
However, unlike a Function and Property Get procedure, both of which return a value, you can
only use a Property Set procedure on the left side of an object reference assignment (Set
statement).
Note: Every Property Set statement must define at least one argument for the procedure it defines.
That argument (or the last argument if there is more than one) contains the actual object reference
for the property when the procedure defined by the Property Set statement is invoked. That
argument is referred to as reference in the preceding syntax.
See Also Property Get, Property Let
Example Class FileHelper
Private myFSO ‘Define a variable to be used for an object
Public Property Set FSO(objFso) ‘Set Property
Set myFSO = objFso ‘Defines the object
End Property
End Class
179
Public
Description Declares public variables and allocates storage space. Declares, in a Class block, a public variable.
Usage Public varname[([subscripts])][, varname[([subscripts])]] . . .
Arguments varname
subscripts
Returns N/A
Remarks Public statement variables are available to all procedures in all scripts. Note: This is subject to
InduSoft restrictions contained in IWS. A variable that refers to an object must be assigned an
existing object using the Set statement before it can be used. Until it is assigned an object, the
declared object variable is initialized as Empty.
You can also use the Public statement with empty parentheses to declare a dynamic array. After
declaring a dynamic array, use the ReDim statement within a procedure to define the number of
dimensions and elements in the array. If you try to re-declare a dimension for an array variable
whose size was explicitly specified in a Private, Public, or Dim statement, an error occurs.
See Also Private
Example Public MyNumber ‘Public Variant variable
Public MyArray(9), MyVar ‘Multiple Public declarations
Randomize
Description Initializes the random number generator.
Usage Randomize(number)
Arguments number
The number argument can be any valid numeric expression
Returns N/A
Remarks Randomize uses number to initialize the Rnd function's random-number generator, giving it a new
seed value. If you omit number, the value returned by the system timer is used as the new seed
value. If Randomize is not used, the Rnd function (with no arguments) uses the same number as a
seed the first time it is called, and thereafter uses the last generated number as a seed value.
To repeat sequences of random numbers, call Rnd with a negative argument immediately before
using Randomize with a numeric argument. Using Randomize with the same value for number
does not repeat the previous sequence
See Also Rnd
Example Dim MyValue, Response
Randomize ‘Initialize random number generator
Do Until Response = vbNo
MyValue = Int((6*Rnd) +1) ‘Generate random value between 1 and 6
MsgBox MyValue ‘Print it
Response = MsgBox (“roll again? “. vbYesNo)
Loop
180
ReDim
Description Declare dynamic array variables, and allocates or reallocates storage space at the procedural level
Usage ReDim [Preserve] varname(subscripts) [, varname(subscripts)]
Arguments Preserve
Optional. Preserves the data in an existing array when you change the size of the single
dimension or the last dimension (only). If an array is contracted, data in the last elements will
still be lost. There is a high overhead associated with using the Preserve functionality and
should only be used when necessary.
varname
Required, Name of the array variable, following standard variable naming conventions. Can be
any Variant subtype.
Subscripts
argument uses the following syntax: Upper[,upper]… The lower bound of an array is always
zero in VBScript since arrays are zero-based.
Returns Returns a Variant containing an Array
Remarks The ReDim statement is used to size or resize a dynamic array that has already been formally
declared using a Private, Public, or Dim statement with empty parentheses (without dimension
subscripts). You can use the ReDim statement repeatedly to change the number of elements and
dimensions in an array. If you use the Preserve keyword, you can resize only the last array
dimension, and you can't change the number of dimensions at all. For example, if your array has
only one dimension, you can resize that dimension because it is the last and only dimension.
However, if your array has two or more dimensions, you can change the size of only the last
dimension and still preserve the contents of the array. Note that if you make an array smaller than it
was originally, data in the eliminated elements is lost.
A dynamic array must be declared without dimension subscripts.
See also Dim, Set
Example(s) Dim X() ‘ Declare a dynamic array
ReDim X(10,10,10) ‘ Declares dynamic array variables
ReDim Preserve X(10,10,15) ‘ Change the size of the last dimension, preserving data
Rem (or) ‘
Description Includes explanatory remarks in a program
Usage Rem comment
or
‘ comment
Arguments comment
The comment argument is the text of any comment you want to include. After the Rem
keyword, a space is required before comment.
Returns N/A
Remarks You can use an apostrophe (') instead of the Rem keyword. If the Rem keyword follows other
statements on a line, it must be separated from the statements by a colon. However, when you use
an apostrophe, the colon is not required after other statements.
Example myStr1 = “control” : Rem This is a comment after a statement, separated by a colon
myStr2 = “valve” ‘ This is also a comment but here, no colon is needed
Rem This is a comment line. No colon is needed
181
Select Case
Description Executes one of several groups of statements, depending on the value of an expression
Usage Select Case testexpression
[Case expressionlist-n
[statements-n]] . . .
[Case Else
[elsestatements-n]]
End Select
Arguments testexpression
Any numeric or string expression.
expressionlist-n
Required if Case appears. A comma delimited list of one or more expressions.
statements-n
One or more statements executed if testexpression matches any part of expressionlist-.
elsestatements-n
One or more statements executed if testexpression doesn't match any of the Case clauses.
Remarks If testexpression matches any Case expressionlist expression, the statements following that Case
clause are executed up to the next Case clause, or for the last clause, up to End Select. Control
then passes to the statement following End Select. If testexpression matches an expressionlist
expression in more than one Case clause, only the statements following the first match are
executed.
The Case Else clause is used to indicate the elsestatements to be executed if no match is found
between the testexpression and an expressionlist in any of the other Case selections. Although not
required, it is a good idea to have a Case Else statement in your Select Case block to handle
unforeseen testexpression values. If no Case expressionlist matches testexpression and there is
no Case Else statement, execution continues at the statement following End Select.
Select Case statements can be nested. Each nested Select Case statement must have a
matching End Select statement.
Example Dim Color, MyVar
Sub ChangeBackground (Color)
MyVar = lcase (Color)
Select Case MyVar
Case "red" document.bgColor = "red"
Case "green" document.bgColor = "green"
Case "blue" document.bgColor = "blue"
Case Else MsgBox "pick another color"
End Select
End Sub
182
Set
Description Assigns an object reference to a variable or property, or associates a procedure reference with an
event.
Usage Set objectvar = {objectexpression | New classname | Nothing}
or
Set object.eventname = GetRef(procname)
Arguments objectvar
Required. Name of the variable or property; follows standard variable naming conventions.
objectexpression
Optional expression consisting of the name of an object, another declared variable of the same
object type, or a function or method that returns an object of the same object type.
New
Keyword used to create a new instance of a class. If objectvar contained a reference to an
object, that reference is released when the new one is assigned. The New keyword can only
be used to create an instance of a class.
classname
Optional. Name of the class being created. A class and its members are defined using the
Class statement.
Nothing
Optional. Discontinues association of objectvar with any specific object or class. Assigning
objectvar to Nothing releases all the system and memory resources associated with the
previously referenced object when no other variable refers to it.
object
Required. Name of the object with which event is associated.
event
Required. Name of the event to which the function is to be bound.
procname
Required. String containing the name of the Sub or Function being associated with the event.
Remarks To be valid, objectvar must be an object type consistent with the object being assigned to it. The
Dim, Private, Public, or ReDim statements only declare a variable that refers to an object. No
actual object is referred to until you use the Set statement to assign a specific object.
Generally, when you use Set to assign an object reference to a variable, no copy of the object is
created for that variable. Instead, a reference to the object is created. More than one object
variable can refer to the same object. Because these variables are references to (rather than
copies of) the object, any change in the object is reflected in all variables that refer to it. Using the
New keyword allows you to concurrently create an instance of a class and assign it to an object
reference variable. The variable to which the instance of the class is being assigned must already
have been declared with the Dim (or equivalent) statement.
Refer to the GetRef function for information on using Set to associate a procedure with an event.
See Also GetRef
Example Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set d = fso.GetDrive(fso.GetDriveName(drvPath))
Set db = CreateObject(ADODB.Connection’)
Stop
Description Suspends execution
Usage Stop
Arguments None
Remarks You can place Stop statements anywhere in procedures to suspend execution. Using the Stop
statement is similar to setting a breakpoint in the code. The Stop statement suspends execution,
but it does not close any files or clear any variables. The Stop statement has no effect unless the
script is being debugged. This function does not work in IWS.
See Also Debug object
Example For i = 1 to 5
Debug.Write “loop index is “ & i
‘Wait for user to resume
Stop
Next
183
Sub
Description Declares the name, arguments, and code that form the body of a Sub procedure.
Usage [Public [Default] | Private] Sub name [(arglist)]
[statements]
[Exit Sub]
[statements]
End Sub
Arguments Public
Indicates that the Sub procedure is accessible to all other procedures in all scripts.
Default
Used only with the Public keyword in a Class block to indicate that the Sub procedure is the
default method for the class. An error occurs if more than one Default procedure is specified in
a class.
Private
Indicates that the Sub procedure is accessible only to other procedures in the script where it is
declared.
name
Name of the Sub; follows standard variable naming conventions.
arglist
List of variables representing arguments that are passed to the Sub procedure when it is called.
Commas separate multiple variables.
The arglist argument has the following syntax and parts:
[ByVal | ByRef] varname[( )]
ByVal
Indicates that the argument is passed by value.
ByRef
Indicates that the argument is passed by reference.
varname
Name of the variable representing the argument; follows standard variable naming
conventions.
statements
Any group of statements to be executed within the body of the Sub procedure.
Remarks If not explicitly specified using either Public or Private, Sub procedures are public by default, that
is, they are visible to all other procedures in your script. The value of local variables in a Sub
procedure is not preserved between calls to the procedure.
You can't define a Sub procedure inside any other procedure (e.g. Function or Property Get).
The Exit Sub statement causes an immediate exit from a Sub procedure. Program execution
continues with the statement that follows the statement that called the Sub procedure. Any number
of Exit Sub statements can appear anywhere in a Sub procedure.
Like a Function procedure, a Sub procedure is a separate procedure that can take arguments,
perform a series of statements, and change the value of its arguments. However, unlike a
Function procedure, which returns a value, a Sub procedure can't be used in an expression.
You call a Sub procedure using the procedure name followed by the argument list. See the Call
statement for specific information on how to call Sub procedures.
Variables used in Sub procedures fall into two categories: those that are explicitly declared within
the procedure and those that are not. Variables that are explicitly declared in a procedure (using
Dim or the equivalent) are always local to the procedure. Variables that are used but not explicitly
declared in a procedure are also local, unless they are explicitly declared at some higher level
outside the procedure.
Caution: Sub procedures can be recursive, that is, they can call themselves to perform a given
task. However, recursion can lead to stack overflow.
Caution: A procedure can use a variable that is not explicitly declared in the procedure, but a
naming conflict can occur if anything you have defined at the script level has the same name. If
your procedure refers to an undeclared variable that has the same name as another procedure,
constant or variable, it is assumed that your procedure is referring to that script-level name. To
avoid this kind of conflict, use an Option Explicit statement to force explicit declaration of variables.
184
See Also Function
Example(s) Sum sqrit(b)
b=b*b
End Sub
While…Wend
Description Executes a series of statements as long as a given condition is True.
Usage While condition
[statements]
Wend
Arguments condition
Numeric or string expression that evaluates to True or False. If condition is Null, condition is
treated as False.
statements
One or more statements executed while condition is True.
Remarks If condition is True, all statements in statements are executed until the Wend statement is
encountered. Control then returns to the While statement and condition is again checked. If
condition is still True, the process is repeated. If it is not True, execution resumes with the
statement following the Wend statement. While...Wend loops can be nested to any level. Each
Wend matches the most recent While.
Note that the Do...Loop statement provides a more structured and flexible way to perform looping.
Example Dim Counter
Counter = 0 ' Initialize variable.
While Counter < 20 ' Test value of Counter.
Counter = Counter + 1 ' Increment Counter.
Alert Counter
Wend ' End While loop when Counter > 19
185
With
Description Executes a series of statements on a single object
Usage With object
statements
End With
Arguments object
Required. Name of an object or a function that returns an object.
statements
Required. One or more statements to be executed on object.
Remarks The With statement allows you to perform a series of statements on a specified object without re-
qualifying the name of the object. For example, to change a number of different properties on a
single object, place the property assignment statements within the With control structure, referring
to the object once instead of referring to it with each property assignment. The following example
illustrates use of the With statement to assign values to several properties of the same object.
While property manipulation is an important aspect of With functionality, it is not the only use. Any
legal code can be used within a With block.
You can nest With statements by placing one With block within another. However, because
members of outer With blocks are masked within the inner With blocks, you must provide a fully
qualified object reference in an inner With block to any member of an object in an outer With block.
Note: Once a With block is entered, object can't be changed. As a result, you can't use a single
With statement to affect a number of different objects.
Important: Do not jump into or out of With blocks. If statements in a With block are executed, but
either the With or End With statement is not executed, you may get errors or unpredictable
behavior.
Example With MyLabel
.Height = 2000
.Width = 2000
.Caption = "This is MyLabel"
End With
186
VBScript Objects and Collections
Objects and collections

Class Object Matches Collection
Debug Object RegExp Object
Err Object SubMatches Collection
Match Object
These Objects and Collections are “built-in” to VBScript and do not rely on any runtime libraries or
ActiveX components.
Class
Description Declares the name of a class, as well as a definition of the variables, properties, and methods that
comprise the class
Usage Class classname
statements
End Class
Arguments classname
Required. Name of the Class; follows standard variable naming conventions.
statements
Required. One or more statements that define the variables, properties, and methods of the
Class.
Remarks Within a Class block, members are declared as either Private or Public using the appropriate
declaration statements. Anything declared as Private is visible only within the Class block.
Anything declared as Public is visible within the Class block, as well as by code outside the Class
block. Anything not explicitly declared as either Private or Public is Public by default. Procedures
(either Sub or Function) declared Public within the class block become methods of the class.
Public variables serve as properties of the class, as do properties explicitly declared using
Property Get, Property Let, and Property Set. Default properties and methods for the class are
specified in their declarations using the Default keyword. See the individual declaration statement
topics for information on how this keyword is used. You must instantiate an object to use it, using
the Set command; i.e. Set objname = New classname.
The Class block also supports two special subroutines; Class_Initialize() and Class_Terminate().
Code in the Class_Initialize() subroutine executes one time when the Class is instantiated by the
statement Set objName = New classname. Code in the Class_Terminate() subroutine executes
once when the Class is terminated by the Set objName = Nothing statement or when the Class
goes out of scope. The Class_Initialize() and Class_Terminate() subroutines can be Private or
Public, but it is recommended to make these Private so that these subroutines may not be called
by another code segment.
See Also Property Get, Property Let, Property Set
Example Class SignOn
Private MyName, MyLevel ‘Variable declaration
Private Sub Class_Initialize()
‘Rem Code here executes when Set objName = Class classname statement is executed
End Sub
Private Sub Class_Terminate()
‘Rem Code here executes when Set objName = Nothing statement is executed or
‘code goes out of scope.
End Sub
Public Property Let UsrName(strName) ‘Set the property value for user name
MyName = strName
End Property
Public Property Let UsrLevel(strLevel) ‘Set the property value for user level
MyLevel = strLevel
End Property
187
Public Property Get UsrName ‘Return the property value
UsrName = MyName
End Property
Public Property Get UsrLevel ‘Return the property value
UsrLevel = MyLevel
End Property
Public Sub LogOnMsg ‘LogOnMsg is a method. No parameters passed
MsgBox MakeMsg(MyLevel)
EndSub
Private Function MakeMsg(strLevel)
Select Case StrLevel
Case “User”
MakeMsg = “Hello “ & MyName & vbCrLf & “Logged on as “ & MyLevel
Case “Supervisor”
MakeMsg = “Welcome “ & MyName & vbCrLf & “Your level is “ & MyLevel
End Select
End Function
End Class
Rem the program starts here

Dim LogOn
Set LogOn = New SignOn ‘Instantiate the object
With LogOn
.UsrName = “Joe” ‘Set the name property
.UsrLevel = “Supervisor” ‘Set the level property
.LogOnMsg ‘Invoke logon method
End With
Set LogOn = Nothing
188
Debug
NOTE: the Debug object is not currently compatible with IWS. The Debug object is
documented for consistency purposes only.
Function The Debug object is an intrinsic global object that can send an output to a script debugger, such as
the Microsoft Script Debugger.
Remarks The Debug object cannot be created directly, but it is always available for use.
The Write and WriteLine methods of the Debug object display strings in the Immediate window of
the Microsoft Script Debugger at run time. If the script is not being debugged, the methods have no
effect.2
Method Write
Description Sends strings to the script debugger
Usage Debug.Write ([str1 [,str2 [, …[, strN]]]]
Arguments str1...strN
Optional. Strings to send to the script debugger
Remarks The Write method sends strings to the Immediate window of the Microsoft Script Debugger at run
time. If the script is not being debugged, the Write method has no effect.
The Write method is almost identical to the WriteLine method. The only difference is that the
WriteLine method sends a newline character after the strings are sent.
Example Dim counter
Counter = 30
Debug.Write “The value of counter is “ & counter
Method WriteLine
Description Sends strings to the script debugger, followed by the newline character
Usage Debug.WriteLine ([str1 [,str2 [, …[, strN]]]]
Arguments str1...strN
Optional. Strings to send to the script debugger
Remarks The WriteLine method sends strings to the Immediate window of the Microsoft Script Debugger at
run time. If the script is not being debugged, the WriteLine method has no effect.
The WriteLine method is almost identical to the Write method. The only difference is that the
Write method does not send a newline character after the strings are sent.
Example Dim counter
Counter = 30
Debug.Write “The value of counter is “ & counter
2
See http://msdn.microsoft.com for additional information on the Microsoft Script Debugger
189
Err
Function Contains information about the last run-time error. Accepts the Raise and Clear methods for
generating and clearing run-time errors.
Usage val = Err.Property
Err.Method
Arguments Varies with properties and methods used (see below)
Remarks The Err object is an intrinsic object with global scope — there is no need to create an instance of it
in your code. The properties of the Err object are set by the generator of an error — VBScript, an
Automation object, or the VBScript programmer.
The default property of the Err object is Number. Err.Number contains an integer and can be used
by an Automation object to return an SCODE.
When a run-time error occurs, the properties of the Err object are filled with information that
uniquely identifies the error and information that can be used to handle it. To generate a run-time
error in your code, use the Raise method.
The Err object's properties are reset to zero or zero-length strings ("") after an On Error
Resume Next statement. The Clear method can be used to explicitly reset Err.
For more information, see Microsoft Web site.3
Property Description
Function: Returns or sets a descriptive string associated with an error.
Usage: Err.Description [= stringexpression]
Arguments stringexpression
A string expression containing a description of the error.
Remarks: The Description property consists of a short description of the error. Use this
property to alert the user to an error that you can't or don't want to handle. When
generating a user-defined error, assign a short description of your error to this
property. If Description isn't filled in, and the value of Number corresponds to a
VBScript run-time error, the descriptive string associated with the error is returned
Example: On Error Resume Next
Error.Raise 39 ‘This is a non-defined VBScript error
Err.Description =”Pump OverFlow” ‘Define the error message
MsgBox “Error type is “ & Err.Description
Property HelpContext
Function: Sets or returns a context ID for a topic in a Help File.
Usage: Err.HelpContext [= contextID]
Arguments contextID
Optional. A valid identifier for a Help topic within the Help file.
Remarks: If a Help file is specified in HelpFile, the HelpContext property is used to
automatically display the Help topic identified. If both HelpFile and HelpContext
are empty, the value of the Number property is checked. If it corresponds to a
VBScript run-time error value, then the VBScript Help context ID for the error is
used. If the Number property doesn't correspond to a VBScript error, the contents
screen for the VBScript Help file is displayed.
Example: On Error Resume Next
Const usercontextID = 10
Error.Raise 48 ‘Error Loading DLL
Err.HelpFile = “myDLL.hlp” ‘The help file
Err.HelpContext = usercontextID ‘Specify the user context ID
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
MsgBox “Press F1 for help ” & “Error:” & Error.Description &_
Err.Helpfile & Err.HelpContext
End If
3
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/resources/scriptshop/shop1205.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/resources/scriptshop/shop0106.mspx
190
Property HelpFile
Function: Sets or returns a fully qualified path to a Help File
Usage: Err.HelpFile [= contextID]
Arguments contextID
Optional. Fully qualified path to the Help file
Remarks: If a Help file is specified in HelpFile, it is automatically called when the user clicks
the Help button (or presses the F1 key) in the error message dialog box. If the
HelpContext property contains a valid context ID for the specified file, that topic is
automatically displayed. If no HelpFile is specified, the VBScript Help file is
displayed.
Example On Error Resume Next
Err.Raise 11 ‘Divide by 0 error
Err.HelpFile = “myHelpFile.hlp”
Err.HelpContext = usercontextID
If Err.Number <>0 Then
MsgBox “Press F1 for help” & vbCrLf & “Error: “ &Err.Description _
& Error.HelpFile & Err.HelpContext
End If
Property Number
Function: Returns or sets a numeric value specifying an error. Number is the Err object's
default property
Usage: Err. Number [= errornumber]
Arguments errornumber
An integer representing a VBScript error number or an SCODE error value
Remarks: When returning a user-defined error from an Automation object, set Err.Number
by adding the number you selected as an error code to the constant
vbObjectError.
Err.Raise 11 ‘Divide by 0 error
Err.HelpFile = “myHelpFile.hlp”
Err.HelpContext = usercontextID
If Err.Number <>0 Then
MsgBox “Press F1 for help” & vbCrLf & “Error: “ &Err.Description _
& Error.HelpFile & Err.HelpContext
End If
Property Source
Function: Returns or sets the name of the object or application that originally generated the
error.
Usage: Err.Source [= stringexpression]
Arguments stringexpression
A string expression representing the application that generated the
error
Remarks: The Source property specifies a string expression that is usually the class name or
programmatic ID of the object that caused the error. Use Source to provide your
users with information when your code is unable to handle an error generated in
an accessed object. For example, if you access Microsoft Excel and it generates a
Division by zero error, Microsoft Excel sets Err.Number to its error code for that
error and sets Source to Excel.Application. Note that if the error is generated in
another object called by Microsoft Excel, Excel intercepts the error and sets
Err.Number to its own code for Division by zero. However, it leaves the other Err
object (including Source) as set by the object that generated the error.
Source always contains the name of the object that originally generated the
error — your code can try to handle the error according to the error documentation
of the object you accessed. If your error handler fails, you can use the Err object
information to describe the error to your user, using Source and the other Err to
inform the user which object originally caused the error, its description of the error,
and so forth.
When generating an error from code, Source is your application's programmatic
ID.
191
Err.Raise 8 ‘User defined error
Err.Description = “Invalid input”
Err.Source = “MyApplication”
MsgBox “Error Type = “ &Err.Description & “ generated in “ & Err.Source
Method Clear
Function: Clears all property settings in the Err object
Usage: Err.Clear
Arguments: none
Remarks: Use Clear to explicitly clear the Err object after an error has been handled. This is
necessary, for example, when you use deferred error handling with On Error
Resume Next. VBScript calls the Clear method automatically whenever any of the
following statements is executed:
• On Error Resume Next
• Exit Sub
• Exit Function
Method Raise
Function: Generates a run-time error
Usage: Err.Raise(number, source, description, helpfile, helpcontext)
Arguments: number
A Long integer subtype that identifies the nature of the error. VBScript errors
(both VBScript-defined and user-defined errors) are in the range 0–65535.
source
A string expression naming the object or application that originally generated
the error. When setting this property for an Automation object, use the form
project.class. If nothing is specified, the programmatic ID of the current
VBScript project is used.
description
A string expression describing the error. If unspecified, the value in number is
examined. If it can be mapped to a VBScript run-time error code, a string
provided by VBScript is used as description. If there is no VBScript error
corresponding to number, a generic error message is used.
helpfile
The fully qualified path to the Help file in which help on this error can be found.
If unspecified, VBScript uses the fully qualified drive, path, and file name of the
VBScript Help file.
helpcontext
The context ID identifying a topic within helpfile that provides help for the error.
If omitted, the VBScript Help file context ID for the error corresponding to the
number property is used, if it exists.
Remarks: All the arguments are optional except number. If you use Raise, however, without
specifying some arguments, and the property settings of the Err object contain
values that have not been cleared, those values become the values for your error.
When setting the number property to your own error code in an Automation object,
you add your error code number to the constant vbObjectError. For example, to
generate the error number 1050, assign vbObjectError + 1050 to the number
property.
Dim Msg
Err.Raise 6 'Raise an overflow error.
Err.Raise vbObjectError + 1, "SomeObject" 'Raise Object Error #1.
MsgBox ("Error # " & CStr(Err.Number) & " " & Err.Description & Err.Source)
Err.Helpfile = "yourHelp.hlp"
Err.HelpContext = yourContextID
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
Msg = "Press F1 or Help to see " & Err.Helpfile & " topic for" &
" the following HelpContext: " & Err.HelpContext
MsgBox Msg, , "error: " & Err.Description, Err.Helpfile, Err.HelpContext
192
End If
Err.Clear ‘ Clear the error
193
Match
Description Provides access to the read-only properties of a regular expression match.
Usage For Each Match in Matches
strRet = Match.prop
Rem other statement can go here
Next
Arguments varies with properties and methods used
Match
The Match object. Does not need to be instantiated
Matches
The Matches collection. Needs to be instantiated in a Set statement
prop
A Match object property
strRet
Return value.
Return The return value and type depends on the Match property used
See Also Length property, Value property, FirstIndex property
Remarks A Match object can be only created using the Execute method of the RegExp object, which
actually returns a collection of Match objects. All Match object properties are read-only.
When a regular expression is executed, zero or more Match objects can result. Each Match object
provides access to the string found by the regular expression, the length of the string, and an index
to where the match was found.
Example See example under Matches collection
Property FirstIndex
Description Returns the position in a search string where a match occurs
Usage strRet = objMatch.FirstIndex
Arguments None
Return A numeric value indicating the position in a string where the match occurs.
Remarks The FirstIndex property uses a zero-based offset from the beginning of the search string. In other
words, the first character in the string is identified as character zero (0).
Property Length
Description Returns the length of a match found in a search string.
Usage strRet = objMatch.Length
Arguments None
Return A numeric value indicating the length of a match string
Remarks Always used with the Match object
Property Value
Description Returns the value or text of a match found in a search string.
Usage strRet = objMatch.Length
Arguments None
Return A String containing the match found in the search string
Remarks Always used with the Match object
194
Matches
Description Collection of regular expression Match objects.
Usage Set Matches = objRegexp.Execute(string)
Arguments objRegexp
A RegExp object that was previously instantiated
string
A command string to execute for the RegExp object
Remarks A Matches collection contains individual Match objects, and can be only created using the
Execute method of the RegExp object. The Matches collection's one property is read-only, as are
the individual Match object properties.
When a regular expression is executed, zero or more Match objects can result. Each Match object
provides access to the string found by the regular expression, the length of the string, and an index
to where the match was found.
See Also RegExp, Match
Example Dim regEx, Match, Matches, RetStr, srExp 'Create variable.
strExp = “Is1 is2 IS3 is4” ‘Input string
Set regEx = New RegExp 'Instantiate RegExp object
regEx.Pattern = “is.” 'Set pattern.
regEx.IgnoreCase = True 'Set case insensitivity.
regEx.Global = True 'Set global applicability.
Set Matches = regEx.Execute(strExp) 'Execute search.
RetStr = “” ‘Zero out string
For Each Match in Matches 'Iterate Matches collection.
RetStr = RetStr & "Match found at position "
RetStr = RetStr & Match.FirstIndex & ". Match Value is '"
RetStr = RetStr & Match.Value & "'." & vbCRLF
Next
MsgBox RetStr
195
RegExp
Description Provides simple regular expression support.
Usage Varies with properties and methods used
Arguments Varies with properties and methods used
Remarks
Property Global
Function: Sets or returns a Boolean value that indicates if a pattern should match all
occurrences in an entire search string or just the first one.
Usage: RegExp.Global [= True | False ]
Arguments The value of the Global property is True if the search applies to the entire string,
False if it does not. Default is False.
Remarks See example below
Property Pattern
Function: Sets or returns the regular expression pattern being searched for.
Usage: RegExp.Pattern [= "searchstring"]
Arguments searchstring
Optional. Regular string expression being searched for. May include any of the
regular expression characters defined in the table in the Settings section.
Settings Special characters and sequences are used in writing patterns for regular
expressions. The following tables describe the characters that can be used.
Position Matching
Position matching involves the use of the ^ and $ to search for beginning or ending
of strings. Setting the pattern property to "^VBScript" will only successfully match
"VBScript is cool." But it will fail to match "I like VBScript."
Literals
Literals can be taken to mean alphanumeric characters, ACSII, octal characters,
hexadecimal characters, UNICODE, or special escaped characters. Since some
characters have special meanings, we must escape them. To match these special
characters, we precede them with a "\" in a regular expression.
Character Classes
Character classes enable customized grouping by putting expressions within []
braces. A negated character class may be created by placing ^ as the first
character inside the []. Also, a dash can be used to relate a scope of characters.
For example, the regular expression "[â-zA-Z0-9]" matches everything except
alphanumeric characters. In addition, some common character sets are bundled as
an escape plus a letter.
Repetition
Repetition allows multiple searches on the clause within the regular expression. By
using repetition matching, we can specify the number of times an element may be
repeated in a regular expression.
Alternation & Grouping
Alternation and grouping is used to develop more complex regular expressions.
Using alternation and grouping techniques can create intricate clauses within a
regular expression, and offer more flexibility and control.
Back References
Back references enable the programmer to refer back to a portion of the regular
expression. This is done by use of parenthesis and the backslash (\) character
followed by a single digit. The first parenthesis clause is referred by \1, the second
by \2, etc.
196
Position Matching
Symbol Function
\ Marks the next character as either a special character or a literal. For
example, "n" matches the character "n". "\n" matches a newline character. The
sequence "\\" matches "\" and "$" matches "(".
^ Matches the beginning of input.
$ Matches the end of input.
\b Matches a word boundary, that is, the position between a word and a space.
For example, "er\b" matches the "er" in "never" but not the "er" in "verb".
\B Matches a non-word boundary. "ea*r\B" matches the "ear" in "never early".
Literals
Symbol Function
AlphaNum Matches alphabetical and numerical characters literally.
\n Matches a newline character.
\f Matches a form-feed character.
\r Matches a carriage return character.
\t Matches a tab character.
\v Matches a vertical tab character.
\? Matches ?
\* Matches *
\+ Matches +
\. Matches .
\| Matches |
\{ Matches {
\} Matches }
\\ Matches \
\[ Matches [
\] Matches ]
\( Matches (
$ Matches )
\n Matches n, where n is an octal escape value. Octal escape values must be
1, 2, or 3 digits long. For example, "\11" and "\011" both match a tab
character. "\0011" is the equivalent of "\001" & "1". Octal escape values
must not exceed 256. If they do, only the first two digits comprise the
expression. Allows ASCII codes to be used in regular expressions.
\xn Matches n, where n is a hexadecimal escape value. Hexadecimal escape
values must be exactly two digits long. For example, "\x41" matches "A".
"\x041" is equivalent to "\x04" & "1". Allows ASCII codes to be used in
regular expressions.
197
Character Classes
Symbol Function
[xyz] Match any one character enclosed in the character set.
"[abc]" matches "a" in "plain".
[a-z] Match any one character in the specified range. For example, "[a-z]"
matches any lowercase alphabetic character in the range "a" through "z".
"[a-e]" matches "b" in "basketball".
[^xyz] Match any one character not enclosed in the character set.
"[â-e]" matches "s" in "basketball".
[^m-z] Matches any character not in the specified range. For example, "[m-z]"
matches any character not in the range "m" through "z".
. Match any single character except \n (newline).
\w Match any word character including underscore. Equivalent to [a-zA-Z_0-9].
\W Match any non-word character. Equivalent to [â-zA-Z_0-9].
\d Match any digit. Equivalent to [0-9].
\D Match any non-digit. Equivalent to [^0-9].
\s Match any space character (e.g. space, tab, form-feed, etc). Equivalent to
[ \t\r\n\v\f].
\S Match any non-space character. Equivalent to [^ \t\r\n\v\f].
Repetition
Symbol Function
{n} Match exactly n occurrences of a regular expression. n must be a non-
negative integer. "\d{5}" matches 5 digits. For example, "o{2}" does not
match the "o" in "Bob," but matches the first two o's in "foooood".
(n,} Match n or more occurrences of a regular expression. n must be a non-
negative integer. "\s{2,}" matches at least 2 space characters. For example,
"o{2,}" does not match the "o" in "Bob" and matches all the o's in "foooood."
"o{1,}" is equivalent to "o+". "o{0,}" is equivalent to "o*"
{n,m} Matches n to m number of occurrences of a regular expression. n and m
must be non-negative integers. "\d{2,3}" matches at least 2 but no more
than 3 digits. For example, "o{1,3}" matches the first three o's in "fooooood."
"o{0,1}" is equivalent to "o?".
? Match zero or one occurrences. Equivalent to {0,1}.
"a\s?b" matches "ab" or "a b"
"a?ve?" matches the "ve" in "never"
* Match zero or more occurrences. Equivalent to {0,}.
+ Match one or more occurrences. Equivalent to {1,}.
\num Matches num, where num is a positive integer. A reference back to
remembered matches. For example, "(.)\1" matches two consecutive
identical characters.
198
Alternation & Grouping
Symbol Function
() Grouping a clause to create a clause. May be nested. "(ab)?(c)" matches
"abc" or "c".
(pattern) Matches pattern and remembers the match. The matched substring can be
retrieved from the resulting Matches collection, using Item [0]...[n]. To
match parentheses characters ( ), use "$" or "$".
x|y Alternation combines clauses into one regular expression and then matches
any of the individual clauses; i.e. matches x or y.
"(ab)|(cd)|(ef)" matches "ab" or "cd" or "ef".
BackReferences
Symbol Function
()\n Matches a clause as numbered by the left parenthesis
"(\w+)\s+\1" matches any word that occurs twice in a row, such as "hubba
hubba."
Property IgnoreCase
Function: Sets or returns a Boolean value that indicates if a pattern search is case-sensitive
or not.
Usage: RegExp.IgnoreCase [= True | False ]
Arguments The object argument is always a RegExp object. The value of the IgnoreCase
property is False if the search is case-sensitive, True if it is not. Default is False.
Method Execute Method
Function: Executes a regular expression search against a specified string.
Usage: RegExp.Execute(string)
Arguments string
Required. The text string upon which the regular expression is executed
Return The Execute method returns a Matches collection containing a Match object for
each match found in string. Execute returns an empty Matches collection if no
match is found.
Remarks The actual pattern for the regular expression search is set using the Pattern
property of the RegExp object.
Method Replace
Function: Replaces text found in a regular expression search.
Usage: RegExp.Replace(string1, string2)
Arguments string1
Required. String1 is the text string in which the text replacement is to occur
string2
Required. String2 is the replacement text string.
Return The Replace method returns a copy of string1 with the text of RegExp.Pattern
replaced with string2. If no match is found, a copy of string1 is returned
unchanged.
Remarks The actual pattern for the text being replaced is set using the Pattern property of
the RegExp object.
199
Methods Test
Function: Executes a regular expression search against a specified string and returns a
Boolean value that indicates if a pattern match was found
Usage: RegExp.Test(string)
Arguments string
Required. The text string upon which the regular expression is executed
Return The Test method returns True if a pattern match is found; False if no match is
found.
Remarks The actual pattern for the regular expression search is set using the Pattern
property of the RegExp object. The RegExp.Global property has no effect on the
Test method.
Example Function RegExpTest(patrn, strng)
Dim regEx, Match, Matches ' Create variable.
Set regEx = New RegExp ' Create a regular expression.
regEx.Pattern = patrn ' Set pattern.
regEx.IgnoreCase = True ' Set case insensitivity.
regEx.Global = True ' Set global applicability.
Set Matches = regEx.Execute(strng) ' Execute search.
For Each Match in Matches ' Iterate Matches collection.
RetStr = RetStr & "Match found at position "
RetStr = RetStr & Match.FirstIndex & ". Match Value is '"
RetStr = RetStr & Match.Value & "'." & vbCRLF
Next
RegExpTest = RetStr
End Function
Rem Program Starts here

MsgBox(RegExpTest("is.", "IS1 is2 IS3 is4"))
Function RegExpTest(patrn, strng)

Dim regEx, retVal ' Create variable.
Set regEx = New RegExp ' Create regular expression.
regEx.IgnoreCase = False ' Set case sensitivity.
retVal = regEx.Test(strng) ' Execute the search test.
If retVal Then
RegExpTest = "One or more matches were found."
Else
RegExpTest = "No match was found."
End If
End Function

MsgBox(RegExpTest("is.", "IS1 is2 IS3 is4"))
200
The Replace method can replace subexpressions in the pattern. The following call to the function
ReplaceTest swaps the first pair of words in the original string:
Function ReplaceTest(patrn, replStr)

Dim regEx, str1 ' Create variables.
str1 = "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."
Set regEx = New RegExp ' Create regular expression.
regEx.IgnoreCase = True ' Make case insensitive.
ReplaceTest = regEx.Replace(str1, replStr) ' Make replacement.
End Function

MsgBox(ReplaceTest("fox", "cat")) ' Replace 'fox' with 'cat'.
201
SubMatches
Description A collection of regular expression submatch strings.
Usage varies with properties and methods used
Arguments varies with properties and methods used
Remarks A SubMatches collection contains individual submatch strings, and can only be created using the
Execute method of the RegExp object. The SubMatches collection's properties are read-only
When a regular expression is executed, zero or more submatches can result when subexpressions
are enclosed in capturing parentheses. Each item in the SubMatches collection is the string found
and captured by the regular expression.
Example Function SubMatchTest(inpStr)
Dim oRe, oMatch, oMatches
Set oRe = New RegExp
oRe.Pattern = "(\w+)@(\w+)\.(\w+)" ‘Look for an e-mail address
Set oMatches = oRe.Execute(inpStr) 'Get the Matches collection
Set oMatch = oMatches(0) 'Get the first item in the Matches collection
retStr = "Email address is: " & oMatch & vbNewline 'Create the results string.
'The Match object is the entire match - dragon@xyzzy.com

'Get the sub-matched parts of the address.
retStr = retStr & "Email alias is: " & oMatch.SubMatches(0) ' dragon
retStr = retStr & vbNewline
retStr = retStr & "Organization is: " & oMatch. SubMatches(1)' xyzzy
SubMatchTest = retStr
End Function

MsgBox(SubMatchTest("Please send mail to dragon@xyzzy.com. Thanks!"))
202
Scripting Type Library
The Scripting Type Library consists of the following item:
• Dictionary Object
The Dictionary object is part of the VBScript Scripting Library and is used to store name/value
pairs (known as key/item respectively) in an array. The key is a unique identifier for the
corresponding item. The key cannot be used of any other item in the same Dictionary object. A
Dictionary object is similar to a normal array, except that instead of using a numeric index, a key
is used.
• FileSystemObject Object Model

The FileSystemObject is an object model that is part of the VBScript Scripting Library and is
used to gain access to a local computer or network share computer file system. It can access
drives, folders and files Collections of drives, folders and files can also be retrieved. In addition,
the FileSystemObject can create, write to and read Text files.
o Drive object
o Drives collection
o File object
o File collection
o Folder object FileSystemObject
o Folder collection
o TextStream object
Drives Collection
Drives Object Drives Object
Folders Collection
Folder Object Folder Object
Files Collection
TextStream Object
File Object File Object
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Dictionary Object
The dictionary object is contained in the Scripting Type library and is a general-purpose data structure
that is a cross between a link list and an array. The dictionary stores data and makes the data accessible
from one variable. The advantages of a dictionary over an array are:
• You can use “keys” to identify items in the dictionary. Keys are usually strings or integers but can
be any data type other than an array or a dictionary. Keys must be unique.
• Methods are provided to add new items and check for existing items in the dictionary
• The dictionary size can be changed without calling the ReDim statement
• Automatically “shifts up” the remaining items when any item in the dictionary is deleted
You can use a Dictionary when you need to access random elements frequently or need to access
information contained in the array based on its value, not position.
Dictionary
Description Is an associative array that can store any type of data. Data is accessed by a key.
Remarks Keys must be unique.
Property CompareMode
Description: Sets and returns the comparison mode for comparing a string keys in a Dictionary
object.
Arguments: Compare
Optional. If provided, compare is a value representing the comparison mode.
Values are:
0 = Binary
1 = Text
2 = Database
Values >2 can be used to refer to comparisons using specific Locale IDs (LCID)
Return: Comparison mode
Remarks: An error occurs if you try to change the comparison mode of a Dictionary object
that already has data
Use Object.CompareMode[ = compare]
Example: Dim d
Set d = CreateObject(“Scripting.Dictionary”)
d.CompareMode = vbTextCompare
d.Add “a”, “Chicago”
d.Add “b”, “New York”
d.Add “A” = “Austin” ‘ Method fails because “b” already exists
Property Count
Description: Returns the number of items pairs in a Dictionary object.
Usage: Object.Count
Arguments: None
Return: Integer value of the count of item pairs in a Dictionary object.
Remarks: Read Only.
Example: Dim d, item_count
item_count = d.Count ‘ Count the items in a Dictionary object
MsgBox item_count
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Property Item
Description: Sets or returns an item for a specified key in a Dictionary object.
Usage: Object.Item (key) [= newitem]
Arguments: key
Required. Is the key associated with the item being retrieved or added.
newitem
Optional. If provided, new item is the new value associated with the specified key
Return: None
Remarks: If the key is not found when changing an item, a new key is created with the
specified new item. If a key is not found when attempting to return an existing item,
a new key is created and its corresponding item is left empty.
Example: Dim d
MyItem = d.Item(“a”)
MsgBox MyItem ‘ Displays Chicago
d.Item(“b”) = “Austin” ‘ Change item for key “b” to Austin
Property Key
Description: Sets a key in a Dictionary object.
Usage: Object.Key (key) = newkey
Arguments: key
Required. Is the key value being changed
newkey
Required. New value that replaces the specified key
Return: None
Remarks: If the key is not found when changing a key, a new key is created and its
associated item is left empty.
Example: Dim d
d.Key(“a”) = “city1”
d.Key(“b”) = “city2”
Method Add
Description: Adds the name of a dictionary object
Usage: object.Add (key, item)
Arguments: key
Required. The key associated with the item being added. Must be unique.
item
Required. This is the item associated with the key being added.
Return: None. Error occurs if the key already exists
Example: Dim d
Method Exists
Description: Determine is a specified key exists in the Dictionary object
Usage: object.Exists (key)
Arguments: key
Required. The key value being searched for
Return: TRUE if a specified key exists in the Dictionary object, otherwise FALSE
Example Dim d, msg
Msg = “key does not exist”
if d.Exists (“b”) Then msg = “Key exists”
MsgBox (Msg) ‘ Indicate if the key exists
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Method Items
Description: Returns an array containing all the existing items in a Dictionary object
Usage: Object.Items ()
Arguments: None
Return: Array containing all the existing items in the Dictionary object
Example: Dim a, d
d.Add “b”, “New York
a = d.Items
For i = 0 to d.Count – 1
s = s & a(i) & vbCrLf
Next
MsgBox s ‘ Display all the items
Method Keys
Description: Returns an array containing all the existing keys in a Dictionary object
Usage: Object.Keys ()
Arguments: None
Return: Array containing all the existing keys in the Dictionary object
Example: Dim a, d
d.Add “b”, “New York
a = d.Keys
For i = 0 to d.Count – 1
s = s & a(i) & vbCrLf
Next
MsgBox s ‘ Display all the keys
Method Remove
Description: Removes a key, item pair from a Dictionary object
Usage: Object.Remove (key)
Arguments: key
Required. Is the key associated with the key, item pair you want to remove
from the Dictionary object
Return: None
Example: Dim a, d
d.Remove(“b”) ‘ Removes the “b, New York” key/item pair
Method RemoveAll
Description: Removes all key, item pairs from a Dictionary object
Usage: Object.RemoveAll( )
Arguments: None
Return: None
Example: Dim a, d
d.RemoveAll ‘ Removes all key/item pairs
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FileSystemObject (FSO)
The FileSystemObject (FSO) object model is part of the VBScript Scripting Type library. It is a COM
component and is used to manipulate the Windows File System from VBScript. Note that VBScript does
not include commands to access files directly, instead the FSO is used.
The FSO consists of collections (Drives Collection, Folders Collection, and Files Collection) that are a
grouping of like objects, and individual objects (Drive object, Folder object, File object, and TextStream
object). The individual objects are generally derived from a collection or accessed/created directly
through the FSO.
The FSO must be instantiated by the following set of statements:

Dim objFso ‘Declare the variable(s)
Set objFso = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”) ‘Instantiate the FileSystemObject
FSO Properties and Methods

Property Drives
Description: Returns a collection of Drive objects.
Use: Set objDrive = fso.Drives
Arguments: fso
Required. The name of a FileSystemObject object previously instantiated.
Return: An object containing a collection of Drives objects
Remarks: Returns a collection of Drives objects available on the local machine, including networked drives
mapped to the local machine. Removable media drives do not have to have media inserted to
appear in the Drives Collection.
Example: Dim fso, dc, d, strDrvList
Set fso = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”) ‘Instantiate the FSO object
Set dc = fso.Drives ‘Instantiate the Drives collection object
strDrvList = “”
For each d in dc ‘Evaluate each drive in the drives
collection
strDrvList = strDrvList & d.driveLetter & “ – “ ‘Get the Drive letter
If d.DriveType = 3 Then ‘See if a network drive
strDrvList = strDrvList & d.ShareName ‘Yes
ElseIf d.IsReady Then ‘No – is a local drive. Check if ready
strDrvList = strDrvList & d.VolumeName ‘Yes – add to list
End If
strDrvList = strDrvList & vbCrLf ‘Add a Cr & Lf and then get next drive
Next
MsgBox strDrvList ‘Display the list of drives
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Method: BuildPath
Description: Appends a name to an existing path
Use: fso.BuildPath(path, name)
Arguments: fso
path
Required. Existing path to which name is appended. Path can be absolute or relative, and
need not specify an existing folder
name
Required. Name being appended to the existing path.
Return: None
Remarks: The BuildPath method inserts an additional path separator between the existing path and the
name, only if necessary. Does not check for a valid path.
Example: Dim fso, path, newpath
path = $getAppPath()
newpath = fso.BuildPath(path, "SubFolder")
Method: CopyFile
Description: Copies one or more files from one location to a new location
Use: fso.CopyFile (source, destination[, overwrite])
Arguments: fso
source
Required. A character string file specification, which can include wildcard characters, for one or
more files to be copied.
destination
Required. Character string destination where the file or files from source are to be copied.
Wildcard characters are not allowed in the destination string.
overwrite
Optional. Boolean value that indicates if existing files are to be overwritten. If True, files are
overwritten; if False, they are not. The default is True. Note that CopyFile will fail if destination
has the read-only attribute set, regardless of the value of overwrite.
Return: None
Remarks: Wildcard characters can only be used in the last path component of the source argument. If source
contains wildcard characters or destination ends with a path separator (\), it is assumed that
destination is an existing folder in which to copy matching files. Otherwise, destination is assumed
to be the name of a file to create. In either case, three things can happen when a file is copied.
• If destination does not exist, source gets copied. This is the usual case.
• If destination is an existing file, an error occurs if overwrite is False. Otherwise, an attempt
is made to copy source over the existing file.
• If destination is a directory, an error occurs. (Occurs because the directory doesn’t exist).
An error also occurs if a source using wildcard characters doesn't match any files. The CopyFile
method stops on the first error it encounters. No attempt is made to roll back or undo any changes
made before an error occurs.
Example: Const OverWrite = False
Dim fso, srcFiles, destPath
srcFiles = $getAppPath() & “Alarm\*.*”
destPath = $getAppPath() & “AlarmHistory”
If fso.FolderExists (destPath) = False Then
fso.CreateFolder (destPath)
End If
fso.CopyFile srcFiles, destPath
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Method: CopyFolder
Description: Copies a folder to a new location
Use: fso.CopyFolder (source, destination[, overwrite])
Arguments: fso
source
Required. A character string folder specification, which can include wildcard characters, for one or more
folders to be copied. Wildcard characters can only be used in the last path component of the source
argument.
destination
Required. Character string destination where the folder and subfolders from source are to be copied.
Wildcard characters are not allowed in the destination string.
overwrite
Optional. Boolean value that indicates if existing folders are to be overwritten. If True, files are overwritten;
if False, they are not. The default is True.
Return: None
Remarks: If source contains wildcard characters or destination ends with a path separator (\), it is assumed that
destination is an existing folder in which to copy matching folders and subfolders. Otherwise, destination is
assumed to be the name of a folder to create. In either case, four things can happen when an individual folder
is copied.
• If destination does not exist, the source folder and all its contents gets copied. This is the usual case.
• If destination is an existing file, an error occurs.
• If destination is a directory, an attempt is made to copy the folder and all its contents. If a file contained
in source already exists in destination, an error occurs if overwrite is false. Otherwise, it will attempt to
copy the file over the existing file.
• If destination is a read-only directory, an error occurs if an attempt is made to copy an existing read-
only file into that directory and overwrite is false.
An error also occurs if a source using wildcard characters doesn't match any folders. The CopyFolder method
stops on the first error it encounters. No attempt is made to roll back or undo any changes made before an
error occurs
Example: Const OverWrite = False
Dim fso, srcPath, destPath
srcPath = $getAppPath() & “*”
destPath = fso.GetParentFolderName(srcPath) & “SaveApp”
End If
fso.CopyFolder srcPath, destPath, OverWrite
Method: CreateFolder
Description: Creates a new folder in the specified location
Use: fso.CreateFolder(foldername)
Arguments: fso
foldername
Required. A character string expression that identifies the folder to create.
Return: None
Remarks: An error occurs if the specified folder already exists.
Example: Dim fso, destPath
destPath = $getAppPath() & “AlarmHistory”
End If
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Method: CreateTextFile
Description: Creates a specified file name and returns a TextStream object that can be used to read from or
write to the file
Use: Set objfile = fso.CreateTextFile(filename[, overwrite[, Unicode]])
Arguments: fso
Required. The name of a FileSystemObject object previously instantiated
filename
Required. A string expression that identifies the file to create
overwrite
Optional. Boolean value that indicates whether you can overwrite an existing file. The value is
True if the file can be overwritten, False if it can't be overwritten. If omitted, existing files are
not overwritten (default False).
unicode
Optional. Boolean value that indicates whether the file is created as a Unicode or ASCII file. If
the value is True, the file is created as a Unicode file. If the value is False, the file is created as
an ASCII file. If omitted, an ASCII file is assumed.
Remarks: None
Example: Dim fso, myFile
Set myFile = fso.CreateTextFile("c:\testfile.txt", True, False)
myFile.WriteLine("This is a test.")
myFile.Close
Set Myfile = Nothing
Set fso = Nothing
Method: DeleteFile
Description: Deletes a specified file
Use: fso.DeleteFile (filename[, force])
Arguments: fso
filename
Required. The name of the file to delete. The filename can contain wildcard characters in the
last path component.
force
Optional. Boolean value that is True of files with the read-only attribute set are to be deleted;
False if they are not. False is the default.
Return: None
Remarks: An error occurs if no matching files are found. The DeleteFile method stops on the first error it
encounters. No attempt is made to roll back or undo any changes that were made before an error
occurred.
myFile = “C:\TempData\Log*.dat”
fso.DeleteFile(myFile)
Set fso = Nothing
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Method: DeleteFolder
Description: Deletes the specified folder and its contents
Use: fso.DeleteFolder (folderspec[, force])
Arguments: fso
folderspec
Required. The name of the folder to delete. The folderspec can contain wildcard characters in
the last path component.
force
Optional. Boolean value that is True of folders with the read-only attribute set are to be deleted;
False if they are not. False is the default.
Return: None
Remarks: The DeleteFolder method does not distinguish between folders that have contents and those that
do not. The specified folder is deleted regardless of whether or not it has contents. An error occurs
if no matching folders are found. The DeleteFolder method stops on the first error it encounters.
No attempt is made to roll back or undo any changes that were made before an error occurred.
Example: Dim fso, myFolder
myFolder = “C:\TempData\”
fso.DeleteFolder(myFolder)
Set fso = Nothing
Method: DriveExists
Description: Determines whether or not a specified drive exists
Use: fso.DriveExists (drivespec)
Arguments: fso
drivespec
Required. A drive letter or a complete path specification.
Return: Returns a boolean True if the specified drives exists, otherwise returns False.
Remarks: For drives with removable media, the DriveExists method returns true even if there are no media
present. Use the IsReady property of the Drive object to determine if a drive is ready.
Example: Dim fso, drv, msg
drv = “e:\”
If fso.DriveExists(drv) Then
msg = "Drive " & UCase(drv) & " exists."
Else
msg = "Drive " & UCase(drv) & " doesn't exist."
End If
MsgBox msg
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Method: FileExists
Description: Determines whether or not a specified file exists
Use: fso.FileExists (filespec)
Arguments: fso
filespec
Required. The name of the file whose existence is to be determined. A complete path
specification (either absolute or relative) must be provided if the file isn't expected to exist in
the current folder
Return: Returns a boolean True if the specified file exists, otherwise returns False.
Remarks: None
Example: Dim fso, myFile, msg
myFile = $getAppPath() & “data\Mydata.mdb”
If fso.FileExists(myFile) Then
msg = myFile & " exists."
Else
msg = myFile & "doesn't exist."
End If
MsgBox msg
Method: FolderExists
Description: Determines whether or not a specified folder exists
Use: fso.FolderExists (folderspec)
Arguments: fso
folderspec
Required. The name of the folder whose existence is to be determined. A complete path
specification (either absolute or relative) must be provided if the folder isn't expected to exist in
the current folder
Return: Returns a boolean True if the specified folder exists, otherwise returns False.
Remarks: None
Example: Dim fso, myFolder, msg
myFolder = $getAppPath() & “data\”
If fso.FolderExists(myFolder) Then
msg = myFolder & " exists."
Else
msg = myFolder & "doesn't exist."
End If
MsgBox msg
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Method: GetAbsolutePathName
Description: Returns a complete and unambiguous path name that cannot be easily determined from the
specified path information.
Use: strPath = fso.GetAbsolutePathName(pathspec)
Arguments: fso
pathspec
Required. Path specification to change to a complete and unambiguous path
Return: String containing a complete and unambiguous path name
Remarks: A path is complete and unambiguous if it provides a complete reference from the root of the
specified drive. A complete path can only end with a path separator character (\) if it specifies the
root folder of a mapped drive. Assuming the current directory is c:\mydocuments\reports, the
following table illustrates the behavior of the GetAbsolutePathName method:
pathspec Returned path
"c:" "c:\mydocuments\reports"
"c:.." "c:\mydocuments"
"c:\" "c:\"
"c:*.*\may97" "c:\mydocuments\reports\*.*\may97"
"region1" "c:\mydocuments\reports\region1"
"c:\..\..\mydocuments" "c:\mydocuments"
Example: Dim fso, pathSpec, myPath

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject" ‘Current directory is
c:\mydocuments\reports
pathSpec = “C:\”
myPath = fso.GetAbsolutePathName(pathSpec) ‘Returns c:\mydocuments\reports
Method: GetBaseName
Description: Returns just the name of the object specified. It removes all other information including the
extension
Use: strBaseName = fso.GetBaseName(path)
Arguments: fso
path
Required. The path specification for the component whose base name is to be returned.
Return: String containing the name of the object specified.
Remarks: The GetBaseName method works only on the provided path string. It does not attempt to resolve
the path, nor does it check for the existence of the specified path. The GetBaseName method
returns a zero-length string (“”) if no component matches the path argument.
Example: Dim fso, filespec, baseName
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject"
filespec = $getAppPath() & “recipes.xml”
baseName = fso.GetBaseName (filespec) ‘Returns “recipes”
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Method: GetDrive
Description: Returns a Drive object corresponding to the drive for a specified path
Use: objDrv = fso.GetDrive(drivespec)
Arguments: fso
drivespec
Required. The drivespec argument can be a drive letter (c), a drive letter with a colon
appended (c:), a drive letter with a colon and path separator appended (c:\), or any network
share specification (\\computer2\share1).
Return: Drive Object corresponding to the drive for a specified path
Remarks: For network shares, a check is made to ensure that the share exists. An error occurs if drivespec
does not conform to one of the accepted forms or does not exist.
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, d, s
drvPath = “c:”
Set d = fso.GetDrive(fso.GetDriveName(drvPath))
s = "Drive " & UCase(drvPath) & " - "
s = s & d.VolumeName & vbCrLf
s = s & "Free Space: " & FormatNumber(d.FreeSpace/1024, 0)
s = s & " Kbytes"
MsgBox s
Method: GetDriveName
Description: Returns a string containing the name of the drive for a specified path
Use: strName = fso.GetDriveName(path)
Arguments: fso
path
Required. The path specification for the component whose drive name is to be returned.
Return: String containing the name of the drive for a specified path
Remarks: The GetDriveName method works only on the provided path string. It does not attempt to resolve
the path, nor does it check for the existence of the specified path. The GetDriveName method
returns a zero-length string (“”) if the drive can’t be determined.
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, GetAName
drvPath = “c:”
GetAName = fso.GetDriveName(drvPath) ‘Returns “c:”
Method: GetExtensionName
Description: Returns a string containing the extension name for the last component in a path.
Use: strExtName = fso.GetExtensionName(path)
Arguments: fso
path
Required. The path specification for the component whose drive name is to be returned.
Return: String containing the extension name for the last component in a path.
Remarks: For network drives, the root directory (\) is considered to be a component. The
GetExtensionName method returns a zero-length string ("") if no component matches the path
argument.
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, ExtName
drvPath = $getAppPath() & “recipes.xml”
ExtName = fso.GetExtensionName(drvPath) ‘Returns “xml”
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Method: GetFile
Description: Returns a File object corresponding to the file in the specified path. The file object methods and
properties can be accessed. See File Object for the file object’s methods and properties.
Use: objFile = fso.GetFile(fileSpec)
Arguments: fso
fileSpec
Required. The filespec is the path (absolute or relative) to a specific file.
Return: File Object
Remarks: An error occurs if the specified file does not exist. The GetFile method does not support the use of
wildcard characters, such as ? or *.
Example: Dim fso, fileSpec, f, s
fileSpec = $getAppPath() & “recipes.xml”
Set f = fso.GetFile(fileSpec)
s = f.Path & vbCrLf
s = s & "Created: " & f.DateCreated & vbCrLf
s = s & "Last Accessed: " & f.DateLastAccessed & vbCrLf
s = s & "Last Modified: " & f.DateLastModified
MsgBox s
Method: GetFileName
Description: Returns the last component of a specified path (file name or folder name) that is not part of the
drive specification.
Use: strName = fso.GetFileName(fileSpec)
Arguments: fso
fileSpec
Required. The path (absolute or relative) to a specific file.
Return: String containing the last component of a specified path
Remarks: The GetFileName method works only on the provided path string. It does not attempt to resolve
the path, nor does it check for the existence of the specified path. The GetFileName method
returns a zero-length string (“”) if pathspec does not end with the named component.
Example: Dim fso, fileSpec, s
fileSpec = $getAppPath() & “recipes.xml”
s = fso.GetFile(fileSpec) ‘Returns “recipes.xml”
MsgBox s
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Method: GetFileVersion
Description: Returns the version number of a specified file
Use: strVersionNum = fso.GetFileVersion(fileSpec)
Arguments: fso
fileSpec
Required. The path (absolute or relative) to a specific file.
Return: String containing the version number of a specified file
Remarks: The GetFileVersion method works only on the provided path string. It does not attempt to resolve
the path, nor does it check for the existence of the specified path. The GetFileVersion method
returns a zero-length string (“”) if pathspec does not end with the named component.
Example: Dim fso, fileSpec, s
fileSpec = “c:\windows\system32\notepad.exe”
s = fso.GetFile(fileSpec) ‘Returns “5.1.2600.2180”
If Len(s) Then
MsgBox “File Version is : “ & s
Else
MsgBox “No File Version information is available”
End If
Method: GetFolder
Description: Returns a Folder object corresponding to the folder in a specified path
Use: objFolder = fso.GetFolder(folderSpec)
Arguments: fso
folderSpec
Required. The folderspec is the path (absolute or relative) to a specific folder.
Return: Returns a folder object
Remarks: Since this method creates an object, you need to use it with the Set command. An error occurs if
the specified folder does not exist.
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, f, fc, s
drvPath = $getAppPath()
Set f = fso.GetFolder(drvPath)
Set fc = f.SubFolders
s = “”
For Each x in fc
s = s & x.Name & vbCrLf
Next
MsgBox s ‘Displays a list of folders in the App directory
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Method: GetParentFolderName
Description: Returns a string containing the name of the parent folder of the last component in the specified
path
Use: strName = fso.GetParentFolderName(path)
Arguments: fso
path
Required. The path specification for the component whose parent folder name is to be returned.
Return: String containing the name of the parent folder
Remarks: The GetParentFolderName method works only on the provided path string. It does not attempt to
resolve the path, nor does it check for the existence of the specified path. The
GetParentFolderName method returns a zero-length string (“”) if there is no parent folder for the
component specified in the path argument.
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, s
s = fso.GetParentFolderName(drvPath)
MsgBox “Parent Folder = “ & s ‘Returns “c:\My Documents\InduSoft Web Studio v6.1 Projects”
Method: GetSpecialFolder
Description: Returns the special folder specified
Use: strFolderName = fso.GetSpecialFolder(folderSpec)
Arguments: fso
folderSpec
Required. Then name of the special folder to be returned. Can be any of the following
constants:
WindowsFolder 0 The Windows folder containing files installed by the
Windows operating system
SystemFolder 1 The (Windows) System folder containing libraries, fonts
and device drivers
TemporaryFolder 2 The Temp folder is used to store temporary files. Its path
is found in the TMP environment variable.
Return: String containing the name of the parent folder
Remarks: None
Example: Dim fso, WinFolder, SysFolder
WinFolder = fso.GetSpecialFolder(0) & “\” ‘Result is “C:\Windows\”
SysFolder = fso.GetSpecialFolder(1) & “\” ‘Result is “C:\Windows\system32\”
Method: GetStandardStream
Description: Returns a TextStream object corresponding to the standard input, output, or error stream
Note:
• The GetStandardStream Method does not work with IWS and if you use it, you will get an error.
GetStandardStream only works for standard I/O when CScript is the VBScript Interpreter. For operator I/O,
use MsgBox and InputBox instead.
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Method: GetTempName
Description: Returns a randomly generated temporary file or folder name that is useful for performing operations
that require a temporary file or folder
Use: strName = fso.GetTempName
Arguments: fso
Return: String that contains a randomly generated temporary file or folder name. A random name with
a .tmp extension will be returned.
Remarks: The GetTempName method does not create a file. It only provides only a temporary file name that
can be used with CreateTextFile to create a file.
Example: Dim fso, tempFile
Function CreateTempFile
Const TemporaryFolder = 2
Dim tfolder, tname, tfile
Set tfolder = fso.GetSpecialFolder(TemporaryFolder)
tname = fso.GetTempName
Set tfile = tfolder.CreateTextFile(tname)
Set CreateTempFile = tfile
End Function
Set tempFile = CreateTempFile
tempFile.WriteLine "Hello World"
tempFile.Close
Method: MoveFile
Description: Moves one or more files from one location to another
Use: fso.MoveFile (source, destination)
Arguments: fso
source
Required. The path to the file or files to be moved. The source argument string can contain
wildcard characters in the last path component only.
destination
Required. The path where the file or files are to be moved. The destination argument can't
contain wildcard characters.
Return: None
Remarks: If source contains wildcards or destination ends with a path separator (\), it is assumed that
destination specifies an existing folder in which to move the matching files. Otherwise, destination
is assumed to be the name of a destination file to create. In either case, three things can happen
when an individual file is moved:
• If destination does not exist, the file gets moved. This is the usual case.
• If destination is a directory, an error occurs.
An error also occurs if a wildcard character that is used in source doesn't match any files. The
MoveFile method stops on the first error it encounters. No attempt is made to roll back any
changes made before the error occurs
Example: Dim fso, drvPath
drvPath = $getAppPath() & “recipes.xml”
fso.MoveFile drvPath, "c:\backup\"
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Method: MoveFolder
Description: Moves one or more folders from one location to another.
Use: fso.MoveFolder (source, destination)
Arguments: fso
source
Required. The path to the folder or folders to be moved. The source argument string can
contain wildcard characters in the last path component only.
destination
Required. The path where the folder or folders are to be moved. The destination argument
can't contain wildcard characters.
Return: None
Remarks: If source contains wildcards or destination ends with a path separator (\), it is assumed that
destination specifies an existing folder in which to move the matching folders. Otherwise,
destination is assumed to be the name of a destination folder to create. In either case, three things
can happen when an individual folder is moved:
• If destination does not exist, the folder gets moved. This is the usual case.
• If destination is a directory, an error occurs.
An error also occurs if a wildcard character that is used in source doesn't match any folders. The
MoveFolder method stops on the first error it encounters. No attempt is made to roll back any
changes made before the error occurs
Example: Dim fso, drvPath
fso.MoveFolder drvPath, "c:\backup\"
Method: OpenTextFile
Description: Opens a specified file and returns a TextStream object that can be used to read from, write to, or
append to a file.
Use: oTSO = fso.OpenTextFile(filename [, iomode[, create[, format]]])
Arguments: fso
filename
Required. A string expression that identifies the file to open.
iomode
Optional. Indicates the file input/output mode. Can be one of three constants:
ForReading 1 Open a file for reading only. You can’t write to this file
ForWriting 2 Open a file for reading & writing
ForAppending 8 Open a file and write to the end of the file
create
Optional. Boolean value that indicates whether a new file can be created if the specified
filename doesn't exist. The value is True if a new file is to be created if it doesn’t exist, False if
it isn't to be created if it doesn’t exist. If omitted, a new file isn't created (default = FALSE).
format
Optional. One of three Tristate values used to indicate the format of the opened file. If omitted,
the file is opened as ASCII.
TristateUseDefault -2 Opens the file using the system default
TristateTrue -1 Opens the file as Unicode
TristateFalse 0 Opens the file as ASCII
Return: A TextStream object
Example: Const ForReading=1, ForWriting=2, ForAppending=8
Dim fso, f
Set f = fso.OpenTextFile("c:\testfile.txt", ForWriting, True)
f.Write "Hello world!"
f.Close
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Drives Collection
FSO Property Drives
Description: Returns a collection of Drives objects.
Use: Set objDrives = fso.Drives
Arguments: fso
objDrives
Required. The name of a Drive Collection.
Return: An object containing a collection of Drives objects
Remarks: Returns a collection of Drives objects available on the local machine, including networked drives
mapped to the local machine. Removable media drives do not have to have media inserted to
appear in the Drives Collection.
Example: Dim fso, dc, d, strDrvList
strDrvList = “”
For each d in dc ‘Evaluate each drive in the drives
collection
strDrvList = strDrvList & d.driveLetter & “ – “ ‘Get the Drive letter
strDrvList = strDrvList & d.ShareName ‘Yes
ElseIf d.IsReady Then ‘No – is a local drive. Check if ready
strDrvList = strDrvList & d.VolumeName ‘Yes – add to list
End If
strDrvList = strDrvList & vbCrLf ‘Add a Cr & Lf and then get next drive
Next
MsgBox strDrvList ‘Display the list of drives
Property Count
Description: Returns the number of items in a collection. Read only.
Use: intCount = objDrives.Count
Arguments: objDrives
Required. The name of a Drive Collection previously instantiated.
Return: The number of items in a collection.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, dc, totDrives
totDrives = dc.Count
MsgBox “There are “ & totDrives & “ drives available”
Property Item
Description: Returns an item (a Drive Name) based on the specified key.
Use: strName = objDrives.Item(key)
Arguments: objDrives
Required. The name of a Drive Collection previously instantiated.
key
Required. The key is associated with the item being retrieved.
Return: The drive name for a specified key.
Remarks: Read only. This is a function more commonly used with the VBScript dictionary object.
(Scripting.Dictionary). The “Item” is similar to a numerical-based index in an array, except that an
Item can be character based and it must be unique.
Example: Dim fso, dc, myItem
myItem = dc.Item (“c”)
MsgBox myItem ‘Displays “c:”
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Folders Collection
FSO Method GetFolder
Use: objFolder = fso.GetFolder(folderspec)
Arguments: fso
folderspec
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, f, fc, nf
Set f = fso.GetFolder(drvPath) ‘Instantiate the parent folder object
Set fc = f.SubFolders ‘Return the subfolder Folders collection
s = “”
For Each x in fc
s = s & x.Name & vbCrLf ‘Iterate through the Folders collection object
Next
MsgBox s ‘Displays a list of subfolders in the App directory
Property Count
Use: intCount = objFolders.Count
Arguments: objFolders
Required. The name of a Folders Collection previously instantiated.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim drvPath, fso, fc, f, numf
numf = fc.Count
MsgBox “There are “ & numf & “ subfolders”
Property Item
Use: strName = objFolders.Item(key)
Required. The name of a Folders Collection.
key
Example: Dim drvPath, fso, fc, myItem
myItem = fc.Item (“Web”)
MsgBox myItem ‘displays the entire path to the Web
subfolder
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Method Add
Description: Adds a new folder to the Folders collection.
Use: objFolders.Add(folderName)
Required. The name of a Folders Collection previously instantiated.
folderName
Required. The name of the new Folder being added.
Return: None
Remarks: Adds a subfolder to the parent folder. An error occurs if the folderName already exists.
Example: Dim drvPath, fso, fc, numf
numf = fc.Count
MsgBox “There are “ & numf & “ subfolders” ‘Returns “7”
fc.Add (“TempData”) ‘Add a “TempData” subfolder
numf = fc.Count
MsgBox “There are “ & numf & “ subfolders” ‘Returns “8”
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Files Collection
FSO Method GetFolder
Use: objFolder = fso.GetFolder(folderspec)
Arguments: fso
folderspec
Example: Dim fso, drvPath, f, fc, x, s
drvPath = $getAppPath() & “Hst”
Set f = fso.GetFolder(drvPath) ‘Instantiate the folder object
Set fc = f.Files ‘Return the Files collection
s = “”
For Each x in fc
s = s & x.Name & vbCrLf ‘Iterate through the Files collection object
Next
MsgBox s ‘Displays a list of files in the “Hst” subfolder
Property Count
Use: intCount = objFiles.Count
Arguments: objFiles
Required. The name of a Files Collection object previously instantiated.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim drvPath, fso, fc, numf
Set fc = f.Files ‘Return the subfolder Folders collection
numf = fc.Count
MsgBox “There are “ & numf & “ files”
Property Item
Use: strName = objFiles.Item(key)
Arguments: objFiles
Required. The name of a Folders Collection object previously instantiated.
key
Example: Dim drvPath, fso, fc, myItem
Set fc = f.Files ‘Return the subfolder Folders collection
myItem = fc.Item (“myApp.app”)
MsgBox myItem ‘displays the entire path to myApp.app
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Drive Object
The Drive Object lets the programmer refer to a specific disk drive or network share drive. Once the Drive object is
instantiated, it can be referred to as an object from VBScript and its various Properties accessed.
The Drive Object is instantiated as follows:
Dim fso, d, driveSpec
Set fso = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”) ‘Instantiate the FSO Object
driveSpec = “c”
Set d = fso.GetDrive(driveSpec) ‘Instantiate the Drive Object
See the GetDrive method under the FileSystemObject Object Model section for additional details on instantiation of
the Drive Object.
The Drive object has no Methods, only Properties. These properties are generally read-only and follow the format:
return = objDrive.Property
where
return = return value or a returned object
objDrive = the required Drive object (“d” in the examples below)
Property = the Drive object property being accessed
Property AvailableSpace
Description: Returns the amount of space available to a user on the specified drive or network share drive.
Use: intSpace = objDrive.AvailableSpace
Arguments: objDrive
Required. The name of a Drive Object previously instantiated.
Return: The read-only value returned by the AvailableSpace property is typically the same as that returned
by the FreeSpace property. Differences may occur between the two for computer systems that
support quotas.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, d
Set d = fso.GetDrive(fso.GetDriveName(“c:”)
MsgBox “Available Space = “ & FormatNumber(d.AvailableSpace/1024, 0) & “ Kbytes”
Property DriveLetter
Description: Returns the drive letter of a physical local drive or a network share.
Use: strLetter = objDrive.DriveLetter
Arguments: objDrive
Return: The DriveLetter property returns a zero-length string ("") if the specified drive is not associated
with a drive letter, for example, a network share that has not been mapped to a drive letter.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, d
MsgBox “Drive “ & d.DriveLetter & “:”
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Property DriveType
Description: Returns a value indicating the type of a specified drive.
Use: intType = objDrive.DriveType
Arguments: objDrive
Return: The DriveType property a value indication the type of the specified drive. Return values are:
0 – unknown
1 – Removable
2 – Fixed
3 – Network
4 – CD-ROM
5 – RAM Disk
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, d, t
Select Case d.DriveType
Case 0: t = "Unknown"
Case 1: t = "Removable"
Case 2: t = "Fixed"
Case 3: t = "Network"
Case 4: t = "CD-ROM"
Case 5: t = "RAM Disk"
End Select
MsgBox "Drive " & d.DriveLetter & ": - " & “ is a “ & t & “ drive”
Property FileSystem
Description: Returns the type of file system in use for the specified drive.
Use: strType = objDrive.FileSystem
Arguments: objDrive
Return: Available return types include FAT, NTFS, and CDFS.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, d
MsgBox “Drive “ & d.DriveLetter & “ Files System type =” & d.FileSystem
Property FreeSpace
Description: Returns the amount of space available to a user on the specified drive or network share drive.
Use: intSpace = objDrive.FreeSpace
Arguments: objDrive
Return: The read-only value returned by the FreeSpace property is typically the same as that returned by
the AvailableSpace property. Differences may occur between the two for computer systems that
support quotas.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, d
MsgBox “Free Space = “ & d.FreeSpace/1024 & “ Kbytes”
225
Property IsReady
Description: Indicates whether the specified drive is ready or not
Use: boolReady = objDrive.IsReady
Arguments: objDrive
Return: Returns True if the specified drive is ready; False if it is not.
Remarks: Read only.
Example: Dim fso, d, s
s = “Drive “ & d.DriveLetter
If d.IsReady Then
s = s & " Drive is Ready."
Else
s = s & " Drive is not Ready."
End If
MsgBox s
Property Path
Description: Returns the path for a specified drive.
Use: strPath = objDrive.Path
Arguments: objDrive
Return: The path for a specified drive
Remarks: For drive letters, the root drive is not included. For example, the path for the C drive is C:, not C:\.
Example: Dim fso, d
Set d = fso.GetDrive(fso.GetDriveName(“c:”))
MsgBox “Path = “ & UCase(d.Path) ‘Returns c:
Property RootFolder
Description: Returns a Folder object representing the root folder of a specified drive.
Use: objFolder = objDrive.RootFolder
Arguments: objDrive
Return: The path for a specified drive
Remarks: Read-only. All the files and folders contained on the drive can be accessed using the returned
Folder object.
Example: Dim fso, d
Set d = fso.GetDrive(“c:”)
MsgBox “RootFolder = “ & d.RootFolder ‘Returns “c:\”
Property SerialNumber
Description: Returns the decimal serial number used to uniquely identify a disk volume.
Use: intSerNum = objDrive.SerialNumber
Arguments: objDrive
Return: A decimal serial number that uniquely identifies a disk volume
Remarks: Read-only. You can use the SerialNumber property to ensure that the correct disk is inserted in a
drive with removable media.
Example: Dim fso, d
MsgBox “Drive Serial Number = “ & d.SerialNumber ‘Returns “c:\”
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Property ShareName
Description: Returns the network share name for a specified drive.
Use: strName = objDrive.ShareName
Arguments: objDrive
Return: A string that is the network share name for a specified drive.
Remarks: Read-only. If object is not a network drive, the ShareName property returns a zero-length string ("").
Example: Dim fso, dc, d
MsgBox “Network Shared Drive Name = “ & d.ShareName
Else
MsgBox “Not a Network Shared Drive”
End If
Property TotalSize
Description: Returns the total space, in bytes, of a drive or network shared drive.
Use: intSize = objDrive.TotalSize
Arguments: objDrive
Return: Integer. The total space, in bytes, of a drive or network shared drive
Remarks: Read-only.
Example: Dim fso, d
MsgBox “Total Drive Size = “ & d.TotalSize & “ bytes” ‘Returns the total size of the drive
Property VolumeName
Description: Sets or returns the volume name of the specified drive. Read/write.
Use: strName = objDrive.VolumeName
objDrive.VolumeName [= newname]
Arguments: objDrive
Required. The name of a Drive Object previously instantiated..
newname
Optional. If provided, newname is the new name of the specified object
Return: String. The volume name of the specified drive.
Remarks: Read/Write.
Example: Dim fso, d
MsgBox “Total Drive Size = “ & d.TotalSize & “ bytes” ‘Returns the total size of the drive
227
Folder Object
The Folder Object allows the programmer refer to a specific folder. Once the Folder object is instantiated,
it can be referred to as an object from VBScript and its various Methods and Properties accessed.
The Folder Object is instantiated as follows:
Dim fso, f, myPath
myPath = $GetAppPath() & “Hst” ‘Define the path to the folder of
interest
Set f = fso.GetFolder(myPath) ‘Instantiate the Drive Object
See the GetFolder method under the FileSystemObject Object Model section for additional details on
instantiation of the Folder Object.
Method Copy
Description: Copies a specified folder from one location to another.
Use: objFolder.Copy (destination, [overwrite])
Arguments: objFolder
Required. The name of a Folder Object previously instantiated.
destination
Required. Destination where the folder is to be copied. Wildcard characters are not allowed.
overwrite
Optional. Boolean value that is True (default) if existing folders are to be overwritten, False if
they are not.
Return: None
Remarks: The results of the Copy method on a Folder are identical to operations performed using
FileSystemObject.CopyFolder where the folder referred to by object is passed as an argument.
You should note, however, that the alternative method is capable of copying multiple folders.
Example: Dim fso, f, myFolder
myFolder = $getAppPath() & “Hst” ‘Application Folder for Historical files
Set f = fso.GetFolder (myFolder)
f.Copy (myFolder & “Temp”) ‘Creates folder /HstTemp and copies files
Method: CreateTextFile
Description: Creates a specified file name and returns a TextStream object that can be used to read from or
write to the file
Use: Set objFile = objFolde.CreateTextFile(filename[, overwrite[, Unicode]])
filename
Required. A string expression that identifies the file to create
overwrite
Optional. Boolean value that indicates whether you can overwrite an existing file. The value is
True if the file can be overwritten, False if it can't be overwritten. If omitted, existing files are
not overwritten (default False).
unicode
Optional. Boolean value that indicates whether the file is created as a Unicode or ASCII file. If
the value is True, the file is created as a Unicode file. If the value is False, the file is created as
an ASCII file. If omitted, an ASCII file is assumed.
Remarks: None
Set myFile = fso.CreateTextFile("c:\testfile.txt", True, False)
myFile.WriteLine("This is a test.")
myFile.Close
228
Method: Delete
Description: Deletes a specified folder
Use: objFolder.Delete (force)
force
Optional. Boolean value that is True if folders with the read-only attribute set are to be deleted;
False if they are not (default).
Return: None
Remarks: An error occurs if the specified folder does not exist. The results of the Delete method on a Folder
are identical to operations performed using FileSystemObject.DeleteFolder. The Delete method
does not distinguish between folders that have content and those that do not. The specified folder
is deleted regardless of whether or not it has content.
myFolder = $getAppPath() & “HstTemp” ‘Specify the HstTemp folder in app
directory
f.Delete ‘Delete it
Method: Move
Description: Moves a specified folder from one location to another.
Use: objFolder.Move (destination)
destination
Required. Destination where the folder is to be moved. Wildcard characters are not allowed.
Return: None
Remarks: The results of the Move method on a Folder is identical to operations performed using
FileSystemObject.MoveFolder. You should note, however, that the alternative methods are
capable of moving multiple folders.
myFolder = $getAppPath() & “HstTemp” ‘Specify the HstTemp folder in app
directory
f.move(“c:\archive”) ‘Move it into c:\archive folder
229
Property: Attributes
Description: Sets or returns the attributes of files or folders.
Use: objFolder.Attributes = newAttributes
intAttribute = objFolder.Attributes
newAttributes
Optional. If provided, newAttributes is the new value for the attributes of the specified object.
The newattributes argument can have any of the following values or any logical combination of
the following values:
Normal 0 Normal file. No Attributes are set.
ReadOnly 1 Read-only file. Attribute is read/write.
Hidden 2 Hidden file. Attribute is read/write.
System 4 System file. Attribute is read/write.
Volume 8 Disk drive volume label. Attribute is read-only
Directory 16 Folder or directory. Attribute is read-only.
Archive 32 File has changed since last backup. Attribute is read/write
Alias 1024 Link or shortcut. Attribute is read-only
Compressed 2048 Compressed file. Attribute is read-only.
Return: Can return an attribute of a file or folder
Remarks: Read/write or read-only, depending on the attribute. The newAttribute can have any valid
combination of the above values.
Example: Dim fso, f, attrVal, myFolder
myFolder = $getAppPath() ‘Specify the app directory
attrVal = f.Attributes
attrVal = attrVal And 16 ‘See if a folder
If attrVal = 16 Then
MsgBox “Object is a folder”
Else
MsgBox “Object is not a folder”
End If
Property: DateCreated
Description: Returns the date and time that the specified folder was created.
Use: objFolder.DateCreated
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “App Directory created on “ & f.DateCreated
230
Property: DateLastAccessed
Description: Returns the date and time that the specified folder was last accessed
Use: objFolder.DateLastAccessed
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “App Directory was last accessed on “ & f.DateLastAccessed
Property: DateLastModified
Description: Returns the date and time that the specified folder was last modified
Use: objFolder.DateLastModified
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “App Directory was last modified on “ & f.DateLastModified
Property: Drive
Description: Returns the drive letter of the drive on which the specified folder resides
Use: objFolder.Drive
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “App Directory is installed on drive “ & f.Drive ‘Installed on drive c:
Property: Files
Description: Returns a Files collection consisting of all File objects contained in the specified folder.
Use: objFolder.Files
Return: A file collection.
Remarks: Includes files with hidden and system file attributes set.
Example: Dim fso, f, fc, myFolder
fc = f.files ‘Return file collection of files in app folder
231
Property: IsRootFolder
Description: Tests to see if the specified folder is the root folder.
Use: boolValue = objFolder.IsRootFolder
Return: True if the specified folder is the root folder; False if not.
Remarks: Includes files with hidden and system file attributes set.
Example: Dim fso, f, n, s, myFolder
n=0
If f.IsRootfolder Then
MsgBox “The app folder is the root folder”
Else
s = myFolder & vbCrLf
Do Until f.IsRootFolder
Set f = f.ParentFolder
n = n+1
s = s & “parent folder is “ & f.Name & vbCrLf
Loop
MsgBox “Folder was nested “ & n & “ levels” & vbCrLf & s
End If
Property: Name
Description: Sets or returns the name of a specified folder
Use: objFolder.Name = newName
strName = objFolder.Name
newName
Optional. If provided, newName is the new name of the specified folder object
Return: The name of the specified folder.
Remarks: Read/write.
MsgBox “folder name is “ & f.Name ‘Returns the folder name
232
Property: ParentFolder
Description: Returns the folder object for the parent of the specified folder
Use: objParent = objFolder.ParentFolder
Return: The folder object for the parent of the specified folder.
Remarks: Read-only
Example: Dim fso, f, pf, myFolder
Set pf = f.ParentFolder ‘Get the parent folder
MsgBox “Parent Folder name = “ & pf.Name
Property Path
Description: Returns the path for a specified folder
Use: strPath = objFolder.Path
Return: The path for a specified folder
Remarks: None
MsgBox “Path = “ & UCase(f.Path) ‘Display path to app folder
Property ShortName
Description: Returns the short name used by programs that require the earlier 8.3 naming convention.
Use: strName = objFolder.ShortName
Return: The short name for the folder object
Remarks: None
MsgBox “Short name = “ & f.ShortName ‘Display short name of app folder
Property ShortPath
Description: Returns the short path used by programs that require the earlier 8.3 naming convention.
Use: strPath = objFolder.ShortPath
Return: The short path for the folder object
Remarks: None
MsgBox “Short pathname = “ & f.ShortPath ‘Display short path of app folder
233
Property Size
Description: Returns the size of all the files and subfolders contained in the specified folder
Use: intSize = objFolder.Size
Return: The size of the specified folder
Remarks: Size is in bytes
MsgBox “Size = “ & f.Size & “ bytes” ‘Display size of app folder
Property SubFolders
Description: Returns a Folders collection consisting of all folders contained in a specified folder,
Use: objFC = objFolder.SubFolders
Return: A folders collection of all subfolders in a specified folder.
Remarks: Includes folders with hidden and system file attributes set.
Example: Dim fso, f, fc, s, myFolder
fc = f.Subfolders ‘Returns collection of (sub)folders
s = “”
For each f1 in fc
s = s & fc.name & vbCrLf
Next
MsgBox s
Property Type
Description: Returns information about the type of a folder.
Use: strType = objFolder.Type
Return: The type of folder.
Remarks: If the object is a folder, “Folder” will be returned.
MsgBox “Type = “ & f.Type ‘Displays “Folder”
234
File Object
The File Object allows the programmer refer to a specific file. Once the File object is instantiated, it can
be referred to as an object from VBScript and its various Methods and Properties accessed.
The File Object is instantiated as follows:
Dim fso, f, myPath
myPath = $GetAppPath() & “notes.txt” ‘Define the path to the file of interest
Set f = fso.GetFile(myPath) ‘Instantiate the Drive Object
See the GetFile method under the FileSystemObject Object Model section for additional details on
instantiation of the File Object.
The File object has both Methods and Properties available.
Method Copy
Description: Copies a specified file from one location to another.
Use: objFile.Copy (destination, [overwrite])
Arguments: objFile
Required. The name of a File Object previously instantiated.
destination
Required. Destination where the File is to be copied. Wildcard characters are not allowed.
overwrite
Optional. Boolean value that is True (default) if existing files are to be overwritten, False if they
are not.
Return: None
Remarks: The results of the Copy method on a File are identical to operations performed using
FileSystemObject.CopyFile where the file referred to by object is passed as an argument. You
should note, however, that the alternative method is capable of copying multiple files.
Example: Dim fso, f, myFile
myFile = $getAppPath() & “recipe1.xml” ‘Get the file object
Set f = fso.GetFile (myFile)
f.Copy (“c:\save\recipe1.xml”) ‘Save the file
Method: Delete
Description: Deletes a specified file
Use: objFile.Delete (force)
Arguments: objFile
force
Optional. Boolean value that is True if files with the read-only attribute set are to be deleted;
False if they are not (default).
Return: None
Remarks: An error occurs if the specified file does not exist. The results of the Delete method on a File are
identical to operations performed using FileSystemObject.DeleteFile. The Delete method does
not distinguish between files that have content and those that do not. The specified file is deleted
regardless of whether or not it has content.
myFile = $getAppPath() & “recipe1.xml” ‘Specify the HstTemp folder in app
directory
f.Delete ‘Delete it
235
Method: Move
Description: Moves a specified file from one location to another.
Use: objFile.Move (destination)
Arguments: objFile
destination
Required. Destination where the file is to be moved. Wildcard characters are not allowed.
Return: None
Remarks: The results of the Move method on a File is identical to operations performed using
FileSystemObject.MoveFile. You should note, however, that the alternative methods are capable
of moving multiple files.
myFile = $getAppPath() & “recipe1.xml” ‘Specify the HstTemp folder in app
directory
f.move(“Recipe1Save.xml”) ‘Moves the file
Method: OpenAsTextStream
Description: Opens a specified file name and returns a TextStream object that can be used to read from or
write to, or append to a file
Use: oTso = oFile.OpenAsTextStream([iomode[,format]])
Arguments: objFile
iomode
Optional. Indicates the file input/output mode. Can be one of three constants:
ForReading 1 Open a file for reading only. You can’t write to this file
ForWriting 2 Open a file for reading & writing
ForAppending 8 Open a file and write to the end of the file
format
Optional. One of three Tristate values used to indicate the format of the opened file. If omitted,
the file is opened as ASCII.
TristateUseDefault -2 Opens the file using the system default
TristateTrue -1 Opens the file as Unicode
TrstateFalse 0 Opens the file as ASCII
Return: A TextStream object
Remarks The OpenAsTextStream method provides the same functionality as the OpenTextFile method of
the FileSystemObject. In addition, the OpenAsTextStream method can be used to write to a file.
Example: Const ForReading=1, Const ForWriting=2, ForAppending=8
Dim fso, f, tso
Set f = fso.GetFile("c:\testfile.txt") ‘Must be an existing file
Set tso = f.OpenAsTextStream(ForWriting, True) ‘Unicode file
tso.Write "Hello world!" ‘Write a line of text to the file
tso.Close
236
Property: Attributes
Description: Sets or returns the attributes of files or folders.
Use: objFile.Attributes = newAttributes
intAttribute = objFile.Attributes
Arguments: objFile
newAttributes
Optional. If provided, newAttributes is the new value for the attributes of the specified object.
The newattributes argument can have any of the following values or any logical combination of
the following values:
Normal 0 Normal file. No Attributes are set.
ReadOnly 1 Read-only file. Attribute is read/write.
Hidden 2 Hidden file. Attribute is read/write.
System 4 System file. Attribute is read/write.
Volume 8 Disk drive volume label. Attribute is read-only
Directory 16 Folder or directory. Attribute is read-only.
Archive 32 File has changed since last backup. Attribute is read/write
Alias 1024 Link or shortcut. Attribute is read-only
Compressed 2048 Compressed file. Attribute is read-only.
Return: Can return an attribute of a file or folder
Remarks: Read/write or read-only, depending on the attribute. The newAttribute can have any valid
combination of the above values.
Example: Dim fso, f, attrVal, myFile
myFile = $getAppPath() & “recipe1.xml” ‘Specify the app directory and file
Set f = fso.GetFile(myFile)
attrVal = f.Attributes
attrVal = attrVal And 1 ‘See if a normal file
If attrVal = 0 Then
MsgBox “Object is a normal file”
Else
MsgBox “Object is not a normal file”
End If
Property: DateCreated
Description: Returns the date and time that the specified file was created.
Use: objFile.DateCreated
Arguments: objFile
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
myFile = $getAppPath() & “recipe1.xml” ‘Specify the app directory & file
MsgBox “File created on “ & f.DateCreated
237
Property: DateLastAccessed
Description: Returns the date and time that the specified file was last accessed
Use: objFile.DateLastAccessed
Arguments: objFile
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “File was last accessed on “ & f.DateLastAccessed
Property: DateLastModified
Description: Returns the date and time that the specified file was last modified
Use: objFile.DateLastModified
Arguments: objFile
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “File was last modified on “ & f.DateLastModified
Property: Drive
Description: Returns the drive letter of the drive on which the specified file resides
Use: objFile.Drive
Arguments: objFile
Return: None
Remarks: Read-only.
MsgBox “File is located on drive “ & f.Drive ‘Installed on drive c:
Property: Name
Description: Sets or returns the name of a specified file
Use: objFile.Name = newName
strName = objFile.Name
Arguments: objFile
newName
Optional. If provided, newName is the new name of the specified file object
Return: The name of the specified file.
Remarks: Read/write.
MsgBox “file name is “ & f.Name ‘Returns the file name
238
Property: ParentFolder
Description: Returns the folder object for the parent of the specified file
Use: objFolder = objFile.ParentFolder
Arguments: objFile
Return: The folder object for the parent folder of the specified file.
Remarks: Read-only
Example: Dim fso, f, pf, myFile
Set pf = f.ParentFolder ‘Get the parent folder
MsgBox “Parent Folder name = “ & pf.Name
Property Path
Description: Returns the path for a specified file
Use: strPath = objFile.Path
Arguments: objFile
Return: The path for a specified file
Remarks: None
MsgBox “Path = “ & UCase(f.Path) ‘Display path to app file
Property ShortName
Description: Returns the short name used by programs that require the earlier 8.3 naming convention.
Use: strName = objFile.ShortName
Arguments: objFile
Return: The short name for the file object
Remarks: None
MsgBox “Short name = “ & f.ShortName ‘Display short name of app file
Property ShortPath
Description: Returns the short path used by programs that require the earlier 8.3 naming convention.
Use: strPath = objFile.ShortPath
Arguments: objFile
Return: The short path for the file object
Remarks: None
MsgBox “Short name = “ & f.ShortPath ‘Display short path of app file
239
Property Size
Description: Returns the size of the specified file
Use: intSize = objFile.Size
Arguments: objFile
Return: The size of the specified file
Remarks: Size is in bytes
MsgBox “Size = “ & f.Size & “ bytes” ‘Display size of file
Property Type
Description: Returns information about the type of a file.
Use: strType = objFile.Type
Arguments: objFile
Return: The type of file.
Remarks: E.g. for files ending in .TXT, "Text Document" is returned.
MsgBox “Type = “ & f.Type ‘Dispays “XML Document”
240
TextStream Object
The TextStream Object allows the programmer to sequentially access a text file. Once the TextStream
object is instantiated, it can be referred to as an object from VBScript and its various Methods and
Properties accessed.
The TextStream object can be instantiated in three different ways. These are
• Through the CreateTextFile method of the FSO object
• Through the OpenTextFile method of the FSO object
• Through the OpenAsTextStream method of the File Object
There are subtle differences between these methods. The CreateTextFile is used to create a file and a
TextStream object. This method can optionally overwrite an existing object. The OpenTextFile opens an
existing file and returns a TextStream object, but can optionally create the filename if it does not exist.
The OpenAsTextStream object opens an existing file and returns a TextStream object. This method
gives an error if the text file does not exist, there is no option to create the file if it does not exist. Another
difference is that the CreateTextFile method opens a TextStream object for reading and writing, while
the OpenTextFile and OpenAsTextStream methods open a TextStream object for reading, writing or
appending.
Examples of the various approaches to instantiating the TextStream object are:
Instantiating a TextStream object with the CreateTextFile Method

Dim fso, f, myfile
myFile = $getAppPath() & “notes.txt” ‘Specify the app directory & file
Set f = fso.CreateTextFile(myFile, True, True) ‘Open as UniCode TextStream object
Instantiating a TextStream object with the OpenTextFile Method

Constant forReading = 1, forWriting = 2, forAppending = 8
Dim fso, myfile, tso
Set tso = fso.OpenTextFile(myFile, ForWriting, True, True) ‘Open as UniCode TextStream object
Instantiating a TextStream object with the OpenAsTextStream Method

Constant forReading = 1, forWriting = 2, forAppending = 8
Dim fso, f, myfile, tso
Set f = fso.GetFile(myFile) ‘Instantiate the file object
Set tso = f.OpenAsTextStream(forAppending, True) ‘Open as UniCode TextStream object
See the CreateTextFile and OpenTextFile methods under the FileSystemObject Object Model section
for additional details on instantiation of the TextStream Object. See the OpenAsTextStream method
under the File Object section for additional details on instantiation of the TextStream Object
The TextStream object supports either ASCII or UniCode characters, according to the argument settings
when calling the method used to instantiate the TextStream object.
241
Method: Close
Description: Closes an open TextStream file
Use: objTso.Close
Arguments: objTso
Required. The name of a TextStream Object previously instantiated.
Return: None
Remarks: The Close method closes the file, but still need to set the object variable to Nothing to release
memory. (e.g. “Set objTso = Nothing”
Example: Dim fso, f, myfile
Set f = fso.CreateTextFile(myFile, True)
f.WriteLine (“this is a note”)
f.Close ‘Close the document
Method: Read
Description: Reads a specified number of characters from a TextStream file and returns the resulting string.
Use: strChars = objTso.Read(numCharacters)
Arguments: objTso
numCharacters
Required. The number of characters you want to read from the file
Return: A specified number of characters from the file
Remarks: None
Dim fso, f, myfile, s
Set f = fso.OpenTextFile(myFile, ForReading)
s = f.Read(10) ‘Read 10 characters
MsgBox “First 10 characters = “ & s ‘Display
Method: ReadAll
Description: Reads the entire TextStream file and returns the resulting string.
Use: strChars = objTso.ReadAll
Arguments: objTso
Return: The entire TextStream file.
Remarks: VBScript does not have a limit on the resultant character string length other than the available
memory.
s = f.ReadAll ‘Read entire file
MsgBox “File contents = “ & s ‘Display it
f.Close
242
Method: ReadLine
Description: Reads an entire line (up to, but not including, the newline character) from a TextStream file and
returns the resulting string.
Use: strChars = objTso.ReadLine
Arguments: objTso
Return: An entire line from a TextStream file
Remarks: Does not include the newline character. Successive calls to the ReadLine method do not return any
newline character(s). For display purposes, you must add a newline character
Dim fso, f, myfile, s, linecount
linecount = 0
s = “”
Do While f.AtEndOfStream <> True
linecount = linecount +1
s = s & “line “ & linecount & “ “ & f.ReadLine & vbCrLf ‘Read a line at a time
Loop
MsgBox s ‘Display it
f.Close
Method: Skip
Description: Skips a specified number of characters when reading a TextStream file
Use: objTso.Skip(numCharacters)
Arguments: objTso
numCharacters
Required. The number of characters you want to skip when reading a file
Return: None
Remarks: Skipped characters are discarded.
Dim fso, f, myfile
f.Skip(5) ‘Skip 5 characters
MsgBox f.ReadLine ‘Read the rest of the line
Method: SkipLine
Description: Skips the next line when reading from a TextStream file.
Use: objTso.SkipLine
Arguments: objTso
Return: None
Remarks: The skipped line is discarded.
f.SkipLine ‘Skip the first line
s=f.ReadLine
MsgBox s ‘Display the second line
f.Close
243
Method: Write
Description: Writes a specified string to a TextStream file.
Use: objTso.Write(string)
Arguments: objTso
string
Required. The text you want to write to the file.
Return: None
Remarks: Specified strings are written to the file with no intervening spaces or characters between each
string. Use the WriteLine method to write a newline character or a string that ends with a newline
character.
Dim fso, f, myFile
Set f = fso.OpenTextFile(myFile, ForWriting, True)
f.Write “This is a new string of data” ‘Write a string
MsgBox “File contents = “ & f.ReadLine ‘Display line of data
f.Close
Method: WriteBlankLines
Description: Writes a specified number of newline characters to a TextStream file.
Use: objTso.WriteBlankLines(numLines)
Arguments: objTso
numLines
Required. The number of newline characters you want to write to the file.
Return: None
Remarks: None
Dim fso, f, myfile
f.WriteBlankLines(3) ‘Write 3 blank lines
f.WriteLine “This is a new line of data” ‘Write data on the 4th line
f.Close
Method: WriteLine
Description: Writes a specified string and newline character to a TextStream file.
Use: objTso.WriteLine([string])
Arguments: objTso
string
Optional. The text you want to write to the file.
Return: None
Remarks: If you omit the string, a newline character is written to the file.
Dim fso, f, myfile
f.WriteLine “This is a line of data” ‘Write a line of data
f.WriteLine ‘Write a blank line
f.Close
244
Property: AtEndOfLine
Description: Indicates whether the file pointer is positioned immediately before the end-of-line marker in a
TextStream file.
Use: objTso.AtEndOfLine
Arguments: objTso
Return: Returns True if the file pointer is positioned immediately before the end-of-line marker in a
TextStream file; False if it is not.
Remarks: The AtEndOfLine property applies only to TextStream files that are open for reading; otherwise,
an error occurs.
Set f = fso.OpenTextFile(myFile, ForReading, False)
s =””
Do While f.AtEndOfLine <> True
s=f.read(1) ‘Read one character at a time
Loop
MsgBox “A line of text = “ & s
f.Close
Property: AtEndOfStream
Description: Indicates whether the file pointer is positioned at the end of a TextStream file.
Use: objTso.AtEndOfStream
Arguments: objTso
Return: Returns True if the file pointer is positioned at the end of a TextStream file; False if it is not.
Remarks: The AtEndOfStream property applies only to TextStream files that are open for reading; otherwise,
an error occurs.
s =””
Do While f.AtEndOfLine <> True
s = s & f.ReadLine ‘Read file one line at a time
Loop
MsgBox s ‘Display text
f.Close
Property: Column
Description: Returns the column number of the current character position in a TextStream file.
Use: intColumnPos = objTso.Column
Arguments: objTso
Return: An integer column number
Remarks: Read-only. After a newline character has been written, but before any other character is written,
Column is equal to 1.
Dim fso, f, myfile, s, colNum
s = f.ReadLine ‘Read a line
colNum = f.Column ‘Get the column position
f.Close
245
Property: Line
Description: Returns the current line number in a TextStream file.
Use: intLineNum = objTso.Line
Arguments: objTso
Return: An integer line number
Remarks: Read-only. After a file is initially opened and before anything is written, Line is equal to 1.
Dim fso, f, myfile, s, lineNum
s = f.ReadAll ‘Read the entire file
lineNum = f.Line ‘Get the last line number
f.Close
246

VBScript - Reference 2

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Using VBScript

InduSoft Web Studio

Using VBScript With InduSoft HMI/SCADA Applications

Examples of how VBScript can be used:

Where you should use IWS instead of VBScript

InduSoft Web Studio Version 6.1 Internal Architecture

The following are some of VBScript’s limitations and workarounds.

The Microsoft Visual Basic Family

Basic, VB (Visual Basic), VB.NET, VBA and VBScript – The Evolution

Key differences between VBScript vs. VBA

The Check Script function can

Variant data subtypes

Data Subtype Identification

Example: If varType(a) = vbInteger Then

Data Subtype Conversion

Intrinsic Constant Category Intrinsic Constant Category

Date and Time Functions

Script Engine Functions

Variant Identification Functions

Control Flow Statements

{simple format} If condition Then statement(s) [Else elsestatement(s) ]

Control Flow Statements

VBScript Object Functions

Error Handling Statements

Object & Collection Summary

Rem Below is the VBScript code

Dim objFSO ‘ Declare variables and objects

An example of Class Methods is as follows:

Rem Below is the VBScript code

VBScript Implicit Objects and Collections

Object & Collection Summary

Drive An object that refers to a specific Drive

File An object that refers to a specific File

Err Object Properties

Err Object Methods

Drive Object Properties

File Object Methods

File Object Properties

Folder Object Methods

Folder Object Properties

Set objFS = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)

‘ Delete a set of files in a folder

‘ Move a file to a new folder

‘ Move a set of files to a new folder

‘ Verify if a file exists

Drives Collection Object Properties

VBScript Files Collection

Files Collection Object Properties

Folders Collection Methods

Folders Collection Properties

TextStream Object Methods

TextStream Object Properties

VBScript TextStream Object

ActiveX Controls Inserted On An IWS Screen

Microsoft Slider Control 6.0

Configure the Control’s Properties,

Select to input VBScript code

ActiveX Controls Instantiated from VBScript

ADODB and ADOX Objects and Collections