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or many versions now, Windows has had its own scripting language,

Windows Script Host, a dialect of Visual Basic Script (VBS). Windows

Script Host (WSH) scripts can be run from the command line (for

those versions of Windows that have a command line, click Start➪Run), by

double-clicking the script file in an Explorer window, and also from the

Windows Vista Task Scheduler, which is handy if you want to run a script

automatically, on a regular schedule.

One use for a WSH script is to create a database backup at regular intervals;

another is to copy Word or Excel templates, or other supporting files, to the

appropriate folder, as part of an Office application setup, when you don’t

want (or need) to create a full Install package. WSH scripts are also useful

for working with files in a folder, doing tasks such as deleting or renaming

files containing a certain prefix, suffix, or extension. This chapter describes

how to create and modify WSH scripts, including sample scripts for some

common uses.

Tools for Working with Windows Script Host Scripts ........................................................

Though you can create and edit WSH scripts with Notepad, it is a lot easier to

work with them in the Microsoft Script Editor (MSE), using the VBScript

downloadable Help file for reference. Curiously, neither the MSE nor the

VBScript Help file appears as part of the interface when you work with a WSH

script; you have to locate (and possibly download) these files and set them up

manually to provide a more functional working environment. The next sec-

tions tell you how to obtain and use these tools for working with WSH scripts.

IN THIS CHAPTER

Writing Windows Script Host

scripts

Using the Microsoft Script Editor

and the VBS Help file

Differences between VBS and

VBA code

Scripts for working with Office

documents

Scripts for working with files

Using the Windows Vista Task

Scheduler to run a backup script

Creating Standalone Scripts

with Windows Script Host