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634 VISUALBASICSCRIPTINGEDITION(VBSCRIPT)will continue to be important for some time to come, but
we can anticipate that it will eventually be replaced com-
pletely by the new unified Visual Basic.NET version of the
language.GLOSSARY
Dynamic-link library (DLL) A library module contain-
ing functions and data that can be used by other mod-
ules (application or DLL).
Microsoft Scripting Runtime Implemented as a DLL,
the scripting runtime makes available to script authors
essential classes that are used to access and manipu-
late file system directories and text files, to create and
retrieve key delineated lists of values, and to process
encoded script modules.
.NET framework A set of extensible object classes pro-
viding comprehensive access to events and services of
the Microsoft Windows platform. It rationalizes and
integrates support for a wide range of languages in-
cluding the new Visual Basic.NET.
Object class Encapsulates a module of reusable code
and associated data structures and defines the inter-
faces (e.g., events, methods, and properties as used in
VBScript) necessary to integrate objects of the class
into an application. Object classes are used as tem-
plates from which object instances are instantiated for
use in a specific program or script.
Object event An occurrence during script execution
that triggers the invocation of an object event handler,
i.e., a function or procedure. Events may be explicitly
raised by a line of script or may fire in response to user
action or an interaction with the scripting host or an-
other object.
Object method A discrete procedure or function asso-
ciated with an object. A script invokes or calls an object
method at the point in code where it needs the object
to perform a particular task.
Object model A road map describing the objects and as-
sociated events, methods, and properties that are part
of a particular programming library or scripting host
application.
Object-oriented programming language A language
that supports the use of objects, including encapsu-
lation, polymorphism, and inheritance. VBScript sup-
ports the use of objects and encapsulation, but it does
not implement polymorphism and inheritance. Visual
Basic.NET does.
Object property A value or attribute associated with an
object instance that can be read and/or set. Most object
properties are mutable during the life of the object and
may be altered after the object is instantiated. Other ob-
ject properties are fixed when the object is instantiated.
Scripting engine A Windows component (program)
that runs scripts and provides the interfaces defined
by Microsoft for scripting engines. A scripting host in-
stantiates an instance of a scripting engine to run a
script invoked in the context of the host application.Scripting host Any application or program that pro-
vides context and environment for running scripts and
provides the scripting host interfaces defined by Mi-
crosoft. When processing a script in the context of
a host application, the scripting host determines the
appropriate scripting engine for language used, in-
vokes it, and calls on that engine to run the script
requested.
Structured programming language A language that
supports code blocks (i.e., ordered sequences of code
statements that are executed and referenced as a
whole), hierarchical nesting of code blocks, user-
defined subroutines and functions, and the distinction
between local and global variables. VBScript is a struc-
tured programming language.
Variant The only data type used in VBScript for script
variables and named constants. Variants may contain
many different kinds of data.CROSS REFERENCES
SeeVisual Basic; Visual C++ (Microsoft).REFERENCES
Childs, M., Lomax, P., & Petrusha, R. (2000).VBScript in
a nutshell. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.
Clinick, A. (1999). Remote scripting. Retrieved June 21,
2002, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/
dnclinic/html/scripting041299.asp
Clinick, A. (2000). Windows Script Host 5.6. Retrieved
June 21, 2002, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/
en-us/dnclinic/html/scripting11132000.asp
Clinick, A. (2001). Remote scripting in a .NET world. Re-
trieved June 21, 2002, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/
library/en-us/dnclinic/html/scripting11122001.asp
Kiely, D. (2001). Birth (and growth) of a language.Visual
Basic Programmer’s Journal, 11 (9), 44–55.
Microsoft Corporation (2002a). Microsoft Developers
Network Library. Retrieved June 21, 2002, from
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/
Microsoft Corporation (2002b). Visual Basic Scripting
Edition: Version information. Retrieved June 21,
2002, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/
script56/html/vtoriVersionInformation.asp
Microsoft Corporation (2002c). Visual Basic Scripting
Edition: VBScript coding conventions. Retrieved June
21, 2002, from http:// msdn.microsoft.com/ library/
en-us/script56/html/vbsCodingConventions.asp
Rahmel, D. (1999).Visual Basic 6: Programmer’s reference
(2nd ed.). Berkeley: Osborne/McGraw–Hill.
Rahmel, D. (2002)..NET Framework: Programmer’s refer-
ence. Berkeley: Osborne/McGraw–Hill.
Stemp, G., Tsaltas, D., Wells, B., and Wilansky, E. (2002).
WMI Scripting: The missing manual(Part 1). Retrieved
June 21, 2002, from http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/
en-us/dnclinic/html/scripting06112002.asp