Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting

® ®

Edition and Microsoft Windows ®

Script Host Essentials

Delivery Guide
Course Number: 2433A

Part Number: X08-22182

Released: 05/2001
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to
change without notice and is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted,
the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, email addresses, logos, people,
places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company,
organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, places or events is intended or
should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.
Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any
written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Active Directory, ActiveX, FrontPage, JScript, MS-DOS, MSDN, Outlook,

PowerPoint, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual InterDev, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows
Media, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.

Course Number: 2433A

Part Number: X08-22182
Released: 05/200
 Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials iii

Contents
Introduction
Course Materials ......................................................................................................2
Prerequisites.............................................................................................................3
Course Outline .........................................................................................................4
Expectations.............................................................................................................6
Microsoft Certified Professional Program ...............................................................7
Facilities...................................................................................................................9
Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies
Overview..................................................................................................................1
Introducing WSH.....................................................................................................2
Running Scripts........................................................................................................9
Working with Scripts .............................................................................................17
Comparing VBScript and Visual Basic .................................................................24
Lab 1: Configuring and Using WSH......................................................................26
Review ...................................................................................................................32
Module 2: Working with Objects
Overview..................................................................................................................1
Object Terminology .................................................................................................2
Creating and Using Objects ...................................................................................11
Understanding Object Models ...............................................................................16
Demonstration: Using an Object Browser .............................................................23
Common Object Models ........................................................................................29
Lab 2: Working with Objects.................................................................................39
Review ...................................................................................................................46
Module 3: Script Logic
Overview..................................................................................................................1
Fundamental VBScript Rules ..................................................................................2
Variables, Constants, and Data Types .....................................................................4
Operators................................................................................................................22
Conditions and Loops ............................................................................................28
Procedures..............................................................................................................41
Script Layout..........................................................................................................48
Lab 3: Working with VBScript..............................................................................56
Review ...................................................................................................................63
Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging
Overview..................................................................................................................1
Error Handling .........................................................................................................2
Debugging..............................................................................................................10
Lab 4: Debugging and Error Handling ..................................................................15
Review ...................................................................................................................22
iv Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials

Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Overview................................................................................................................. 1
ADSI Overview ...................................................................................................... 2
Binding with ADSI ................................................................................................. 8
ADSI Objects ........................................................................................................ 17
Searching Active Directory................................................................................... 26
Lab 5.1: ADO Search............................................................................................ 32
Creating New ADSI Objects................................................................................. 35
Setting Security in Active Directory ..................................................................... 41
Managing Shares Using ADSI.............................................................................. 43
Controlling Services Using ADSI......................................................................... 45
ADSI Resources.................................................................................................... 48
Lab 5.2: Scripting Administrative Tasks Using ADSI.......................................... 50
Review .................................................................................................................. 58
Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts
Overview................................................................................................................. 1
Verifying the WSH Environment............................................................................ 2
Common Logon Script Tasks ............................................................................... 11
Lab 6.1: Creating Logon Scripts ........................................................................... 28
Managing Logon Scripts....................................................................................... 33
Troubleshooting Logon Scripts............................................................................. 42
Lab 6.2: Assigning Logon Scripts......................................................................... 47
Review .................................................................................................................. 51
Module 7: Administrative Scripts
Overview................................................................................................................. 1
Script Arguments .................................................................................................... 2
Working with Event Logs ....................................................................................... 3
Generating E-Mail Messages .................................................................................. 5
Lab 7.1: Administrative Scripts .............................................................................. 7
Managing the Registry .......................................................................................... 11
Working with Drives, Folders, and Files .............................................................. 13
Setting Folder-Level and File-Level Security....................................................... 22
Scheduling Scripts ................................................................................................ 25
Lab 7.2: Working with the FileSystemObject....................................................... 28
Review .................................................................................................................. 32
Module 8: Beyond the Basics
Overview................................................................................................................. 1
Windows Script Files .............................................................................................. 2
Using COM Components........................................................................................ 7
WMI........................................................................................................................ 9
Scripting Microsoft Office .................................................................................... 13
ASP Pages............................................................................................................. 18
Review .................................................................................................................. 21
Appendix A: VBScript Runtime and Parsing Error Reference
Appendix B: Reference Error Codes for ADSI 2.5
 Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials v

About This Course

This section provides you with a brief description of the course, audience,
suggested prerequisites, and course objectives.

Description
This three-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and
experience to develop their own administrative scripts with Microsoft® Visual
Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript). The course focuses on writing scripts for
commonly encountered administrative tasks. The course also expands upon
these concepts so that they embrace more general programming issues.

Audience
This course is intended for Microsoft Windows® 2000 systems administrators
who want to learn how to develop administrative scripts for their enterprise
networks.
In addition, anyone who wants an introduction to the VBScript programming
language will benefit from this course.

Student Prerequisites
This course requires that students meet the following prerequisites. The
students must have:

Practical experience using and administering Windows 2000.

Practical experience using and administering Active Directory™ directory
service.

Practical experience using and administering system security.

Practical experience using and administering services.

Practical experience using systems management information.

Awareness of the potential uses of logon scripts.
In addition, it is desirable that students have had some exposure to writing batch
files.

Course Objectives
After completing this course, students will be able to:

Describe Windows Script Host (WSH) and associated scripting
technologies.

Use objects in code written in Visual Basic Scripting Edition.

Master the essentials of the VBScript language.

Master debugging and error handling with VBScript.

Use VBScript to interact with Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI).

Develop logon, logoff, startup, and shutdown scripts.

Develop scripts that perform common administrative tasks.

Identify ways to use VBScript in other scenarios.
vi Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials

Course Timing
The following schedule is an estimate of the course timing. Your timing may
vary.

Day 1
Start End Module
9:00 9:30 Introduction
9:30 10:15 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies
10:15 11:00 Lab 1: Configuring and Using WSH
11:00 11:15 Break
11:15 12:45 Module 2: Working with Objects
12:45 1:45 Lunch
1:45 2:30 Lab 2: Working with Objects
2:30 3:00 Module 3: Script Logic
3:00 3:15 Break
3:15 3:45 Module 3: Script Logic (continued)
3:45 4:15 Lab 3: Working with VBScript

Day 2
Start End Module
9:00 9:30 Day 1 review
9:30 10:00 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging
10:00 10:30 Lab 4: Debugging and Error Handling
10:30 10:45 Break
10:45 11:30 Module 5: Understanding ADSI
11:30 11:45 Lab 5.1: ADO Search
11:45 12:30 Module 5: Understanding ADSI (continued)
12:30 1:30 Lunch
1:30 2:15 Lab 5.2: Scripting Administrative Tasks Using ADSI
2:15 2:45 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts
2:45 3:00 Lab 6.1: Creating Logon Scripts
3:00 3:15 Break
3:15 3:45 Lab 6.1: Creating Logon Scripts (continued)
3:45 4:00 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts (continued)
Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials vii

Day 3
Start End Module
9:00 9:30 Day 2 review
9:30 10:15 Lab 6.2: Assigning Logon Scripts
10:15 10:45 Module 7: Administrative Scripts
10:45 11:00 Break
11:00 11:30 Lab 7.1: Administrative Scripts
11:30 12:00 Module 7: Administrative Scripts (continued)
12:00 1:00 Lunch
1:00 1:30 Lab 7.2: Working with the FileSystemObject
1:30 2:00 Module 8: Beyond the Basics
2:00 2:15 Break
2:15 2:45 Module 8: Beyond the Basics (continued)
viii Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials

Trainer Materials Compact Disc Contents

The Trainer Materials compact disc contains the following files and folders:

Autorun.exe. When the CD is inserted into the CD-ROM drive, or when you
double-click the autorun.exe file, this file opens the CD and allows you to
browse the Student Materials or Trainer Materials CD, or install Internet
Explorer.

Default.htm. This file opens the Trainer Materials Web page.

Readme.txt. This file contains a description of the compact disc contents and
setup instructions in ASCII format (non-Microsoft Word document).

2433A_ms.doc. This file is the Manual Classroom Setup Guide. It contains
the steps for manually installing the classroom computers.

Errorlog. This folder contains a template that is used to record any errors
and corrections that you find in the course.

Fonts. This folder contains fonts that are required to view the Microsoft
PowerPoint® presentation and Web-based materials.

Menu. This folder contains elements for autorun.exe.

Mplayer. This folder contains files that are required to install Microsoft
Windows Media™ Player.

Powerpnt. This folder contains the PowerPoint slides that are used in this
course.

Pptview. This folder contains the PowerPoint Viewer, which is used to
display the PowerPoint slides.

Setup. This folder contains the files used to set up the instructor and the
student computers.

Studentcd. This folder contains the Web page that provides students with
links to resources pertaining to this course, including additional reading,
review and lab answers, lab files, multimedia presentations, and course-
related Web sites.

Webfiles. This folder contains the files that are required to view the course
Web page. To open the Web page, open Windows Explorer, and in the root
directory of the compact disc, double-click Default.htm or Autorun.exe.
 Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials ix

Student Materials Compact Disc Contents

The Student Materials compact disc contains the following files and folders:

Autorun.exe. When the CD is inserted into the CD-ROM drive, or when you
double-click the autorun.exe file, this file opens the CD and allows you to
browse the Student Materials CD or install Internet Explorer.

Default.htm. This file opens the Student Materials Web page. It provides
you with resources pertaining to this course, including additional reading,
review and lab answers, lab files, multimedia presentations, and course-
related Web sites.

Readme.txt. This file contains a description of the compact disc contents and
setup instructions in ASCII format (non-Microsoft Word document).

2433A_ms.doc. This file is the Manual Classroom Setup Guide. It contains
the steps for manually installing the classroom computers.

Democode. This folder contains demonstration code. If there is no
demonstration code, the Democode folder does not appear.

Fonts. This folder contains fonts that are required to view the Microsoft
PowerPoint presentation and Web-based materials.

Ie5. This folder contains Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5.

Labs. This folder contains files that are used in the hands-on labs. These
files may be used to prepare the student computers for the hands-on labs.

Menu. This folder contains elements for autorun.exe.

Mplayer. This folder contains files that are required to install Microsoft
Windows Media™ Player.

Practices. This folder contains files that are used in the hands-on practices.
If there are no practices, the Practices folder does not appear.

PrimalSCRIPT. This folder contains files that are required to install
PrimalSCRIPT.

Setup. This folder contains additional files that may be required for lab
setup. If no additional files are required, the Setup folder does not appear.

Webfiles. This folder contains the files that are required to view the Student
Materials Web page.

Wordview. This folder contains the Word Viewer that is used to view any
Word document (.doc) files that are included on the compact disc.
x Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials

Document Conventions
The following conventions are used in course materials to distinguish elements
of the text.
Convention Use

Indicates an introductory page. This symbol appears next

to a topic heading when additional information on the
topic is covered on the page or pages that follow it.
bold Represents commands, command options, and syntax that
must be typed exactly as shown. It also indicates
commands on menus and buttons, dialog box titles and
options, and icon and menu names.
italic In syntax statements or descriptive text, indicates
argument names or placeholders for variable information.
Italic is also used for introducing new terms, for book
titles, and for emphasis in the text.
Title Capitals Indicate domain names, user names, computer names,
directory names, and folder and file names, except when
specifically referring to case-sensitive names. Unless
otherwise indicated, you can use lowercase letters when
you type a directory name or file name in a dialog box or
at a command prompt.
ALL CAPITALS Indicate the names of keys, key sequences, and key
combinations — for example, ALT+SPACEBAR.
monospace Represents code samples or examples of screen text.
[] In syntax statements, enclose optional items. For example,
[filename] in command syntax indicates that you can
choose to type a file name with the command. Type only
the information within the brackets, not the brackets
themselves.
{} In syntax statements, enclose required items. Type only
the information within the braces, not the braces
themselves.
| In syntax statements, separates an either/or choice.

Indicates a procedure with sequential steps.
... In syntax statements, specifies that the preceding item may
be repeated.
. Represents an omitted portion of a code sample.
.
.
 Introduction

Contents

Introduction 1
Course Materials 2
Prerequisites 3
Course Outline 4
Expectations 6
Microsoft Certified Professional Program 7
Facilities 9
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to
change without notice and is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted,
the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, email addresses, logos, people,
places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company,
organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, places or events is intended or
should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.
Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any
written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Active Directory, ActiveX, FrontPage, JScript, MS-DOS, MSDN, Outlook,

PowerPoint, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual InterDev, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows
Media, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
 Introduction iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with an overview of the course content,
30 Minutes materials, and logistics for Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting
Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this course, you need the following materials:

Delivery Guide

Trainer Materials compact disc

Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_00.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you must complete the Course Preparation
Checklist that is included with the trainer course materials.
iv Introduction

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft
Windows Script Host Essentials
Display the slide with the course number and title.

Introduction
Introduce yourself, and provide a brief overview of your background to
establish your credibility as a Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition
and Microsoft Windows® Script Host instructor.
Ask students to introduce themselves and provide their backgrounds,
product experience, and expectations for the course.

Course Materials
Explain the purpose of all materials used in this course.

Prerequisites
Provide the students with the list of prerequisites that they should meet
before taking this course. This is an opportunity for you to identify students
who may not have the appropriate background or experience to attend this
course.

Course Outline
Provide an overview of each module and of what students will learn.
Explain how this course will meet students’ expectations by relating the
information covered in individual modules to their expectations.

Expectations
Use this section to set and manage the students’ expectations. Emphasize
what the course provides. Also, emphasize what it does not provide.

Facilities
Explain the facility information for the training site.
 Introduction 1

Introduction
Topic Objective
To introduce yourself,
establish credibility, meet
students, and set student

Name
expectations for the course.
Company Affiliation
Lead-in
Good morning. Welcome to
Title/Function
Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and

Job Responsibility
Microsoft Windows Script
Scripting and Programming Experience
Host Essentials.

Microsoft Windows 2000 Experience
My name is...

Expectations for the Course

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Introduce yourself.

Provide a brief overview of

your background to
establish your credibility as
a Visual Basic Scripting
Edition and Windows Script
Host instructor.

Ask students to introduce

themselves, addressing the
bulleted items on the slide.
Delivery Tip
As students introduce
themselves, use a white
board or flip chart to record
their expectations of the
course.
2 Introduction

Course Materials
Topic Objective
To identify and describe the
course materials.
Lead-in
Name Card
We have provided
Student Workbook
everything you need for this
course. You will find the
Student Materials Compact Disc
following materials at your
desk...
Course Evaluation

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Describe the contents of the The following materials are included with your kit:
student workbook and the
Student Materials compact
Name card. Write your name on both sides of the name card.
disc.
Student workbook. The student workbook contains the material covered in
class, in addition to the hands-on lab exercises.
Have students write their
names on both sides of the
Student Materials compact disc. The Student Materials compact disc
name card. contains the Web page that provides you with links to resources pertaining
to this course, including additional readings, review and lab answers, lab
Tell students where they files, multimedia presentations, and course-related Web sites.
can send comments with
feedback on the course.
Note To open the Web page, insert the Student Materials compact disc into
Delivery Tip the CD-ROM drive, and then in the root directory of the compact disc,
Demonstrate how to open double-click Autorun.exe or Default.htm.
the Web page provided on
the Student Materials
compact disc. On the
Course evaluation. To provide feedback on the instructor, course, and
Trainer Materials compact software product, send e-mail to [email protected]. Be sure to type
disc, double-click Course 2433A in the subject line. Your comments will help us improve
Autorun.exe or future courses.
Default.htm in the
StudentCD folder.
To provide additional comments or inquire about the Microsoft Certified
Professional program, send e-mail to [email protected].
 Introduction 3

Prerequisites
Topic Objective
To present and describe the
prerequisites for this course.
Lead-in
Course 1560, Updating Support Skills from Microsoft
The following prerequisite Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000, or equivalent
knowledge is needed for this knowledge
course.

Experience with a Batch Language Is an Advantage

No Programming Experience Is Assumed

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

This course requires that you meet the following prerequisites:

Attended course 1560, Updating Support Skills from Microsoft® Windows®
NT® 4.0 to Microsoft Windows 2000 or have equivalent knowledge.

A good understanding of Windows 2000 and knowledge of its features.
This course covers the implementation of some of these features that use
Microsoft Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript). There is no time
available to explain how the features of Windows 2000 work.

Experience with a Batch language, such as the Microsoft MS-DOS®
Command Language, is an advantage.

No previous programming experience is required.

4 Introduction

Course Outline
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of

Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies
each module and what
students will learn.
Module 2: Working with Objects
Lead-in
In this course, we will
Module 3: Script Logic
cover...

Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Module 8: Beyond the Basics

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Briefly describe each Module 1, “Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies,” introduces

module. Windows Script Technologies (WST) and explains what components make up
WST. This module covers information on configuring your script’s execution
As you describe each and the Windows Script Hose (WSH) environment. This module also compares
module, acknowledge any how scripting differs from batch files, and provides guidance on which of the
information that will meet two main scripting languages (VBScript and Microsoft JScript®) you should
the student expectations
choose to perform certain tasks.
that you recorded earlier.
Module 2, “Working with Objects,” explains the object terminology and how
scripts use objects. This module introduces reference tools to help you work
with various object models. Finally, this module introduces some of the object
models that are often used in scripting.
Module 3, “Script Logic,” explains the logic and format used in scripting. The
module outlines the recommended scripting format and template. The module
introduces the principles and terminology of Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
identifies the logic of various statements, conditions, and loops.
Module 4, “Error Handling and Debugging,” describes the run-time error-
handling techniques that you can use with the Visual Basic Scripting Edition.
You will learn how to use the Err object and how to set run-time error traps.
Additionally, the module introduces debugging concepts and tools that enable
you to quickly and easily find logic errors in your code.
Module 5, “Understanding ADSI,” focuses exclusively on how Active
Directory™ Services Interface (ADSI) is used to find, create, and modify objects
in the Active Directory directory service.
Module 6, “Creating Logon Scripts,” focuses on how Windows 2000 can
implement logon, logoff, startup, and shutdown scripts. It also covers how you
can use batch files to support legacy clients on the network. Finally, this
module covers some of the script management issues involved in supporting a
logon script in an enterprise network.
 Introduction 5

Module 7, “Administrative Scripts,” focuses on several common tasks that an

administrator is likely to use script for. These include modifying the registry
and using FileSystemObject to manage files and folders on a computer’s hard
disk drive.
Module 8, “Beyond the Basics,” provides an insight into how you can use
Windows Script with other components to enhance other areas of operations.
The module details how you can use technologies such as Windows Script Files
(WSF), Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and Active Server
Pages (ASP) to enhance scripts. In addition, the module identifies reference
material that will aid your future learning.
6 Introduction

Expectations
Topic Objective
To set the students
expectations.
Lead-in
What This Course Provides:
This course is intended to
A detailed introduction to Windows Script Technologies
give you a good introduction
to script.
A detailed introduction to writing code in VBScript

Examples of working scripts

Reference materials

What This Course Does Not Provide:

A description of all script functionality

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

This course provides a complete introduction to Windows Script Technologies
(WST) and the Visual Basic Scripting Edition programming language.
However, it is important to understand what the course will and will not
provide.

What This Course Provides

This course provides you with a detailed introduction to all of the components
that make up the WST available in Windows today. It does this by providing
working examples of basic concepts and techniques that you must understand to
develop administrative scripts. This course includes reference material that you
can use when working with script in the future. The aim of this course is to
provide you with a basic level of experience with WST. After the course, you
will be able to understand, develop, troubleshoot, and debug code written in
VBScript and related technologies.

What This Course Does Not Provide

This course does not cover all of the object models, objects, methods, and
properties that are available in VBScript. This sort of information is best
obtained from a good online reference such as Microsoft MSDN®. It is also
important to understand that this course does not give you the skills to become a
programmer. You can achieve these skills and fulfill those requirements by
working with Visual Basic or Microsoft Visual C++® on a regular basis.
 Introduction 7

Microsoft Certified Professional Program

Topic Objective
To provide students with
information about the
Microsoft Certified
Professional Program.
Lead-in
The Microsoft Certified
Professional Program
includes these
certifications…

http://www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

The Microsoft Certified Professional program includes the following
certifications:

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer + Internet (MCSE + Internet)

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA)

Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD)

Microsoft Certified Professional + Site Building (MCP + Site Building)

Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet (MCP + Internet)

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)

Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT)

For More Information See the “Certification” section of the Web page provided
on the compact disc or the Microsoft Training and Certification Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/
You can also send e-mail to [email protected] if you have specific
certification questions.
8 Introduction

Exam Preparation Guides

To help prepare for the MCP exams, you can use the preparation guides that are
available for each exam. Each Exam Preparation Guide contains exam-specific
information, such as a list of the topics on which you will be tested. These
guides are available on the Microsoft Certified Professional Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/

Important MSDN Training curriculum helps you to prepare for Microsoft

Certified Professional (MCP) exams. However, no one-to-one correlation exists
between MSDN Training courses and MCP exams. Passing MCP exams
requires real-world experience with the products—MSDN Training courses
help get you started.
 Introduction 9

Facilities
Topic Objective
To inform students of class Class Hours
logistics and rules for the
training site.
Lead-in Building Hours Phones
Before we start, let’s go over
the class logistics.
Parking Messages

Rest Rooms Smoking

Meals Recycling

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Explain the class hours,

extended building hours for
labs, parking, rest room
location, meals, phones,
message posting, and
where smoking is or isn’t
allowed.

Let students know if your

facility has Internet access
that is available for them to
use during class breaks.

Also make sure that the

students are aware of the
recycling program if one is
available.
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
 Module 1: Overview of
Windows Scripting
Technologies
Contents
Overview 1
Introducing WSH 2
Running Scripts 9
Working with Scripts 17
Comparing VBScript and Visual Basic 24
Lab 1: Configuring and Using WSH 26
Review 32
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to
change without notice and is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted,
the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, email addresses, logos, people,
places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company,
organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, places or events is intended or
should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.
Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any
written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

 2001Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Active Directory, ActiveX, FrontPage, JScript, MS-DOS, MSDN, Outlook,

PowerPoint, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual InterDev, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows
Media, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with the knowledge required to understand the
45 Minutes Microsoft® Windows® Script Host (WSH) environment and associated
technologies.
Lab:
45 Minutes After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the various technologies associated with running Windows Scripts.

Run scripts.

Work with scripts.

Describe the major differences between Microsoft Visual Basic® and
Visual Basic Scripting Edition.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:

Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_01.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the lab.
iv Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Introducing WSH
This section introduces the WSH environment and features.
Explain that WSH is not a single application, but is actually made up of
different components. Make sure that the students have a conceptual
understanding of the following terms:
• Hosts
• Script engines
• Object models
In the Types of Script Files section, go through the table provided with the
whole class to ensure that they understand the significance of the different
file extensions.

Running Scripts
The most important information in this section is the distinction between the
two different hosts, WScript and CScript. Stress that WScript is the default
host, but also explain that the students can change this.
The distinction between the two natively supported languages, Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft JScript®, is also important.

Working with Scripts
Use this section to make sure that the students understand that there are
many tools available to them for writing scripts. Also, stress the fact that the
students will find the reference documentation invaluable as they start
writing scripts. Note that the students will install and review the
documentation as part of Lab 1 at the end of the module.
Do not spend too much time on the debugging topic. It is only included as
an overview for the sake of completeness. Module 4, “Error Handling and
Debugging,” deals with debugging in much more depth.

Comparing VBScript and Visual Basic
Finish the module with this single slide topic. Note that this is not a
definitive list of the differences between Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
Visual Basic, but merely illustrates that there are differences between the
two languages. Although the topic concentrates on some differences, you
should stress to the students that the languages are in fact very similar.
Emphasize to the students that if they are already familiar with the
Visual Basic language, then writing VBScript will be easy.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies v

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and
Certification courseware.

Important The lab in this module is also dependent on the classroom

configuration that is specified in the Customization Information section at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Lab Setup
There are no lab setup requirements that affect replication or customization.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
objectives.
Introducing WSH
Lead-in
Running Scripts
In this module, you will learn
about Windows Script Host
Working with Scripts
and how to work with script
files.
Comparing VBScript and Visual Basic

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To use Microsoft® Windows® Script Technologies (WST), you must understand
some basic concepts, such as how Windows Script Host (WSH) functions and
what types of scripts can be run by using WSH.
In this module, you will learn about WSH and how to work with script files.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:

Describe the various technologies associated with running Windows Scripts.

Run scripts.

Work with scripts.

Describe the major differences between Microsoft Visual Basic® and Visual
Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript).
2 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Introducing WSH
Topic Objective
To introduce the WSH
environment and the
features of WSH.
The WSH Environment
Lead-in
Features of WSH
By using WSH, you can run
scripts.
Types of Script Files

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In this section, you will learn about the WSH environment. You will also learn
about the features of WSH.
WSH is not a single fileit is a set of components that you can use to run
scripts. These components are present whether you use the Windows Script
Host environment or other script environments, such as Microsoft
Windows 2000 Internet Information Services (IIS).
Script files can be run in the WSH environment, whether the script is written in
Visual Basic Scripting Edition or Microsoft JScript®.
WSH is supported on all of the Windows 32-bit operating systems, such as
Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows
Millennium Edition (Me), Microsoft Windows NT® version 4.0, and
Windows 2000. WSH version 1.0 shipped with Windows 98 (Version 1.0). You
can download version 2.0 of WSH, and you can install it on any of these
operating systems.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 3

The WSH Environment

Topic Objective
To describe the Windows WSH SCRIPT RT ADSI A.N.OTHER
Script Host environment. OBJECT
WSHOM.OCX SCRRUN.DLL ADSIIS.DLL ANOTHER.DLL
Lead-in MODELS
Let’s look at the
components of the WSH
environment.
WSH VBSCRIPT JSCRIPT A.N.OTHER SCRIPT
ENGINES

CSCRIPT.EXE IIS IE HOSTS

WSCRIPT.EXE INETINFO.EXE IEXPLORE.EXE

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WSH has several components. These components work together to provide the
operating system with the ability to run and interoperate with scripts.

Hosts
Hosts are the programs that run your scripts. Before WSH was developed,
Internet Information Services (IIS) and Microsoft Internet Explorer were the
only hosts available from Microsoft. As a result, scripting was restricted to the
Web. However, with the addition of CScript.exe and WScript.exe, you can now
run scripts outside of the Web environment. These hosts accept scripts and
determine which script engine you need to parse, interpret, and execute those
scripts.

Script Engines
The WSH environment natively supports two scripting languages: Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and JScript.
After the scripting host determines the language used in your scripts, it loads
the appropriate script engine and passes your script to it for execution. WSH
includes two different script engines, one for VBScript and one for JScript, to
run scripts that you write in these languages.
4 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Object Models
Script programming usually makes extensive use of objects. Objects represent
packaged functionality that you can reuse in your scripts. They provide a
concept known as black-box reuse. You use objects in your scripts to perform
many tasks. The advantage of using objects is that they perform complex tasks
without requiring you to understand how to implement the code they contain.
Related objects are defined in structures called object models. The object
models are defined by type libraries contained in dynamic link libraries (DLL)
or ActiveX Control (OCX) files.
When you install WSH, you install the hosts, two native script engines and two
object models, the Windows Script Host, and the Script Run-time object
models.

Note For more information about objects and specific object models, see
Module 2, “Working With Objects,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Extensibility
This WSH environment is extensible. You can install additional script engines
to use new script languages. You can also install new type libraries to gain
access to additional object models.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 5

Features of WSH
Topic Objective
To describe the features of
Windows Script Host.
Lead-in
Small Memory Footprint
WSH is a low-memory script
Language-Independent
host that is ideal for
administrative scripting.
You can extend it to other script engines

Script Reuse

Command-Line Reference

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WSH is ideal for non-interactive scripting needs, such as batch, logon, and
administrative scripting.
In addition to non-interactive processing, WSH scripts can involve some degree
of user interaction, such as confirming prompts and entering variable
information.

Small Memory Footprint

The low system overhead of running scripts with WSH makes it ideal for your
administrative scripts.

Language-Independent
Although WSH natively supports the Visual Basic Scripting Edition and JScript
languages, you can extend the environment so that it can run scripts written in
other languages, such as PerlScript.

Script Reuse
By using WSH, you can save your scripts as operating system files. The content
of your script files is plain text. Therefore, you can write and save your script
files by using a simple text editor such as Notepad. After you save the script
files, you can run your scripts many times; you do not need to rewrite code
every time you want to run a certain set of actions. This is a useful feature if
you have scripts that must be run on a regular basis.
6 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Command-Line Reference
Prior to WSH, the only native script language that the Windows operating
system supported was the command language supported though Cmd.exe.
Administrators often construct batch files (.bat) that contain multiple
commands. These commands are still supported and are an important part of the
administrator’s toolset.
In addition, specially written command utilities, such as those provided in the
Windows 2000 Resource Kit, can be the most efficient way to get a task done.
You will explore some of these command-line utilities and learn how they can
be integrated with Visual Basic Scripting Edition throughout this course.
A full command-line reference is provided in Windows 2000 Help.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 7

Types of Script Files

Topic Objective
To introduce the roles of
different file types.
Lead-in
Script Files
WSH can handle multiple
.vbs and .vbe
file types and deals with
them according to their file
.js and .jse
extension.

Script Control Files

.wsh

XML Script Files

.wsf

.wsc

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Working in the WSH environment involves using many file types. WSH
identifies the type of file by its file extension. It is essential to understand the
role each of these file types can play within the WSH environment.
The following table describes the common file types used in the WSH
environment
File suffix Role

.vbs and .vbe Script file written in VBScript.

.js and .jse Script file written in JScript.
.wsh Script control file. This type of file controls the execution of a
script.
.wsf Windows script file written by using Extensible Markup
Language (XML) format.
.wsc Script Component file. This type of file represents a COM
component written in script.

Script Files
The .vbs and .vbe files are script files written in the Visual Basic Scripting
Edition language. A .vbe file is an encoded version of the script.
Similarly, the .js and .jse files are scripts written in JScript. A .jse file is an
encoded version of the script.

Note For more information about .vbe files, see Module 6, “Creating Logon
Scripts,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.
8 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Script Control Files

For each individual script that you run, you can record specific settings by using
a control file. These files have a .wsh file extension. A .wsh file is a text file
that uses a format similar to the format of .ini files. It is created automatically
when you set the properties for a supported script file in Windows Explorer.
To create a .wsh file for your script, perform the following steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click the script file.
3. On the context menu, click Properties.
4. On the Properties page, select the settings you want for the script, and then
click OK or Apply.

This creates a .wsh file with the same name as the script file and in the same
folder as the script file.

Note The .wsh file works in a similar way that shortcuts (.lnk) or .pif files
work in Windows. It is a pointer to the file that you want to execute. It also
configures the environment settings that the script will inherit.

The following is an example of a simple .wsh file:

Example [ScriptFile]
Path=C:\Scripting\Reference Scripts\SHOWVAR.VBS
[Options]
Timeout=20
DisplayLogo=0

In the above example, the Path setting identifies the script file that this .wsh file
executes. The Timeout setting sets a maximum script execution time of 20
seconds. The DisplayLogo setting is set to 0, which means that a run-time logo
will not be displayed.

XML Script Files

The WSH environment supports two different XML-based script files.

Windows Script Files

A .wsf file is a specific type of script file that uses Extensible Markup
Language (XML) to enhance the features available to script.

Note For more information about the features available to a .wsf file, see
Module 8, “Beyond the Basics,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Windows Script Component Files

A .wsc file is also implemented in XML. It registers the contents of the script
file as a Component Object Model (COM) component. This technology was
formally known as Scriptlets and is often used to extend the functionally of
Web servers. The XML format that is required to register your code as a COM
component is very strict and beyond the scope of this course.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 9

Running Scripts
Topic Objective
To describe the two script
hosts available to WSH.
Lead-in
Running Scripts with Wscript.exe
Let’s look at the two hosts
Running Scripts with Cscript.exe
available to WSH.

Script Language Engines

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The execution of scripts is controlled by the environment that they are run in.
This section examines the two hosts available to WSH: WScript.exe and
CScript.exe.
While you can use both hosts to run your scripts, there are differences between
the two. These differences may affect which host you choose to run your
scripts. This section describes the similarities and differences of these two
environments.
10 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Running Scripts with WScript.exe

Topic Objective
To examine how scripts can
be run by using
WScript.exe.
Running Scripts from Windows
Lead-in
Double-click files or icons
You can run a script by
using WScript.exe in several
Use the Windows Run command
different ways.

Use a file drag and drop operation

Create WSH file

WScript Is the Default Host

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One of the hosts you can use to run your scripts is WScript.exe.

Running Scripts from Windows

You can run scripts by using WScript.exe in the following ways:

Double-click the script files in Windows Explorer.
By default, double-clicking any script file will cause WScript.exe to run the
script.

Use the Windows Run command.
If you use the Run command from the Start menu, WScript.exe runs the
script.

Drag the script file onto WScript.exe.
You can drag a script file onto WScript.exe, or you can create a shortcut to
it.

Create a WSH file.
You can create a WSH file that can then be used to run the script file.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 11

WScript.exe Is the Default Host

All of the previous methods of using WScript.exe to run your scripts are
presented on the assumption that WScript.exe is the default script host. If you
change the default to CScript.exe, all of the previous methods will run the
scripts in CScript.exe.

Caution Visual Basic Scripting Edition–based viruses can be a major problem

if this behavior is not fully understood by the user. For more information about
the steps that you can take to prevent these viruses, see Module 6, “Creating
Logon Scripts,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.
12 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Running Scripts with CScript.exe

Topic Objective
To examine how scripts can
be run by using CScript.exe.
Running Scripts with CScript.exe
Lead-in
You can run a script by
Use the Run dialog box or command prompt
using CScript.exe in several
different ways.

Drag and drop the file

CScript Parameters

// modifies host settings

/ passes data to the script itself

Changing the Default Script Host

//h:CScript or //h:WScript

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CScript.exe is the command-line version of WScript.exe. Similar to
WScript.exe, it supports script execution by using the Windows Run command
or by using the drag and drop operation. However, CScript is not the default
script host. If you want to use CScript to run your scripts, then you either must
explicitly call it or set it as the default script host.

Running Scripts with CScript.exe

To use CScript.exe explicitly, you can type a command line at the command
prompt or in the Run dialog by using the following syntax:
Syntax CScript [host options...][script name][options and parameters]

The terms are defined as follows:

Host options
These options enable or disable various WSH features. For example:
Example CScript //nologo myscript.vbs

This example stops the WSH from displaying its logo when it runs the
Myscript.vbs script.

Script name
This is the name of the script file, complete with extension and any
necessary path information. For example:
Example CScript C:\Scripts\Qbackup.vbs

This example runs the script file Qbackup.vbs in the C:\Scripts folder.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 13

Script options and parameters

These are parameters, or arguments, that are to be passed to the script itself.
For example:
Example CScript myscript.vbs /C:

This example passes the value C: as an argument to the Myscript.vbs script.

The script can then use the parameter to display some information about
drive C.

Be aware of the difference between using a single forward slash and a double
forward slash to pass parameters at the command line. The former indicates
data that is to be passed into the script, and the latter is used as a setting for the
CScript environment.

CScript Parameters
Each parameter is optional. If you simply type CScript at the command
prompt, the CScript syntax and the valid host parameters are displayed.
CScript.exe supports the host parameters listed in the following table.
Parameter Description

//? Shows command usage.

//I Interactive mode. Displays the user prompts and script errors.
This is the default.
//B Batch mode. Suppresses command-line display of user prompts
and script errors. This is the opposite of //I.
//T:nn Enables time-out option. This is the maximum number of
seconds the script can run before it is forcibly terminated by
WSH, as specified by nn. The default is unlimited.
//LOGO Displays a banner. This is the default setting.
//NOLOGO This switch prevents the banner from appearing at run time.
//H:CScript Registers CScript.exe as the default host for running scripts.
//H:WScript Registers WScript.exe as the default host for running scripts.
//S Saves the current command-line options for this user.
//E:engine Executes the script with the specified scripting engine. This
enables script to be run even if it has a different file extension.
//D Turns on the debugger.
//X Launches the script in the debugger.
//JOB:<JobID> Runs the specified JobID from the .wsf file (where JobID is…).
//U Enables you to use Unicode for redirected input/output (I/O)
from the console.

Note The host parameters described in the previous table are not case
sensitive.
14 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Changing the Default Script Host

Changing the default host for a user is done using the command-line options of
WSH; for example:
Example CScript.exe //H:cscript

This changes the default host to CScript.exe for the duration of the users logon
session.
If you were to add the //S option to this command, the setting is saved for the
current user and is the default every time the user logs on to the computer in the
future.
You could then use the //S option to save these setting for the currently logged on user

Note These settings are stored in the registry at the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Scripting
Host\Settings
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 15

Script Language Engines

Topic Objective
To demonstrate that you
can choose the language
when you use WSH.

Choosing a Script Language
Lead-in
The script language that you
VBScript
choose is based on your
previous programming
No programming experience, or familiarity with Visual
experience. Basic or Visual Basic for Applications

Microsoft JScript

Familiarity with C, Visual C++, or Java

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Two different languages are natively supported by WSH: Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and JScript.

Choosing a Scripting Language

Although both languages have similar capabilities, you might find that your
background makes learning one of the languages easier than learning the other
language.

VBScript
If you are new to programming, then VBScript will be easier to learn. VBScript
will also be easier to learn if you have a background in programming using
Visual Basic or Visual Basic for Applications.
16 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Microsoft JScript
If you have a background in C, Microsoft Visual C++®, or Java, then Microsoft
JScript is more appropriate. You will find that it has more familiar
programming constructs than VBScript.
With each update of the scripting engines, Microsoft is bringing the feature sets
of the languages closer together. Also, with the addition of XML support in
WSH version 2.0, you can use the language that is best suited to a particular
task, even within the same script. You can develop scripts that have a mix of
languages contained within them. One section can be written in VBScript, and
another section can be written in JScript, all within the same script file.

Note There are a few areas in which one scripting languages is more powerful
than the other. For example, JScript has very powerful error handling routines,
whereas Visual Basic Scripting Edition has excellent run-time expression
evaluation. Detailed comparison of the two languages is outside the scope of
this course.
For more information about the differences between VBScript and JScript, see
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/default.htm
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 17

Working with Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce development
tools that you can use when
writing and debugging
Writing Scripts
scripts.

Debugging Scripts
Lead-in
When you are writing
Troubleshooting
scripts, there are some tools
that will help you create and
debug the script.

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To create scripts, you must have the following: a development tool to write the
script and a host to run the script in. There are a number of development tools
available. The simplest one is Notepad. However, while you can carry out all of
your scripting work by using Notepad, it does not have any specific
functionality that makes scripting easy.
This section describes the process of writing scripts.
18 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Writing Scripts
Topic Objective
To explain what
components are required to
WSH 2.0
write a script.
Lead-in

Part of Windows 2000 and Windows ME
Before you can start
Download for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, and
creating scripts you must Windows 98
have a development tool to
write them with, and a host
Development Tools
to run them on.

Notepad

Third-party IDEs

Visual InterDev or Visual Basic for Applications

Reference Documentation

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Before you can successfully write and then run your scripts, you must make
sure that the following two basic requirements are met:

WSH must be present on the computer that you intend to run the script on.

You must have a suitable script-creation environment for the development
of your scripts.

WSH 2.0
WSH 2.0 ships with the following versions of Windows:

Windows Millenium Edition (Me)

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows 2000 Server

Windows 2000 Advanced Server

Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

WSH version 1.0 is integrated into Windows 98. Both Windows 95 and
Windows NT version 4.0 were released before WSH, so they must be upgraded
to support WSH 2.0. You can download an upgrade for Windows 95 and
Windows 98 and a service pack for Windows NT 4.0. WSH 2.0 includes:

Visual Basic Scripting Edition and JScript version 5.1

Windows Script Runtime version 5.1

Note Updates to the script engines also ship with Internet Explorer updates.
For example, version 5.5 of the script engines ships with version 5.5 of
Internet Explorer. Check the documentation of future updates of
Internet Explorer to find which script engine version they contain.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 19

Development Tools
Currently, WSH is shipped without a dedicated development tool for scripting.
However, you can obtain tools that enable you to develop scripts on your
Windows platform.
The most basic development tool is Notepad.exe. Using Notepad as your
scripting development tool has the following advantages:

It is installed on all Windows machines by default.

It supports cut and paste and other text-editing operations.

It has low memory and processor requirements.

Using Notepad does not impose any specific limitations on the code that you
develop. However, this tool provides no specific scripting functionality, such as
object browsing or integrated debugging.
There are other development tools available from third parties that are far more
powerful than Notepad. There are also the Integrated Development
Environments (IDEs) of Microsoft Visual InterDev® and Visual Basic for
Applications. These programs offer features that include the Object Browser
and mature, integrated debugging tools. However, these tools are not designed
exclusively for Visual Basic Scripting Edition. As a result, there are
compatibility and programmatic issues that you need to understand before you
can use these tools to develop scripts.

Reference Documentation
It is a good idea to install the Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Windows
Script Host online reference documentation. These provide an invaluable guide
to the objects, methods, and properties that are available in VBScript and WSH,
as well as many examples. The VBScript documentation also provides a
reference to the VBScript language syntax.
You can install the WSH documentation by downloading and running
Wshdoc.exe from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/windowshost/wshdoc.exe
You can install the VBScript documentation and samples by downloading and
running Vbsdoc.exe from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/VBScript/download/vbsdoc.exe
20 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Debugging Scripts
Topic Objective
To introduce common bugs
and demonstrate how the
Microsoft Script Debugger
Script Errors
can help track these bugs.

Syntax errors
Lead-in
As you write scripts, it is
Run-time errors
inevitable that errors will
occur. These errors fall into
Logic errors
three basic categories.

Microsoft Script Debugger

Installing Microsoft Script Debugger

Features of Microsoft Script Debugger

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Even the most experienced programmer will encounter bugs and errors in their
code. Your scripts will also be vulnerable to errors. Finding and fixing errors is
an essential day-to-day task that you must master to develop robust, useful
scripts.

Script Errors
Errors in your script can be categorized into three groups:

Syntax errors.
This type of error results when you have not followed all of the rules of the
language. For example, omitting a quotation mark where one is required
will generate a syntax error. Syntax errors are picked up as the script is
compiled and executed. For this reason they are sometimes called
compilation errors.
Compilation is the process of turning the code that you write into a set of
instructions that the processor can execute. Syntax errors will prevent your
code from running. You will receive a message box that indicates the type
of syntax error that has occurred.

Run-time errors.
A run-time error occurs when your code, although syntactically correct,
attempts to perform an action that is not possible at the time it is attempted.
For example, a run-time error occurs if your script attempts to open a file
that does not exist or attempts to save a file to the floppy drive when no disk
is present. Run-time errors cause your script to stop unexpectedly. You will
receive a message box that indicates the type of action that was attempted
but was not possible.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 21

Logic errors.
A logic error occurs when a script runs without syntax or run-time errors,
but the results are unexpected or unintended. For example, a script might
prompt the user for a password. The script is supposed to prevent the user
from proceeding without a valid password, but it allows the user to process
without a password. This could be due to a logic error in the script.
Logic errors are typically the most difficult ones to fix, because they are the
most difficult ones to identify. Logic errors usually results in bugs in your
script.
Microsoft Script Debugger can be used to run your code line-by-line to see
why the script does not run the script the way it was intended. This is the
most efficient approach to finding and fixing logic errors.

Microsoft Script Debugger

Included with Windows 2000 is version 1.0 of the Microsoft Script Debugger
tool. This tool is designed to help you find problems or bugs with the execution
of scripts.

Installing Microsoft Script Debugger

You can use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to install the script
debugger. It is listed under Windows Components. Installing the debugger in
this manner installs the debugger itself and a comprehensive help file into the
systemroot\Help\debug\Sdbug.htm folder (where systemroot is the folder that
contains the Windows 2000 system files).
An update to this debugger is available from the Windows Script Web site,
which fixes some of the known issues with version 1.0. This version is called
1.0a and can be obtained from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/debugger/downloads/10a/x86/Scd10en.exe

Features of Microsoft Script Debugger

Some of the features of the Microsoft Script Debugger include the ability to run
script commands directly, set breakpoints in your code, and view a list of
procedures whose execution is pending.

Note The script debugger documentation is written with the focus on Internet
scripts rather than WSH. While this can be confusing for an administrator who
has no Internet Explorer script experience, the majority of the information it
provides can be applied to WSH scripting.
To see how to use the features of Microsoft Script Debugger, see Module 4,
“Error Handling and Debugging,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.
22 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Troubleshooting
Topic Objective
To provide basic
troubleshooting tips.
WScript.Echo Method
Lead-in
Generates a message box in WScript
When you are working with
scripts, you must be aware
Outputs to the command line in CScript
of some basic
troubleshooting information.
The Debugger Launches Without a Loaded Script

From the command-prompt, check which line caused the
failure

Log off and log back on to reset the debugger

Visual Studio Installation

Overrides Microsoft Script Debugger

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When you are working with scripts, you must be aware of some basic
troubleshooting information.

WScript.Echo Method
The following statement behaves differently in WScript and CScript:
Example WScript.Echo "This is a message"

With WScript.exe, this method results in a message box that interrupts the
execution of the script until the user clicks OK.
With CScript.exe, this method outputs the text directly to the command line and
then continues executing the script. No user interaction is required.

The Debugger Launches Without a Loaded Script

If the debugger launches without a loaded script, it is usually due to a syntax
error in your script. If this is the case, you can switch to the command prompt
where an error message will be displayed. The error message will highlight the
line and character at which the error was found.
If this fails to help, and the script window is still missing, log off and log back
on to clear the problem.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 23

Visual Studio Installation

If you install Microsoft Visual Studio® version 6.0 after the Windows Script
Debugger, the behavior of WSH is modified because Visual Studio handles all
script errors. Every time a script error is encountered, a message box appears
containing the following message:
There was an unexpected error. Would you like to debug the application?
If you click Yes in the message box, Visual InterDev starts instead of the
Microsoft Script Debugger. If this is not the desired behavior, then you can
reset the default debugger in one of two ways:

Remove and reinstall the debugger.

Modify the registry entry for the default debugger directly.
The registry key for the default debugger is:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\
{834128A2-51F4-11D0-8F20-00805F2CD064}\LocalServer32
For the script debugger, this entry should contain C:\Program
Files\Microsoft Script Debugger\msscrdbg.exe. For Visual InterDev, it
should contain C:\Program Files\Microsoft Script Debugger\mdm.exe.

Caution Modifying the registry can result in your machine being unable to
start. Always ensure you have a system backup before changing any registry
values.
24 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Comparing VBScript and Visual Basic

Topic Objective
To compare VBScript and
Visual Basic.
VBScript Is an Interpreted Language
Lead-in
Not compiled into an executable
VBScript is a subset of
Visual Basic for Applications
Syntax Differences
and Visual Basic.

Code must be in procedures in Visual Basic

The only data type is variant

No Debug.Print

Cannot access type library references directly

Constants have to be explicitly declared

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Visual Basic Scripting Edition is a subset of the Visual Basic for Applications
language that is used in Microsoft Office and the Visual Basic development
system. If you are already familiar with the Visual Basic language, then you
will find writing scripts with VBScript easy. However, you should be aware
that there are some differences between the two languages. Some of the
differences are described below.

VBScript Is an Interpreted Language

Visual Basic Scripting Edition is an interpreted language. This means that it is
processed and parsed for syntax correctness at run time and not prepackaged as
an executable file before it is run. Script written in VBScript is slower to
execute than script written in Visual Basic.

Syntax Differences
Unlike Visual Basic, Visual Basic Scripting Edition does not require that the
main body of the script be enclosed in a Sub () or Function () procedure.
VBScript has only one data type, called a Variant, which is used to contain
many different kinds of data. For example, it contains strings, integers, and so
on. You cannot declare an explicit data type in VBScript.
There is no support in VBScript for the Debug.Print statement used in Visual
Basic. The WSH equivalent is WScript.Echo.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 25

One limitation of VBScript is its lack of native support for referencing type
library information. This is most apparent with constants. If you wish to use a
constant name to reference a value, you must explicitly declare it at the start of
the script.

Note With the XML support in WSH 2.0, you can overcome this limitation.
For more information, see Module 8, “Beyond the Basics,” in Course 2433A,
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host
Essentials.

This is not a definitive list of the differences between the languages. It simply
illustrates that there are some important differences that will affect the ability to
reuse code examples from one language in the code to another language.
26 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Lab 1: Configuring and Using WSH

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will configure
WSH and an IDE so that
you can create and debug
scripts.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to:

Run scripts.

Configure a WSH file for your scripts.

Manage the WSH environment on a computer.

Edit scripts by using an IDE.

Prerequisites
Before working on this lab, you must have:

An understanding of the Windows 2000 graphical user interface (GUI).

The ability to work with Windows Explorer.

Scenario
You are the administrator of a corporate network. You want to run scripts
written in Visual Basic Scripting Edition by using WSH technologies. You
must control and configure the script host that you will use to run your scripts.
In addition, you want to install the documentation for WSH and VBScript.
Finally, you want to review and edit scripts by using an IDE.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 45 minutes

 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 27

Exercise 1
Configuring WSH
In this exercise, you will examine and configure the various settings for the
WSH environment.

To list the script settings for the CScript.exe host

1. Log on to your computer as Administrator with a password of password.
2. On the Start menu, click Run…
3. In the Run dialog box, type cmd and then click OK.
4. In the command prompt window, type CScript and then press ENTER.
The list of switches for the CScript host is listed.
5. Review the list of switches.
You can use the //H:CScript switch to change the default host for your
scripts to CScript.exe.

To run a script file

1. At the command prompt, change to the Lab01 starter folder by typing:
cd install_folder\Labs\Lab01\Starter (install_folder is C:\Program
Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
2. Type Scr1.vbs and then press ENTER.
The script file runs. The WScript host launches the script.
3. Type CScript.exe Scr1.vbs and then press ENTER.
The CScript host launches the script.

To change the default script host

1. At the command prompt, type CScript.exe //H:Cscript and then press
ENTER.
You are notified that the default host has been set to CScript.exe.
2. Type Scr1.vbs and then press ENTER.
The CScript host launches the script.

To create a WSH file for Scr1.vbs

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the install_folder\Labs\Lab01\Starter folder
(install_folder is C:\ Program Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
2. Click Scr1.vbs.
3. On the File menu, click Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog, click the Script tab.
5. Select the Stop script after specified number of seconds check box, and
then click OK.
A new file named Scr1.wsh is created in the same folder as the .vbs file.
28 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

To open the WSH file for Scr1.vbs

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click
Notepad.
2. In Notepad, on the File menu, click Open.
3. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the install_folder\Labs\Lab01\Starter
folder.
4. In the Files of type list, click All Files.
5. In the open dialog, click Scr1.wsh, and then click Open.

To modify the WSH file for Scr1.vbs

1. Locate the line that reads Timeout=10.
2. Modify this line so that it reads Timeout=5.
3. On the File menu, click Save.
4. Close Notepad.
5. In the command prompt window, type WScript Scr1.wsh and then press
ENTER.
6. Wait for five seconds. Do not click OK or press ENTER in the message
box. Wait for the script to be forcibly shut down by the host.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 29

Exercise 2
Installing the WSH and VBScript documentation
In this exercise, you will install and review the WSH and Visual Basic Scripting
Edition documentation.

To install the WSH documentation

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the install_folder\Labs\Lab01\Starter
folder.
2. Double-click wshdoc.exe.
3. In the Where would you like to install Windows Script Host 2.0
documentation? dialog box, click OK to accept the default location.
4. You might be prompted that the folder does not exist and asked whether you
want to create it. If you receive this message, click Yes.
The WSH documentation is installed.

To install the VBScript documentation

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the install_folder\Labs\Lab01\Starter
folder.
2. Double-click vbsdoc.exe.
3. In the Where would you like to install VBScript V5.5 documentation?
dialog box, click OK to accept the default location.
4. You might be prompted that the folder does not exist and asked whether you
want to create it. If you receive this message, click Yes.
The VBScript documentation is installed.

To review the WSH documentation

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Windows Script, and
then click Windows Script Host 2.0 Documentation.
2. In the WSH documentation window, click the Index tab.
3. In the Type in the keyword to find box, type Echo
4. Click Display.
5. Review the information provided about the Echo method.
6. Close the WSH documentation window.
30 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

To review the VBScript documentation

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Windows Script, and
then click VBScript V5.5 Documentation.
2. In the VBScript documentation window, under Contents, expand User’s
Guide.
3. Click What Is VBScript?
4. Review the information provided.
5. Close the VBScript documentation window.
 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies 31

Exercise 3
Using an IDE to Edit Script Files
In this exercise, you will use the PrimalSCRIPT IDE.

To open a script file in Primal Script

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to SAPIEN Technologies, Inc., and
then click PrimalSCRIPT 2.0.
2. In the PrimalSCRIPT 2.0 dialog box, click OK.
3. In the Tips and Tricks dialog box, clear the Show tips at each startup of
PrimalSCRIPT check box, and then click OK.
4. On the File menu, click Open.
5. In the Open dialog box, browse to the install_folder\Labs\Lab01\Starter
folder.
6. Click Scr1.vbs, and then click Open.
7. Review the contents of the file.

To use the auto-complete features of the IDE

1. Click at the end of line 5, and then press ENTER.
2. Type WScript
Notice that the command you have just typed is gray. This indicates that the
IDE recognizes the word that you have typed.
3. Type a single period.
Notice that a list of the available valid terms is displayed. These are the
members of the WScript object.
4. In the list, double-click Echo.
The IDE auto-complete feature enters the word into your script.
5. Type a space.
Note that some on-screen help is provided by the IDE.
6. Type “Welcome to the VBScript and WSH course!” (including the
quotation marks).

To save and run the script

1. On the File menu, click Save.
2. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
3. Click OK in each of the message boxes that you receive.
4. On the File menu, click Exit.
32 Module 1: Overview of Windows Scripting Technologies

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
points.
Introducing WSH
Lead-in
Running Scripts
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
Working with Scripts
taught in the module.

Comparing VBScript and Visual Basic

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1. What are the script host executable files?
CScript.exe and WScript.exe.

2. Which host is the default host?

WScript.exe.

3. Which script engine will be invoked with the Myscript.jse file?

The Microsoft JScript Engine.

4. What is the Visual Basic Scripting Edition equivalent of the Debug.Print

command in Visual Basic?
WScript.Echo.
 Module 2: Working with
Objects

Contents

Overview 1
Object Terminology 2
Creating and Using Objects 11
Understanding Object Models 16
Demonstration: Using an Object Browser 23
Common Object Models 29
Lab 2: Working with Objects 39
Review 46
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 Module 2: Working with Objects iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with the knowledge and practical experience of
90 Minutes using objects in scripts.
Lab: After completing this module, students will be able to:
45 Minutes

Understand how scripts use objects.

Understand object terminology.

Use an object browser.

Understand how scripts interact with the Component Object Model (COM).

Explain the use of various object models.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:

Microsoft® PowerPoint® file 2433A_02.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the lab.
iv Module 2: Working with Objects

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Object Terminology
This section introduces the students to the terms that they will encounter
when programming with objects. It is essential that they understand all of
the terms in this section, because much of the rest of the course uses objects.
Spend as much time as necessary to make sure that the students understand
the relationship between objects and their methods and properties. Also,
ensure that the students fully understand the distinction between a class and
an object. Use the analogies given in this section to help explain the
terminology to students who have not encountered these terms before.

Creating and Using Objects
This section reinforces the previous section by giving some examples of
how objects can be used.
Make use of the examples in the text and on the slides to expand the
students’ understanding of how objects are created and used.

Understanding Object Models
Explain that COM is a binary specification developed by Microsoft that
makes the reuse of objects possible. Then, introduce the object browser and
the object models described in this section.
It is very important that the students understand the purpose of the two
object models described in this section. They will use both the Microsoft
Windows® Script Host (WSH) and the scripting object models in the lab.
They will also work with these object models on an everyday basis at work.

Common Object Models
Use this section to introduce some of the other object models that the
students will find useful at work. You will not have time to go into any
detail about these object models themselves. Also, note that some of the
object models are covered in more detail later in the course. Use this section
as an introduction to these object models.
 Module 2: Working with Objects v

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and
Certification courseware.

Important The lab in this module is also dependent on the classroom

configuration that is specified in the Customization Information section at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Lab Setup
There are no lab setup requirements that affect replication or customization.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
objectives.
Object Terminology
Lead-in
Creating and Using Objects
In this module, you will learn
about objects and how they
Understanding Object Models
are used in scripts.

Common Object Models

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Understanding objects is fundamental to the script writing process. This module
describes what an object is, and how you can use them in scripts.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:

Understand how scripts use objects.

Understand object terminology.

Use an object browser.

Understand how scripts interact with the Component Object Model (COM).

Explain the use of various object models.
2 Module 2: Working with Objects

Object Terminology
Topic Objective
To introduce object
terminology.
Lead-in
Understanding Object Terminology
Using objects in your scripts
Methods and Properties
will afford you many
advantages.
Understanding Instantiation Terminology

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Using objects in your scripts gives you many advantages, such as efficiency,
reliability, and reuse of existing functionality. Before you can use objects in
your scripts, you must understand the terms and concepts applicable to
programming with objects.
This section describes the terminology used when programming with objects. It
also includes an analogy that helps to summarize the key concepts introduced in
this section.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 3

Understanding Object Terminology

Topic Objective
To introduce object
programming terms.
Lead-in
Objects
This is a list of terms that
Packaged functionality
you will come across when
working with scripts.
Compiled Objects

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You will encounter some terminology as you start to use objects in your scripts.
Each term has a distinct meaning. You will come across these terms frequently.
Each term, and how they relate to each other, is described below.

Objects
Objects are packaged pieces of functionality. Objects contain code that you can
use in your scripts. However, the manner in which you access the functionality
contained in an object is called black-box reuse. When you use the functionality
provided by an object, you never need to see the code that it contains.

Compiled Objects
The most common types of objects that you will use in your Microsoft® Visual
Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScrpt) files are compiled objects. With these types
of objects, you will never need to see the code that they contain. The code that
provides the functionality is compiled into a binary file, which is usually a
dynamic link library (DLL) or a Microsoft ActiveX® Control file (with the file
extension .ocx). All that you need to do is create script in VBScript that
communicates with the object to reuse the prepackaged functionality that it
provides.
In addition to containing code that provides reusable functionality, objects also
contain data. You can manipulate this data in a manner similar to reusing the
packaged functionality. You do not need to know how the object implements its
data. You only need to know how to communicate with the object to manipulate
the data values. Again, this is all part of the black-box reuse concept.
You will communicate with the functionality provided by an object by using its
methods. You will manipulate the data that an object contains by working with
its properties. Methods and properties are described in the following section.
4 Module 2: Working with Objects

Note Each object that you work with has a well-defined list of methods and
properties associated with it. For example, one object might contain a Color
property and a Paint method, while another object might contain a Name
property and a Play method. The methods and properties that each individual
object contains are designed by the developer of that object.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 5

Methods and Properties

Topic Objective
To explain methods and
properties.
Lead-in
Methods
To manipulate objects, you
Invoking a method
work with their methods and
properties.
Using parentheses

Properties

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To manipulate objects, you work with their methods and properties.

Methods
Objects expose their functionality as methods. To use the functionality provided
by a particular method, you need to know how to call it. You do not need to
know how the method works internally. The term invoke is often used to
describe the process of calling a method.
When you invoke a method in your script, the compiled method code runs in its
entirety at the point in your code where you call it. It is important to understand
the benefits that this affords you as a script developer. The method might
contain thousands of lines of code hidden from you by the object. You can
simply access this code by calling the method. You can achieve this by using a
single line of script. The term used to describe the approach of hiding complex
code is encapsulation.

Invoking a method
There are three different ways to invoke a method. Which approach you use in
your script depends upon how the method is exposed. The three approaches are
described below.
Syntax Object.Method

In this approach, the method is invoked with a simple call. The call uses the dot
notation to specify the name of the object and the name of the method that you
want to invoke. In this simple call, the method does not need any inputs from
your script, nor does it return data to your script.
6 Module 2: Working with Objects

Syntax Object.Method Param1 [, Param2, … ,Paramn]

In this approach, the method is invoked with a call similar to the previous call.
Again, the call uses the dot notation to specify the name of the object and then
the name of the method that you want to invoke. However, this approach passes
data into the method from your script by using one or more parameters. The
method accepts the data and works with it internally, encapsulated from your
script.
The parameters are provided as a comma-separated list.
Syntax MyVariable = Object.Method([Param1, Param2, … ,Paramn])

In this approach, a Visual Basic Scripting Edition variable is used to hold the
return value of the method call. Again, the dot notation is used, but this time the
value of the variable is set to the result of the method call.

Note For more information about variables, see Using Objects later in this
module and in Module 3, “Script Logic,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual
Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Using Parentheses
An important addition to this syntax is the inclusion of the parentheses that
follow the method call. The parentheses indicate that your script must evaluate
the method call. In this case, it holds the evaluated data in the variable.
Methods that return data to the calling script might require parameters. If this is
the case, then those parameters must be supplied as a comma-separated list
inside the parentheses, as shown in the previous syntax. However, some
methods might return data and not require parameters. If this is the case, then
you still must use the parentheses, although the code does not contain any
parameters, as the following syntax illustrates:
Syntax MyVariable = Object.Method()

Properties
Objects expose their data to your script in their properties. To manipulate this
data, all you must know is how to retrieve and set the property value. You do
not need to know how the object actually stores or handles the data. Again, this
reinforces the black-box reuse concept.
The following syntax illustrates some standard approaches to setting and
retrieving the values of an object’s properties:
 Module 2: Working with Objects 7

Syntax Object.Property = Value

In this syntax, using the dot notation sets the property's value. The value might
take one of a number of forms, but you must be able to evaluate it as a discrete
value. Some of forms that the value takes are described as follows:

A literal value
You can set the property of an object to a literal value, such as the number
10 or the string “Cat.”

A simple expression that can be evaluated as a discrete value
You can set the property of an object to the result of an expression that your
script can evaluate as it runs, such as the result of 18 + 9 or the result
“London” concatenated with “ United Kingdom.”

A property of another object
You can set the property of one object to the property of another object. You
can achieve this in the following single line of code:
Syntax Object1.Property1 = Object2.Property2

The return value of an object’s method call

You can set the property of one object to the return value of another object’s
method. You can achieve this in the following single line of code:
Syntax Object1.Property1 = Object2.Method([Param1])

If you want to retrieve the property value and store it in one of your variables,
use the following code. The syntax is very similar to that used to retrieve the
return value of a method. However, in this case, you do not use parentheses.
Syntax MyVariable = Object.Property
8 Module 2: Working with Objects

Understanding Instantiation Terminology

Topic Objective
To describe Instantiation
terminology.
Lead-in
Classes
To use objects and their Blueprints for your objects
corresponding methods and
properties, you must write
An Analogy–Architect Drawings and Buildings
code that creates the object.

Type Libraries

A collection of classes

Instantiation

Multiple instances

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To use objects and their corresponding methods and properties, you must write
code that creates the object. Object creation involves referring to the object’s
type library and class. These terms are explained below.

Classes
A class is the blueprint for an object. The developers who allow you to reuse
their code as objects do not write the code in the object itself. They actually
write code in a class. When you want to reuse code, your script creates an
object based on a class. The object code is written in the class in such a way
that it provides you with the methods and properties for your object.

An Analogy–Architect Drawings and Buildings

One way to think about the purpose of a class is to consider a real-world
analogy. Imagine the process involved in planning and constructing a building:
The architect has a vision of what she wants the building to look like and how
she wants the building to be structured. To convey her ideas to the builders, she
creates an architect drawing, or blueprint, in which she specifies the materials to
be used and the dimensions of the building.
At this point, her job is done. She can now hand the blueprint to the builders,
who construct the building according to the plans. In fact, the builders can
construct many similar buildings, all based on the same drawing. They can
reuse the blueprint many times. After the building has been constructed, the
owner can decide to paint the building with a color of his choice. He might also
decide to install alarms, add furniture, and so on.
In this analogy, the architect’s blueprint is analogous to a class. Objects are
analogous to the buildings that are created from the blueprint.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 9

The blueprint makes allowances that alarms can be installed and furniture can
be added. These actions are analogous to methods. The object is manipulated
after it has been created by performing these actions.
Furthermore, the blueprint of the building does not specify a fixed color for the
paint used to decorate it. The blueprint allows this color to be chosen after the
building has been constructed. The paint color is analogous to a property.

Type Libraries
A type library is a collection of classes that can be redistributed to allow you to
build objects based on those classes. Type libraries are compiled files that
expose their classes to your script. They are usually compiled into dynamic link
libraries (DLL) or ActiveX Controls files.

A Collection of Classes
Using the earlier analogy of a blueprint, the architect might produce many
blueprints for different building types. She might develop one blueprint for a
house, one for an apartment building, and one for a skyscraper office complex.
She might then store all of these blueprints in a folder that is named Buildings.
When she completes these blueprints, she can give the whole folder to the
builder. When the builders want to build a house, they can get the house
blueprint from the folder. They could also access the skyscraper or apartment
blueprints to construct those types of buildings, as well.
In this analogy, the folder is the type library. It contains the blueprints for many
different types of buildings. Each building type has its own set of distinct
features and attributes. In object terminology, the methods and properties are
these distinct features and attributes.
You must know the name of any type library that you use in your scripts.

Note For examples of the names of type libraries, see Working with Objects
later in this module.

Instantiation
The process of creating an object from its class is termed instantiation. When an
object is instantiated, it inherits the properties and methods that the class
defines. This functionality is held in memory by your computer. As a result, it
is efficient for you to manipulate the object.
After the object is instantiated, it no longer needs to refer back to its class, nor
is it desirable that it should do so. The premise behind this fact is that after the
object is created, you can manipulate it without affecting the class upon which
the object was based.
Using the architect drawing analogy, imagine that the builders have constructed
a house and that the decorator paints it yellow. It is sensible that this action
should affect only that house and should not affect the blueprint. If it does
affect the blueprint, then all of the new houses would now be yellow, which is
obviously not desirable.
10 Module 2: Working with Objects

Multiple Instances
You will often use multiple instances of the same class in your script. If you
create multiple instances of the same class, then you can manipulate each
instance, or object, independently of the others.
Using the above analogy, the builders might construct a whole street of houses
from the same blueprint. The decorator might then paint house Number 1
yellow. This will not affect the other houses, even though they are based on the
same blueprint. The decorator might paint house Number 2 green, and so on.

Note Objects are usually instantiated with a single line of code written in
Visual Basic Scripting Edition. For more information about how to write this
instantiation code, see Creating and Using Objects later in this module.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 11

Creating and Using Objects

Topic Objective
To explain how to use
objects within a script.
Lead-in
Creating Objects
Now that you understand
Using Objects
what an object is, let’s look
at how you can use them in
scripts.

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Once you understand the programming terms that relate to objects, you can use
objects in your scripts.
This section explains how to create and use objects in your scripts.
12 Module 2: Working with Objects

Creating Objects
Topic Objective
To explain how to create
objects.
Lead-in
Libraries
The type library that
Example-Wshom.ocx
Windows Script Host uses is
Wshom.ocx.
Classes

Example-WScript.Network

Object Usage Example

Dim
Dim oNetwork
oNetwork
Set
Set oNetwork
oNetwork == CreateObject(“WScript.Network”)
CreateObject(“WScript.Network”)
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "z:",
"z:", \\London\Lab2Share
\\London\Lab2Share

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A type library commonly used by administrative scripts is the Microsoft
Windows Script Host (WSH) library.

Libraries
The WSH library is distributed in the Wshom.ocx file, and is installed by
default on all Microsoft Windows 2000 computers.
This type library is accessed in a script that uses the following name:
Example WScript

Classes
The WScript type library contains multiple classes that you use in your scripts.
An example is the Network object. This allows a script to perform simple
network tasks. The object is instantiated using the following syntax:
Syntax Set <Object Variable> = CreateObject("<Library>.<Class>")

An example of how to create the Network object is as follows:

Example Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")

The above syntax uses the CreateObject() function that is part of the Visual
Basic Scripting Edition language. It accepts a string parameter that specifies the
type library and the class to be used to create the object. An object variable is
set to the result of this function so that you can then use the variable to refer to
the newly created object in subsequent lines of script.

Note For more about object variables, see Using Objects later in this module.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 13

After this object has been instantiated, you can use the object to perform
network tasks, such as mapping a network drive or printer. This is achieved by
using methods, such as MapNetworkDrive and AddPrinterConnection. The
oNetwork object variable also exposes properties such as ComputerName and
UserName, which you can use in the script to identify the user running the
script and the computer that it is running on. The following example illustrates
how you can use these methods and properties:
Example Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "Z:", "\\MyServer\MyShare"
Wscript.Echo oNetwork.ComputerName

The first line of code instantiates the new object and sets the oNetwork object
variable to it.
The next line of code uses the MapNetworkDrive method to create a new drive
mapping. The parameters supplied indicate that the Z drive is to be mapped to
the shared folder called MyShare on the server called MyServer.
The third line of script retrieves the value of the ComputerName property from
the oNetwork object variable. In the same line of code, the result of this
operation is displayed to the user with the Echo method of the built-in WScript
object.

Note Although WScript is the name of a type library, there is also an object
called WScript that exposes useful methods like Echo. Since this object is
related to the host itself, there is no need to instantiate it (as you must do with
most objects). It is automatically instantiated by the host that your scripts run in
and can therefore be used directly.
14 Module 2: Working with Objects

Using Objects
Topic Objective
To explain how you can
create and use objects in
scripts.
Assigning an Object to a Variable
Lead-in Set
When you want to use an Set objFSO
objFSO == CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
object in a script, you must
first create the object by
Using an Object
using the set statement.
objFSO.CreateFolder("C:\Test")
objFSO.CreateFolder("C:\Test")

Deleting an Object
Set
Set objFSO
objFSO == Nothing
Nothing

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To use the properties and methods of an object, you must be able to refer
consistently to your instance of it. To do this, you use a named pointer to your
instance of the object. The named pointer is known as an object variable, and it
points to the object code and data in memory.

Assigning an Object to a Variable

You will use the set keyword to assign an object to a variable in your code. The
set keyword informs the script that the variable points to an in-memory object
structure.
The following example instantiates a FileSystemObject object and points the
objFSO variable to it, so that it can be manipulated in subsequent lines of code:
Example Set objFSO = CreateObject ("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Using an Object
After the object has been created in the memory space of the running script, it is
possible to access the methods and properties that it exposes by using the object
variable that points to it.
The following example uses the CreateFolder method to create a new folder
called Test in the root of the C drive:
Example objFSO.CreateFolder ("C:\Test")
 Module 2: Working with Objects 15

Deleting an Object
Objects consume memory on the computer that they are running on. Therefore,
it is good practice to delete them when you are done using them.
To delete an object, you set its object variable to the keyword Nothing, as
shown in the following:
Example Set objFSO = Nothing

Note Objects that are not explicitly set to Nothing are deleted automatically by
WSH when the script terminates. However, it is considered best practice to
delete objects explicitly when the script no longer requires them, because this
frees up the disk space that is used by the object. Complex objects can use a
substantial amount of disk space, so you should delete complex objects as soon
as possible.
16 Module 2: Working with Objects

Understanding Object Models

Topic Objective
To introduce the concept of
object models.
Lead-in
Defining Object Models
This section introduces the
COM Objects
concept of object models.
You will see how this
COM Objects in Practice
information can help you
write scripts.
Using an Object Browser

Demonstration: Using an Object Browser

The Scripting Object Model

The WSH Object Model

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An object model describes a collection of objects that are designed to perform a
related set of tasks. This section examines how these models function and how
you can use them when you are writing scripts.
This section also provides an introduction to the Component Object Model
(COM).
In addition, you will learn more about the Microsoft Scripting runtime object
model and the WSH object model. An understanding of these object models
increases the range of administrative tasks that you will be able to perform with
scripts.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 17

Defining Object Models

Topic Objective
To explain the concept of an
object model.

Describing Object Models
Lead-in
An object model describes a
Examples of Object Models
collection of objects that are
designed to perform a
WSH
related set of tasks.

ADSI

ADO

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Many of the objects that you will use in your scripts are presented to you in an
object model.

Describing Object Models

An object model is a collection of objects that are designed to perform a related
set of tasks, such as managing the file system or reading information from a
database. The object classes, methods, and properties are grouped together by
the developer and presented as an object model.
In many cases, the objects in the object model are organized into a hierarchy.
The higher level, or root, objects provide access to the objects further down. For
example, the FileSystemObject object provides access to the drive object. It is
not possible to call the drive object without using the FileSystemObject object.
While many existing object models implement hierarchies that require you to
access one object through another object, a more modern approach is to access
all objects directly. For example, all of the objects in the ActiveX Data Objects
(ADO) model can be accessed directly. They are not organized into a hierarchy.
18 Module 2: Working with Objects

Examples of Object Models

Some of the most commonly used object models in administrative scripts are
described below:

Windows Script Host (WSH)
This object model provides you with functionality that you can use to
perform basic administrative tasks, such as creating folders and mapping
network drives.

Active Directory™ Service Interface (ADSI)
This object model provides you with functionality that you can use to access
and configure the Active Directory service features, such as users and
groups.

ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
This object model provides you with functionality that you can use to access
data sources, such as Microsoft SQL Server™.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 19

COM Objects
Topic Objective
To introduce the concept of
COM objects.
Lead-in Data Marshalling
WScript
The Component Object
Model provides a set of Contract
rules that defines how
software can be made of
reusable components. What Can You Do?

This is What I Can Do...

VBScript

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The Component Object Model (COM) provides a specification and set of rules
that define how software systems can be constructed from reusable
components. The COM specification also describes the precise way in which
clients, such as WSH scripts, can communicate with objects that are located
inside components.

Contracts
A contract consists of a definition of the methods and properties supported by
objects. COM allows a contract to be defined and specifies the services that the
component provides to its clients. The rules of COM mandate that the contract,
after it is published or made generally available to client software, cannot
change. This alleviates many of the versioning issues prevalent in most
software systems, particularly those developed prior to the component era.
COM also governs how data is transferred between the client and object. The
process of passing data into and out of an object is called marshalling.

DCOM and Component Services

Distributed COM (DCOM) extends marshalling support of COM so that objects
can be accessed over a network.
Windows 2000 integrates Component Services to provide additional
functionality to component developers and support for distributed transactions,
resource management, security, and so on.
20 Module 2: Working with Objects

COM Objects in Practice

Topic Objective
To describe COM objects in
practice.

Object Identification
Lead-in
To identify classes, a
ProgID
ProgID is used. These
identifiers specify what the
Automation
class is and what type
library it belongs to.
Required for script

Type Libraries

Defines component's metadata

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Classes are identified by using a label called a Programmatic Identifier, or
ProgID.

Object Identification
The ProgID is stored in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT section of the registry.
It tells the system which .dll, .exe, or .ocx file contains the associated class
definition that is used to construct the object. A ProgID consists of a type
library and a class name that are separated by a dot, as in the following
example:
Syntax Library.Class

The following example uses the Scripting.FileSystemObject ProgID to create

an instance of the object. The registry contains information about the compiled
file that defines this type of object:
Example Set MyObject = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Automation
Scripting environments, such as WSH, impose certain restrictions on COM
objects. One of the key restrictions is the range of data types that can be passed
to and from the object. This, and other restrictions, means that script code
cannot communicate with all COM objects. Those COM objects complying
with the requirements of script are called automation objects.
Automation defines a restricted set of data types and imposes one or two other
requirements on the developer of COM objects. From the administrator’s
perspective, this is not a significant issue, since nearly all of the object models
that an administrator might want to use from a WSH script are automation-
compliant.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 21

For example, all of the applications in Microsoft Office, such as Microsoft

Word and Microsoft PowerPoint®, support automation. As a result, Visual
Basic Scripting Edition can be used to control their functionality. The following
script takes the first slide from an active PowerPoint presentation, copies it, and
pastes it into a Word document called Demo.doc that is located in the C:\My
Documents\ folder:
Example Set oPres = CreateObject ("PowerPoint.Application")
oPres.Visible=True
oPres.ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Copy
Set oWord = CreateObject ("Word.Application")
oWord.Visible=True
oWord.Documents.Open "c:\My Documents\Demo.doc"
oWord.Selection.Range.Paste

Type Libraries
As mentioned previously, you can use type libraries to define the set of classes,
methods, and properties that a component supports. This type of information is
the component’s metadata, the data that describes data.
Although it is typically saved as part of the component’s .dll or .ocx file, it can
reside in a stand-alone type library file, usually with a .tlb file extension. By
examining the metadata inside a type library, it is possible to discover the
objects, methods, and properties that you can use in a script. Object browsers
can use this type information to depict a graphical view of an object model.
22 Module 2: Working with Objects

Using an Object Browser

Topic Objective
To demonstrate how to use
an object browser.
Lead-in
Accessing Type
When you write scripts, it is Libraries
useful to view what objects
are available to you in a

Reviewing Class
type library. Information

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It is helpful to view what objects are available in a type library when you write
script. Many tools can give you this functionality.
The Microsoft Object Browser is a tool that you can use to look inside a type
library. It displays the information in a readable, graphical form. The object
browser ships with Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft
Office.

Note Another browser tool called the object linking and embedding
(OLE)/COM Object Viewer ships with Microsoft Visual Studio® development
system. It is a developer-oriented tool and will not be used in this course.
You can download it as a stand-alone application from the Microsoft Web site
at www.microsoft.com.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 23

Demonstration: Using an Object Browser

Topic Objective
To demonstrate how to use
an object browser.
Lead-in
In this demonstration, you
will see how to use an
object browser.

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In this demonstration, you will see how to use an object browser.

To use an object browser to view an object model

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Microsoft Word.
2. In the Microsoft Word window, on the Tools menu, point to Macro, and
then click Visual Basic Editor.
3. In the Microsoft Visual Basic window, on the View menu, click Object
Browser.
4. Click the <All Libraries> list.
The libraries available to Microsoft Word are the following:
• Normal
• Office
• stdole
• VBA
• Word
24 Module 2: Working with Objects

To add the Scripting library

1. In the Microsoft Visual Basic window, on the Tools menu, click
References.
2. In the References–Project dialog box, select the Microsoft Scripting
Runtime check box, and then click OK.
3. Click the <All Libraries> list.
Note that Scripting library has been added to the list.
4. Click Scripting.
5. In the empty list, type FileSystemObject and then press ENTER.
6. In the Members of ‘FileSystemObject’ pane, click CreateFolder.
Notice the data in the Search Results pane as you click the item.
7. Close the Microsoft Visual Basic window.
8. Close the Microsoft Word window.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 25

The Scripting Object Model

Topic Objective
To introduce the scripting FileSystemObject
object model.
Drives
Drives
Lead-in
The primary object provided
by the scripting object model Drive
is the FileSystemObject
Dictionary Folders
Folders
object. This object allows
the administrator to manage
the files and folders on a Folder
computer.
Files
Files
Encoder
File

TextStream

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The type information describing the scripting object model, or the Microsoft
Scripting Runtime object model, is defined in Scrrun.dll. The primary object
that this object model provides is the FileSystemObject object. You will
sometimes use the Dictionary object and the Encoder object from this object
model.

FileSystemObject
You can use the FileSystemObject object to manage files and folders on the
local computer. In addition to manipulating existing folders and files, the
FileSystemObject object enables you to create new folders and text files.
You can only create text files by using the FileSystemObject object. If you
want to create a new Word document, you must use the Word object model.
The FileSystemObject object also does not provide support for managing
NTFS file systems permissions. If you need to change the security permissions
on the file, you must use an extra utility.

Dictionary
The Dictionary object is a container object that you can use to store arbitrary
items of data. You associate each item with a name or unique key value. You
can use the key to retrieve the stored data.
For example, you can use the Dictionary object to store the details about all of
the administrators in an enterprise. Details might include a name, phone
number, and e-mail address. You can associate each dictionary entry with the
unique site the administrator is responsible for.
The site in the following example acts as the key with which the data item can
be retrieved. It uses the Dictionary object. The example creates an instance of
the Dictionary object and then stores the details of three administrators, Alan,
Kathie, and Don, in it.
26 Module 2: Working with Objects

Example Set AdminsList = Wscript.CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")

AdminsList.Add "UK", "Alan : +44 (0)117 555-0100"
AdminsList.Add "Europe", "Kathie : +33 (0)122 555-0105"
AdminsList.Add "US", "Don : +1 (0)25 555-0115"

To display, for example, the details about the administrator who is responsible
for the UK, use the following line of code. This line of script uses the
associative feature of the Dictionary object to retrieve the detail about the UK
administrator. The retrieved data is then concatenated with a string literal and
displayed by using the WScript.Echo method.
Example WScript.Echo "The UK administrator is: " & AdminsList("UK")

Encoder
Scripts that have been encoded use the Encoder object. The encoding process
is done with the Windows Encoder utility. This enables script writers to encode
their script so that the script cannot be viewed, copied, or modified but can still
be executed.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 27

The WSH Object Model

Topic Objective
To introduce the WSH
object model. WScript Arguments
Arguments
Lead-in
The WSH object model Shell SpecialFolders
SpecialFolders
provides some of the most
commonly used objects in
Shortcut
scripting.
UrlShortcut

Environment

Network = Intrinsic Object

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The type library Wshom.ocx provides the object model for WSH. This object
model provides some of the objects, methods, and properties that are most often
used in scripting.

WScript
The WScript object is an intrinsic object, which means that it is automatically
created when a script is executed and requires no explicit instantiation. The
WScript object supports the following methods:

CreateObject. This enables the creation of an object for use in the script.

Note The WScript CreateObject method is accessed by using the following

ProgID: WScript.CreateObject(“”). If the “Wscript” is left out, the Visual Basic
Scripting Edition CreateObject method is used. For most standard actions,
both methods are interchangeable.

ConnectObject. This connects WSH to an existing object.

DisconnectObject. This disconnects WSH from an existing object
connected by ConnectObject.

GetObject. This enables the retrieval of an existing object from a file, for
example the opening of an existing Word document.

Echo. This is used to display a message on the screen, either by a command
line if the host is CScript or by a message box if the host is WScript.

Quit. This terminates the execution of the script.

Sleep. This causes the script execution to pause for the stated number of
milliseconds. This can very useful when sending keystrokes to an external
program from a script.
28 Module 2: Working with Objects

Shell
This object is instantiated with the following statement:
Example Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

You can use this object to start a new process, create shortcuts, and provide the
environment collection to handle access to useful environmental variables, such
as WINDIR, COMPUTERNAME, and USERNAME. This is done by using the
following objects:

SpecialFolders. Returns the paths for Windows shell folders such as the
Desktop folder, Start menu folder, and personal My Documents folder.

Shortcut. Creates an object reference to a shortcut.

UrlShortcut. Creates an object reference to a Uniform Resource Locator
(URL) shortcut.

Environment. Retrieves environment variables from the operating system.

Network
This object is instantiated with the following statement:
Example Set objNetwork = WScript.CreateObject( "WScript.Network" )

The Network object exposes the Microsoft Windows network functionality to

your scripts, which provides methods that you can use to:

List all mapped drives.

Connect and disconnect remote drives.

List all mapped printers.

Connect and disconnect remote printers.

Set the default printer.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 29

Common Object Models

Topic Objective
To introduce some common
object models.
Lead-in
Collaboration Data Objects
Now that you have seen the
ActiveX Data Objects
basic object models, it is
time to look at some
Active Directory Service Interfaces
automation object models
that can be used in scripts.
Windows Management Instrumentation

Internet Explorer and Internet Information Server

Other Applications

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The object models discussed so far provide the basic functionality that you can
use to write useful administrative scripts.
In this section, you will be introduced to some of the other automation object
models that you can use for specific tasks, such as sending e-mail messages and
accessing databases.
30 Module 2: Working with Objects

Collaboration Data Objects

Topic Objective
To introduce CDO.
Lead-in
CDO is an object model that

CDO Names
allows scripts to use
CDO Library Versions
messaging functions, such
as sending an e-mail
message or checking a
recipient’s e-mail address.

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Collaboration Data Objects (CDO) are designed to simplify the creation of
applications or scripts with e-mail messaging functionality. The CDO libraries
expose messaging objects, such as folders, messages, recipient addresses, and
attachments.

CDO Names
CDO has gone through the following name changes in its lifetime:

Previous versions of CDO were called OLE Messaging. OLE Messaging
was first available in Exchange version 4.0.

CDO version 1.1 was named Active Messaging. Active Messaging was
installed with Exchange version 5.0. There were a few feature
enhancements in Active Messaging, but the core functionality of the library
remained unaltered.

The current version 1.2 has the name Collaboration Data Objects (CDO).
CDO 1.2 is installed with Exchange version 5.5. This version has added
functionality over CDO 1.1, including support for scheduling meetings and
appointments.

Note To download CDO version 1.21, go to

http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/55/downloads/cdo.htm
 Module 2: Working with Objects 31

CDO Library Versions

The following four versions of the CDO library are available:

CDO version 1.2.1 (Cdo.dll).
This version is installed with Microsoft Outlook® 98, Outlook 2000, and
Exchange 5.5 Server. It can be used on all Windows platforms, and it uses
Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) to perform its tasks.

CDONTS (Cdonts.dll).
CDO for NT Server is installed with Internet Information Services (IIS),
Microsoft Commercial Internet Server (MCIS) and Exchange 5.5 Server. It
uses Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and is designed for use by IIS
applications. It does not support user interfaces, such as profile dialogs.
Also, it does not use MAPI and therefore has no concept of Address Books,
Authenticated Users or other MAPI features.

CDO For Windows 2000 (Cdosys.dll).
CDO 2.0 ships with Windows 2000 platforms. It supports SMTP and
Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) but does not support MAPI. It is
designed for administrators, because it enables you to do the following:
• Append disclaimers or other notices to e-mail messages sent through a
server.
• Create Active Server Pages (ASP) applications with messaging
capabilities.
• Detect and discard unsolicited bulk mailings.
• Detect and discard inappropriate newsgroup postings.
• Check incoming messages for viruses.
• Forward and filter messages automatically.

CDO for Exchange 2000 (Cdoex.dll).
The latest version is CDO version 3.0 for Exchange 2000. This is installed
with Exchange 2000 Server. CDOEX upgrades the features of CDO for
Windows 2000 to include features such as calendar objects and contact
management and support for the new Exchange 2000 Web Storage System.
32 Module 2: Working with Objects

ActiveX Data Objects

Topic Objective
To introduce ADO.
Lead-in
ADO is an object model that

Data Sources
is used to access data from
Examples of Data Providers:
a data source, such as a
relational database.
ODBC

Index Server

SQL Server

Active Directory directory service

Exchange 2000

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ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) enables the fast and efficient access to and
manipulation of data in a data source.

Data Sources
Data sources are often relational databases, such as SQL Server 2000. However,
ADO enables you to access a variety of other nonrelational data sources, such
as Active Directory. You can use ADO to search Active Directory for objects
and properties, such as users and phone numbers. Because it enables you to
search Active Directory, ADO is of interest to administrators who write scripts.

Note The current ADO provider for ADSI only provides read-only access to
objects in Active Directory.

Examples of Database Providers

To access data that is stored in different formats, ADO requires an OLE
database (DB) provider for each type of data source. The current ADO OLE DB
providers include:

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), for databases without a specific OLE
DB provider

Microsoft Index Server

SQL Server

Active Directory directory service

Exchange 2000
 Module 2: Working with Objects 33

The ADO model consists of the following objects:

Connection. Represents a connection to an OLE DB data source such as
ADSI.

Command. Defines a specific command to execute against the data source.

Error. Contains details about data access errors and is refreshed each time
that an error occurs in a single operation.

RecordSet. Represents the results of a command object execution and
consists of a sequence of records.

Fields. Represents the collection of fields or columns within a record set.

Parameters. Represents a collection of parameters, which can be supplied
to the command object to modify its execution.

Properties. Represents values supplied by the provider for a data source.

Note For more information about how to use ADO to search for information in
Active Directory, see Module 5, “Understanding ADSI,” in Course 2433A,
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host
Essentials.
34 Module 2: Working with Objects

Active Directory Service Interfaces

Topic Objective
To introduce ADSI.
Lead-in
ADSI enables you to read

Active Directory Service Interface
and write data within
Gives Access to Multiple Directory Service Providers
directory services, such as
Active Directory.
Through an Open Set of Interfaces

ADSI Providers Include:

LDAP

Windows NT

NDS

NetWare 3 bindery

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Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI), previously called OLE Directory
Services, gives developers and administrators access to the information stored
within multiple directory service providers through an open set of interfaces.
Applications or scripts, written by using ADSI, work with any directory service
that has an ADSI provider.
For example, with ADSI, scripts can access Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP), Novell Directory Services (NDS), Active Directory, and
Microsoft Windows NT® version 4.0–based directories with a single interface.
The only prerequisite for accessing these types of directory structures is that
there is an appropriate ADSI provider available. Examples of available ADSI
providers include:

LDAP
The LDAP provider works with any LDAP version 2 or version 3 directory,
such as Exchange 5.0 and 5.5. This provider is also used to provide the
access to Active Directory.

Windows NT (WinNT)
The WinNT provider supports the Windows NT 4.0 directory and server-
based objects such as the Lanman Server.

NDS
This provider gives you access to the Novell Directory Service.

NetWare 3 bindery (NWCOMPAT)
This provider gives access to Novell’s legacy bindery (3.x) servers.

ADSI compatible products include Active Directory, Exchange 5.5, IIS, and
Site Server.

Note You will learn more about ADSI in Module 5, “Understanding ADSI”.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 35

Windows Management Instrumentation

Topic Objective
To introduce WMI.
Lead-in
WMI is the Microsoft

Web-Based Enterprise Management
implementation of a
Standard management API
standards-based
management API.
Windows Management Instrumentation

Can monitor and configure the Windows operating
system, system devices, Active Directory, the registry,
performance counters, and so on

Execute methods on managed objects

Receive event notification

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Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a single, consistent
application programming interface (API) that is designed to make the
Windows 2000 server family the most manageable Microsoft operating system
to date.

Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)

WBEM is an industry initiative to develop a standard technology for accessing
management information in an enterprise. The aim is to lower the total cost of
ownership (TCO) of computers in an enterprise. Many companies are
participating in the WBEM initiative.
36 Module 2: Working with Objects

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

WMI is the Microsoft implementation of WBEM. WMI can be used to write
management scripts by using a single, object-oriented, remote-enabled, and
scriptable interface that provides the following functionalities:

Monitor, configure, and control management information about:
• The Windows operating system.
• System devices.
• Active Directory.
• The registry.
• Performance counters.

Execute methods on managed objects to perform complex operations; for
example, to compress a file or reboot a remote system.

Receive and act on events based on changes in any management data visible
through WMI and events from Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP) devices and the Windows Event Viewer service.

Note This level of functionality makes WMI complex to script. WMI scripting
is a major topic on its own and falls outside the scope of this course. For more
information about WMI scripting, see Module 8, “Beyond the Basics” in
Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft
Windows Script Host Essentials.
For more information about WMI in general, go to the following Web site and
download the WMI software development kit (SDK):
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/c-frame.htm?007#/downloads/sdks.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 37

Internet Explorer and Internet Information Server

Topic Objective
To introduce scripting in
Internet Explorer and IIS.
Lead-in
Internet Explorer
Visual Basic Scripting
Script host
Edition and JScript can be
used within Internet Explorer
No access to WSH
and IIS, because Internet
Explorer and IIS are script
Internet Information Server (IIS)
hosts.

Active Server Pages

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Prior to WSH, the primary application for Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
Microsoft JScript® was for Web scripting.

Internet Explorer
Since Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.0, Internet Explorer has had a
scripting host embedded in it. Due to this historical link with the Web browser,
a great deal of VBScript documentation still assumes that you are using script
only in the context of a Web browser.
This may be misleading for systems administrators, because the functionality
provided by WSH could be very different to that provided by Internet Explorer.
For example, the functionality of the Internet Explorer host has been limited for
security reasons, because it is not desirable if a remote Web script can access
the FileSystemObject object and delete files or folders.

IIS
IIS has the ability to run VBScript if this script is embedded in an Active Server
Page (ASP). Unlike Internet Explorer, the ASP page has full access to WSH,
because the script is being run only on the server. As a result, ASP pages can be
used very successfully to provide a central management Web site that
administrators can use to manage an enterprise.

Note For more information about the administrative use of ASP pages, see
Module 8, “Beyond the Basics,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.
38 Module 2: Working with Objects

Other Applications
Topic Objective
To introduce the use of
scripting in other
applications.
Microsoft Office
Lead-in
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint,
Because many applications
expose their own COM
Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft
interface, can control them FrontPage
through the use of script.

Utilities

Example: Windows Media Player

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Many applications and utilities expose a COM automation interface. This
makes scripted control of the application possible.

Microsoft Office
It is possible to control Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
PowerPoint®, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft FrontPage®
with script. A comprehensive help file is included with Microsoft Office to help
you understand the many possibilities involved in scripting these applications.
The help file is aimed at Visual Basic and Web developers, so some
experimentation with different versions of the examples might be needed to
make them work with WSH.

Note For examples of scripting with Microsoft Office, see Module 8, “Beyond
the Basics,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Utilities
Many utilities also expose a COM interface, which makes scripting possible.
The Microsoft Windows Media™ Player is an example of such a utility. To find
the possibilities for scripting these utilities, use the Object Browser and
examine the object model for the program that you want to script. This shows
you the object, methods, and properties that you can use in your scripts.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 39

Lab 2: Working with Objects

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will write
scripts that interact with
objects.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to:

Manipulate the scripting object model by using Visual Basic Scripting
Edition.

Manipulate the WSH object model by using VBScript.

Automate Microsoft Office applications by using VBScript.

Scenario
In this lab, you will use VBScript to manipulate various object models.
Specifically, you will instantiate objects from the scripting object model, the
WSH object model, and the Microsoft Word object model. You will then
manipulate the methods and properties of these objects to perform
administrative tasks.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 45 minutes

40 Module 2: Working with Objects

Exercise 1
Manipulating the Scripting Object Model
In this exercise, you will write code in Visual Basic Scripting Edition that
manipulates the scripting object model. You will instantiate a
FileSystemObject object and a Folder object and manipulate them by using
their methods and properties.

To open a partially completed script file

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to SAPIEN Technologies, Inc., and
then click PrimalSCRIPT 2.0.
PrimalSCRIPT appears.
2. In the PrimalSCRIPT 2.0 dialog box, click OK.
3. On the File menu, click Open.
4. In the Open dialog box, browse to the install_folder\Labs\Lab02\Starter
folder (install_folder is C:\ Program Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
5. Click ScrOM.vbs, and then click Open.

To instantiate scripting objects

1. Locate the comment TODO Instantiate a FileSystemObject.
2. On the line immediately below this comment, type the following:
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

3. Locate the comment TODO Instantiate a Folder Object.

4. On the line immediately below this comment, type the following:
Set oFolder = oFSO.GetFolder("C:\WINNT")

To retrieve scripting object properties

1. Locate the comment TODO Retrieve the Drive property of the Folder
object.
2. Add the following code to the end of the line immediately below this
comment:
& oFolder.Drive

You have now concatenated the drive property of the Folder object to a
string literal. The script written in VBScript joins them together and then
uses them as a parameter for the WScript.Echo method. The whole line of
code should read:
WScript.Echo "The Folder's Drive is: " & oFolder.Drive
 Module 2: Working with Objects 41

3. Locate the comment TODO Retrieve the Path property of the Folder
object.
4. Add the following code to the end of the line immediately below this
comment:
& oFolder.Path

You have concatenated the path property of the Folder object to a string
literal. The script written in VBScript joins them together and then uses
them as a parameter for the WScript.Echo method. The whole line of code
should read:
WScript.Echo "The Folder's Path is: " & oFolder.Path

5. Locate the comment TODO Retrieve the Count property of the Folder
object's Subfolders collection.
6. Add the following code to the end of the line immediately below this
comment:
& oFolder.SubFolders.count & " subfolders"

You have concatenated the Count property of the Folder object’s

SubFolders collection to two string literals. The script written in VBScript
joins them together and then uses them as a parameter for the
WScript.Echo method. The whole line of code should read:
Wscript.Echo "The Folder has " & oFolder.SubFolders.Count &

" subfolders"

Tip The line continuation character (
) indicates that the text following it
should be written on the same line as the code that precedes it.

7. On the File menu, click Save.

8. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
9. Review the message boxes as your script runs.
You have now successfully manipulated the scripting object model.
42 Module 2: Working with Objects

Exercise 2
Manipulating the WSH Object Model
In this exercise, you will write code in Visual Basic Scripting Edition that
manipulates the WSH object model. You will instantiate a Shell object and a
Network object and manipulate them by using their methods and properties.

To open a partially completed script file

1. On the File menu, click Open.
2. In the Open dialog box, browse to the install_folder\Labs\Lab02\Starter
folder.
3. Click WSHOM.vbs, and then click Open.

To instantiate and manipulate the Shell object

1. Locate the comment TODO Instantiate a Shell object.
2. Type the following code on the line immediately below this comment:
Set oShell=WScript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")

3. Locate the comment TODO Use the Shell's RegRead method to read
values from the Registry.
4. Type the following lines of code immediately below this comment:
sOS = oShell.RegRead("HKLM\Software\Microsoft\

Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProductName")

nBuildNo = oShell.RegRead("HKLM\Software\Microsoft\

Windows NT\CurrentVersion\CurrentBuildNumber")

sOrg = oShell.RegRead("HKLM\Software\Microsoft\

Windows NT\CurrentVersion\RegisteredOrganization")

These three lines of code retrieve data from the registry and store them in
VBScript variables.

Note There are only three lines of code for you to type. The continuation
arrows indicate that the subsequent code should be typed on the same line as
the preceding code.

For more information about variables, see Module 3, “Script Logic,” in

Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft
Windows Script Host Essentials.
 Module 2: Working with Objects 43

To instantiate and manipulate the Network object

1. Locate the comment TODO Instantiate a Network object.
2. Type the following code on the line immediately below this comment:
Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")

3. Locate the comment TODO Map z: to the LabShare folder on the

instructor machine (London).
4. Type the following code on the line immediately below this comment:
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "z:", "\\London\LabShare"

5. On the File menu, click Save.

6. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
7. Review the message boxes as your script runs.
8. Using Windows Explorer, verify that your Z drive has been successfully
mapped to the LabShare folder on the Instructor computer.
You have now successfully manipulated the WSH object model.
44 Module 2: Working with Objects

Exercise 3
Automating Microsoft Word
In this exercise, you will write code in Visual Basic Scripting Edition that
manipulates the Microsoft Word object model. You will instantiate an
Application object. You will create and modify a Document object. You will
then save the Document object and review its contents.

To create a new script file

1. Switch to PrimalSCRIPT.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. In the New dialog box, click VBScript, and then click OK.
Note that PrimalSCRIPT enters some comments into the file for you.
4. On the Edit menu, click Select all, and then press DELETE.

To automate Microsoft Word

1. Type the following lines of code:
Dim wApp, wDoc, wRange, sName, sDate, sTime

Set wApp = CreateObject("Word.Application")

Set wDoc = wApp.Documents.Add
Set wRange = wDoc.Range

sName = "VBScript Student"

sDate = Date()
sTime = Time()
sContent = "Document created by " & sName & " at " & sTime

& " on " & sDate & "!"

wRange.Style = -3
wRange.Font.Color = 255
wRange.Text = sContent
wDoc.SaveAs "C:\Automating Word.doc"
wApp.Quit

Set sRange = Nothing

Set wDoc = Nothing
Set wApp = Nothing

WScript.Echo "Your Document has been saved as C:\Automating

Word.doc"
 Module 2: Working with Objects 45

Tip This code uses the following three objects from the Microsoft Word
object model:
• An Application object, which is Microsoft Word itself
• A Document object that is saved to the hard disk
• A Range object that allows the text of a document to be manipulated
Note that the value -3 indicates a Microsoft Word style of Heading 2 for the
Range object. Also note that the value 255 indicates that the text is red. All
of this information can be obtained by using the Object Browser.

2. On the File menu, click Save As.

3. Go to the install_folder\Labs\Lab02\Starter folder.
4. In the File name box, type WordOM.vbs and then click Save.
5. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
6. You are notified that your document has been saved. Click OK.

To review the results of your script

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the root of your C drive.
2. Click Automating Word.doc, and then press ENTER.
3. Review the contents of the document, and then close Microsoft Word.
You have now successfully manipulated the Microsoft Word Object Model.
46 Module 2: Working with Objects

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
points
Object Terminology
Lead-in
Creating and Using Objects
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
Understanding Object Models
taught in the module.

Common Object Models

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

1. What is missing from this line of script?
MyFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)

The Set keyword at the beginning of the line.

2. What ADSI provider is used to access the Active Directory?

LDAP.

3. What protocols does the Cdosys.dll allow scriptable access to?

SMTP and NNTP.

4. What object model provides access to the Windows Shell and Network
objects?
The WSH object model.
 Module 3: Script Logic

Contents
Overview 1
Fundamental VBScript Rules 2
Variables, Constants, and Data Types 4
Operators 22
Conditions and Loops 28
Procedures 41
Script Layout 48
Lab 3: Working with VBScript 56
Review 63
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owners.
 Module 3: Script Logic iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with an introduction to the most commonly used
60 Minutes features of the Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript)
language.
Lab:
30 Minutes After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the rules of the VBScript language.

Declare and use variables, constants, and data types in their scripts.

Use VBScript language operators.

Construct conditional code structures.

Construct looping structures.

Declare and use Sub and Function procedures.

Determine an effective script layout.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:
• Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_03.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the lab.
iv Module 3: Script Logic

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Fundamental VBScript Rules
This section provides the basic VBScript syntax. It is a single-slide topic, so
do not spend too much time on it. Make sure, however, that the students
understand everything in this section, because it is prerequisite knowledge
for the subsequent sections.

Variables, Constants, and Data Types.
This is an extremely important section. Make sure that the students fully
understand the topics in this section, because they will use variables,
constants, and data types in the lab for this module and in all subsequent
labs.
Do not cover issues of scope or lifetime for variables in this section, because
they are covered in detail in the Procedures section later in the module.
The students may struggle to understand the concept of multidimensional
arrays, so use the graphics on the slide to help them visualize these data
structures.

Operators
Make sure that the students understand all of the operators provided by
VBScript.
Use the topic Class Discussion: Operators to open a class discussion. Ask
the students to evaluate each expression in the notes. Since all of the
expressions are similar, ask them to note carefully the order of precedence
of the operators that are used.

Conditions and Loops
To successfully write useful administrative scripts, the students must
understand the conditional and looping structures, as they are covered in this
section.
Make sure that all of the students understand the concepts behind this sort of
programming. It is essential that they understand, because the lab for this
module and the rest of the course relies on the students' ability to write this
type of code.

Procedures
Discuss Sub and Function procedures, as they are covered in this section.
Stress that the primary difference between the two types of procedures is
that Function procedures return a value to the calling code, while Sub
procedures do not.
This section also includes a topic that deals with the scope and lifetime of
variables. Make sure that the students understand the importance of these
concepts.
Be aware that the students may find it difficult to visualize the difference
between ByRef and ByVal when passing parameters to procedures. If
necessary, explain the examples in the text, line-by-line, to ensure that the
students fully understand the implications of these two approaches to
passing data into a procedure.
 Module 3: Script Logic v

Script Layout
This last section deals with some recommendations for developing
manageable code templates and administrative scripts. Emphasize to the
students that they can develop a scheme that suits their particular needs.
The section finishes with some basic best practice recommendations. Again,
the students are free to code as they wish, but point out the advantages of
the points made in this topic.
vi Module 3: Script Logic

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and
Certification courseware.

Important The lab in this module is also dependent on the classroom

configuration that is specified in the Customization Information section at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Lab Setup
There are no lab setup requirements that affect replication or customization.
 Module 3: Script Logic 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
objectives.
Fundamental VBScript Rules

Variables, Constants, and Data Types
Lead-in
In this module, you will learn
Operators
about the VBScript
language.
Conditions and Loops

Procedures

Script Layout

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Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript) is a powerful scripting
language. It provides an effective, efficient, and powerful framework that you
can use to write administrative scripts.
After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe the rules of the VBScript language.

Declare and use variables, constants, and data types in your scripts.

Use VBScript language operators.

Construct conditional code structures.

Construct looping structures.

Declare and use Sub and Function procedures.

Determine an effective script layout.
2 Module 3: Script Logic

Fundamental VBScript Rules

Topic Objective
To explain the basic syntax
rules of VBScript.
Lead-in
The Basic Rules
Before looking at the
VBScript is not case sensitive
mechanics of VBScript, it is
important to understand the
VBScript ignores extra white space
basic rules that should be
obeyed.
VBScript does not impose a maximum line length

VBScript allows you to split long lines

A name written in VBScript cannot exceed 255
characters

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Before looking at the mechanics of Visual Basic Scripting Edition, it is
important to understand the basic rules that should be obeyed.

VBScript is not case sensitive.
The following commands are equivalent:
Example WSCRIPT.ECHO
WScript.echo
wscript.echo

Although VBScript is not case sensitive, it is considered bad practice to use

all uppercase or all lowercase characters, because this makes the script
difficult to read.

VBScript ignores extra white space.
The script engine ignores extra white space in any lines of script when it is
parsed.
For example:
Example WScript. Echo "Hello"

is the same as:

Example WScript.Echo "Hello"

This gives the scriptwriter flexibility when laying out the script in a manner
that is easy to read.

VBScript does not impose a maximum line length.
Unlike other languages, such as Microsoft Visual Basic, VBScript does not
impose a maximum number of characters per line. In addition, you can write
what are effectively separate lines of code on a single line by using the
colon as a divider. The following combines two logical lines by using the
colon divider:
 Module 3: Script Logic 3

Example WScript.Echo "Test One" : WScript.Echo "Test Two"

VBScript enables you to type a line of code over several lines in the script.
Long statements can be broken into multiple lines by using the line-
continuation character (a space followed by an underscore). Using this
character can make the script easier to read. The following example shows a
long line of code split into four lines by line-continuation characters:
Example WScript.Echo "Message to " _
& vUserName & _
" Please lock your workstation"

If you split a long string across multiple lines, you must manage the string
data on each line as a separate string. You can achieve this by ending each
string with double quotes, and then concatenating the subsequent string to
the previous line by using the string-concatenation character (&). The
following example illustrates how to split a string across multiple lines:
Example WScript.Echo "Message to" _
& vUserName _
& " Please make sure that you remember" _
& " to logoff or lock your workstation" _
& " if you leave it unattended, Thanks"

VBScript imposes a limit on the length of names.

VBScript imposes a limitation of 255 characters on any names used to
identify items, such as variables, constants, and procedures.
4 Module 3: Script Logic

Variables, Constants, and Data Types

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Before you can successfully

Variables
write powerful administrative
Constants
scripts by using VBScript,
you must be able to use
Data Types
variables, constants, and
data-types.
Naming Conventions

Arrays

Dynamic Arrays

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Before you can successfully write powerful administrative scripts by using
Visual Basic Scripting Edition, you must be able to use variables, constants,
and data types.
In addition, you must understand what an array is and how to work with both
single-dimension and multi-dimensional arrays.
In this section you will learn about variables, constants, data types, and arrays.
In addition, you will learn about naming conventions.
 Module 3: Script Logic 5

Variables
Topic Objective

Containers for Values That May Change
To describe variables.

Value is accessible by the variable name
Lead-in
Variables are names that
String Data
you define, which point to
memory locations that your
strServer = "MyServer"
script can access.
Dates and Times

dDOB = #05-06-1966#

Naming Restrictions

Declaring Variables

Implicit or explicit?

Option Explicit

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Variables are names that you define, which point to memory locations that your
script can access. Visual Basic Scripting Edition shields the actual memory
locations from you. You can define variables in your script to hold data in
memory in a convenient and easy to use manner. After data is held in variables,
you can manipulate any data needed by your script.

Container for Values That May Change

Variables are used to store data items. As the term variable implies, the values
stored may change during the lifetime of the script. The value of the data is
accessed by using the variable name. For example:
Example nMyAge = nMyAge + 10
WScript.Echo nMyAge

In this example, you manipulate the variable nMyAge by retrieving its current
value and adding 10 to it. The new value is then echoed to the screen. The
scriptwriter does not need to know the value of nMyAge in advance. In fact, a
user could provide it to the script at run time through a pop-up box. Variables
that contain a single value, such as nMyAge, are described as scalar variables.

String Data
A string is a data type that indicates that the variable contains characters, rather
than numeric values. To store string data in a variable, you must enclose the
data in double quotes as shown in the following example:
strServer = "MyServer"
Example
6 Module 3: Script Logic

Dates and Times

When assigning dates or times to variables, they should be enclosed by the #
character, as shown in the following example:
Example dToday = #05-06-2000#

This indicates that the script written in VBScript interprets the value as a date or
time, rather than as a string or a calculation, such as 5–6–2000.

Naming Restrictions
When naming variables in Visual Basic Scripting Edition, the following rules
apply. A variable name:

Must begin with an alphabetic character.

Cannot contain an embedded period.

Must not exceed 255 characters.

Must be unique within the current scope.

You will learn more about scope later in the module.

Note A variable cannot be assigned the name of a VBScript keyword. For a list
of VBScript keywords, see the VBScript documentation.

Declaring Variables
By default, script written in Visual Basic Scripting Edition implicitly creates a
variable the first time that it reads a name that is not a reserved word or
procedure name. This sort of behavior can easily result in script errors due to
mistyped variable names.
In the following example, the scriptwriter has mistakenly typed nMiAge
instead of nMyAge on the second line. The result of this typographical error is
that instead of echoing a value of 45, as expected, a value of 10 is returned. This
is because the script written in VBScript implicitly created a new variable
called nMiAge. It is initialized with a value of zero.
Example nMyAge = 35
nMyAge = nMiAge + 10
WScript.Echo nMyAge

This type of error can be very difficult to trace, so it is considered good practice
to force the script written in VBScript to require explicit variable declarations
by using the following line at the top of the script:
Example Option Explicit

After the Option Explicit command has been added to the script, any
undeclared variables will cause the script to generate an error rather than
implicitly create a variable.
 Module 3: Script Logic 7

After Option Explicit has been added, you must explicitly declare all new
variable names before they can be used. You can declare variables by using any
of the following statements:

Dim

Private

Public

Static

You will see the difference between these statements later in this module. You
can use all of the statements to declare the name of the variable and reserve
some memory to hold the value of the variable; for example:
Example Dim nMyAge

You can include multiple variables in a single declaration statement by using

the comma as a separator between each name. The following illustrates how
you can achieve this:
Example Dim nMyAge, nMyName, nMyAddress
8 Module 3: Script Logic

Constants
Topic Objective
To describe constants.
Lead-in
As well as declaring and

Constants Do Not Change During Script Execution
using variables in your
Makes scripts easier to read and debug
scripts, you can declare and
use constants.
Assigned at the start of the script

The CONST Statement
Const COMP_NAME = "Microsoft"

Type Library Constants

Intrinsic Constants
Examples: vbCrLf , vbRed

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Along with declaring and using variables in your scripts, you can declare and
use constants.

Values Do Not Change During Script Execution

A constant is a name that you assign to a memory location in a manner similar
to variables. Like variables, constants hold your data. However, the value
assigned to a constant cannot change during the execution of a script.
Using constants helps make your scripts manageable. If a constant value, such
as a tax rate, is used in several places in a script and the value must be modified
in the future, the scriptwriter must only change the value at the location where
the constant is defined. All of the other instances of the constant will contain
the new value.
Constants can also make script easier to read, and therefore easier to debug, as
long as you have used meaningful constant names.

The CONST Statement

A constant can represent a string, a number, or a combination that includes
most arithmetic, comparison, and logical operators.
The following is an example of the syntax used for setting constants:
Example Const COMP_NAME = "Microsoft"

If you attempt to change a constant’s value in the script, the script written in
Visual Basic Scripting Edition generates the following compilation error:
Example Microsoft VBScript compilation error: Name redefined
 Module 3: Script Logic 9

Type Library Constants

Many type libraries describing object models expose constant values that can be
legitimately passed as method parameters.
For example, in the Active Directory™ Service Interface (ADSI) object model,
many of these constants are exposed to help with the creation of new objects,
such as users and groups in Active Directory. When a new group is created,
ADSI determines the type of group (Domain Local, Global, or Universal) by
using a creation flag. If the flag has the value 2, ADSI knows to create a new
Global Group. Other constant values correspond to the other group types. To
help with readability, the ADSI type library exposes these constant values by
using meaningful names; for example:
Example ADS_GROUP_TYPE_GLOBAL_GROUP

The type library itself declares the above constant and assigns it a value of 2.
Visual Basic and Microsoft Visual C++® provide support for directly
referencing the type library. This enables developers to use the predefined
constants in their code.
Visual Basic Scripting Edition is unable to read information directly from a
type library.

Note Microsoft Windows® Script Host (WSH) version 2.0 provides Extensible
Markup Language (XML) support in .wsf files. This enables you to reference
type library constants.
For further details, see Module 8, “Beyond the Basics”, in Course 2433A,
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host
Essentials.

If a standard script written in VBScript is being used, the values of these

constants must be discovered and explicitly defined as equivalent constants at
the top of the script file as shown in the following example:
Example CONST ADS_GROUP_TYPE_GLOBAL_GROUP = &H2

This line declares the following constant and assigns it the value of 2:
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_GLOBAL_GROUP
The &H tells the script that this is a hexadecimal value so that it is stored
correctly. In this instance, &H2 is the same as a decimal value of 2. If the value
is &H32, the decimal value stored by the script is 50. After this definition is in
place, you can use the more meaningful constant name.
10 Module 3: Script Logic

Note These constant values are published in the Microsoft Windows 2000
Platform software development kit (SDK). A quick way to find the value is to
search for the constant name or search for ENUM for a list containing all the
enumerations available.
Alternatively, if you know the type library that exposes the constants, you can
use the Object Browser to discover the values directly. For example, the ADSI
constants are stored in activeds.tlb, which has a Programmatic Identifier
(ProgID) of ActiveDs.
For more information about ADSI constants, see Module 5, “Understanding
ADSI,” in Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and
Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Intrinsic Constants
Along with the constants that are defined by the scriptwriter, there are a number
of useful constants built into Visual Basic Scripting Edition. These constants,
referred to as intrinsic constants, provide a convenient way to use specific
values without having to remember the value itself. Because these constants are
already defined in VBScript, there is no need to explicitly declare them in the
script. You can simply use them in place of the values that they represent.

Note Because it is not possible to disable intrinsic constants, the names of the
constants are treated as reserved words.

For a full list of these intrinsic constants, refer to the VBScript documentation.
The following table illustrates the various categories of constants and a brief
description of each.
Constant grouping Definition

Color Constants Defines eight basic colors that can be used in scripting.
For example, vbRed represents the number 255, which
is interpreted as red.
Date and Time Constants Defines date and time constants that are used by
various date and time functions. For example,
vbMonday represents the value 2, vbSunday equals 1,
and vbTuesday equals 3.
Date Format Constants Defines constants used to format dates and times.
Miscellaneous Constants Defines constants that do not conveniently fit into any
other category.
MsgBox Constants Defines constants used in the MsgBox function to
describe button visibility, labeling, behavior, and
return values.
String Constants Defines a variety of nonprintable characters that are
used in string manipulation.
Tristate Constants Defines constants that are used with functions that
format numbers.
VarType Constants Defines the various Variant subtypes.
 Module 3: Script Logic 11

One useful example of a VBScript constant is:

Example vbCrLf

This constant represents the value of Chr(13) and Chr(10), which are the ASCII
characters for the carriage return and line-feed characters. This is useful when
formatting the text that is displayed in a message box as follows:
Example sMessage = "Welcome to the world of VBScript" & vbcrlf & _
"and all the useful commands that it provides" & _
vbcrlf & "Please press the OK button to continue"
MsgBox sMessage

The first line assigns the message string to a variable called sMessage. Then,
the MsgBox function displays the string as three lines of text rather than one
long line.
12 Module 3: Script Logic

Data Types
Topic Objective
To describe data types.
Lead-in
VBScript uses one data type

Variants
for all data.
Variant Subtypes
Empty Null Boolean
Byte Integer Currency
Long Single Double
Date (Time) String Object
Error

Conversion Functions

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Unlike most modern compiled languages, such as Visual Basic and Visual C++,
Visual Basic Scripting Edition uses one data type for all data. This type is
called the Variant data type.

Variants
A Variant can contain numeric data, dates and times, objects, Boolean
variables, or strings. In most cases, VBScript will automatically detect the type
of data stored and will deal with it accordingly.
In the following example, vAnswer contains the string "MyServer," because
vDemoA and vDemoB contain string values declared in quotes. The addition
operator in this example performs a string concatenation.
Example vDemoA = "My"
vDemoB = "Server"
vAnswer = vDemoA + vDemoB
WScript.Echo vAnswer

The next example looks very similar, but the vDemoA and vDemoB variables
contain numeric data. This time, the result of the addition operation generates
another number. As a result, vAnswer holds data that is numeric.
Example VDemoA = 5
vDemoB = 10
vAnswer = vDemoA + vDemoB
WScript.Echo vAnswer
 Module 3: Script Logic 13

Variant Subtypes
It is possible to divide the Variant data type into subtypes. These subtypes
allow a finer level of control on how data is manipulated by your script.
For example, you can have numeric data that represents currency, a date, or a
time. The Variant interprets the data accordingly.
A Variant contains many subtypes, as illustrated in the following table.

Subtype Description

Empty Variant is uninitialized.

Null Variant contains no valid data.

Boolean Contains either True (-1) or False (0).

Byte Contains an integer between the range of

0 and 255.

Integer Contains an integer between the range of

32,768 and 32,767.

Long Contains an integer between the range of

–2,147,483,648 and 2,147,483,647.

Currency Contains a fixed decimal number between

the range of –922,337,203,685,477.5808
and 922,337,203,685,477.5807.

Single Contains a single-precision, floating-point

number between the range of
–3.402823E38 and –1.401298E-45 for
negative values and 1.401298E-45 and
3.402823E38 for positive values.

Double Contains a double-precision, floating-

point number between the range of
–1.79769313486232E308 and
–4.94065645841247E-324 for negative
values and 4.94065645841247E-324 and
1.79769313486232E308 for positive
values.

Date (Time) Contains a number that represents a date

or time between the range of January 1,
100 and December 31, 9999.

String Contains a variable-length string that can

be up to approximately two billion
characters in length.

Object Points to an object.

Error Contains an error number.

14 Module 3: Script Logic

Conversion Functions
Sometimes, a strict level of control over the exact data type is required. In these
situations, you can use conversion functions to convert data from one subtype
to another.
A typical example of when this might be required is when you extract a
particular set of digits from a number. This is much easier to achieve by using
string handling functions such as Left, Right, and Len. To use these functions,
the numeric value must first be converted to a string by using the CStr
function. After the digits have been extracted, you can then convert them back
into an integer by using the CInt function.
The following table lists the functions that can convert data into a Variant of a
specific subtype.
Function name Conversion

CInt Returns a Variant of subtype Integer

CBool Returns a Variant of subtype Boolean
CByte Returns a Variant of subtype Byte
CCur Returns a Variant of subtype Currency
CDate Returns a Variant of subtype Date
CDbl Returns a Variant of subtype Double
CLng Returns a Variant of subtype Long
CSng Returns a Variant of subtype Single
CStr Returns a Variant of subtype String

Note For more information about conversion functions, see the VBScript
documentation.
 Module 3: Script Logic 15

Naming Conventions
Topic Objective
To introduce naming
conventions.
Lead-in
Not Required, but Good Practice
It is a good idea to employ a
Hungarian Naming Convention
naming standard for your
variables and constants.
Prefix names with a type identifier

Example: Wscript.Echo objMyServer.Name

Constants must be capitalized

Be Consistent

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Another method that you can use to help improve the readability of script is to
employ a naming standard for your variables and constants.

Not Required, but Good Practice

A naming convention is not required by Visual Basic Scripting Edition.
However, it is generally accepted that implementing some sort of naming
convention is good practice.

Hungarian Naming Convention

Some of the rules laid of this standard are:

Variable names should begin with one or more lowercase letters. These
letters are used to indicate the type of data stored in the variable, as shown
in the following table.
Prefix Data Type

str String
Fn Function
c (or capitalize each letter in the
Constant
constant name)
b Boolean (True or False)
d Date
obj An object reference
n A numeric value
16 Module 3: Script Logic

Function, method names, and each word in a multiword name should begin
with a capital letter, as the following examples show:
Example WScript.Echo objMyServer.Name

Example Sub CheckDateSub()

Early versions of VBScript had no specific Const command, so constants

were simply defined as variables that were named in uppercase, and
underscores were used to separate words; for example:
Example COMPANY_NAME
DEFAULT_PATH

VBScript now has a Const command but this format has become the
preferred naming standard for constants.

Note There is a great deal more to this naming convention, most of which is
not relevant to scripting due to the limited data types available to script. For
more information about this subject, go to:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/partbook/win98dh/
variablenameshungariannotation.htm

Be Consistent
You do not have to use the Hungarian naming convention. You can easily
develop your own naming convention. For example, you can use dtm as the
prefix for dates and times. However, whatever naming standard you use, it is
important that you apply it consistently in all scripts. This will aid in the
reading and debugging of the scripts in the future.
 Module 3: Script Logic 17

Arrays
Topic Objective
To describe arrays.
A Variable That Can Contain Multiple Values
Lead-in
VBScript provides powerful

Dim MyArray(2) 0 1 2
support for arrays.
Accessing the Values in Array Variables

MyArray(0) = 100

WScript.Echo MyArray(1)

Multidimensional Arrays

Dim MultiDArray(1,3,2) 2
1
3
0 2
1
0
0 1

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You may want to store multiple values in memory. In some cases, the values
will be related. Rather than declaring and using multiple, separate variables to
achieve your aims, you can instead make use of arrays.

A Variable That Can Contain Multiple Values

Arrays are a type of variable that can contain multiple values. You can specify
the number of discrete values that an array can store when you declare it. You
do this by specifying a number in brackets after the variable name. The number
you supply is one less than the number of values that you want to store. For
example, the following syntax specifies that the array can handle three discrete
values:
Example Dim MyArray(2)

The number is known as the upper bound of the array. The array can store
discrete values by using any number between zero and the upper bound,
including zero and the upper bound itself. Therefore, it can store a number of
values that is one greater than the upper bound.

Accessing the Values in Array Variables

The values in an array are accessed by using a notation that uniquely identifies
each value inside the array. You use a number between zero and the upper
bound of the array to access a discrete value that it contains. The following
example sets the first element (element number zero) to a value of 100:
Example MyArray(0) = 100
18 Module 3: Script Logic

The next example retrieves the value in the second element (element number
one) and uses it as a parameter to the Echo method of the WScript object:
Example WScript.Echo MyArray(1)

Multidimensional Arrays
It is possible to have multidimensional arrays. You declare a multidimensional
array by providing a comma-separated list of upper bounds, as the following
example shows:
Example Dim MyTable(4, 9)

This example shows two numbers being used as the upper bounds, which
indicates that this is a two-dimensional array. You can visualize a two-
dimensional array as a table. The following table is a representation of how you
can visualize the two-dimensional array.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0
1
2
3
4
5

You can use up to 60 dimensions for an array in Visual Basic Scripting Edition.
An array with three dimensions can be visualized as a cube. It becomes harder
to visualize an array with four or more dimensions. However, most arrays you
will use in VBScript will have no more than four or five dimensions and will
often contain only one or two.

Note Arrays can contain variables of different data types. This is useful if you
are storing values related to the same object. For example, the first value can be
a person’s name, and the rest of the row can be the values relating to that
person, such as a telephone number. The next row can be the next person.
 Module 3: Script Logic 19

Dynamic Arrays
Topic Objective
To describe dynamic arrays.
Creating Dynamic Arrays

Lead-in
Dim MyArray()

When you are writing code,
Resizing an Array
you may want to use arrays

ReDim MyArray(6)
in your script but may not
know the upper bound or
ReDim Preserve MyArray(6)
the dimensions of the array.
Array Statement

Dim MyArray

MyArray = Array (Value1, Value2, Value3)

Emptying an Array

The UBound Function

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The previous section, Arrays, described how to declare array variables by
providing upper bound arguments in the declaration statement. However,
providing the upper bound in this manner results in a fixed-size array. After the
array has been declared, you can no longer change the number of elements that
it contains or the number of dimensions that define the array’s dimensionality.
This approach is ideal if you know the number of dimensions and elements for
your array in advance.

Creating Dynamic Arrays

You may want to use arrays in your scripts but may not know the upper bound
or the dimensions of the array when you are writing the code. For these
situations, you can use a dynamic array.
There are three basic steps to using a dynamic array in Visual Basic Scripting
Edition.
1. Declare the array, but omit the upper bound argument.
Example Dim MyArray()

2. Initialize the array to the required size by using the ReDim statement.
Example ReDim MyArray(4)

You can use ReDim on its own to create and initialize an array in one step.
3. Use the array as in the previous section, Arrays.
20 Module 3: Script Logic

Resizing an Array
The ReDim statement can also be used to resize the array if required. For
example, you may start with an array that has five elements, but at some point,
it may need to be resized to hold eight values. You can reissue the ReDim
statement, as the following example shows:
Example Dim MyArray()
RedDim MyArray(4)
MyArray(0)=100
MyArray(1)=200
MyArray(2)=300
MyArray(3)=400
MyArray(4)=500
...
...
ReDim MyArray(7)
...
...

It is extremely important to understand that using the ReDim statement

removes the existing values in the array. In the previous example, the five-
element array was populated with the data as shown, but then this data was lost
when the array was resized.
The Preserve keyword can be used in conjunction with the ReDim statement to
alter this behavior. As the name of the keyword implies, it preserves the
contents of the array, if possible, when the resizing takes place.
In the following example, ReDim sets the initial number elements in the
dynamic array to 5. A subsequent ReDim statement resizes the array but makes
use of the Preserve keyword to protect the data already in the array.
Example Dim MyArray()
RedDim MyArray(4)
MyArray(0)=100
MyArray(1)=200
MyArray(2)=300
MyArray(3)=400
MyArray(4)=500
...
...
ReDim Preserve MyArray(7)
...
...

Caution If you resize a fully populated array so that it contains fewer elements
than before, then you will inevitably remove some data, even if you use the
Preserve keyword.
 Module 3: Script Logic 21

The Array Statement

Dynamic arrays can also be achieved by using the Array statement. This has
the advantage that it can initialize and populate an array at the same time; for
example:
Example Dim MyArray
MyArray = Array(100, 200, 300, 400, 500)

The Dim statement declares the variable name. The variable is then converted
into an array, initialized to contain five elements, and populated with the values
shown in the parentheses, all in one line. Note that the statement does not
require an upper bound to be explicitly declared. The upper bound of the array
will be created to fit the number of elements in the parentheses.

Emptying an Array
The Erase statement is used to delete the contents of an array.
Example Erase MyArray

This clears the contents of a fixed-size array. The array itself still exists.
However, if using the Erase statement empties a dynamic array, the data is
removed and the array is uninitialized. The array must be redimensioned with
the ReDim statement before it can be used again.

The UBound Function

With dynamic arrays, you often do not know how many elements they contain
when you write your scripts. However, you often must work this out in code.
For example, you must know the upper bound when using a loop to iterate
through all of the elements in the array. The UBound function can be used in
these situations. This function returns the number of the highest element in the
array, as the following syntax shows:
Syntax UBound(arrayname[, dimension])

In this syntax, arrayname is the name of the array, and dimension is the
required dimension that you want to check. If only one dimension exists,
dimension is optional.
22 Module 3: Script Logic

Operators
Topic Objective
To introduce operators.
Lead-in
In this section you will learn

Operators
about the operators that
Class Discussion: Operators
VBScript provides.

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If you want to successfully manipulate your data, you must understand the use
of variables, arrays of variables, and constants, as well as the operators that
Visual Basic Scripting Edition provides.
In this section, you will learn about the operators that VBScript provides.
 Module 3: Script Logic 23

Operators
Topic Objective
To describe operators.
Lead-in
Operators are used to

Main Operator Types:
manipulate variables and
Arithmetic: ^ - * / \ Mod + -
values in your script.

Concatenation: &

Comparison: = <> < > <= >= IS

Logical: Not And Or XOr Eqv Imp

Operator Precedence

Parentheses

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Operators are the reserved characters that you use along with variables and
other data in your scripts. The operators provided by Visual Basic Scripting
Edition can be categorized into four types: arithmetic, concatenation,
comparison, and logical.

Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators perform basic arithmetic functions such as addition,
subtraction, or multiplication. The following table describes the arithmetic
operators.
Operators Description Symbol

Exponentiation Raises a number to the power of an exponent ^

Unary negation Indicates the negative value of a numeric -
expression.
Multiplication Multiplies two numbers. *
Division Divides two numbers and returns a floating-point /
result.
Integer division Divides two numbers and returns an integer \
result.
Modulus Divides two numbers and returns only the Mod
arithmetic remainder.
Addition Sums two numbers. +
Subtraction Finds the difference between two numbers. -
24 Module 3: Script Logic

Concatenation Operator
You often must create a string by concatenating or joining together two or more
other strings. The string concatenation operator is the ampersand (&). A space
must follow the ampersand for the concatenation to work correctly. For
example, the following script sample concatenates two string literals and a
string variable into a single string that is then echoed to the screen:
Example WScript.Echo "The path is, " & strPath & " on Server B"

Numeric variables can also be concatenated with string values.

Example nAge = InputBox("Please enter your Age.")
nTogo = 65 - nAge
MsgBox "You have " & nTogo & " years until you retire!"

In this example, the variable nAge is assigned the value entered into the input
box. A simple calculation is then done to calculate the years left until the age of
65. The result is stored in the variable nTogo. This number is then concatenated
with two string literals, and the resulting string is displayed in a message box.

Warning It is possible to use the plus sign (+) to provide concatenate strings.
However, this is not recommended because it will generate errors when mixing
string and numeric values.

Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare values. By using these operators, an
expression can be built that will test for a condition and return either True or
False. The following table describes the available operators.
Description Symbol

Equality =
Inequality <>
Less than <
Greater than >
Less than or equal to <=
Greater than or equal to >=
Object equivalence IS

The syntax for these operators is the following:

Syntax result = value1 operator value2
 Module 3: Script Logic 25

Logical Operators
Logical operators are used in a similar way to comparison operators. For
example, the Not operator performs logical negation on an expression as
follows:
Example bNegResult = Not bResult

If the value of bResult is True, the value of bNegResult is set to False.

The following table describes the logical operators supported by Visual Basic
Scripting Edition.
Operators Description Symbol

Negation Performs logical negation on an expression Not

Conjunction Performs a logical conjunction on two And
expressions
Disjunction Performs a logical disjunction on two Or
expressions
Exclusion Performs a logical exclusion on two XOr
expressions
Equivalence Performs a logical equivalence on two Eqv
expressions
Implication Performs a logical implication on two Imp
expressions
26 Module 3: Script Logic

Operator Precedence
You will often build complex tests by using a mixture of operators. It is
important to understand how the various operators are resolved and the order in
which each part of the expression is evaluated. This is determined by the order
of operator precedence that VBScript defines.
The following list presents the operators in the order of precedence that is
defined by VBScript:

^

–

*, /, and \

MOD

+, -

&

=, <>, < >, <=, >=, and IS

NOT

AND

OR

XOR

EQV

IMP

By using parentheses, you can control the order of precedence. Expressions in

parentheses are evaluated before expressions that are not in parentheses.
 Module 3: Script Logic 27

Class Discussion: Operators

Topic Objective
To have a class discussion.
Lead-in
In this discussion, you will
A. 1+4+10*6-4/2
review five calculations with B. (1+4+10)*6-(4/2)
the rest of the class.
C. 1+4+10*(6-4)/2
D. (1+4+10) & (6-4)/2
E. 1+4+10 & (6-4)/2

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

In this discussion, you will review five calculations with the rest of the class.
Each calculation looks similar, but by using the various rules of precedence,
different results are achieved. Record the value of each expression in the space
below it.
1+4+10*6-4/2

____________________
(1+4+10)*6-(4/2)

____________________
1+4+10*(6-4)/2

____________________
(1+4+10) & (6-4)/2

____________________
1+4+10 & 6-4/2

____________________
28 Module 3: Script Logic

Conditions and Loops

Topic Objective
To introduce conditions and
loops.
Lead-in
Conditional Statements: If…Then
It is essential that you can
Conditional Statements: Select Case…End Select
apply standard
programming techniques,
Looping: For…Next
such as decision-making
and looping, to your
Looping: Do…Loop / While…Wend
administrative scripts.

Built-in Functions

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It is essential that you can apply standard programming techniques, such as
decision-making and looping, to your administrative scripts.
In this section, you will learn how to write conditional code by using two
standard programmatic approaches. You will then learn how to construct
effective looping structures by applying a variety of techniques. In addition,
you will learn about some of the built-in functions that Visual Basic Scripting
Edition provides to enable you to write manageable and effective code.
 Module 3: Script Logic 29

Conditional Statements: If…Then

Topic Objective
To describe the If...Then
decision-making structure.

If…Then
Lead-in
Conditional structures are
Else True
used to control the flow of Evaluate Code
the code in your scripts.
ElseIf

End If
False

Code

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Conditional structures are used to control the flow of the code in your scripts.
You often must write code that can only be run in certain circumstances. You
can achieve this with conditional structures.

If…Then
You will often use the If…Then statement in Visual Basic Scripting Edition,
because it provides a simple test to evaluate if a condition is True or False. The
basic syntax for the If…Then structure is:
Syntax If <condition> Then <action>

For example:
Example If MyVar = 5 Then WScript.Echo "MyVar = 5"

In this example, the message MyVar = 5 is echoed to the screen only if the
MyVar variable contains the value 5. If the variable has any other value, the
message will not be displayed.

Else
The Else statement can be added to the If…Then statement. This enables
statements to be executed if the condition within the If statement is not met; for
example:
Example If MyVar = 5 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 5"
Else
WScript.Echo "MyVar does not equal 5"
End If
30 Module 3: Script Logic

In this script, the message MyVar does not equal 5 is displayed unless the
MyVar variable contains the value 5.

Note The expansion of the structure from the single-line syntax, shown
previously, to the multiple-line format, as shown in this example, is known as a
Block If structure. When you develop Block If structures, you must always
remember to include the keyword End If at the end of the structure.

ElseIf
The ElseIf construct extends the functionality of the If statement by allowing
the condition to have more than two different results; for example:
Example If MyVar = 0 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 0"
ElseIf MyVar = 1 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 1"
ElseIf MyVar = 2 then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 2"
Else
WScript.Echo "Sorry value is out of range"
End If

End If
The End If statement can be added if you want to combine multiple steps in a
single test. For example:
Example If MyVar = 5 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 5"
WScript.Echo "Reseting MyVar"
MyVar = 0
End If

In this example, three lines of script are executed if the condition evaluates to
True. These lines are indented for clarity. Indentation is particularly beneficial
when several conditional statements are nested, as shown in the following
example:
Example If MyVar = 5 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 5"
If MyVar2 = 10 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar2 = 10"
End If
End If

If MyVar contains the value 5, the first message is echoed to the screen. Then, a
second test is performed on a second variable. If that also returns True, a
second message is displayed. An End If statement is required for each If
statement.
 Module 3: Script Logic 31

Conditional Statements: Select Case…End Select

Topic Objective
To introduce the Select
Case statement.
Lead-in
Select Case Evaluate
The Select Case statement
Case
has a single condition that is
evaluated once in the first ? Code

Case Else
line of the statement.

End Select ? Code

? Code

? Code

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Although you can rely exclusively on the If statements described in the
previous section for conditional coding, there is an alternative. You can use the
Select Case structure. Although it is true that any Select Case structure can be
rewritten by using If statements, and vice versa, there are times when one
structure is more appropriate than the other, because one or the other is easier to
code, read, or debug.
The Select Case statement works with a single condition that is evaluated once
in the first line of the statement. The result of the expression is then compared
with the values for each Case statement listed below the original Select Case
statement. If there is a match, the block of statements associated with that Case
statement is executed; for example:
Example Select Case MyVar
Case "0"
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 0"
Case "1"
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 1"
Case "2"
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 2"
Case Else
WScript.Echo "Sorry value is out of range"
End Select

This script is clearer than the previous example that uses the If…Then…ElseIf
structure. Notice that substituting an If...Then...ElseIf structure with a Select
Case structure only works in this example, because the same condition is being
tested all the way down the ElseIf tree. If more than one condition is being
tested, the If…Then structure is more appropriate.
Select Case statements can be nested. Like the If statement, each nested Select
Case statement must have a matching End Select statement.
32 Module 3: Script Logic

Looping: For…Next
Topic Objective
To describe For…Next
loops.

For…Next Initialize Loop
Lead-in
You often must write code
Exit For
that runs multiple times in
Code
each execution of your
script. Exit Loop?

For Each…Next Code
Collections
Arrays Loop? ? Exit Loop?

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Along with writing decision-making code, you often must write code that runs
multiple times in each execution of your script.

For…Next
The For...Next loop is used to execute one or more statements a specific
number of times. The number of times that the statements are executed is
determined by the counter variable of the For…Next loop, which is set up
when the loop is initialized. This counter is then increased or decreased with
each repetition of the loop.
The syntax of the For…Next construct is:
Syntax For counter = start to finish [Step n]
action(s)
Next counter

For example, the following code illustrates a loop that runs ten times:
Example For iCounter = 1 To 10
WScript.Echo "This is loop number " & iCounter
Next
 Module 3: Script Logic 33

The variable iCounter is set to 1 when the loop is initialized. The

WScript.Echo statement is then executed. When the Next statement is reached,
the variable automatically increases by 1 and the loop is executed again. This
continues until the value of counter is greater than 10. Then, the loop is exited,
and execution continues at the line after the Next statement. By default,
iCounter will increment by one each time around the loop. This default
behavior can be modified by using the Step statement as follows:
Example For iCounter = 1 to 10 Step 2
WScript.Echo "Odd number " & iCounter
Next

This Step statement results in only five iterations of the loop. As the loop runs,
iCounter has the value of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.
The Step statement can also be used to decrement a counter simply by the
addition of a minus sign (-).
Example For iCounter = 10 to 2 Step -2
action(s)
Next

In this example, the loop is iterated five times, starting at the value of 10 and
finishing with the value of 2.

Exit For
You can optionally exit a loop at any time before it is finished by using the Exit
For statement; for example:
Example vInput = InputBox ("Enter the Value to stop the loop at")
iStop = CInt(vInput)
For iCounter = 1 to 10
WScript.Echo "Current iCounter Value = " & iCounter
If iStop = iCounter Then Exit For
WScript.Echo "Around we go again"
Next
WScript.Echo "Loop exited at value of " & iCounter

This script uses a variable called vInput that takes a value from the user of the
script. This value is then converted into an integer and stored in the iStop
variable. A For…Next loop is then set up and the current value of the counter
variable iCounter is echoed to the screen. A test is then done to see if iCounter
equals iStop. If it is equal, the loop is exited. Otherwise, a message is echoed,
and the loop continues. After the loop is exited, a message is echoed that
displays the value of iCounter.
34 Module 3: Script Logic

For Each…Next
The For Each…Next structure is used to iterate through the items in a
collection of objects or for each element of an array. This is very useful when
you do not know how many elements there will be in the collection prior to
running the script; for example:
Example For Each File in objFiles
WScript.echo File.Name
Next

The above example shows a snippet of a script that has a collection object
called objFiles. Collection objects usually contain multiple items, so the For
Each…Next structure is used to loop through each item in the collection. In
this example, a collection of files is looped through, and the name of each file is
displayed. Once all of the items in the collection have been displayed, the loop
is exited.
 Module 3: Script Logic 35

Looping: Do…Loop / While…Wend

Topic Objective
To describe Do...Loop
structures.
Lead-in
Do…Loop
When you are writing code, Do While…Loop
you must execute code in a

Test?
loop, but you may not know Loop

Do Until…Loop
how many times the loop
must be run.
Do…Loop While Exit Loop

Do…Loop Until

Exit Do

While…Wend

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As described in the previous section, Looping: For…Next, you often write code
that executes a given number of times. You have seen how to use the
For…Next loop to run code a specific number of times. However, that type of
loop is only useful when you know how many times a loop must be executed or
when you know that you can work out the number of times a loop must be
executed as part of your code.
Often, you must execute code in a loop, but you do not know how many times
the loop must be run when you are actually writing the code. Additional looping
structures are available to you when you encounter this situation.

Do…Loop
The Do…Loop structure iterates a number of script statements in a similar
fashion to the For...Next structure. The main difference between the Do…Loop
structure and the For…Next structure is that the Do…Loop structure does not
require you to know the number of times the loop must be run when you write
the code. There are two basic forms of this structure: Do While…Loop and the
Do Until…Loop.

Do While…Loop
This loop repeatedly executes a statement while a condition is true. The
condition is evaluated each time that the loop begins.
Example Do While vMyVar < 100
vMyVar = vMyVar + 1
WScript.Echo "vMyVar = " & vMyVar
Loop
36 Module 3: Script Logic

Do Until...Loop
This statement repeats the script in the loop until a condition becomes true. The
previous examples can be converted into the Do Until…Loop structure by
making the following changes to the script test conditions:
Example Do Until vMyVar >= 100
vMyVar = vMyVar + 1
WScript.Echo "vMyVar = " & vMyVar
Loop

Note It is possible to rewrite a Do While structure as a Do Until structure by

negating the condition, as shown above.

Do…Loop While
You can check the expression that represents the exit condition at the end of the
Do While loop, rather than at the beginning; for example:
Example Do
vMyVar = vMyVar + 1
WScript.Echo "vMyVar = " & vMyVar
Loop While vMyVar < 100

Checking the condition at the end of the loop, rather than at the beginning,
forces the loop to be executed at least once. Imagine that the condition is
already satisfied when the loop begins. If you check for the condition at the
beginning of the loop, the code inside the loop is not executed at all.
However, if you check the condition at the end of the loop, even if the condition
is already met, the code inside the loop runs once. If, by the end of the loop, the
condition is still satisfied, the loop is finished. However, note that the code
inside the loop may alter the state of the condition. The loop continues until the
condition is satisfied once more.

Do…Loop Until
As with the Do While loop, you can check the expression that represents the
exit condition at the end of the Do Until loop, rather that at the beginning; for
example:
Example Do
vMyVar = vMyVar + 1
Example WScript.Echo "vMyVar = " & vMyVar
Loop Until vMyVar >= 100
 Module 3: Script Logic 37

Exit Do
Just as there is an Exit For statement, there is an Exit Do statement that is
useful for exiting a loop if another condition is met while the loop is executed.
For example:
Example vInput = InputBox ("Enter the Value to stop the loop at")
iStop = CInt(vInput)
Do While iCounter < 10
iCounter = iCounter + 1
WScript.Echo "Current iCounter Value = " & iCounter
If iStop = iCounter Then Exit Do
WScript.Echo "Around we go again"
Loop
WScript.Echo "Loop exited at value of " & iCounter

While…Wend
The While…Wend structure was introduced in the early days of Visual Basic
and has since been superseded by the Do loops and the For loops. It is available
for backwards compatibility.
It works in the following way:

If the test condition is true, all of the statements in the loop are executed
until the Wend statement is encountered.

The script then returns to the While statement and the test condition is
checked again.

If the condition is still true, the process is repeated.

If it is not true, the loop is exited, and the execution of the script that follows
the Wend statement runs.

For example:
Example While vMyVar < 100
vMyVar = vMyVar + 1
WScript.Echo "vMyVar = " & vMyVar
Wend

Generally, Do…Loop is considered to be better than While…Wend, because it

is more structured and flexible.
38 Module 3: Script Logic

Built-in Functions
Topic Objective
To introduce built-in
functions.

Date and Time Functions
Lead-in
VBScript contains a number
Now, Time, Date, DateDiff
of special functions that can
be used in your script to
String Manipulation Functions
provide certain features that
are very difficult to write

LCase, UCase
yourself.
Mathematical Functions

Rnd, Round

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Visual Basic Scripting Edition contains various special functions that can be
used in script to provide certain features that are either difficult to write yourself
or required by many scripts. These special functions are known as built-in
functions. They can be used in expressions with variables and other values to
calculate and return values.

Date and Time Functions

There are functions that make handling dates and times in your script easy.

Now
The Now function returns the current date and time on the computer system
clock, as the following example shows:
Example WScript.Echo Now

This function returns a value like 26/06/2000 15:23:41

The format of the return value depends on your regional settings.

Time
The Time function returns a Variant of subtype Date that indicates the current
time on the computer system clock, as the following example shows:
Example WScript.echo Time

This function returns a value such as 15:24:27

 Module 3: Script Logic 39

Date
The Date function returns the current date on the computer system clock; for
example:
Example WScript.Echo "Today’s Date is : " & Date

This function returns a value such as 26/06/2000

DateDiff
The DateDiff function returns the number of intervals between two dates.
Example vDate = DateDiff("d", Date, "01/01/3000")
WScript.Echo "Days until the next Millennium: " & vDate

The "d" argument indicates that the function must return a number that
represents the number of days between the two dates. Other valid argument
values include:

"yyyy" for the number of years between the two dates.

"m" for the number of months between the two dates.

"h" for the number of hours between the two dates.

String Manipulation Functions

Because you often must manipulate and compare strings with Visual Basic
Scripting Edition, several string manipulation functions are provided.
These functions return a string value that has been converted to lowercase
(LCase) or uppercase (UCase). This is useful when you compare one string to
another string and the scriptwriter does not know what case will be used.
A user that typed one of the strings may have mixed the case of his or her input.
This can cause any test to fail, because a string comparison of a lower and an
upper case letter always returns False. By using the LCase or UCase functions,
the scriptwriter is assured that the comparison is performed by using lower or
upper case only.
Example vName = InputBox("Please enter your home country?")
vName = LCase(vName)
Select Case vName
Case "uk"
WScript.Echo "Welcome to the UK!"
Case "usa"
WScript.Echo "Welcome to the States!"
Case "germany"
WScript.Echo "Welcome to Germany!"
Case "france"
WScript.Echo "Welcome to France!"
Case Else
WScript.Echo "Sorry, try again! "
End Select
40 Module 3: Script Logic

Mathematical Functions
Because you often must perform mathematical manipulations with Visual Basic
Scripting Edition, several mathematical functions are provided.

Rnd
The Rnd function returns a random number between 0 and 1 to seven decimal
places. This function only works correctly if the random number generator has
been initialized before the Rnd function is called. To initialize the random
number generator, use the Randomize statement as shown in the following
example:
Example Randomize
WScript.Echo Rnd

By multiplying the value that the Rnd function returns, you can generate
random numbers within a given range. For example:
Example Randomize
WScript.Echo Rnd * 100

This generates a random number between 0 and 100, including fractions of a

number.

Round
If a script requires you to use whole numbers, you can use the Round function
to convert a number to the nearest integer.
Example Randomize
vRnd = Rnd * 100
WScript.Echo Round(vRnd)

Note There are many more functions available in VBScript. For the complete
list of functions, see the VBScript documentation.
 Module 3: Script Logic 41

Procedures
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
In this section, you will learn

Sub and Function Procedures
about Sub and Function
Scope and Lifetime
procedures.

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You have learned how to write scripts by using the Visual Basic Script Edition
language. When you write your code, you often encounter a situation where you
must run similar blocks of code multiple times. When this is the case, you can
encapsulate this code into reusable blocks, called procedures.
In this section, you will learn about Sub and Function procedures. You will
also learn how procedures and variables interact to create the concepts of scope
and lifetime.
42 Module 3: Script Logic

Sub and Function Procedures

Topic Objective
To describe sub procedures.

Sub Procedures
Lead-in
In VBScript, there are two
Function Procedures
kinds of procedures.

Returns a result

Exiting a Procedure

Passing Parameters

ByRef

ByVal

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In Visual Basic Scripting Edition, there are two kinds of procedures: Sub
procedures, sometimes called subroutines, and Function procedures.
Procedures are used to encapsulate code block that you need often.

Sub Procedures
Sub procedures contain code that you can reuse in your scripts many times
without having to rewrite the code every time that it is needed. Instead, you
write the code once inside the procedure, and then call the procedure from other
places in your code to indicate that the contents of the procedure should be run
at that point.
 Module 3: Script Logic 43

The following example shows how Sub procedures can be used in your scripts.
Note that the Sub procedure named Status is called twice. The Call statement is
optional.
Example Dim sStausMessage
Call Welcome
sStausMessage = "Starting..."
Call Status
sStausMessage = "Ending..."
Call Status
Call Farewell
Sub Welcome()
WScript.Echo "Hello"
End Sub
Sub Status()
WScript.Echo sStausMessage
End Sub
Sub Farewell()
WScript.Echo "Goodbye"
End Sub

Note The Call statement is optional.

Function Procedures
Function procedures are very similar to Sub procedures. You write the code
once inside the procedure, and then simply call the procedure from other places
in your code. The only important difference between a Sub and a Function
procedure is that the latter returns a result to the script that called it, while the
former does not.
Consequently, you use the Function procedure most often as part of a larger
expression, because the call to it results in a value being returned in place of the
Function name. The following example illustrate how the function call returns
a value that can be used in any expression:
Example Dim dDate
dDate=Tomorrow
WScript.Echo dDate
Function Tomorrow()
Tomorrow= DateAdd("d",1,Date())
End Function

Exiting a Procedure
If a test, such as an If…Then structure, determines that the procedure must be
exited, the procedure is exited by using the exit statement. When you reach the
end of the procedure, the End Sub statement returns the execution of the script
back to the point in the script immediately after the procedure was called.
44 Module 3: Script Logic

Passing Parameters
The code examples shown so far do not enable you to pass any additional data
into the procedures when they are called. However, passing additional data that
the procedure works with is a very useful and common practice.
To pass parameters to your procedures, you must define the parameters that the
procedure will receive when you write the procedure. You do this by providing
a comma-separated list of parameter names inside the parentheses for the
procedure, as the following example shows:
Example Function GrossValue(NetValue, TaxRate)
GrossValue=NetValue + (NetValue * TaxRate)
End Function

You must pass the values of the parameters to the procedure when you call the
procedure. The following example calls the GrossValue function and passes a
value of 100 for the NetValue parameter and 0.175 for the TaxRate parameter:
Example WScript.Echo "Gross Value is: " & GrossValue(100,0.175)

ByRef and ByVal

You pass data into procedures by using variable names that contain the relevant
data rather than the literal values themselves. By default, variables are passed to
procedures by reference. As a result, if you make any changes to the parameters
in the Sub procedure or Function procedure, the original variable in the calling
code is altered, as well.
Although this is the default behavior in VBScript, you can explicitly qualify
each argument by using the ByRef keyword, as shown in the following
example:
Example Function GrossValue(ByRef NetValue, ByRef TaxRate)
GrossValue=NetValue + (NetValue * TaxRate)
End Function

The second method for parsing an argument is by value. With this approach,
any argument passed to the Sub procedure or Function procedure is a copy of
the original variable. If you make any changes to the parameters in the
procedure, the variable in the calling code is not changed.
To specify this option, you use the ByVal keyword in front of each argument,
as shown in the following example:
Example Function GrossValue(ByVal NetValue, ByVal TaxRate)
GrossValue=NetValue + (NetValue * TaxRate)
End Function
 Module 3: Script Logic 45

You will note that in the examples used so far, both ByRef and ByVal result in
identical script behavior. This is because the procedures themselves do not
internally modify the values of the parameters that have been passed to them.
However, this is not always the case. For example, the following code, which
uses ByRef, results in a message of “Two times 60 is 60,” which is obviously
not intended:
Example Dim iNumber, iResult
iNumber=30
iResult = Doubler(iNumber)
WScript.Echo "Two times " & iNumber & " is " & iResult
Function Doubler(ByRef InputNum)
InputNum = 2 * InputNum
Doubler = InputNum
End Function

The InputNum parameter points to the same memory location as the iNumber
variable, because InputNum was passed by using ByRef. Therefore, any
changes made to the InputNum parameter also results in those changes being
applied to the iNumber variable.
The following example is almost identical. However, the parameter is passed by
using ByVal. This results in a message of “Two times 30 is 60,” which is
intended.
Example Dim iNumber, iResult
iNumber=30
iResult = Doubler(iNumber)
WScript.Echo "Two times " & iNumber & " is " & iResult
Function Doubler(ByVal InputNum)
InputNum = 2 * InputNum
Doubler = InputNum
End Function
46 Module 3: Script Logic

Scope and Lifetime

Topic Objective
To describe scope and
lifetime issues.
Lead-in
Script-Level Variables
The scope of a variable
Dim
defines where it can be
used in your script.
Private

Public

Procedure-Level Variables

Dim

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The scope of a variable defines where it can be used in your script. The lifetime
of a variable determines the time period that the variable exists in memory and
the time period it is available to your script.
The scope and lifetime of a variable are determined by where in the script the
variable is declared and the keyword used to declare the variable.

Script-Level Variables
When declaring a variable in the main body of the script, it can be referenced
from anywhere else in the script. Variables can be used by other statements in
the main body and also in any procedures that are called. These variables are
known as script-level variables that have script-level scope.
You can declare script-level variables with either the Dim keyword or the
Private keyword. These keywords are synonymous when used to declare
script-level variables.
There is also a Public keyword that can be used to define variables that are
available outside the scope of the script itself. However, you can only do this if
the script is going to be used with other scripts that can reference these
variables, such as .wsf files. If this is not the case, then script-level variables
that are declared with the Public keyword behave identically to variables that
are declared with the Private and Dim keywords.
The names of script-level variables must be unique throughout the script. The
lifetime of a script-level variable is from the time the variable is declared to the
time when the script terminates.
 Module 3: Script Logic 47

Procedure-Level Variables
When a variable is declared in a procedure, only script within that procedure
can access or change the value of the variable. It has local scope and is called a
procedure-level variable. A procedure-level variable exists only when the
procedure is running. When the procedure is finished, the variable is destroyed.
The variable has procedure-level lifetime.
You can have local variables of the same name in several different procedures,
because each variable is recognized only by the procedure in which it is
declared. Declaration of procedure-level variables is usually undertaken at the
very start of the procedure itself. This is a good practice, because it makes
tracking the variables easier.
It is also a good practice to declare variables with the smallest scope possible.
This prevents you from having to make a long list of variable names that is
visible to the whole script and helps to minimize the memory that variable
names consume.
Procedure-level variables cannot be declared with the Public or Private
keywords. You must use the Dim keyword to declare procedure-level variables.
48 Module 3: Script Logic

Script Layout
Topic Objective
To introduce script layout.
Lead-in
You can organize your

Script Sections
scripts in a manner that
Using a Template
makes them easy to deal
with and easy to read and
Best Practices for VBScript
debug.

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You can organize your scripts in a manner that makes them easy to deal with
and easy to read and debug.
In this section, you will learn about organizing the code in your scripts. You
will also learn about some good practices for coding.
 Module 3: Script Logic 49

Script Sections
Topic Objective
To identify the different
sections in a script file.
Lead-in
As your scripts get larger
and more complex, it Script Information Header
becomes increasingly
important to have a
standard and logical layout Initialization Block
for your scripts.

Script Main Logic

Function and Sub Procedures

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As your scripts get larger and more complex, it becomes increasingly important
to have a standard and logical layout for your scripts. There are several
recommended standards, but you are free to decide whether you want to use
them or not. However, remember that ultimately these standards are there to
make working with script easier.
One simple recommended standard is to organize the script into four main
blocks:

Script information header

Initialization block

Main logic

Function and Sub procedures
50 Module 3: Script Logic

Script Information Header

This script information header contains information about the script itself. It is
not required for the execution of the script as it is commented out. The
information in the script information header is there to help whoever is reading
the script identify what the script is, who wrote it, and what it should do. An
example of a script header is shown below:
Example '==========================================================
'
' LANG : VBScript
' NAME : MyScript.wsf
' AUTHOR : My Name
' DATE : 21/06/2000
' Description : Demonstration Script Header
' COMMENT : Add comments here
'
' KEYWORDS : Indexing Keywords here
'==========================================================

The use of the KEYWORDS field is to enable an indexing engine to search and
retrieve all related scripts.

Initialization block
The next block of the script is the initialization block. In this section, script-
level variables, constants, and object names are declared. This provides a single
reference area where all variable names can be looked up when working on the
script. For example:
Example '==========================================================
'Variable Declarations

Dim nNetValue
'Used to store the net value of a product

Dim nGrossValue
'Used to store the gross value of a product

Dim nTaxRate
'Used to store the tax rate that must be applied to net value

'==========================================================
 Module 3: Script Logic 51

Script Main Logic

The script main logic section is where you type the main body of the script.
Note that this section is not always the biggest part of the script. If the script
uses a lot of procedures to complete its task, this section might be no more than
a list of procedure calls and a WScript.Quit statement. The following is an
example of the main body of a script:
Example '==========================================================
' Main Body

' Set the net value

nNetValue = 100

' Set the tax rate

nTaxRate = 0.175

' Call the GrossValue function

nGrossValue = GrossValue(nNetValue, nTaxRate)

' Display the result to the user

WScript.Echo "The Gross Value is: " & nGrossValue

'==========================================================

Function and Sub Routines

This section is made up of all of the procedures that are called from within the
main script logic. They are not executed in a top-down manner, but are
executed when called. You can also store procedures that are not currently used
in the script, but can be used at some point in the future. If the main script logic
does not call the procedure, it will be ignored.
52 Module 3: Script Logic

The following example shows the final script, complete with all of the sections:
Example '==========================================================
'
' LANG : VBScript
' NAME : MyScript.wsf
' AUTHOR : My Name
' DATE : 21/06/2000
' Description : Demonstration Script Header
' COMMENT : Add comments here
'
' KEYWORDS : Indexing Keywords here
'==========================================================
'==========================================================
'Variable Declarations

Dim nNetValue
'Used to store the net value of a product

Dim nGrossValue
'Used to store the gross value of a product

Dim nTaxRate
'Used to store the tax rate that must be applied to net value

'==========================================================
'==========================================================
' Main Body

' Set the net value

nNetValue = 100

' Set the tax rate

nTaxRate = 0.175

' Call the GrossValue function

nGrossValue = GrossValue(nNetValue, nTaxRate)

' Display the result to the user

WScript.Echo "The Gross Value is: " & nGrossValue

'==========================================================
'==========================================================
' Procedures

' Returns a gross value based on a net value and a tax rate
Function GrossValue(nNet, nRate)
GrossValue=nNet + (nNet * nRate)
End Function

'==========================================================
 Module 3: Script Logic 53

Note You can also use another type of layout, which defines the procedures
directly after the initialization of the variables, with the main script logic at the
end of the script. It makes little difference to the execution of the script which
layout you use. Ultimately, it is a matter of personal preference.
54 Module 3: Script Logic

Using a Template
Topic Objective
To provide an example of a
script template.
Lead-in Script Name, Date, Author
After you have defined the Script Description, Keywords
basic script layout, you can
create a template that can Initialize Standard Variables
be reused as the basis for oShell, oNetwork
future scripts.
Script Main Logic
Call Functions/Subs

Function 1 : Check that CScript is Default Engine

Function 2 : Print Help Text
Function 3 : Handle Arguments

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After you have defined the basic script layout, you can create a template that
can be reused as the basis for future scripts. This template can be as simple or as
complex as required. Fundamentally, it should help you create scripts in a
standard way.
The template is not restricted to the script outline. If there are script segments or
procedures that are regularly used, such as common variable definitions or
usage display procedures, these could also be included as part of the template.
A typical template might have separate sections for:

Script name, description, date, author, and keywords.

Script level variable and constant declarations.

The main script body.

Procedures.

Some Integrated Development Environment (IDE) tools, such as Primal Script,

allow for the definition of a template as part of creating a new script file. If you
are using one of these tools, it is worth spending a few minutes setting up this
feature, because ultimately this feature can save you a great deal of typing.

Note Lab 3, “Working with VBScript,” uses an example script template that
you can customize to meet your needs.
 Module 3: Script Logic 55

Best Practices for VBScript

Topic Objective
To recommend VBScript
best practices.
Lead-in
Using Option Explicit
When you write your
Giving Variables Meaningful Names
administrative scripts, there
are some good practices
Commenting Your Scripts
that you should adhere to.

Using a Consistent Naming Standard

Creating a Useful Script Store

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Coding by using Visual Basic Scripting Edition is flexible. You can achieve the
same results in many different ways. However, there are some best practices
that you should adhere to.

Using Option Explicit

Always set Option Explicit in your script, because you are required to declare
all of your variable names. This greatly reduces bugs caused by mistyped
variable names.

Giving Variables Meaningful Names

When possible, give the variables and objects in your script meaningful and
user-friendly names. This will make it easier to understand what a script is
trying to do.

Commenting Your Script

Commenting your script not only makes it easier for other people to understand
what a script is trying to achieve, but it will also help you if you must reuse a
script after many months.

Using a Consistent Naming Standard

Whether or not you choose to use the Hungarian naming standard, adopt a
consistent standard. This makes your scripts easy to understand over time.

Creating a Useful Script Store

As you learn script, you will come across many examples of script that solve a
specific problem. When you come across these examples, cut and paste them
into a script template and store them in a folder that you can then index. By
doing this, you can build up a store of examples that you can quickly copy into
your script when required.
56 Module 3: Script Logic

Lab 3: Working with VBScript

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will work with
script templates. You will
also use variables,
constants, loops, and other
VBScript features.

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Objectives
In this lab, you will create a script template file and use it to create a script that
tests a user’s name against a known list.
You will use the following concepts and features of Visual Basic Scripting
Edition to achieve this:

Script templates

Constants

Variables

Decision-making structures

Looping structures

Intrinsic VBScript constants

Procedures

Estimated time to complete this lab: 30 minutes

 Module 3: Script Logic 57

Exercise 1
Creating Script Templates
In this exercise, you will use PrimalSCRIPT to create an administrative script
template.

To create a PrimalSCRIPT template

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to SAPIEN Technologies,
Inc, and then click PrimalSCRIPT 2.0.
PrimalSCRIPT appears.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.
A new text document is created.
4. Type the following code in the new document:
'==========================================================
' LANG : VBScript
' NAME :
' AUTHOR : NWind Traders Administrator
' DATE :
' Description :
' COMMENT :
' KEYWORDS :
'==========================================================
'==========================================================
'Variable Declarations

'==========================================================
'==========================================================
' Main Body

'==========================================================
'==========================================================
' Procedures

' Function Template

Function FName(arg1, arg2)

End Function

' Sub Template

Sub SName(arg1, arg2)

End Sub

'==========================================================
58 Module 3: Script Logic

To save the script template

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the
C:\Program Files\SAPIEN\PrimalSCRIPT\Templates folder.
3. In the File name box, type NWind Script.vbs
4. In the Save as type box, click VBScript files (*.vb, *.vbs), and then click
Save.
5. On the File menu, click Close.

To create a new script based on your template

1. On the File menu, click New.
Note that your template, NWind Script, is now available as a template for
new script documents.
2. In the New dialog box, click NWind Script, and then click OK.
A new document is created, based on your template. Note that the text is
color-coded and formatted as VBScript. Changes you make to this new
document will not affect the NWind Script template.
3. Leave the script open, because you will use it in the next exercise.

You have now created a template and have seen how to create a new script that
is based upon it.
 Module 3: Script Logic 59

Exercise 2
Using Constants, Variables, Loops, and Conditional Structures
In this exercise, you will use the new file that was written in Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and that was created from the template in exercise 1. You will
then use variables and constants to manipulate data that is entered by the script
user.
In addition, you will create decision-making and looping structures that will
compare the user’s name with a list of pre-approved administrators. You will
enable the user to enter his or her name up to three times. If the user enters an
administrator’s name, the script continues to run. If the user fails to enter a valid
name three times in a row, the user is notified that he or she has not been
validated.

To complete the script description section

1. Modify the script description section so that it reads as follows:
'==========================================================
'
' LANG : VBScript
' NAME : Validate.vbs
' AUTHOR : NWind Traders Administrator
' DATE :
' Description : Validates administrative users
' COMMENT : Lab 03
'
' KEYWORDS : Loops, variables, constants
'==========================================================

2. Type today’s date in the DATE field.

To declare constants and variables

1. Under Variable Declarations, declare the following variables:
• iLoopCount
• sUserName
• iAnswer
2. In the same section, declare a constant named ADMIN_1, with a value of
FRANK LEE
3. Declare another constant named ADMIN_2, with a value of STEPHANIE
HOOPER
The complete section should resemble the following code:
Dim iLoopCount, sUserName, iAnswer
Const ADMIN_1 = "FRANK LEE"
Const ADMIN_2 = "STEPHANIE HOOPER"
60 Module 3: Script Logic

To use a decision-making structure

1. Under Main Body, construct nested If statements by typing the following:
iLoopCount = iLoopCount + 1
If iLoopCount > 3 then
WScript.Echo "Maximum attempts exceeded!" & vbCrLf

& "This script will now end..."
WScript.Quit
ElseIf iLoopCount > 1 then
iAnswer = MsgBox("You must be an Administrator to run

this script." _
& vbCrLf & "Do you want to try again?", vbYesNo)
If iAnswer = vbNo then
WScript.Quit
End If
End If

Tip In the text above, the line-continuation characters (
) are used to
denote that you should type the subsequent code on the same line as the
preceding code. The text has simply wrapped around in the printed
document

2. Immediately below the final End If statement, add the following line to
gather user input and assign it to the variable sUserName:
sUserName = InputBox (

"Please enter your name (firstname lastname)")

3. On the File menu, click Save As.

4. Navigate to the install_folder\Labs\Lab03\Starter folder (install_folder is
C:\ Program Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
5. In the File name box, type Validate.vbs and then click Save.

To use a Do…Loop
1. Locate the comment Main Body, and on the line immediately below, add a
Do statement as follows:
Do

2. Immediately below the InputBox statement, type the following line of code,
which controls the termination of the loop:
Loop While UCase(sUserName) <> ADMIN_1 _
And UCase(sUserName) <> ADMIN_2

3. Immediately below the Loop statement, type the following:

WScript.Echo "You have been validated!" & vbCrLf _
& "The script will now continue..."

4. On the File menu, click Save.

 Module 3: Script Logic 61

To test the script

1. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
2. In the input box, type Don Funk
Don Funk is not one of the administrators. You will be notified of this with
a message box.
3. In the message box, click No.
The script ends.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2
5. Click Yes to try again.
6. In the input box, type Don Funk again.
7. Click Yes to try again.
8. In the input box, type Don Funk one more time.
You are notified via a message box that you have exceeded the maximum
number of attempts. The script then ends.
9. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
10. In the input box, type Stephanie Hooper.
You are notified that you have been successfully validated and that the
script will continue.
You have now created and tested a script that validates users.
62 Module 3: Script Logic

Exercise 3
Using Procedures
In this exercise, you will create a reusable function that carries out the process
of validating a user against a known list of administrators. The function will
return either True or False, thereby making it easy to use in the calling code.

To create a validate function

1. In the script, under Procedures, modify the template of the function so that
it reads:
Function Validate(sUser)
If UCase(sUser) = ADMIN_1 Or UCase(sUser) = ADMIN_2 then
Validate = True
Else
Validate = False
End if
End Function

2. Under Main, modify the Loop statement so that it uses the function, as
follows:
Loop While Not Validate(sUsername)

3. On the File menu, click Save.

4. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
5. In the input box, type Don Funk
Don Funk is not one of the administrators. You will be notified accordingly
in a message box.
6. In the message box, click Yes.
7. In the input box, type Frank Lee
You are successfully validated.

You have now successfully used constants, variables, loops, procedures, and
decision-making code by using Visual Basic Scripting Edition.
 Module 3: Script Logic 63

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
points.
Fundamental VBScript Rules
Lead-in
Variables, Constants, and Data Types
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
Operators
taught in this module.

Conditions and Loops

Procedures

Script Layout

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1. Where is VBScript case-sensitive.
VBScript compares strings in a case-sensitive manner.

2. What is the primary data type used in VBScript?

Variant.

3. What would be the result of the following:

(10-5+10)*2-(4*5/2)
20

4. The following script causes a compilation error. What is the problem?

If MyVar = 5 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 5"
If MyVar = 7 Then
WScript.Echo "MyVar = 7"
End If

You have two Block If structures, but only one End If statement.
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
 Module 4: Error
Handling and
Debugging
Contents
Overview 1
Error Handling 2
Debugging 10
Lab 4: Debugging and Error Handling 15
Review 22
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 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with the knowledge they need to write error-
30 Minutes trapping and error-handling code. It also shows them how to debug code to find
logic errors.
Lab:
30 Minutes After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe the types of errors that may be present in Microsoft® Visual Basic®
Scripting Edition (VBScript) code.

Write code that handles run-time errors.

Use the Microsoft Script Debugger to locate and fix logic errors.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:
• Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_04.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the lab.
iv Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Error Handling
Use this section to discuss the different types of errors that may be in the
students’ code. Stress that even professional programmers with many years
of experience still encounter errors in their code.
The main focus of this section, however, is the approach available in
VBScript for handling run-time errors.
The section finishes with a complex example of using iterative procedure
calls to implement robust interaction with the user. You must go through
this example step-by-step with the students, because they may find it
difficult to follow on their own. It is crucial that they understand this
example, because they will work with a very similar script in the lab.

Debugging
The focus of this section is on using the features of the Microsoft Script
Debugger.
If you have time available, show the students how the debugger works.

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and
Certification courseware.

Important The lab in this module is also dependent on the classroom

configuration that is specified in the Customization Information section at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for Course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Lab Setup
There are no lab setup requirements that affect replication or customization.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
objectives.
Error Handling
Lead-in
Debugging
In this module, you will learn
about error handling and
script debugging.

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It is inevitable that you will sometimes encounter errors in your scripts. When
errors occur, you must know how to deal with them.
This module deals with error handling. It also deals with some approaches to
debugging, including the use of a debugger application.
After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe the types of errors that may be present in code written in
Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript).

Write code that handles run-time errors.

Use the Microsoft Script Debugger to locate and fix logic errors.
2 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Error Handling
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Even professional

Type of Errors
programmers sometimes
Handling Run-Time Errors
encounter errors.

The Err Object

Setting an Error Trap

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Errors that prevent your code from performing as intended will be present in
some of the code that you develop. Even professional programmers sometimes
encounter errors.
This section describes the different types of errors that can occur in VBScript. It
also describes some approaches for dealing with run-time errors.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 3

Types of Errors
Topic Objective
To describe the different
types of errors.
Lead-in
Syntax Errors
Programming errors fall into
Run-Time Errors
three categories: syntax,
run-time, and logic errors.
Logic Errors

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Programming errors fall into three categories: syntax, run-time, and logic
errors.

Syntax Errors
Syntax errors result from code that is written incorrectly, such as a mistyped
keyword, the omission of required punctuation, or an incorrect construct, such
as a Next statement without a corresponding For statement.
VBScript detects these errors when your script is compiled. If syntax errors are
found, the script cannot start. Instead you will be notified that a compilation
error has occurred. VBScript reports detailed information about the syntax
error, such as its location in your script and a description of the type of error.

Run-Time Errors
Run-time errors occur when your code is syntactically correct, but a statement
attempts an operation that is impossible to execute. For example, attempting a
calculation that includes a division by zero, or attempting to save a file to the
floppy disk drive when no disk is present, results in a run-time error. For these
types of errors, you must create an error trap. You will learn how to create an
error trap in Setting an Error Trap later in this module.

Logic Errors
Logic errors occur when code does not perform the way that you intended.
Your code may be syntactically correct, and no run-time errors may be
encountered, but it does not produce the results that you anticipated. You must
test and debug your code to determine why the results are different than those
that you intended. You will learn how to debug scripts in the Debugging later in
this module.
4 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Handling Run-Time Errors

Topic Objective
To describe the aims of run-
time error handling.
Lead-in
Creating Robust Scripts
By detecting run-time errors,
Enabling Graceful Exits
you can make your script
responsive to common run-
Implementing Error Handling
time errors.

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By detecting run-time errors, you can make your script responsive to common
run-time errors.

Creating Robust Scripts

Scripts that trap run-time errors can handle common user errors without
stopping program execution. Anticipating common errors, such as trying to
open a nonexistent file, and protecting the code against these errors, makes the
program less likely to stop running.

Enabling Graceful Exits

Sometimes the error-handling code in your script cannot resolve a run-time
error. When this happens, your code can still perform other actions, such as
closing any open data files and saving data that would be lost otherwise. In
addition, you can inform the user that an error has occurred and give the user
more descriptive messages than they may otherwise receive.

Implementing Error Handling

To implement error handling, you must anticipate what lines of code run-time
errors may occur in. In addition, you must anticipate the type of error that may
occur. The basic process for implementing error handling is to:

Set an error trap.

Determine which error has occurred.

Take some remedial action or exit the script gracefully.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 5

The Err Object

Topic Objective
To describe the most
commonly used methods
and properties of the Err
Err Object Properties
object.

Err Object Methods
Lead-in
Run-time errors can
originate from your VBScript
code.

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Run-time errors can originate from the code that you write in Visual Basic
Scripting Edition. When a run-time error occurs, you can check the properties
of the Err object to see what error has occurred.

Err Object Properties

The following table lists the most commonly used properties of the Err object.
Property Description

Number Returns a valid error number. Number is

the default property of the Err object.
Description The error message that corresponds to the
Number property.

Err Object Methods

In addition to using the properties of the Err object, you can use its methods to
control errors.
The following table lists the most commonly used methods of the Err object.
Method Description

Clear Clears all of the property settings of the

Err object. Clear is equivalent to Err = 0.
Raise Generates a run-time error. You can use
this method when you test your error-
handling code.
6 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Setting an Error Trap

Topic Objective
To discuss the process of
setting run-time error traps.
Lead-in
On Error Resume Next
The default behavior of
Fixing the Error
VBScript, when it
encounters a run-time error,
is to halt its execution and
display a message to the
user of the script.

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The default behavior of Visual Basic Scripting Edition, when it encounters a
run-time error, is to halt its execution and display a message to the user of the
script. The message is often regarded by the user as being cryptic, especially if
the user has no VBScript or programming experience. In addition, the user
cannot choose to recover from the error.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 7

On Error Resume Next

To modify the default way in which VBScript handles run-time errors, you can
set a trap. Once the trap is set, the default behavior of VBScript run-time error
handling is overridden. This enables your error-handling code to control the
sequence of actions that is taken to either fix the error or to provide a safer,
more graceful, and more meaningful exit for the user.
You set the error trap with the On Error Resume Next statement. This enables
your code to continue running.
If you use the On Error Resume Next statement, you should trap potential
errors after each line of code that you anticipate may cause possible errors. The
following example shows the approach to handling errors in this manner:
Example On Error Resume Next
Dim intNumberOfTests, intTotalPoints, nAverage
' collect test information
intTotalPoints = InputBox("Enter the Total points scored.")
intNumberOfTests = InputBox("Enter the number of exams.")
' calculate average
nAverage = intTotalPoints / intNumberOfTests
' check for runtime errors by zero
Select Case Err.Number
Case 0 'No error occurred
WScript.Echo "Average score = " & Str(lngAverage)
Case 11 'Division by zero
WScript.Echo "Cannot divide by zero."
Case 13 ' Type mis-match
WScript.Echo "Only numeric data is allowed."
Case Else
WScript.Echo "Unexpected error."
WScript.Quit
End Select

Fixing the Error

The example shown above successfully traps the error. However, it does not
make any attempt to fix the error. It merely enables a graceful exit. The
example on the following page illustrates an approach to fixing run-time errors,
namely by allowing the user to try again. It uses several advanced approaches:

The script starts by making a call to the procedure named MainProc.

MainProc then makes a call to the function named CalcAvg, and stores the
result of this function in the iResult variable.

The CalcAvg function performs the main task of the script. It prompts the
user for two numbers and then attempts to divide one number by the other
number. The line that attempts the division is where common run-time
errors occur, such as division by zero and type mismatches.

The CalcAvg function is protected by the On Error Resume Next error
trap.
8 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

After the line that performs the division is executed, the script queries the
value of the Err object’s Number property. If it is 0, then no error has
occurred. If it is 11, then you know that a division by zero has been
attempted. A value of 13 indicated that a type mismatch occurred, such as
dividing a number by a string.
The function returns a number to the calling Sub procedure, depending on
the value of the Err object’s Number property. The codes 0, 1, 2, and 3
have been arbitrarily chosen for this script. You can choose to return
whatever data you want to.

Based on the value returned from the function, the MainProc procedure
takes some action. If the value is 1, 2, or 3, an error occurred in the function.
In these cases a suitable message is displayed to the user. The user is then
prompted as to whether he or she wants to try again. If the user answers No,
the script ends.
However, if the user answers Yes, the MainProc procedure calls itself. This
is an advanced technique, known as iterative programming. When you use
iterative programming techniques such as this, you must ensure that the
code does not enter an endless loop.

Example Call MainProc

Sub MainProc()
Dim iResult, iAnswer
iResult = CalcAvg()
Select Case iResult
Case 1
WScript.Echo "Cannot divide by zero"
iAnswer = Msgbox("Do you want to try again?",vbYesNo)
If iAnswer = vbYes then
Call MainProc
Else
WScript.Quit
End IF
Case 2
WScript.Echo "Only numeric data is allowed"
iAnswer = Msgbox("Do you want to try again?",vbYesNo)
If iAnswer = vbYes then
Call MainProc
Else
WScript.Quit
End IF
Case 3
WScript.Echo "An unexpected error occurred"
iAnswer = Msgbox("Do you want to try again?",vbYesNo)
If iAnswer = vbYes then
Call MainProc
Else
WScript.Quit
End IF
End Select
End Sub

' code continued on next page

 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 9

' code continued from previous page

Function CalcAvg()
On Error Resume Next
Dim intNumberOfTests, intTotalPoints, nAverage
' collect test information
intTotalPoints = InputBox("Enter the Total points scored.")
intNumberOfTests = InputBox("Enter the number of exams.")
' calculate average
nAverage = CInt(intTotalPoints)/CInt(intNumberOfTests)
' check for runtime errors by zero
Select Case Err.Number
Case 0 'No error occurred
WScript.Echo "Average score = " & nAverage
CalcAverage = 0
Case 11 'Division by zero
CalcAvg = 1
Case 13 ' Type mis-match
CalcAvg = 2
Case Else
CalcAvg = 3
End Select
End Function
10 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Debugging
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Usually the most difficult

The Microsoft Script Debugger
errors to find and fix are
Debugging Techniques
logic errors.

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Usually the most difficult errors to find and fix are logic errors. However, it is
inevitable that logic errors, sometimes referred to as bugs or glitches, will be
introduced into your code, especially as your code becomes more complex.
The Microsoft Script Debugger is an invaluable tool that helps you to debug
your scripts.
In this section, you will learn how to use the Microsoft Script Debugger.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 11

The Microsoft Script Debugger

Topic Objective
To introduce the Microsoft
Script Debugger.
Lead-in
Processing Errors in WSH Scripts
The Microsoft Script
Using the Microsoft Script Debugger
Debugger enables you to
find logic errors in your
code.

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The Microsoft Script Debugger is installed as part of the Microsoft
Windows® 2000 setup process. It enables you to find logic errors in your code.
You can use the debugger to:

View the source code of the script that you are debugging.

View and control script flow.

View and change variable and property values.

View the order of execution of procedures in a script.

Processing Errors in WSH Scripts

The following describes the events that occur when a Windows Script Host
(WSH) script is processed:

The script is loaded into WSH and parsed.
Parsing involves reading code segments, analyzing them, and compiling
them into an executable binary format.

The browser reports any syntax errors that it finds during the parsing stage.

After successfully parsing a section of script, WSH executes it.
Global or inline scripts that are not part of an event-handling Sub procedure
or function are executed immediately.
Event-handling Sub procedures or functions and procedures that are called
by other procedures are parsed immediately, but they are not executed until
they are triggered by an event or called by another procedure.

If a run-time error occurs when a client script runs, an error message is
displayed and the script containing the error stops.
12 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Using the Microsoft Script Debugger

If an error occurs in a script, WSH displays an error message indicating the
error and the number of the line on which it is found. If you have the debugger
installed on your computer, you will be prompted about whether you want to
debug the script. If you choose to debug the script, WSH starts the debugger
and displays the current script in a read-only window.
Once the script is loaded into the debugger, you can move through the
document, set breakpoints, return to the document to run scripts, and step
through the script. By doing this, you can locate run-time and logic errors.

Note You cannot edit the source code directly in the debugger. You must edit
the original .vbs file and then rerun it.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 13

Debugging Techniques
Topic Objective
To describe common
debugging techniques.
Lead-in
Setting Breakpoints and Stepping Through Code
The Microsoft Script
Using the Command Window
Debugger provides many
features that you can use to
Viewing the Call Stack
debug your scripts to find
logic errors.

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The Microsoft Script Debugger provides the following features that you can use
to debug your scripts to find logic errors:

Breakpoints

Line-stepping functions

The Command window

The Call Stack window

Setting Breakpoints and Stepping Through Code

You can specify breakpoints in your script. A breakpoint is a point at which you
want your script to temporarily stop running. You can then use stepping options
to execute your code on a line-by-line basis. By doing so, you can examine the
effects of each line of code and locate and resolve logic errors. You can set
breakpoints on specific lines to pinpoint problems in your scripts.
To set a breakpoint on a specific line, take the following actions:

In the Microsoft Script Debugger, place the insertion point in the line where
you want the breakpoint.

On the Debug menu, click Toggle Breakpoint.
The line where you set the breakpoint is displayed in red to indicate that it is
a breakpoint.

You can then repeat the procedure for each breakpoint that you want to set in
the document. After you set your breakpoints, you can continue running the
script.
The debugger stops at the first breakpoint that it encounters. You can then use
the stepping options to execute the lines according to your requirements.
14 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

The script debugger toolbar has the following line-stepping options:

Step Into
This option enables you to step through your code one line at a time. When
a call to a Sub or Function procedure is encountered, this option indicates
that you want to step through that procedure line-by-line.
This is useful if you have not already debugged the procedure.

Step Over
This option also enables you to step through your code one line at a time.
However, when a call to a Sub or Function procedure is encountered, this
option indicates that you do not want to step through that procedure line-by-
line. Instead, that procedure is run at full speed, and you can continue to step
through subsequent lines of code that follow the procedure call.
This is useful if you have already debugged the procedure.

Step Out
If you have stepped into a lengthy procedure, but at some point you want to
run the rest of the procedure at full speed, you can use this option. You can
continue to step through subsequent lines of code that follow the procedure
call.
This is useful if you have found the error in the procedure, or if you stepped
into the procedure when you wanted to step over it instead.

Using the Command Window

Another valuable debugging technique is viewing and changing the values of
variables or properties as you step through your code. Viewing the values
stored in variables or properties can help you determine if the script is running
properly.
You can affect the way the script runs by making changes directly to values in
the variables contained in a running script. After changing these values, you can
continue running the script and see the effects of your changes.
To view and change values, you use the Command window. You can evaluate
any expression in the window, enter script commands, and see their effects.
Because the Command window is active, changes you make in the window
directly affect the script that is currently running.
You can use the Command window to run script commands any time that you
are at a breakpoint or have stepped from a breakpoint to other statements.

Viewing the Call Stack

There are advantages in creating reusable procedures in your script code.
However, breaking up scripts into procedures can complicate debugging. When
you use the debugger to step through your script, you may encounter code
whose execution threads from procedure to procedure. The call stack enables
you to track the order of procedures calls.
The Microsoft Script Debugger has a special window for viewing the call stack.
You can open the Call Stack window from the View menu. You can then use
the list of procedure calls to trace the execution of the program and locate any
procedures that cause errors.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 15

Lab 4: Debugging and Error Handling

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will write
error-handling code.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to:

Write run-time error-handling code.

Use the Microsoft Script Debugger.

Find and fix logic errors.

Scenario
In this lab, you will write error-handling code that traps common run-time
errors, such as divisions by zero and type mismatches. These types of errors are
typically caused by invalid user input, so the approach used in the lab is useful
whenever you write code that interacts with users.
You will also use the Microsoft Script Debugger application to find logic errors
and bugs in code written in VBScript. You will see how to fix these errors.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 30 minutes

16 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Exercise 1
Trapping Run-Time Errors
In this exercise, you will create and implement a run-time error trap.

To change the default script host

1. On the Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Open box, type cmd and then click OK.
3. Enter the following command to change the default host to WScript:
CScript //H:WScript
4. Close the command window.

To execute a script that can cause run-time errors

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the
install_folder\Labs\Lab04\Starter folder (install_folder is C:\ Program
Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
2. Double-click ExamMarker.vbs.
3. In the Enter the Total points scored box, type 1284 and then click OK.
4. In the Enter the number of exams input box, type 0 and then click OK.
A Division by Zero run-time error occurs.
5. Click OK.
6. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
7. In the Enter the number of exams box, type banana and then click OK.
A type-mismatch run-time error occurs.
8. Click OK.

To open the script

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to SAPIEN Technologies,
Inc, and then click PrimalSCRIPT 2.0.
2. On the File menu, click Open.
3. Navigate to the install_folder\Labs\Lab04\Starter folder (install_folder is
C:\ Program Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
4. Click ExamMarker.vbs, and then click Open.

To write error-handling code

1. Locate the CalcAvg function.
2. On the line immediately below the function name, type the following code:
On Error Resume Next

3. Locate the following line of code in the function:

nAverage = CInt(intTotalPoints)/CInt(intNumberOfTests)
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 17

4. On the line immediately below this calculation, type the following code:
Select Case Err.Number
Case 0 'No error occurred
Msgbox "Average score = " & nAverage
CalcAvg = 0
Case 11 'Division by zero
CalcAvg = 1
Case 13 ' Type mis-match
CalcAvg = 2
Case Else
CalcAvg = 3
End Select

5. On the File menu, click Save.

To test your division by zero error-handling code

1. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
2. In the Enter the Total points scored box, type 1284 and then click OK.
3. In the Enter the number of exams box, type 0 and then click OK.
The error is trapped. A message tells you that there is a division by zero
error.
4. Click OK.
You are prompted as to whether or not you want to try again.
5. Click Yes.

To test your type-mismatch error-handling code

1. In the Enter the Total points scored box, type 1284 and then click OK.
2. In the Enter the number of exams input box, type banana and then click
OK.
The error is trapped. A message tells you that only numeric data is allowed.
3. Click OK.
You are prompted as to whether or not you want to try again.
4. Click Yes.

To test the recoverability of your code

1. In the Enter the Total points scored box, type 1284 and then click OK.
2. In the Enter the number of exams input box, type 20 and then click OK.
The script runs successfully. You are informed that the average score is
64.2.
3. Click OK.
18 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

To change the default script host

1. On the Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Open box, type cmd and then click OK.
3. Run the following command to change the default host to WScript:
CScript //H:WScript
4. Close the command window.
You have now successfully handled run-time errors for this script.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 19

Exercise 2
Debugging VBScript
In this exercise, you will use the Microsoft Script Debugger to find and fix
logic errors.

To create a script that contains logic errors

1. Switch to PrimalSCRIPT.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. Click VBScript, and then click OK.
4. On the Edit menu, click Select all.
5. Press DELETE.
6. Type the following code:
Dim iDays, iHours(), iTotal, iAverage, iLoop
Do
iDays = InputBox("How many days did you work last

week?")
Loop While Not IsNumeric(iDays)
ReDim iHours(iDays)
For iLoop = 0 to iDays
iHours(iLoop) = CSng(InputBox("Enter hours for day " &
iLoop))
iTotal = iTotal + iHours(iLoop)
Next
iAverage = iTotal/iDays
WScript.Echo "Total hours worked: " & iTotal
WScript.Echo "Average daily shift: " & iAverage

7. On the File menu, click Save As.

8. In the Save dialog, go to the install_folder\Labs\Lab04\Starter folder
(install_folder is C:\ Program Files\MSDNTrain\2433A by default).
9. In the File name box, type TimeSheet.vbs and then click Save.

To test your code for run-time errors

1. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
2. Type 5 as the number of days worked last week, and then click OK.
3. Type 7.5 as the number of hours worked, and then click OK.
4. Repeat step 3 for each input box.
5. Click OK in the message box that informs you how many hours were
worked in total.
6. Click OK in the message box that informs you what the average daily shift
was.
The script does not have any run-time errors. However, it prompts you for
details about the hours worked for more than five days, which can be
considered a logic error.
20 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

To debug the script

1. On the Script menu, click Debug Script.
The Microsoft Script Debugger appears. Execution is halted on the first
executable line of code.
2. On the View menu, click Command Window.
The Command window appears.
3. On the Debug menu, click Step Into.
The VBScript input box appears. Note that it may be hidden behind the
debugger window, so switch to the input box if necessary by using the
Windows taskbar.
4. Enter 5 as the number of days worked last week, and then click OK.
5. In the Command window, type ?iDays and then press ENTER.
The Command Window displays the current value of the iDays variable.
Note that the iDays variable is correctly set to five at this point in the code
6. From the Debug menu, click Step Into.
Note that the highlighted code is about to redimension the iHours() array. If
this line of code executes, the array contains six elements.
You have found the first logic error. The array should contain five elements
rather than six. It should contain one element for each day of the week that
was worked. Remember that arrays are zero-based in VBScript.

To fix the logic error in your code

1. On the Debug menu, click Stop Debugging.
2. Close the Microsoft Script Debugger.
3. Using Primal Script, switch back to the VBScript window and modify the
line of code that redimensions the iHours() array so that it reads as follows:
ReDim iHours(iDays-1)

4. Modify the subsequent line so that it reads:

For iLoop = 0 to iDays – 1

5. Modify the next line so that it reads:

iHours(iLoop) = CSng(InputBox("Enter hours for day " &

iLoop + 1))

6. On the File menu, click Save.

To test your fixed code

1. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
2. Enter 5 as the number of days worked last week, and then click OK.
3. Enter 7.5 as the number of hours worked, and then click OK.
 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging 21

4. Enter the following data for the other input boxes:

• Day 2: 8
• Day 3: 8
• Day 4: 7
• Day 5: 7
5. Verify that you are now only prompted for hours worked on 5 days.
6. Close PrimalSCRIPT.

You have now successfully debugged a script written in VBScript with the
script debugger.
22 Module 4: Error Handling and Debugging

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
points.
Error Handling
Lead-in
Debugging
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
taught in the module.

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1. What is the name of the object that holds the details about run-time errors?
The Err Object.

2. Name two commonly used properties of the Err object?

Number and Description.

3. What are the three stepping options that are supported by the Microsoft
Script Debugger?
Step Into, Step Over, and Step Out.
 Module 5:
Understanding ADSI

Contents
Overview 1
ADSI Overview 2
Binding with ADSI 8
ADSI Objects 17
Searching Active Directory 26
Lab 5.1: ADO Search 32
Creating New ADSI Objects 35
Setting Security in Active Directory 41
Managing Shares Using ADSI 43
Controlling Services Using ADSI 45
ADSI Resources 48
Lab 5.2: Scripting Administrative Tasks
Using ADSI 50
Review 58
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Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
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license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Media, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
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Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with the knowledge and practical experience to
90 Minutes write scripts that interact with Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI).
Labs: After completing this module, students will be able to:
60 Minutes

Describe how ADSI works.

Bind to ADSI objects.

Search Active Directory.

Create and modify objects in Active Directory.Manage shares with
ADSI.Control services with ADSI.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:
• Microsoft® PowerPoint® file 2433A_05.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the labs.
iv Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Module Strategy
Use the following strategies to present this module:

ADSI Overview
Use this introductory section to ensure that the students understand what
ADSI provides. Do not go into too much detail in this section because the
rest of the module provides plenty of in-depth information for the students.

Binding with ADSI
Describe the process of binding, and ensure that the students understand
what occurs in the binding process. Use the examples in this section to
illustrate typical binding code. Stress the importance of server-less binding.

ADSI Objects
Use this section to introduce the objects available to the students' scripts that
interact with ADSI. Discuss how to invoke object methods and how to set
and retrieve the values of object properties

Searching Active Directory
Emphasis how important and useful ADO objects can be to the students
when they need to search Active Directory.
Explain all code examples in this section, line-by-line. Be aware that most
students will not have used ADO before, so make sure that you explain that
it is part of the Microsoft universal data-access strategy.

Creating New ADSI Objects
Use the examples in this section to describe how organizational units (OU),
groups, and users can be easily created by using ADSI.
The students will almost certainly be very interested in creating these types
of objects with script, because it will increase efficiency in their daily tasks.

Setting Security in Active Directory
Use this overview section to introduce the fact that security can be
manipulated by using ADSI scripts. However, make the students aware of
dsacls.exe because they will use this utility to set security at their
workplaces.

Managing Shares with ADSI
Students will almost certainly be very interested in managing shares by
means of script, because it will increase efficiency in their daily tasks. Go
through the examples in this section line-by-line to ensure that the students
understand all of the options available to them when they are writing code
that interacts with shares.

Controlling Services with ADSI
Students should show a strong interest in controlling services by means of
script, because it will increase efficiency in their daily tasks. Go through the
examples in this section line-by-line to ensure that the students understand
all of the options available to them when they are writing code that interacts
with services.

ADSI Resources
Use this section to tell students about other useful ADSI resources.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI v

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Microsoft
Official Curriculum (MOC) courseware.

Important The labs in this module are also dependent on the classroom
configuration that is specified in the “Customization Information” section at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Lab Results
There are no configuration changes on student computers that affect replication
or customization.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
ADSI Overview
the module topics and
objectives.
Binding with ADSI
Lead-in
ADSI Objects
In this module, you will learn
about writing scripts that
Searching Active Directory
interact with ADSI.

Creating New ADSI Objects

Setting Security in Active Directory

Managing Shares Using ADSI

Controlling Services Using ADSI

ADSI Resources

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You can access the functionality of Microsoft® Active Directory™ by using the
Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI) in your administrative scripts.
ADSI enables you to achieve many administrative tasks for which you will
want to write scripts.
This module provides you with the knowledge necessary to:

Describe how ADSI works.

Bind to ADSI objects.

Search Active Directory.

Create and modify objects in Active Directory.Manage shares with
ADSI.Control services with ADSI.
2 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

ADSI Overview
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Before you write code that

What is ADSI?
interacts with ADSI, you
Benefits of ADSI
must understand how ADSI
works and how it can help
ADSI Architecture
you to create administrative
scripts.

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Before you write code that interacts with ADSI, you must understand how
ADSI works and how it can help you to create administrative scripts.
In this section, you will learn about the uses of ADSI. You will also learn about
the benefits of using ADSI in your administrative scripts. In addition, you will
learn about the ADSI architecture.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 3

What Is ADSI?
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
ADSI.

ADSI
Lead-in
ADSI enables you to write
The primary interface to Active Directory
code that interacts with
Version 2.5 released with Windows 2000
directory services.

Available for Win9x and Windows NT 4.0

Provides Access to Directory Service Objects

Support For Multiple Directory Service Providers

LDAP

Windows NT

NDS

Bindery

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ADSI (previously called OLE Directory Services) is an abstraction layer that
exposes the objects of different directory services through a single set of
Application Programming Interfaces (API).

ADSI
Microsoft Windows® 2000 ships with ADSI version 2.5, which is also available
as a download for Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0, Microsoft Windows 95, and
Microsoft Windows 98 at the following Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/other/ADSI25/

Provides Access to Directory Service Objects

You can use ADSI to manage the resources in a directory service, regardless of
which network environment contains the objects. By using ADSI and scripting,
administrators can automate common directory service setup and administrative
tasks.

Support for Multiple Directory Service Providers

Scripts written to ADSI will work with any directory service that offers an
ADSI provider.
ADSI can provide access to any Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
(LDAP) service, such as Windows NT 4.0 and the NetWare Directory Services
(NDS) and NetWare 3 Bindery-based servers from Novell. These providers
enable communication between the directory service and client as follows:

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
The LDAP provider works with any LDAP version 2 or version 3 directory,
such as Microsoft Exchange versions 5.0 and 5.5. This provider also works
for the Windows 2000 Active Directory. The LDAP provider dynamic-link
libraries (DLL) are adsldp.dll and wldap32.dll.
4 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

An LDAP address can be divided into three basic components:

• The first component is the Common Name (CN). This represents the leaf
object, which is an object that contains no other objects. Examples of
CNs are users or printers.
• The second component is the Organization Unit (OU). This is the
container object in the directory.
• The final component is the Domain Component or (DC).
The following is an example of an LDAP address:
LDAP://CN=Alan,OU=Test,DC=Microsoft,DC=COM

This LDAP address refers to the object called Alan in the Organizational
Unit called “Test” in the domain named microsoft.com.

Windows NT (WinNT)
This is the easiest provider to use because of its simple address format. It
provides access to both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 computers and
domains. The local provider DLL for Windows NT is ADSNT.DLL.

Novell NetWare Directory Services (NDS)
The NDS provider works with Novell Netware version 4.x or greater to give
access to objects in the Novell Directory Service (NDS). The provider DLL
is ADSNDS.DLL.

NetWare 3 Bindery (NWCOMPAT)
Access to the Novell legacy network operating system is achieved through
use of the NWCOMPAT provider. This provider allows ADSI to access
objects stored in Bindery-based servers such as Netware versions 3.11 and
3.12. The provider DLL is ADSNW.DLL.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 5

Benefits of ADSI
Topic Objective
To describe the benefits of
ADSI.

Ease of Use
Lead-in
ADSI provides several major
Namespace Portability
advantages to scriptwriters.

Powerful Functionality

Can script common admin and end-user tasks:
• List all objects in a directory
• Add new objects to a directory
• Manage security on objects in a directory
• Create a network share
• Control machine services remotely

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ADSI provides several major advantages to scriptwriters.

Ease of Use
ADSI exports a comprehensive but straightforward set of interfaces that you
can use to easily access objects within a directory service.

Namespace Portability
ADSI abstracts the complexity of the directory service interfaces, allowing you
to use the same set of methods to access multiple directories. This greatly
simplifies script writing because the basic methods can be reused with different
directory objects in different namespaces.

Powerful Functionality
ADSI provides a set of powerful features that enable you to develop
sophisticated script solutions. These solutions may include simple tasks such as
finding objects in an OU through complex scripts that create entire enterprise
directory services and populate them with many objects.

Note Microsoft used ADSI scripting when testing the scalability of Active
Directory to help create the massive directory structures required.

The following are examples of ADSI tasks:

Read/write properties (attributes) to and from a directory service object:
• Change the department name for all users in an OU.
• Update a group’s membership.
• Create new user accounts.
6 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Manage the schema:

• Create a report that generates a complete schema list.
• Add objects to the schema.

Manage security on directory service objects:
• Set permissions for all user objects in a domain.
• Change the permissions on a printer object in an OU.
• Assign new permissions to a group in a domain.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 7

ADSI Architecture
Topic Objective
To describe the ADSI
Client ADSI Directory
architecture. Script Provider Service
Lead-in 1 Client binds to 2 Provider creates ADSI 3 Directory
Before examining how to a directory object and translates service
script ADSI, it is important to service object ADSI methods into object data
directory service-
service- is retrieved
understand how the ADSI specific API calls
architecture works.
‘VBScript
Option Explicit
Dim oNetwork
Dim oShell

Object data Provider Directory service

6 is available 5 populates 4 object data is
to script cache with returned to
object data provider

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Before examining how to script ADSI, it is important to understand how the
ADSI architecture works.

Binding
The ADSI client must first find and connect (bind) to an object. The client can
be an application, such as a script, a custom application, or one of the support
tools supplied on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM.

The Provider
After the client has bound to an object, the ADSI provider DLL on the local
computer processes the bind request from the client and translates it into the
directory-specific API call to retrieve the required object. The client script or
application can then use the methods and properties of the object.
The following steps are involved in this process:
1. The client script or application makes a request to bind to an object in a
directory service.
2. The ADSI provider on the client computer receives the request and creates
an ADSI object in the client’s address space. The provider then makes a
connection to the required directory service by using the API calls of that
particular directory service.
3. The directory service object information, such as the object methods and
properties, are retrieved from the directory.
4. The directory service object information is returned to the ADSI provider.
5. The ADSI provider creates an instance of the ADSI object in the memory
space of the client application.
6. The object methods are now available for the client script to use.
8 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Binding with ADSI

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
A process called binding

Binding
must take place before you
Server-Less Binding
can use ADSI methods and
properties.
Binding with Alternative Credentials

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A process called binding must take place before you can use ADSI methods and
properties.
In this section, you will learn how to bind to directory service objects. You will
also learn about server-less binding, and how to pass security credentials to
ADSI as you bind to ADSI objects.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 9

Binding
Topic Objective
To describe binding.
Providers
Lead-in LDAP:, WinNT:, NDS:, NWCOMPAT:
The binding process creates
an object in the client’s
ADs:
memory address space.

Bind Syntax
WinNT:

Set
Set <object>
<object> == GetObject("WinNT://Domain/Server/Object,Class")
GetObject("WinNT://Domain/Server/Object,Class")

LDAP:
Set

Set <object>
<object> == GetObject("LDAP://DomainName")
GetObject("LDAP://DomainName")

Examples

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The binding process creates an object in the client’s memory address space.
After your script has bound to an object, it can invoke any method relevant to
that particular type of object and can read or modify its properties.

Providers
An important part of the binding request from your script is to specify the
provider that should be used to bind to the object. As discussed earlier, ADSI
includes four different providers:

WinNT:

LDAP:

NDS:

NWCOMPAT:

Important These names are all case-sensitive.

10 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Ads:
There is also an Ads: name that can be used to resolve all of the available
providers on the local computer. For example, if an enterprise uses a new
provider called NewProv, the following code could be inserted into any scripts
that require this non-standard provider:
Example Set objProviders = GetObject("ADs:")
For Each provider In objProviders
If provider.name = "NewProv:" Then
WScript.Echo "The required provider is installed"
WScript.Quit
End If
Next
WScript.Echo "The required provider is missing"
WScript.Quit

Binding Syntax
The ADSI binding syntax for the WinNT provider is as follows:
Example Set <Object> = _
GetObject ("WinNT://Domain/Server/Object,Class")

where:

<Object> is the object variable that will contain the reference to the
retrieved Active Directory object.

GetObject is the method used to bind to the ADSI namespace and create
the local copy of the object that will be used in the script.

“WinNT” is the ProgID for the required ADSI provider. This name is
sometimes referred to as the Moniker. (Moniker is a Component Object
Model (COM) term that describes the mechanism that is used to bind to
COM objects, in this case the ADSI providers.)

“Domain” is the domain name.

“Server” is the computer name.

Object is the object name.

Class is the class specification. This is optional, but it is useful for
preventing ambiguity where different objects have the same names. Using
this class specification can also speed up the binding process.
Together, the provider name and path are referred to as the ADSPath or bind
string.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 11

WinNT and LDAP Binding examples:

The following examples show a number of ways that you can bind to WinNT
and LDAP objects:

To bind to the root of the WinNT namespace:
Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("WinNT:")

To bind to the root of the LDAP namespace:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP:")

To bind to the root of a specific Windows NT domain:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("WinNT://MyDomain")

To bind to the root of a specific Windows 2000 domain:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP://MyDomain.com")

To bind to the root of a specific Windows 2000 domain, by providing the

class parameter:
Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP://DC=MyDomain, DC=com")

To bind to the root of a specific Windows 2000 domain, by providing a

computer name instead of the domain name:
Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP://MyServer")

Note The preceding example binds to the domain that includes the server. This
differs from the WinNT provider, which binds to the computer object if a
computer name is used.

To bind directly to a specific computer with WinNT:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("WinNT://MyServer,computer")

To bind directly to a specific computer with LDAP:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP://CN=MyServer,OU=Domain

Controllers,DC=MyDomain,DC=com")

Note If the computer to which you bind is not a domain controller, the
provider binds to the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) of the local computer.

Binding to a user object on a server with WinNT:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("WinNT://MyDom/MyServer/Alan,user")

Binding to a user object on a server with LDAP:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject

("LDAP://MyServer.MyDom.com/CN=Alan,OU=CM,DC=MyDom,DC=com")
12 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Server-Less Binding
Topic Objective
To describe server-less
binding.

Preferred Binding Method
Lead-in
It may not always be
No hard-coded server name
possible or desirable to bind
to specific computers in your
RootDSE Binding
scripts.

No hard-coded domain name
Portable, site-aware, fault-tolerant

Directory Service client required for non-Windows 2000
clients

Global Catalog Server Binding

GC://

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In the topic “Binding” you learned how to bind to specific computers. This may
not always be possible or desirable for the reasons described in this section.

Preferred Binding Method

The preferred method of binding is called server-less binding. With this
approach, no server name is specified or hard-coded in the script. The following
shows an example of a server-less binding with a specified domain name, but
no server name. This method relies on the Windows 2000 location server that
uses the Domain Name Service (DNS) to bind to the best server for the
requested domain.
Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP://DC=MyDomain, DC=com")

Server-less binding is a very useful mechanism to include in your scripts,

because it provides the following benefits:

Site awareness
DNS uses Windows 2000 site information to determine if a domain
controller exists in the same physical site as the client that runs the script. If
no domain controller exists in the site, DNS finds any available domain
controller for the script to use, and returns that domain controller for binding
to the provider.

Fault tolerance
Because server-less binding binds to a namespace rather than a specific
domain controller, if any domain controller is temporarily unavailable, the
locator service attempts to find another one in the same domain.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 13

RootDSE Binding
The server-less binding approach works well in a single domain environment.
However, if your script is to be run from multiple domains, you must use an
object called RootDSE that eliminates the need for a hard-coded reference to
the domain, as well as the server. You can use the RootDSE object to resolve
the current domain name before binding to it. Each Windows 2000 domain
controller has a unique RootDSE object that you can use to provide information
about the various namespace objects in the domain, which can then be used in
scripts.

Note DSE stands for “DSA-Specific Entry,” where DSA is an X.500 term for
the directory server.

Retrieving the DefaultNamingContext property from the RootDSE object

enables you to bind to the current domain. The following is an example of
server-less binding, using the RootDSE object:
Example Set oRootDSE = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
Set oMyDomain = GetObject( "LDAP://" & _
oRootDSE.Get("defaultNamingContext"))
WScript.echo oMyDomain.name

This example displays the name of the domain in which the script is running.
First, the script binds to the RootDSE object. Then, it creates a new object
called oMyDomain that binds to the current domain by using the
DefaultNamingContext property of the RootDSE object. Finally,
WScript.echo displays the domain name.
14 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

The RootDSE object enables the script to be run from any domain and to
successfully receive a binding for the script to use. The following is a list of
some of the most commonly used properties of the RootDSE object on a
Windows 2000 domain controller.
Property Description

namingContexts Multi-valued. Distinguished names for all naming

contexts stored on this directory server. By default,
a Windows 2000 domain controller contains at least
three namespaces: Schema, Configuration, and one
for the domain that includes the server.
defaultNamingContext The distinguished name for the domain that includes
this directory server.
schemaNamingContext The distinguished name for the schema container.
configurationNamingContext The distinguished name for the configuration
container.
RootDomainNamingContext The distinguished name for the first domain in the
forest that contains the domain that includes this
directory server.
SupportedLDAPVersion Multi-valued. LDAP versions (specified by major
version number) supported by this directory server.
HighestCommittedUSN The highest USN used on this directory server. Used
by directory replication.
DnsHostName The DNS address for this directory server
ServerName The distinguished name for the server object for this
directory server in the configuration container.
currentTime The current time set on this directory server.
dsServiceName The distinguished name of the NTDS settings
object for this directory server.

Note Clients of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT cannot use
server-less binding unless they have the Directory Service client installed in
addition to the ADSI Services download.

Global Catalog Server Binding

If your scripts need to search for objects in multiple domains in a forest, you
can bind to a Global Catalog (GC) server in the domain in which the script is
running. Global Catalog servers contain a list of all objects in a domain. Each
object in a GC includes a complete subset of attributes. Storing the required
attribute in this subset makes querying the local GC considerably faster than
relying on a complete cross-domain search.
To bind to a GC server, use its name as shown in the following example:
Example Set oGC = GetObject("GC://DC=MyDomain, DC=com")

Any searches performed against this GC server will return all objects in the
forest that match the criteria, including objects from the client’s local domain.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 15

Binding with Alternative Credentials

Topic Objective
To describe binding with
alternative credentials.
Lead-in
Binding as a Different User
Your scripts will often need
Use OpenDSObject method
to bind to a particular
directory service by using
Set
Set oMyDS
oMyDS == GetObject("LDAP:")
GetObject("LDAP:")
different credentials from
those of the logged-on user. Set
Set oMyObj
oMyObj == oMyDS.OpenDSObject
oMyDS.OpenDSObject __
(AdsPath,UserName,Password,ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION)
(AdsPath,UserName,Password,ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION)

Using ADSI Constants

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In all of the examples shown so far, ADSI binds to the directory by using the
logon credentials of the user who is running the script. However, there are
situations where your scripts must bind to a particular directory service by using
different security credentials from those of the logged-on user.

Binding as a Different User

ADSI provides an OpenDSObject method that allows binding to take place
with different security credentials than those of the user who is running the
script.
OpenDSObject takes as arguments the ADSpath of the object or subtree to be
binded, the username, the password, and the authentication method. To use this
method, you must bind directly to "LDAP:" as shown in the following example:
Example Set oMyDS = Getobject("LDAP:")
Set oMyObj = oMyDS.OpenDSObject( AdsPath, UserName, Password,

ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION)

Note This method requires that the user’s name and password be entered as
clear text into the script. This presents a security issue that you should consider
when planning.
16 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Using ADSI Constants

The last argument in the preceding example specifies the authentication flags to
govern how the authentication takes place for the OpenDSObject method. You
achieve this by using constants that are not intrinsically available to Microsoft
Visual Basic® Script (VBScript). These constants should be defined at the top
of the script. Possible values for the authentication parameter are listed in the
following table.
Constant Description Value

ADS_SECURE_ Requests secure authentication. When set, 1

AUTHENTICATION the WinNT provider uses NT LanManager
(NTLM) to authenticate the client. Active
Directory will use Kerberos, and possibly
NTLM.
ADS_USE_ENCRYPTION Forces ADSI to use encryption for data 2
exchange over the network.
ADS_USE_SSL Encrypts the channel with Secure Sockets 2
Layer (SSL) technology. Certificate Server
must be installed to support SSL encryption.
ADS_READONLY_ For a WinNT provider, ADSI tries to 4
SERVER connect to a Primary Domain Controller or
Backup Domain Controller. For Active
Directory, this flag indicates that a server is
not required for a server-less binding.
ADS_NO_ Requests no authentication. Setting this flag 16
AUTHENTICATION is the same as requesting an anonymous
binding. The WinNT provider does not
support this flag.
ADS_FAST_BIND When this flag is set, ADSI will not attempt 32
to query the ObjectClass property.
Therefore, only the common properties and
methods supported by all ADSI objects are
available, not the object-specific properties.
This improves the performance of the
binding process if this information is all that
is required by the script.
ADS_USE_SIGNING Verifies data integrity to ensure that the data 64
received is the same as the data sent. The
ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION flag
also must be set to use the signing.
ADS_USE_SEALING Encrypts data by using Kerberos. The 128
ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION flag
also must be set in order to use the sealing.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 17

ADSI Objects
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
In this section, you will learn

Object Methods
more about the objects
Object Properties
available to your scripts.

Demonstration: Using ADSVW.EXE

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As you have seen in the section, “Binding with ADSI,” you can manipulate
various directory services by binding to a directory and then manipulating the
objects contained in the directory.
In this section, you will learn more about the objects available to your scripts as
you write code that interacts with ADSI. You will see how to invoke object
methods and how to set and retrieve the values of object properties.
18 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Object Methods
Topic Objective
To describe object methods. Object
Lead-in
Object methods enable you
to manipulate ADSI objects.
Put, Get
PropertyName
PutEx GetEx
Directory
GetInfoEx Service

Local Property Cache

GetInfo

SetInfo

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After your script has completed the binding process (as described in the section,
“Binding with ADSI”), the instance of the object becomes available for the
script to use. The methods that the script can use provide access to both the
instance of the object in memory and the object in the directory by means of a
local property cache that is used to store the values being worked with.
Understanding the relationship between these three components is essential to
understanding how to develop ADSI scripts.

Working with the Local Property Cache

To avoid making a call to a domain controller every time information about an
object is read or modified, ADSI caches object properties locally on the client.
When you first bind to an object with GetObject, the properties of that object
are empty into the local cache. When you explicitly instruct ADSI to populate
the cache, or when you first try to retrieve an absent property value, ADSI
automatically retrieves all property values that have been set for that object, and
places them in the cache.
Further handling of the object properties will retrieve the values from the local
cache, thus requiring no additional calls across the network to the domain
controller.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 19

The following table lists the seven ADSI object methods that are used to work
with ADSI objects and the local property cache.
Method Description

Get Retrieves the value of a property.

variable = oMyObj.Get("PropName")
GetEx Retrieves the values of a multivalue property.
Array() = oMyObj.GetEx("PropName")
Put Sets the value of a property.
oMyObj.Put "PropName", "Value"
PutEx Sets the values of a multivalue property.
oMyObj.PutEx ADSProp,"PropName",Array("Value1","Value2")
GetInfo Retrieves the values of all of the object’s properties from the
directory service and puts them in the local property cache.
oMyObj.GetInfo
GetInfoEx Retrieves the values of the specified object’s properties from the
directory service and puts them in the local property cache.
oMyObj.GetInfoEx Array("PropName"), 0
SetInfo Saves changes to an object’s properties back to the directory
service.
oMyObj.SetInfo

The following ADSI script example demonstrates the methods that can be used
to read the values of properties that belong to an object in Active Directory.
Example 'Create an instance of an OU object from existing AD OU
Set oOU = GetObject _
("LDAP://cn=Admin10,OU=WST,DC=Microsoft,DC=local")
'Get a value from AD into the Local Property cache (LPC)
WScript.Echo oOU.PropertyCount ' 0 Properties cached
oOU.GetInfoEx Array("memberOf"), 0
WScript.Echo oOU.PropertyCount ' 1 Property cached
'Fill the Local Property Cache
oOU.GetInfo
WScript.Echo oOU.PropertyCount ' all Properties cached
'Get a value from the LCP
WScript.Echo oOU.Get("cn")
'Same as above using different method
WScript.Echo oOU.cn
'Get & echo a multivalued property from Local Property Cache
aMemberOf = oOU.GetEx("memberOf")
For Each grp In aMemberOf
WScript.Echo grp
Next

This script starts by creating an instance of an existing user object from an

LDAP directory service. The property count of the object’s local property cache
is then echoed to the screen. At this stage, it will be zero, because no request to
populate the local property cache has been made.
20 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Next, the GetInfoEX method is used to populate the local property cache with
a single property, memberOf. This is checked by echoing out the property
count once again. The GetInfo method is then used to pull from the directory
all properties that contain a set value. The property count shows the number of
these values now in the local property cache. The next two lines echo the value
of the CN property stored by using two different techniques, the Get method
and the .PropertyName property.
The last method that is demonstrated is GetEx, which is used to access the
values of multivalue properties. This method returns the values of a property as
an array that can then be stepped through in any number of ways. The script
demonstrates the use of a For…Each loop.

Writing Information into the Directory

The following script demonstrates the methods that you can use to create,
update, or append property values for objects in the local property cache. The
script then updates the properties back to the directory.
Example 'Setup ADSI Constant
Const ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND = 3
'Create an instance of an OU object from AD
Set oOU = GetObject _
("LDAP://cn=Admin10,OU=WST,DC=Microsoft,DC=local")
'Update the local property cache value
oOU.Put"Description", "Cache Demo OU"
'Same as above using different method
oOU.Description, "Cache Demo OU again"
'Update LPC with a multivalue property
oOU.PutEx ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND, "otherTelephone", _
Array("(0)1234 5678900", "(0)0098 7654321")
'Write the local property cache back to AD
oOU.SetInfo

The first task of this script is to define the ADSI constants that will be used in
the script. These constants will be used by the PutEx command, which will be
discussed later.
After the instance of the Admin10 user has been created, the script writes a new
value for the Description property, by using the Put method and then the
.PropertyName syntax. Notice that you can use the .PropertyName technique to
both read and write values in ADSI scripting. The PutEx method is then used
to append an extra value into an existing multivalue property. The syntax for
this method is shown in the following example:
Syntax oOU.PutEx ADSProp, "property", Array("Val1", "Val2")

In this example, “ADSProp” is a constant value that is used to indicate how the
value should be updated. It can consist of any of the values in the following
table.
Constant name Value

ADS_PROPERTY_CLEAR 1
ADS_PROPERTY_UPDATE 2
ADS_PROPERTY_APPEND 3
ADS_PROPERTY_DELETE 4
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 21

In the preceding example, “property” is the schema name of the property to be

set. “Val1” and “Val2” are the values that will be used to modify the property.
These values are passed to the method as elements of an array.
The last line of the preceding example uses the SetInfo method to write the
updated local property cache back to the directory service.

Note Failing to call SetInfo is a common mistake in ADSI scripting that

results in all updates to the cached object being discarded. Also note that if a
call is made to GetInfo (either explicitly or implicitly through a Get method)
before SetInfo has updated the directory service object, all property values in
the local cache will be overwritten by the fresh call to the directory service
object.
22 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Object Properties
Topic Objective

Six Standard Properties
To describe object
properties.
Name
Lead-in
Class
Object properties enable
you to manipulate ADSI
Guid
objects.
ADsPath

Parent

Schema

Additional Properties Are Specific to the Class Type

Reading Multiple Properties

Script Uses Schema Names, Not Display Names

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The next major step in using ADSI is to directly access the values stored in the
properties for the directory objects. To do this, you must first know the names
of the properties to use.

Six Standard Properties

Most ADSI objects expose six standard properties, as described in the following
table.
Property Description

Name The name of the object.

Class The schema class name of the object.
GUID A globally unique identifier structure that uniquely identifies
the object.
AdsPath The string form of the object’s path in the directory service.
This path uniquely identifies the object.
Parent The ADsPath name of the object’s parent container.
Schema The ADsPath of this object’s schema class object.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 23

The following example displays these standard properties for an OU:

Example Set oMyObj = GetObject("LDAP://ou=WST,dc=contentm,dc=com")
WScript.Echo "Name is " & oMyObj.Get "Name"
WScript.Echo "Class is " & oMyObj.Get "Class"
WScript.Echo "GUID is " & oMyObj.Get "GUID"
WScript.Echo "ADsPath is " & oMyObj.Get "ADsPath"
WScript.Echo "Parent is " & oMyObj.Get "Parent"
WScript.Echo "Schema is " & oMyObj.Get "Schema"

Additional Properties Are Specific to the Class Type

The standard ADSI properties are useful for identifying an object and its
location in the directory hierarchy. However, most of the useful information
about an object is stored in other properties that are specific to the class of that
object.
For example, user objects support a FullName property that can be used as
follows:
Example Set oMyUser = _
GetObject("LDAP://cn=UserName,ou=WST,dc=contentm,dc=com")
WScript.Echo "The full name is = " & oMyUser.Get("FullName")

Reading Multiple Properties

Sometimes you might require a list of all properties that have had their values
set for a specific object. To achieve this, you can write code that counts all of
the properties in the local cache by using the PropertyCount and Item
methods as shown in the following example:
Example Option Explicit
Dim objGroup, i, sPropList, count
On Error Resume Next
Set objGroup = _
GetObject("LDAP://cn=Admin10,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft")
objGroup.GetInfo
i = objGroup.PropertyCount
sPropList = "There are " & i _
& " values in the local property cache:" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
For count = 0 To (i-1)
sPropList = sPropList & objGroup.Item(CInt(count)).Name _
& vbCRLF
Next
WScript.Echo sPropList

Script Uses Schema Names, Not Display NamesIf you run

the preceding example code, you will find that the property names returned are
not the same as those shown through the Microsoft Management Console
(MMC) snap-in Active Directory Users and Computers. The property names
used in the script example are the schema names, not the display names.
Because the Windows 2000 user interface tools use the display names, it can be
useful to be able to browse an object in Active Directory and display the
schema names that will be used in the script. The demonstration at the end of
this section uses a tool (Adsvw.exe) that displays schema names.
24 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Demonstration: Using ADSVW.EXE

Topic Objective
To introduce the
demonstration.
Lead-in
Let’s work through this
example of using
ADSVW.EXE together.

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Using ADSVW.EXE to Examine Active Directory Objects

You can use a number of tools to browse object details in Active Directory.
These include ADSI Edit from the Windows 2000 support tools provided on the
Windows 2000 CD-ROM. However, this demonstration highlights a tool from
the Windows 2000 Platform software development kit (SDK), ADSVW.EXE,
which can also be used to examine object details. ADSVW.EXE is a powerful
tool that provides the scriptwriter with a number of very useful features when
used carefully.

To create a connection
1. Run ADSVW.EXE from the folder <install folder>\Democode\Mod05.
2. Highlight ObjectViewer.
3. Click OK.
4. In the Enter Ads Path text box, type LDAP://London
5. Click to clear the check box for Use OpenObject and click OK.
You should now see a binding to your domain. Notice the ADsPath that
shows a connection to your server.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 25

To view properties of directory objects

1. Go to the Users container, and highlight the Administrator account.
2. Highlight and copy the AdsPath entry, and then paste it into a blank
Microsoft Notepad document. This can save you time when writing your
scripts.
3. Select the Properties box and scroll through the properties, highlighting
those that apply to this user account.
4. Note that the names displayed are the ones that will be used in your scripts.
They are not the same as the display names shown in the MMC-based
management tools.
5. Select the Domain Admins group and show the Members.
6. Review the Description of the Members.

To view security entries

1. Select the domain controller’s OrganizationUnit.
2. Select the nTSecurityDescriptor for OrganizationUnit.
3. Highlight the DACL and SACL entries, and show the ACEs (Access
Control Entries) in the DACL.
26 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Searching Active Directory

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
You will often need to

Searching Active Directory Using ADO
search for specific objects
Using a Single Connection for Multiple Searches
located in Active Directory.

Using a Single Connection for Each Search

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You will often need to search for specific objects located in Active Directory.
This section describes how you can use Microsoft ActiveX® Data Objects
(ADO) to perform efficient and powerful search routines.
In this section, you will learn how to use ADO connections and other ADO
objects to perform Active Directory searches.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 27

Searching Active Directory Using ADO

Topic Objective
To describe how to search
directory services by using
Using ADO for Active Directory Searches
ADO.

Connections
Lead-in
ADO is one of the most
Commands
common approaches used
in script to search for
Recordsets
objects in Active Directory.

Building an LDAP Query String

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The ADO object model is one the most common approaches used in script to
search for objects in Active Directory. ADO can perform queries against the
directory based on the OLE DB support that is built into ADSI.

Using ADO for Active Directory Searches

ADO is a simple and efficient way to perform Active Directory searches. When
performing a search, you will often use three ADO objects: Connection,
Command, and Recordset.

The Connection object is used to specify the provider name, alternate
credentials (if applicable), and other flags.

The Command object is used to specify search preferences and the query
string.

Note The Connection object must be associated with a Command object

before the query is executed.

The Recordset object is used to represent the result set.

Using these three objects to issue a query against Active Directory involves the
following four basic steps:

1. Establish the connection to the data source by using the Connection object.
2. Execute a command by using the Command object.
3. Create a recordset by using the Recordset object.
4. Read the information in the recordset.
28 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Note Although it is possible to use Microsoft SQL Server™ syntax for these
queries, this technique is outside the scope of this course. For more information
about this technique, visit http://www.microsoft.com/data/ado/

Building an LDAP Query String

To successfully search Active Directory by using ADO, you must first
understand how the LDAP query strings are constructed. The following
example shows the basic syntax for an LDAP query string:
Example "<FQADsPath>;(Filter);Attributes;Scope"

In this example, “FQADsPath” is the fully qualified name of the starting point
for your search. “Filter” is the list of elements to be included in or excluded
from the search. These elements can be qualified by using the symbols shown
in the following table.
Name Symbol

Logical AND &

Logical OR |
Logical NOT !
Equal to =
Approx equal to ~=
Greater than >=
Less than <=

The following example shows how a symbol is used to qualify an element:

Example LDAP://DC=NWTraders,DC=msft>;(&(objectCategory=Person) _
(objectClass=user));name,telephonenumber;subTree

In this example, the logical AND symbol is used to ensure that the only value
returned belongs to the object category “Person” and the object class “user”.
You can also use wild card characters, such as asterisks, as shown in the
following example:
Example (ObjectClass=*)

Note The search string does not contain any spaces. If a space is included, the
returned results will contain incorrectly formatted data.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 29

The following list provides explanations for the different parts of the query
string:

Attributes are the required values that will be returned by the search. A
comma separates each attribute. In the above example, these are the users’
name and telephonenumber properties.

Scope refers to the boundary of the search. After the start point has been
declared, the scope determines where the search stops, based on the
following choices:
• Base
Search the object itself.
• OneLevel
Extend the search to the immediate children of the object, but exclude
the base object itself.
• Subtree
Extend the search down to multiple sublevels of the object, and include
the base object.
If no scope is specified, the search will default to a Subtree search.
30 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Using a Single Connection for Multiple Searches

Topic Objective
To describe how to use a Set
Set con
con == CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
single connection for Set
Set com == CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
com CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
multiple searches. con.Provider
con.Provider == "ADsDSOObject"
"ADsDSOObject"
Lead-in con.Open
con.Open
This example echoes to the Set
Set Com.ActiveConnection
Com.ActiveConnection == con
con
screen, telephone number, Com.CommandText
Com.CommandText = "<LDAP://DC=NWTraders,DC=msft>;" __
= "<LDAP://DC=NWTraders,DC=msft>;"
and name for all users in the
&& "(objectClass=user);name,telephonenumber;subTree"
NWTraders.msft domain. "(objectClass=user);name,telephonenumber;subTree"
Set
Set rs == Com.Execute
rs Com.Execute
Do
Do Until
Until rs.EOF
rs.EOF
sResultText
sResultText == sResultText
sResultText && rs.Fields("Name")
rs.Fields("Name") && "" ,, "" __
&& rs.Fields("telephonenumber")&
rs.Fields("telephonenumber")& vbCrLf
vbCrLf
rs.MoveNext
rs.MoveNext
Loop
Loop
WScript.Echo
WScript.Echo sResultText
sResultText

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The following script example echoes to the screen, telephone number, and name
for all users in the NWTraders.msft domain.
The approach shown here is best used when you need to perform several
searches consecutively, because only one connection is required. After the
connection has been opened, any number of Recordsets can be generated.
Notice that the third line specifies which ADO provider this connection will use
for all Active Directory searches. The ADsDSOObject provider is used.
Example 'Create connection and command object
Set con = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set com = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")
'Open the connection with the ADSI-OLEDB provider name
con.Provider = "ADsDSOObject"
con.Open
'Assign the command object for this connection
Com.ActiveConnection = con
'Create a search string
Com.CommandText = "<LDAP://DC=NWTraders,DC=msft>;" _
& "(objectClass=user);name,telephonenumber;subTree"
'Execute the query
Set rs = Com.Execute()
'Navigate the record set
Do Until rs.EOF
'Build Result Text
sResultText = sResultText & rs.Fields("Name") & " , " _
& rs.Fields("telephonenumber") & vbCrLf
rs.MoveNext
Loop
WScript.Echo sResultText
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 31

Using a Single Connection for Each Search

Topic Objective
To describe how to use a
Create the ADO Recordset object
single connection for a
specific search.

Open the recordset based on the arguments
Lead-in
Build result text
This example of an ADO Set
Set rs
rs == CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
search of Active Directory
rs.Open
rs.Open "<LDAP://DC=nwtraders,DC=msft>;" __
"<LDAP://DC=nwtraders,DC=msft>;"
can be scripted much more
quickly than the previous && "(objectClass=user);name,telephonenumber;subTree"
"(objectClass=user);name,telephonenumber;subTree" __
example. ,, "provider
"provider == ADsDSOObject“
ADsDSOObject“
Do
Do Until
Until rs.EOF
rs.EOF
sResultText
sResultText == sResultText
sResultText && rs.Fields("Name")
rs.Fields("Name") && "" ,, "" __
&& rs.Fields("telephonenumber")
rs.Fields("telephonenumber") && vbCRLF
vbCRLF
rs.MoveNext
rs.MoveNext
Loop
Loop
WScript.Echo
WScript.Echo sResultText
sResultText

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This example of an ADO search of Active Directory can be scripted much more
quickly than the previous example, because it simply creates an instance of an
ADODB Recordset and then uses it to conduct a search based on a single line
of script. The basic syntax for this search is very similar to the previous
example, except that a comma and provider statement are added after the search
string as shown in the following example:
Example , "provider = ADsDSOObject"

This simple addition allows the query to function without the Connection or
Command objects that were used in the previous example. The following is a
complete example of how you can use this approach:
Example ' Create the ADO Recordset Object
Set rs = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
' Open the Record Set based on the arguments
rs.Open "<LDAP://DC=nwtraders,DC=msft>;" _
& "(objectClass=user);name,telephonenumber;subTree" _
, "provider=ADsDSOObject"
Do Until rs.EOF
' Build Result Text
sResultText = sResultText & rs.Fields("Name") & " , " &
rs.Fields("telephonenumber") & vbCrLf
rs.MoveNext
Loop
WScript.Echo sResultText

The disadvantage of this example is that a new connection is created each time
the query is executed. If multiple queries were run in the same script, the
previous example would be more efficient than this one.
32 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Lab 5.1: ADO Search

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will write
code that searches Active
Directory

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Objectives
After completing this lab you will be able to:

Search through the WST organizational unit.

Return a number of properties of the user objects by using the ADSI LDAP
query syntax.

Scenario
In this lab, you will create scripts that perform searches by using ADSI and
ADO.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 15 minutes

 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 33

Exercise 1
Performing Searches with ADSI and ADO
In this exercise, you will write ADO code that performs searches by using an
ADSI provider.

To create a new script

1. Log on to your computer as [email protected] with a
password of password.
2. Start PrimalSCRIPT.
3. On the File menu, click New.
4. In the New dialog box, select Text, and then click OK.

To declare ADO object variables

1. Type the following line of code to force variable declaration:
Option Explicit

2. Type the following Dim statements to declare three variables that will be
used to manipulate ADO objects:

Dim aCon, aCmd, aRst, sResultText

The first three variables will be used to instantiate and manipulate a

Connection object, a Command object, and a Recordset object,
respectively.

To instantiate and manipulate the Connection and Command objects

1. Type the following lines of code to instantiate the objects:
Set aCon = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set aCmd = CreateObject("ADODB.Command")

2. Type the following lines of code to manipulate the objects:

aCon.Provider="ADsDSOObject"
aCon.Open
aCmd.ActiveConnection = aCon
aCmd.CommandText="<LDAP://OU=WST,DC=NWTraders,DC=msft>;" _
& "(objectClass=user);name,SamAccountName,givenName," _
& "sN,telephonenumber;subTree"
34 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

To open the RecordSet object and return the results to the user
1. Type the following line of code to create the Recordset object:
Set aRst = aCmd.Execute()
2. Type the following lines of code to loop through the Recordset object and
build a string from its contents:
Do While Not aRst.EOF
sResultText = sResultText _
& aRst.Fields("samaccountname") _
& ", " & aRst.Fields("givenname") _
& ", " & aRst.Fields("sN") _
& ", " & aRst.Fields("telephonenumber") _
& vbCRLF
aRst.MoveNext
Loop

3. Complete the script by displaying the string to the user as follows:

WScript.Echo sResultText

4. On the File menu, click Save As.

5. In the Save As dialog box, move to <install
folder>\Labs\Lab05\Lab5_1\Starter.
6. In the File name box, type ADOSearch.vbs.
7. Click Save.
8. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
9. Review the details that are displayed in the message box, and click OK.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 35

Creating New ADSI Objects

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
In addition to searching for

Creating New OUs
information about objects in
Creating New Users
Active Directory, you can
also write code that creates
Creating New Groups
new objects.

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In addition to searching for information about objects in Active Directory, you
can also write code that creates new objects.
In this section, you will learn how to create new Organizational Unit (OU)
objects, new users, and new groups.
36 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Creating New OUs

Topic Objective
To describe how to create
new OUs.
Lead-in
Creating an OU
Creating a new OU is a
Set
Set oRootDSE
oRootDSE == GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
simple task with ADSI. Set
Set oDom
oDom == GetObject
GetObject __
("LDAP://"
("LDAP://" && oRootDSE.Get
oRootDSE.Get ("defaultNamingContext"))
("defaultNamingContext"))
Set
Set oOU
oOU == oDom.Create("organizationalUnit",
oDom.Create("organizationalUnit", "OU=HQ")
"OU=HQ")
oOU.Description
oOU.Description == "Company
"Company Headquarters"
Headquarters"
oOU.SetInfo
oOU.SetInfo

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Creating a new OU is a simple task with ADSI.

Creating an OU
The following example script shows the process of creating a new OU object in
Active Directory:
Example Set oRootDSE = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
Set oDom = GetObject
("LDAP://" & oRootDSE.Get ("defaultNamingContext"))
Set oOU = oDom.Create("organizationalUnit", "OU=HQ")
oOU.Description = "Company Headquarters"
oOU.SetInfo

The first line in this example creates an object called oRootDSE that returns a
connection to the root object of the directory service.
Using the Get method of the oRootDSE object creates a new object called
oDom. This object references the default-naming context for the domain.
Using the oDom object and the Create method creates a new organizational
object called oOU with the name of “HQ”. A name is a mandatory property.
It is important to remember that the object is not committed to Active Directory
at this point. There is an ADSI object reference on the client that you can use to
set or modify locally cached attributes, such as the Description. To save the
object back to the directory service, the SetInfo method is called.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 37

Creating New Users

Topic Objective
To describe how to create
new users.
Lead-in
Creating a New User
After you have ceated an
OU, it is easy to create new Set
Set oOU
oOU == GetObject
GetObject __
users in that OU. ("LDAP://OU=HQ,DC=lab,DC=Microsoft,DC=com")
("LDAP://OU=HQ,DC=lab,DC=Microsoft,DC=com")
Set
Set oUSR
oUSR == oOU.Create("user",
oOU.Create("user", "CN=Kathie
"CN=Kathie Flood")
Flood")
oUSR.Put
oUSR.Put "samAccountName",
"samAccountName", “kathief"
“kathief"
oUSR.Put
oUSR.Put "userPrincipalName",
"userPrincipalName", __
“[email protected]"
“[email protected]"
oUSR.SetInfo
oUSR.SetInfo
oUSR.SetPassword
oUSR.SetPassword "TempPassword"
"TempPassword"
oUSR.AccountDisabled
oUSR.AccountDisabled == False
False
oUSR.SetInfo
oUSR.SetInfo

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After you have created an OU, it is easy to create new users in that OU.

Creating a New User

In the following example, a new user is created in the HQ organizational unit.
Example Set oOU = GetObject ("LDAP://OU=HQ,DC=lab,DC=contentm,DC=com")
Set oUSR = oOU.Create("user", "CN=Alan Steiner")
oUSR.Put"samAccountName", "Alan"
oUSR.Put "userPrincipalName", "[email protected]"
oUSR.SetInfo
oUSR.SetPassword "TempPassword"
oUSR.AccountDisabled = False
oUSR.SetInfo

To create a user, you need to provide two required properties: the common
name (CN) and the down-level NetBIOS user name.
Note that, in this example, the object is committed back to the directory service
twice. This is because the properties SetPassword and AccountDisabled can
only be used against an object that already exists in the directory. The first
instance of “SetInfo” commits the new user object to Active Directory, and the
second instance sets the password and enables the account.

Note Setting the userPrincipalName property is optional when a script is used

to create the user.
38 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Creating New Groups

Topic Objective
Group Types
To describe how to create
Security and Distribution
new groups.

Properties and Methods of Groups
Lead-in
Creating Groups
In addition to creating users Set
Set oOU
oOU == GetObject("LDAP://OU=WST,DC=NWTraders,DC=MSFT")
GetObject("LDAP://OU=WST,DC=NWTraders,DC=MSFT")
with ADSI scripts, you can Set
Set oGroup == oOU.Create("group",
oGroup oOU.Create("group", "CN=Script
"CN=Script Users")
Users")
create new groups. oGroup.Put
oGroup.Put "groupType"
"groupType" ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP __
Or ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED
Or ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED
oGroup.Put
oGroup.Put "samAccountName",
"samAccountName", "Script
"Script Users"
Users"
oGroup.Put
oGroup.Put "name",
"name", "Script
"Script Users"
Users"
oGroup.Put
oGroup.Put "displayName",
"displayName", "Script
"Script Users"
Users"
oGroup.Put
oGroup.Put "description",
"description", "Script
"Script Users
Users Security
Security Group"
Group"
oGroup.SetInfo
oGroup.SetInfo

Adding Users to Groups
oGroup.Add("LDAP://cn=MyUser,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft")
oGroup.Add("LDAP://cn=MyUser,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft")

Removing Users from Groups

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In addition to creating users with ADSI scripts, you can create new groups.
However, note that there are several different types of groups supported by
Active Directory.

Group Types
Windows 2000 has the following four basic group types:

Universal groups
Universal groups can contain accounts and groups, except for local and
domain local groups, from any domain in the forest. Universal groups can
also be added to local groups and other universal groups in any domain in
the forest. These groups are only available when Active Directory is in
native mode.

Global groups
Global groups can contain only accounts and other groups from its own
domain. These groups can be added to global, local, and universal groups in
all domains in the forest.

Domain local groups
Domain local groups can contain accounts and global and universal groups
from any domain in the forest, as well as other domain local groups from the
same domain. They can only be included in access-control lists of the same
domain in which they were created, and can only be a member of other
domain local groups in the same domain.

Local groups
Local groups exist only in the local computer’s Security Access Manager
(SAM). They can only be manipulated on that computer, and can contain
users and groups from any domain in the forest. On domain controllers, this
type of group maps straight onto the domain local group type.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 39

Security and Distribution

Each of these group types can be defined as either security (can be used for
assigning permissions) or distribution (equivalent to an e-mail distribution list).
If no group type or security properties are specified when you write the script, a
global security group will be created. However, if only the group type is
defined, a distribution group of that type is created.

Properties and Methods of Groups

In addition to the standard properties and methods shown earlier in this module,
groups expose the following specific properties and methods.
Property Description

Description Provides a place for a string comment about the group

Method Description

Members Returns a collection of the group’s members

IsMember Returns True if the given ADsPath is a member of the group
Add Adds the given ADsPath to the group
Remove Removes the given ADsPath from the group

Creating Groups
The following example shows how you can create groups using ADSI:
Example ' Setup Constants
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_GLOBAL_GROUP = &H2
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP = &H4
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_LOCAL_GROUP = &H4
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_UNIVERSAL_GROUP = &H8
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED = &H80000000

' Bind to OU
Set oOU = GetObject("LDAP://OU=WST,DC=NWTraders,DC=MSFT")
' Create new group
Set oGroup = oOU.Create("group", "CN=Script Users")
' Set the group type
oGroup.Put "groupType", ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP Or _
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED
' Set the group properties
oGroup.Put "sAMAccountName", "Script Users"
oGroup.Put "name", "Script Users"
oGroup.Put "displayName", "Script Users"
oGroup.Put "description", "Script Users Security Group"
' Save back to the AD
oGroup.SetInfo
40 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

In this script, the ADSI constants are declared first. Next, the script binds to the
Users container in the NWTraders.msft domain. Then, a new group called
“Script Users” is created by using the Create method of the oOU object. The
Put method is then used to add the following information to the new group:

The group type

The NetBIOS sAMAcountName

The display name

The description

Finally, the SetInfo method writes this information from the object’s local
cache back to Active Directory.

ADSI Constants
The constants (and their values) that are used in the group creation process are
listed in the following table.
Constant Value

ADS_GROUP_TYPE_GLOBAL_GROUP &H2
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP &H4
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_LOCAL_GROUP &H4
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_UNIVERSAL_GROUP &H8
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED &H80000000

Adding Users to Groups

The Add method of the Group object is used to add a specific user account to
that group. The following example adds a user to the group referenced by the
oGroup variable.
Example oGroup.Add ("LDAP://cn=MyUser,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft")

If you are adding multiple users, you can specify additional accounts as shown
in the following:
Example oGroup.Add ("LDAP://cn=MyUser,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft,

LDAP://cn=MyUser2,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft,

LDAP://cn=MyUser3,ou=WST,dc=NWTraders,dc=msft")

Removing Users from a Group

You can remove users from a group by using the Remove method of that
Group object. The following example uses the WinNT provider and removes
the user MyUser from the group referenced by the oGroup variable.
Example oGroup.Remove ("WinNT://NWTraders/WST/MyUser")
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 41

Setting Security in Active Directory

Topic Objective
To introduce the concept of
manipulating security by
using ADSI.

Security Components
Lead-in
After you create a new
Windows 2000 Platform Software Developer Kit
object in Active Directory, it
is likely that the security
Script vs. DSACLS.EXE
permissions of the objects
will need to be modified.

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After you create a new object in Active Directory, it is likely that the security
permissions of the objects will need to be modified.

Security Components
Each object in Active Directory has a corresponding security descriptor that
enables you to modify and propagate permissions on the object, perform
auditing, and so on.
Each security descriptor has two Access Control Lists (ACL). The first is the
Discretionary ACL (DACL) and the second is the System ACL (SACL). The
DACL contains all administrator-assigned permissions for the object. The
SACL is used to track changes to Active Directory in the security event log of
the domain controller for audit purposes. Each ACL can contain Access Control
Entries (ACE).
An ACE contains the following components:

AccessMask

AceType

AceFlags

Trustee

Flags

Windows 2000 Platform Software Developers Kit.

Manipulating security by using ADSI involves an often complex set of tasks.
Before you attempt to write code that manipulates Active Directory security,
you should refer to the Windows 2000 Platform Software Developers Kit.
42 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Script vs. DSACLS.EXE

Although you can script the manipulation of security in Active Directory, it is
much easier to use the command-line tool Dsacls.exe, which is provided as part
of the Windows 2000 support tools. Using this tool enables you to achieve all
of the functionality of ADSI, but requires far less code.
For more information about this tool, see the Windows 2000 support tools Help
file.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 43

Managing Shares Using ADSI

Topic Objective
To describe how to manage
shares by using ADSI.

Binding to the LanManServer Service
Lead-in
Managing shares by using Set
ADSI is a simple process. Set objShare
objShare == GetObject("WinNT://MyComp/LANMANSERVER")
GetObject("WinNT://MyComp/LANMANSERVER")

Properties:

Name

CurrentUserCount

Description

HostComputer

MaxUserCount

Path

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Managing shares by using ADSI is a simple process.

Binding to the LanManServer Service

The first step in using a script to create or modify a share is to bind to the
LanManServer file service on the host computer. You do this by using the
WinNT provider with the syntax shown in the following example:
Example Set oLMServer = GetObject("WinNT://MyComputer/LanManServer")

This code creates an instance of the LanManServer object by binding to the

LanManServer file service on the computer called MyComputer.
After this binding occurs, and the object is successfully created, the following
methods and properties are available.
Property Description

Name The share name

CurrentUserCount The number of users currently connected to the share
(read-only)
Description The friendly description for the file share
HostComputer The ADsPath for the computer where this share resides
MaxUserCount The maximum number of users that are allowed to
connect to this share simultaneously
Path The local file system path for the shared folder
44 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

The following example demonstrates how to enumerate all of the shares from a
computer called MyComputer:
Example Set oLMServer=GetObject("WinNT://MyComputer/LANMANSERVER")
For Each share in oLMServer
WScript.Echo share.Name & " = " & share.Path
Next

The following example shows how to create a share on MyComputer

(“MyComp”) with the following properties:

Name = DemoShare

Path = C:\Temp

Description = “This is a demo share”

User Limit = 5

Example Set oLMServer=GetObject("WinNT://MyComp/LANMANSERVER")

Set oNewShare = oLMServer.Create("fileshare", "DemoShare")
oNewShare.Path = "C:\Temp"
oNewShare.Description = "This is a demo share"
oNewShare.MaxUserCount = 5
oNewShare.SetInfo

Note This object currently has no methods that allow you to set permissions
that will apply to the share. One possible solution to this could be to use the
Windows 2000 Resource Kit utility Permcopy. See the Resource Kit
documentation for more details.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 45

Controlling Services Using ADSI

Topic Objective
To describe how to control
services by using ADSI.
Lead-in
Enumerating Services
ADSI provides several
Testing service status
features for managing
services on a Windows NT
Starting a Service
or Windows 2000 computer.

Stopping a Service

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ADSI provides several features for managing services on a Windows NT or
Windows 2000 computer. These features enable you to determine what services
are running on a computer and to start and stop these services.

Enumerating Services
The first step in managing services is to enumerate the existing services on a
computer, as shown in the following example:
Example Option Explicit
Dim objComputer, Service, strSvrList
Set objComputer = GetObject("WinNT://MyServer")
strSvrList = "The Services on " & objComputer.ADsPath _
& " are " & vbCrLf
For Each Service in objComputer
If Service.Class = "Service" Then
strSvrList = strSvrList & Service.Name & vbCrLf
End If
Next
WScript.Echo strSvrList

This example binds to the server MyServer and then creates a string variable,
strSvrList, which is used to hold the list of services. A For…Next loop is then
set up to loop through all of the elements in objComputer. For each of these
elements, an If…Then statement tests if the Class of the element is of the type
Service. If it is, it is added to the strSvrList variable. After all of the elements
have been tested, the For…Next loop exits, and the strSvrList variable is
echoed.
46 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

To return only the services that are currently running, you can add a test of the
services’ status. The following list of constants can be used when testing for the
status of these services:

ADS_SERVICE_STOPPED = &H1
ADS_SERVICE_START_PENDING = &H2
ADS_SERVICE_STOP_PENDING = &H3
ADS_SERVICE_RUNNING = &H4
ADS_SERVICE_CONTINUE_PENDING = &H5
ADS_SERVICE_PAUSE_PENDING = &H6
ADS_SERVICE_PAUSED = &H7
ADS_SERVICE_ERROR = &H8
The following is an example of a script returning only the services that are
running on the computer MyServer:
Example Option Explicit
Const ADS_SERVICE_RUNNING = &H4

Dim objComputer, Service, strSvrList

Set objComputer = GetObject("WinNT://MyServer")

strSvrList = "The Services on " & objComputer.ADsPath _
& " are: " & vbCrLf
For Each Service in objComputer
If Service.Class = "Service" Then
If Service.Status = ADS_SERVICE_RUNNING Then
strSvrList = strSvrList & Service.Name & vbCRLF
End If
End If
Next
WScript.Echo strSvrList

This script works in the same way as the previous example script, but an extra
If…Then statement has been added to test that the status of a service is equal to
ADS_SERVICE_RUNNING before its name is appended to the strSvrList
string.

Starting a Service
If the name of the required service is known, the process of starting the service
is very simple, as the following example shows:
Example Set oBrowser = GetObject("WinNT://MyServer/browser")
oBrowser.start

In this example, a oBrowser object is created that references the browser

service on the computer MyServer. A call to the Start method starts the service.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 47

Stopping a Service
Similarly, stopping a known service is very simple, as shown in the following
example:
Example Set oMessenger = GetObject("WinNT://MyServer/messenger")
oMessenger.stop

In this example, the object is called oMessenger, and the Stop method is used
to stop the messenger service.
In real-world scripting, it is a good practice to also use the Status method to
check that the service started or stopped correctly before terminating the script.
48 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

ADSI Resources
Topic Objective
To provide further sources
Platform SDK
of information about ADSI
scripting.
ADSI Resource Kit
Lead-in
Microsoft ADSI Web Site
If you require more

http://www.microsoft.com/adsi
information about ADSI, you
will find additional material
MSDN Library
in the following places.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/Default.asp

Microsoft Scripting Web Site

http://www.microsoft.com/scripting

Microsoft Newsgroup

news://microsoft.public.active.directory.interfaces

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This module introduced the basics of how ADSI can be used in VBScript. If
you require more advanced information, you will find additional material at the
following locations.

The Platform SDK

This provides a comprehensive resource, primarily aimed at programmers. The
ADSI Developers Guide that is part of the SDK is invaluable as a reference
tool.

Microsoft ADSI Web Site

The Internet site http://www.microsoft.com/adsi is a public ADSI site. It
provides links to many other useful resources and sites.

MSDN Library
The MSDN® Library site provides access to an online version of the Windows
2000 Platform SDK, as well as Knowledge Base and technical articles that can
be very useful for providing script examples.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 49

Microsoft Scripting Web Site

The MSDN Web site includes a script-specific area that provides online
versions of the script Help documentation and many downloads and articles.
You can find this site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting

Microsoft Newsgroup
Microsoft maintains a moderated public newsgroup dedicated to ADSI issues at
news://microsoft.public.active.directory.interfaces
50 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Lab 5.2: Scripting Administrative Tasks Using ADSI

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will write
code that performs
administrative tasks by
using ADSI.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to:

Create scripts that bind to the domain by using several different methods.

Manipulate various objects by using the ADSI interface.

Scenario
In this lab, you will create scripts that bind to the domain by using several
different methods. You will also create and manipulate various objects, such as
users and groups, by using the ADSI interface. These are common tasks that
will help you to administer your domains.

Lab Setup
To complete this lab, you need a student number. See the “Student Numbers”
section of the lab for this information.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 51

Student Numbers
The following table provides the computer name, IP address, and student
number of each student computer in the fictitious domain nwtraders.msft.
Find the computer name or IP address assigned to you, and make a note of the
student number.
Computer name IP address Student number

Vancouver 192.168.x.1 1
Denver 192.168.x.2 2
Perth 192.168.x.3 3
Brisbane 192.168.x.4 4
Lisbon 192.168.x.5 5
Bonn 192.168.x.6 6
Lima 192.168.x.7 7
Santiago 192.168.x.8 8
Bangalore 192.168.x.9 9
Singapore 192.168.x.10 10
Casablanca 192.168.x.11 11
Tunis 192.168.x.12 12
Acapulco 192.168.x.13 13
Miami 192.168.x.14 14
Auckland 192.168.x.15 15
Suva 192.168.x.16 16
Stockholm 192.168.x.17 17
Moscow 192.168.x.18 18
Caracas 192.168.x.19 19
Montevideo 192.168.x.20 20
Manila 192.168.x.21 21
Tokyo 192.168.x.22 22
Khartoum 192.168.x.23 23
Nairobi 192.168.x.24 24

Estimated time to complete this lab: 45 minutes

52 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Exercise 1
Retrieving Properties Using ADSI
In this exercise, you will write code that interacts with ADSI.

To create a new script

1. Log on to your computer as [email protected] with a
password of password
2. Start PrimalSCRIPT.
3. On the File menu, click New.
4. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.

To declare ADSI object variables

1. Type the following line of code to force variable declaration:
Option Explicit

2. Type the following statements to declare the variables that will be used to
manipulate ADSI objects:

Const ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION = &H1

Dim oMyDomain, oRootDSE, oMyDS, iCount, iLoop, sPropList,

sProp, sPropName

Tip The line continuation character (
) indicates that the subsequent code
should be typed on the same line as the preceding code

To instantiate and manipulate ADSI objects

1. Type the following lines of code to instantiate the objects and retrieve a
count of the number of properties:
Set oRootDSE = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
Set oMyDS = Getobject("LDAP:")
Set oMyDomain = oMyDS.OpenDSObject("LDAP://" _
& oRootDSE.Get("defaultNamingContext"), _
"administrator", "password", ADS_SECURE_AUTHENTICATION)
oMyDomain.GetInfo
iCount = oMyDomain.PropertyCount
sPropList = "There are " & iCount _
& " values in the local property cache for Domain: " _
& oMyDomain.ADSPath & vbCRLF
WScript.Echo sPropList
sPropList = ""
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 53

2. Type the following lines of code to display the property names and values in
two message boxes:
On Error Resume Next
If iCount Mod 2 = 0 then
For iLoop = 0 To (iCount/2)-1
Set sProp = oMyDomain.Item(CInt(iLoop))
sPropName = sProp.Name
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& oMyDomain.Get(sPropName) & vbCrLf
If err.number <> 0 then
err.clear
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& "<MultiValued>" & vbCrLf
End If
Next
WScript.Echo sPropList
sPropList=""
For iLoop = (iCount/2) To iCount-1
Set sProp = oMyDomain.Item(CInt(iLoop))
sPropName = sProp.Name
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& oMyDomain.Get(sPropName) & vbCrLf
If err.number <> 0 then
Err.Clear
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& "<MultiValued>" & vbCrLf
End If
Next
WScript.Echo sPropList
sPropList=""
Else
For iLoop = 0 To (iCount/2)-0.5
Set sProp = oMyDomain.Item(CInt(iLoop))
sPropName = sProp.Name
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& oMyDomain.Get(sPropName) & vbCrLf
If err.number <> 0 then
Err.Clear
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& "<MultiValued>" & vbCrLf
End If
Next
WScript.Echo sPropList
sPropList=""

' Code continued next page

54 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

' Code continued from previous page

For iLoop = (iCount/2)+0.5 To iCount-1

Set sProp = oMyDomain.Item(CInt(iLoop))
sPropName = sProp.Name
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& oMyDomain.Get(sPropName) & vbCrLf
If err.number <> 0 then
Err.Clear
sPropList = sPropList & sPropName & ": " _
& "<MultiValued>" & vbCrLf
End If
Next
WScript.Echo sPropList
sPropList=""
End If

Although the loops may appear to be complex, their purpose is simply to

make the size of the message boxes manageable and readable. The loops
display half of the properties in one message box and half in another
message box.
3. On the File menu, click Save As.
4. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the folder
<install folder>\Labs\Lab05\Lab5_2\Starter.
5. In the File name box, type GetProperties.vbs
6. Click Save.
7. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
8. Review the details that are displayed in the message boxes, and then click
OK.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 55

Exercise 2
Creating OUs, Users, and Groups Using ADSI

To create a new script
1. On the File menu, click New.
2. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.

To declare ADSI object variables and constants

1. Type the following line of code to force variable declaration:
Option Explicit

2. Type the following statements to declare the variables and constants that
will be used to manipulate ADSI objects:
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_GLOBAL_GROUP = &H2
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP = &H4
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_LOCAL_GROUP = &H4
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_UNIVERSAL_GROUP = &H8
Const ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED = &H80000000
Dim oMyDomain, oRootDSE, oOU, grp, oUSR, sDomainADSPath

To instantiate ADSI objects and create an OU object

1. Type the following lines of code to instantiate the objects:
Set oRootDSE = GetObject("LDAP://RootDSE")
Set oMyDomain = GetObject("LDAP://" _
& oRootDSE.Get ("defaultNamingContext"))
sDomainADSPath = oMyDomain.ADSPath

2. Type the following lines of code to create a new OU:

Important Remember to substitute your student number where you see “X”.
For example, StudentXOU becomes Student24OU if you are Student 24.

Set oOU = oMyDomain.Create _

("organizationalUnit", "OU=StudentXOU")
oOU.Description = "Student number X private OU"
On Error Resume Next
oOU.SetInfo
If err.Number = -2147019886 then
WScript.Echo "The OU already exists, but can continue"
Err.Clear
Set oOU = GetObject _
("LDAP://OU=StudentXOU,DC=NWTraders,DC=msft")
End If
56 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

To create a new group object and a new user object

1. Type the following lines of code to create a new group object:
Set grp = oOU.Create("group", "CN=DeptAdmin")
grp.Put "samAccountName", "dptAd"
grp.Put "groupType", ADS_GROUP_TYPE_DOMAIN_LOCAL_GROUP Or
ADS_GROUP_TYPE_SECURITY_ENABLED
grp.SetInfo

2. Type the following lines of code to create a new user object:

Set oUSR = oOU.Create("user", "CN=Frank Lee")
oUSR.Put "samAccountName", "FrankL"
oUSR.Put "department", "MIS"
oUSR.Put "sn", "Lee"
oUSR.SetInfo
oUSR.SetPassword "TempPassword"
oUSR.AccountDisabled = False
oUSR.SetInfo
If Err.Number <> 0 then
WScript.Echo "Errors occurred - make sure that the user
and group do not already exist..."
Else
WScript.Echo "Finished"
end if

3. On the File menu, click Save As.

4. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the
<install folder>\Labs\Lab05\Lab5_2\Starter.
5. In the File name box, type CreateNewObjects.vbs
6. Click Save.
7. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
8. Review the information in the message box, and then click OK.

To create a new Active Directory Users and Computers console

1. On the Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Open box, type MMC, and then press ENTER.
An empty MMC console will open.
3. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add.
5. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, click Active Directory Users
and Computers, and then click Add.
6. Click Close.
7. Click OK.
 Module 5: Understanding ADSI 57

To verify that the objects have been created

1. In the Tree pane, expand the Active Directory Users and Computers
node.
2. Expand nwtraders.msft.
3. Click StudentXOU (where X is your student number).
4. Verify that this OU contains a user named Frank Lee and a group named
DeptAdmin.
5. Close the MMC console, and then click Yes in the Save console settings to
Console1? dialog box.
6. Name the console AD Users and Computers, and then click Save.
58 Module 5: Understanding ADSI

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
ADSI Overview
objectives by reviewing key
points.
Binding with ADSI
Lead-in
ADSI Objects
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
Searching Active Directory
taught in the module.

Creating New ADSI Objects

Setting Security in Active Directory

Managing Shares Using ADSI

Controlling Services Using ADSI

ADSI Resources

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1. What is the main directory service provider used for Windows 2000?
LDAP.

2. Before you can use ADSI to work with the objects in a directory, what
action must your script perform with an ADSI provider?
Your script must bind to an ADSI provider.

3. What is the preferred method of binding?

Server-less binding.

4. When you work with the properties of an object, where are the updates
being stored?
Local properties cache.

5. How are changes committed back to the directory from the local properties
cache?
The SetInfo method is called.
 Module 6: Creating
Logon Scripts

Contents
Overview 1
Verifying the WSH Environment 2
Common Logon Script Tasks 11
Lab 6.1: Creating Logon Scripts 28
Managing Logon Scripts 33
Troubleshooting Logon Scripts 42
Lab 6.2: Assigning Logon Scripts 47
Review 51
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license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

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Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with the knowledge and practical experience to
45 Minutes successfully write logon, logoff, startup and shutdown scripts for Microsoft®
Windows® 2000.
Labs:
90 Minutes After completing this module, students will be able to:

Check that the correct version of Microsoft Windows Script Host (WSH) is
installed.

Call logon scripts from batch files.

Accomplish common tasks in logon scripts.

Assign logon scripts to users.

Describe common issues with logon scripts.

Describe best practices for using logon scripts.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:
• Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_06.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the labs.
iv Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Verifying the WSH Environment
This section is intended to give the students all of the necessary information
and guidance for ensuring that WSH is installed and ensuring that it is the
correct version. This is important, because their scripts may not work
otherwise.
Ensure that the students fully understand all of the points in this section.

Common Logon Script Tasks
This section describes the most common tasks that the students will need to
write logon scripts for.
Describe each task in detail. Be aware that some of the tasks have been
described in previous modules as examples of what can be achieved in
script. This section, however, should be used to delve into the details of
these tasks, so do not skim over these topics just because they have been
mentioned before.

Managing Logon Scripts
This section should be used to explain the various ways that scripts can be
assigned to users, groups, and computers. Make sure that the students
understand the sequence associated with the script time windows, as
explained in this section.
Emphasize the need for securing both the WSH environment and the
contents of script files.

Troubleshooting Logon Scripts
This single-slide section describes some of the most common problems that
the students may encounter with their scripts in the work environment.
Discuss each point as an introduction to the types of issues that the students
may encounter in the real world.

Best Practices
This single-slide section outlines some good practices. Discuss each
recommendation with the students.

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and
Certification courseware.

Important The labs in this module are also dependent on the classroom
configuration that is specified in the Customization Information section at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for course 2433A, Microsoft Visual Basic
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows Script Host Essentials.

Lab Setup
There are no lab setup requirements that affect replication or customization.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
objectives.
Verifying the WSH Environment
Lead-in
Common Logon Script Tasks
In this module, you will learn
about the use of logon
Managing Logon Scripts
scripts and how you can
create and use them to
Troubleshooting Logon Scripts
configure a user
environment or a computer’s
environment.

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To successfully deploy logon scripts throughout the enterprise network, you
must understand the processes involved in creating and managing these scripts.
In this module, you will learn how to create and manage logon scripts.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:

Check that the correct version of Microsoft® Windows® Script Host (WSH)
is installed.

Call logon scripts from batch files.

Accomplish common tasks in logon scripts.

Assign logon scripts to users.

Describe common issues with logon scripts.

Describe good practices for using logon scripts.
2 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Verifying the WSH Environment

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
To ensure that your logon

The Testing Process
scripts will run successfully,
Checking the WSH Installation
you must be able to test
whether the correct version
Checking the WSH Version
of WSH is installed on the
user’s computer.
Automatically Installing WSH

Running the Logon Script

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To ensure that your logon scripts will run successfully, you must be able to test
whether the correct version of WSH is installed on the user’s computer.
In this section, you will learn how to verify whether the correct version of WSH
is available to run your logon scripts. In addition, you will learn how to install
WSH automatically if it is not installed.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 3

The Testing Process

Topic Objective User Logs On
To describe the process of
checking for WSH.
Is WSH
Lead-in N Installed?
When a user logs on, your
script must verify whether it Y
can run successfully.
Is It the
Required Version
N ?

Install WSH Y

Call the
Logon Script

Script Runs

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When a user logs on, you must verify whether your script can run successfully.
This involves checking whether WSH is installed on the computer that the
script is run on.
If WSH is installed, your script checks whether it is the correct version.
After these tests are passed, your script can continue. If a test fails, your logon
script installs the correct version of WSH before it continues.
4 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Checking the WSH Installation

Topic Objective
To describe how to check
an installation of WSH.
Lead-in
Calling Scripts from a Batch File
Before a logon script run,
Test for error level
you can test whether WSH
is installed on a user’s
Testing for the Existence of Installed Files
computer.

Example: CScript.exe, WScript.exe, VBScript.dll

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Before a logon script runs, you can test whether WSH is installed on a user’s
computer. To test this, you can either run a script from a batch file, or use a
batch file to locate the WSH files. If script files are used, and WSH is not
installed, then the tests fail.

Calling Scripts from a Batch File

You can create a batch file that attempts to run a script by using CScript. The
batch file determines whether an error level is returned. If no error is returned,
WSH is installed. You can then test the version of WSH.
The following is an example of a batch file that performs this test. If an error
level is returned, the batch file installs WSH.
Example Rem Try and run wshver.vbs script
CScript //i //nologo WshVerTest.vbs
Rem If wshver fails install latest WSH in quiet mode
if errorlevel 1 Ste51en /q

Note For more information about installing WSH, see “Automatically

Installing WSH” later in this module.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 5

Testing for the Presence of Installed Files

Another method that tests for a WSH installation is to search for the files that
are present when WSH is installed.
The following files are present:

Core script files
CScript.exe, WScript.exe, WScript.hlp
ScrRun.dll, Wshom.ocx, Wshext.dll, Msvcrt.dll, Scrobvj.dll, Dispex.dll,
Advpack.dll

Script engines
VBScript.dll, Jscript.dll

To test for these files, you can use the If Exist…statement, as shown in the
following example:
Example Rem Test places file is usually found
If exist C:\WINNTPRO\system32\wshom.ocx goto :FoundFile
If exist C:\WINNTPRO\wshom.ocx goto :FoundFile
If exist C:\WINNTPRO\system\wshom.ocx goto :FoundFile
Rem No file found install latest WSH in quite mode
Ste51en /q
:FoundFile
Rem The file was found a version of WSH is installed
Rem Now launch the WSH version testing script
CScript //I //nologo WshVerTest.vbs

Tip To make the process of using batch files easier, you can use the Start
command to launch the logon batch file in a minimized window, as shown
below:
START /MIN LOGON.BAT
6 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Checking the WSH Version

Topic Objective
To describe the process of
checking the WSH version.
Lead-in
Using Script
There are several versions
WScript.Version property
of WSH that are available.

Script engine test
ScriptEngineMajorVersion
ScriptEngineMinorVersion

Using Script or Batch Files

File size or file date

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There are several versions of WSH that are available. If you want your logon
script to run successfully, your script must first check that the required version
of WSH is installed on the client machine.
It is important to understand that there are two major parts to the WSH
environment. The first is the host, which calls the relevant script engines and
enables them to run. The second is the script engines themselves, which are the
most likely to change. The script engine that ships with Microsoft
Windows 2000 is version 5.1. Version 5.5 is now available as part of Microsoft
Internet Explorer 5.5, or as a download from the Microsoft Script Web site.

Using Script
You can check the version of WSH by using the properties of the WSH object
model and the script engine. The following example tests for the version of
WSH:
Example nVer = WScript.Version
If nVer = 5.1 Then
WScript.Echo "WSH Version is OK"
WScript.Quit(0)
Else WScript.Echo "WSH needs updating"
WScript.Quit (1)
End If

The following example checks the version of the Microsoft Visual Basic®
Scripting Edition engine that processes the script:
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 7

Example nVerMaj = ScriptEngineMajorVersion

nVerMin = ScriptEngineMinorVersion
If nVerMaj = 5 and nVerMin = 1 Then
WScript.Echo "Script Engine version is OK"
WScript.Quit(0)
Else
WScript.Echo "Script Engine needs updating"
WScript.Quit (1)
End If

Using Script or Batch Files

Another method for checking WSH and script engine versions is to test the size
of the required files. This method has one possible advantage over the previous
method: it can be conducted from within a batch file and in a script. The
following example shows script that tests the size of the required files:
Example Dim oFso, ofile
Set oFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set ofile = oFso.GetFile("C:\WINNTPRO\system32\wshom.ocx")
If ofile.size = 73776 Then
WScript.Echo "Wshom.ocx File OK"
Else
WScript.Echo "Wshom.ocx needs updating"
End If

By updating line 4 of this script, you can check the date that the file was
originally created as follows:
Example If ofile.DateCreated = "07/12/1999 12:00:00" Then

Note While this example works on all computers running Windows 2000
Professional it fails on all others, because the file date is the time that the
original media image was compiled. Therefore, different times and dates are
returned for all versions of Windows 2000 and for the down-level clients
running the downloaded WSH update. You should modify this example
accordingly if you encounter this issue.
8 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Automatically Installing WSH

Topic Objective
To explain how to
automatically install WSH if
it is not present.
Installing WSH Using Batch Files
Lead-in
Ste55en.exe for Win95, Win98, and WinNT
If your tests fail to find the
correct version of WSH
Scripten.exe for Win2000
installed, you can use the
logon batch files to
Performing a Silent Installation
automatically install the
correct version of WSH.

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If your tests fail to find the correct version of WSH installed, you can use the
logon batch files to automatically install the correct version of WSH. This
approach ensures that all clients have installed the required version of WSH.

Installing WSH Using Batch Files

Ste55en.exe installs WSH on Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98,
and Microsoft Windows NT® version 4.0.

Because WSH is part of all versions of Windows 2000, a separate program

called Scripten.exe is used to install WSH on that operating system. This
program only installs version 5.5 of the script engines.
Both Ste55.exe and Scripten.exe are available from
http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/vbscript/scripting.asp

Note Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) has version 5.1 of the
hosts and version 5.5 of the script engines.

Performing a Silent Installation

You can use several command-line switches when you install WSH. The /Q
switch performs a silent installation.
This switch installs WSH with no user interaction. It may however require you
to restart the system.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 9

Running the Logon Script

Topic Objective
To explain how to call the
logon script from the batch
file.
Calling the Script
Lead-in
Directly: CScript //i //nologo LogonScript.vbs
After your batch files
determine the presence of
With a .wsh file: CScript LogonScript.wsh
the correct version of WSH,
they can call the logon
Determining the Script Path
script.

%LOGONSERVER%

%0\..\

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After your batch files determine the presence of the correct version of WSH,
they can call the logon script.

Calling the Script

Usually, your batch file calls the main script file. However, you can call a .wsh
file that calls the logon script. Using this method gives you more control over
how the script runs. The following examples illustrate both methods. You will
only use one of these:
Example CScript //I //nologon LogonScript.vbs

Example CScript LogonScript.wsh

Determining the Script Path

To run the logon script, the batch file must determine the path to the script and
how the script should be run. Windows NT and Windows 2000 make this
information available in the %LOGONSERVER% system variable. You can
use this variable to launch the script, as the following example illustrates:
Example CScript \\%LOGONSERVER%\Netlogon\Scripts\Logon.vbs

For clients running Windows 95 or Windows 98, this is more complex. These
clients do not make the %LOGONSERVER% variable available.
10 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

To solve this problem, you can use the %0 variable. This variable returns the
full path of the script that is running. If you add \..\ to the path that is returned
by the %0 variable, the batch process uses the folder that the file is being run
from. As long as the script file is in the same folder as the running file, usually
the logon server’s NETLOGON share, this batch file can call a script file that
works from any platform. The following example shows the use of these
variables:
Example CScript %0\..\LogonScript.vbs
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 11

Common Logon Script Tasks

Topic Objective
To introduce common tasks
assigned to logon scripts.
Lead-in
Sending Messages
There are several common
Getting User Input
tasks that you may want to
include in your logon scripts.
Creating Desktop Shortcuts

Mapping Drives

Mapping Printers

Launching Utility Programs

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There are several commonly performed tasks that you will encounter when you
develop logon scripts.
This section explains how to send messages to the user, retrieve input from the
user, create shortcuts, map drives and printers, and launch other programs and
utilities.
12 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Sending Messages
Topic Objective
To introduce how to send
messages to users.
WScript.Echo
Lead-in
Echoes to command line in CScript.exe
You can include messages
in logon scripts, and the
MsgBox
messages will be displayed
to the user each time that
Opens a message box.
the script runs.

PopUp

UserName

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You can include messages in logon scripts. The messages will be displayed to
the user each time that the script runs. You can send messages to users to
inform them of network events, or you can send a simple “Message of the Day”
as part of a logon script. Messages can also display legal disclaimers and
reminders.
There are several methods for displaying messages to users from your logon
scripts.

WScript.Echo
If the host running the script is WScript.exe, the WScript.Echo method
displays output in a dialog box. If the host running the script is WScript.exe,
the Wscript.Echo method displays output in the command console.

MsgBox
You can use the MsgBox function in Visual Basic Scripting Edition if you want
to display a message in a pop-up message box. This opens a message box in
Windows when either script engine is used, even if the batch mode switch (//B)
has been declared.
The MsgBox function also enables you to display various types of message
boxes, with different button configurations and icon settings. For example, the
MsgBox function can display any of the following icons in the message box:

Critical Message

Warning Query

Warning Message

Information Message
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 13

In addition, you can specify the buttons that you want to present in the message
box. You can use the following combination of buttons:

OK only

OK and Cancel

Yes and No

Yes, No, and Cancel

Abort, Retry, and Ignore

Retry and Cancel

The MsgBox function accepts the buttons argument, which you can use to
specify both the icons and the buttons for the message box.
The following table lists the possible values for the buttons argument. Note
that you can use the intrinsic VBScript constants in place of the values to read
and write the script more easily.
Constant Value Description

vbOKOnly 0 Display the OK button only.

vbOKCancel 1 Display the OK and Cancel buttons.
vbAbortRetryIgnore 2 Display the Abort, Retry, and Ignore buttons.
vbYesNoCancel 3 Display the Yes, No, and Cancel buttons.
VbYesNo 4 Display the Yes and No buttons.
vbRetryCancel 5 Display the Retry and Cancel buttons.
vbCritical 16 Display the Critical Message icon.
vbQuestion 32 Display the Warning Query icon.
vbExclamation 48 Display the Warning Message icon.
vbInformation 64 Display the Information Message icon.
vbDefaultButton1 0 The first button is the default.
vbDefaultButton2 256 The second button is the default.
vbDefaultButton3 512 The third button is the default.
vbDefaultButton4 768 The fourth button is the default.
vbApplicationModal 0 The user must respond to the message box
before the script continues.
vbSystemModal 4096 On Windows 32-bit operating systems, this
constant provides an application modal
message box that always remains on top of any
other programs running. On Windows 16-bit
operating systems, applications are suspended
until the user responds to the message box.
14 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

To specify both an icon and a set of buttons, you can add the numbers or
constants together, as shown below:
Example MsgBox "OK button and Info Icon", vbOKOnly + vbInformation

PopUp
The WSH object model provides a method that enables you to display a pop-up
window. The PopUp method of the WScript.Shell object has features similar
to the MsgBox function, but the PopUp method adds a time value that governs
how long a message is displayed before it is dismissed automatically. The
syntax is:
Syntax oShell.Popup(Text, [Secs2Wait], [Title], [Type])

Text is the body of the message, Secs2Wait is the number of seconds that the
message is displayed, Title is the title bar message, and Type is the type of
buttons and icons displayed in the pop-up window.

Note For more information about this method, see the WSH documentation.

UserName
If you want the script to output the name of the user that is logging on, you can
use the UserName property of the WScript.Network object to display the
user’s logon name. This personalizes the messages to the user, as the following
example shows:
Example oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
WScript.Echo "Welcome " & oNetwork.UserName
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 15

Getting User Input

Topic Objective
To introduce two methods to
Button Values Returned
gather information from the
user.

MsgBox
Lead-in nButVal=MsgBox("Are
nButVal=MsgBox("Are you
you logging
logging in
in remotely",vbYesNo)
remotely",vbYesNo)
While the script runs, you
can prompt the user for
input, and use this data to
PopUp
adjust the way the rest of
the script runs. nButVal=oShell.Popup("Run
nButVal=oShell.Popup("Run Logon
Logon Script?",10,"Run",4)
Script?",10,"Run",4)

Strings Returned

InputBox
sName=InputBox("Enter
sName=InputBox("Enter your
your name")
name")

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Your scripts will often need to retrieve information from the user while it runs.
You can use this data later in the script to adjust the way that the rest of the
script runs based on the user. This information can be in the form of simple
“Yes/No” answers or in message strings that are more complex.

Button Values Returned

Two functions collect information from a user while the logon script runs.
Simple “Yes/No” questions collect integer values that correspond to the button
that the user clicks.

MsgBox
As well as specify the buttons displayed in a message box, the MsgBox
function returns a value to your script, indicating which button the user clicks.
Because there are several different buttons available, each button returns a
different number in the range 1 through 7. The following table documents the
return values of the MsgBox function.
Button Value Intrinsic constant

OK 1 vbOK
Cancel 2 vbCancel
Abort 3 vbAbort
Retry 4 vbRetry
Ignore 5 vbIgnore
Yes 6 vbYes
No 7 vbNo
16 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

The following example displays a message asking the user if he or she has
logged on by using Remote Access Service (RAS). When the user clicks a
button, the corresponding value is stored in the variable vMyVal. If vMyVal is
6, the user clicked the Yes button. As a result, the first message is displayed. If
vMyVal is not 6, the second message is displayed:
Example vMyVal = MsgBox ("Logging on using RAS?", vbYesNo)
If vMyVal = 6 Then
WScript.echo "User Logging in Remotely"
Else
WScript.Echo "User Logging in on LAN"
End If

Note that you can use the intrinsic constant vbYes in place of the literal
number 6.

PopUp
The PopUp method of the WSHShell object can also collect user feedback in a
manner similar to the MsgBox function. The message box types, buttons, and
return values are identical to the MsgBox function. However, as previously
mentioned, you can configure this method to time out if no input is
forthcoming.
If the PopUp method times out before the user clicks a button, it returns a value
of -1. You must always check for this value in addition to the values that are
returned by the user when he or she clicks a button.

Strings Returned
The InputBox function can return a text string typed by the user to your script.
If this function is employed, error handling should be used to ensure that
appropriate input is received from the user.

Input Box
This function has the following syntax:
Syntax InputBox(prompt[, title][, default][, xpos][, ypos][,

helpfile, context])

The prompt and title arguments provide the message box text and title bar text,
respectively, similar to the MsgBox and PopUp functions. The default
argument specifies a default text value for the input box.
InputBox also gives you a high level of control over the position of the
message box on the screen through the xpos and ypos arguments. The helpfile
argument enables you to access a help file if you press the F1 key while the
message box is displayed. The context argument specifies which page of the
help file should be displayed.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 17

An example of the InputBox function is shown below:

Example Option Explicit
Dim vFirstName, vLastName, vFullName
vFirstName = InputBox ("Enter your first name", "First Name")
vLastName = InputBox ("Enter your last name", "Last Name")
vFullName = vFirstName & " " & vLastName
WScript.Echo vFullName

In this example, the first line prompts the user for his or her first name and
assigns the answer to the variable vFirstName. The second line prompts for his
or her last name and assigns it to the variable vLastName. These values are
concatenated and stored in the variable vFullName, which is then echoed to the
screen.
18 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Creating Desktop Shortcuts

Topic Objective
To explain how to create
desktop shortcuts with
Two Shortcut Types
script.
Lead-in
Standard file (.lnk)
With logon scripts, you can
Universal resource locator file (.url)
create desktop shortcuts to
network locations.
Copying Files to the Desktop

Using the SpecialFolders method

Using the WScript.Shell Object

Set
Set oIntraLnk=oShell.CreateShortcut("Path\Intranet.URL")
oIntraLnk=oShell.CreateShortcut("Path\Intranet.URL")
oIntraLnk.TargetPath
oIntraLnk.TargetPath == "http://Intra.nwtraders.msft"
"http://Intra.nwtraders.msft"
oIntraLnk.Save
oIntraLnk.Save

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As an administrator, you may want to control user desktop environments. While
Windows 2000 Group Policy makes this possible, scripts still provide useful
functions with Windows 2000 clients and legacy Windows systems. For
example, a script can provide desktop shortcuts to particular resources on the
network, such as a shared group drive, a network printer, or a departmental
intranet.

Two Shortcut Types

You can provide both standard file shortcuts (.lnk) and Universal Resource
Locator (URL) file shortcuts (.url).

Copying Files to the Desktop

You can create these links in two separate ways.
You can copy an existing .lnk or .url file from the server to a shortcut folder,
such as the desktop or programs folder. You can access these folders by using
the SpecialFolders method of the Shell object; for example:
Example DesktopPath = oShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
ProgramsPath = oShell.SpecialFolders("Programs")

Note The “Programs” special folder references the Programs folder on the
Start menu, not the Program Files folder.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 19

Using the WScript.Shell Object

Alternatively, you can use the CreateShortcut method of the WScript.Shell
object, passing in the path and shortcut name. If you do not specify a path, the
shortcut is created in the current working folder of the script file. You can then
set the TargetPath string property with the path to the file or URL. Finally, you
must save your changes. The shortcut is created on the user’s desktop. The
following examples show the creation of both types of shortcuts:
Example Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set oShortCut = oShell.CreateShortcut("Mytext.lnk")
oShortCut.TargetPath = "C:\Mytext.txt"
oShortCut.Save
Set oUrlLink = oShell.CreateShortcut("MSWeb Site.URL")
oUrlLink.TargetPath = "http://www.microsoft.com"
oUrlLink.Save

Other properties of the shortcut can also be set, such as IconLocation,

Description, and WindowStyle.
20 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Mapping Drives
Topic Objective
To explain how to map
The WScript.Network Object
network drives. Set
Set oNetwork
oNetwork == WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
Lead-in oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "H:",
"H:", "\\MyServer\Share"
"\\MyServer\Share"
As well as creating desktop
shortcuts, you can map
Providing Alternate Credentials
network drives in your logon
scripts. oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive __
"H:",
"H:", "\\MyServer\Share",
"\\MyServer\Share", ,, “Alan",
“Alan", "PassW"
"PassW"

Removing a Mapping
oNetwork.RemoveNetworkDrive
oNetwork.RemoveNetworkDrive "H:"
"H:"

Finding the Next Available Drive

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Mapping drives is another common task that you may want to perform during
the logon process.

The WScript.Network Object

The WScript.Network object provides the functionality to map drives through
the MapNetworkDrive method. The following syntax shows how the method
can be used:
Syntax Object.MapNetworkDrive strLocalName, strRemoteName,

[bUpdateProfile], [strUser], [strPassword]

In the previous syntax, strLocalName is the new drive letter that you want to
map, strRemoteName is the share to map that you want to map to,
bUpdateProfile is an optional Boolean value that indicates whether to save the
new mapping in the user profile (the default is false), strUser is an optional
alternative user identifier, and strPassword is the optional password for the
alternative user.
The following example maps the H drive to a shared folder:
Example Set oNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
ONetwork.MapNetworkDrive "H:", "\\MyServer\Share"

Note that the security credentials in this example are those of the user running
the script.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 21

Providing Alternative Credentials

You can supply alternative security credentials when mapping drives, if needed.
The following example uses alternative credentials to map the H drive:
Example ONetwork.MapNetworkDrive "H:", "\\MyServer\Share1",, _
"Alan", "PassW"

Removing a Mapping
To remove a mapping, you can use the RemoveNetworkDrive method of the
Network object. You must pass the drive letter as an argument. The following
example removes the mapping for the H drive:
Example Set oNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
oNetwork.RemoveNetworkDrive "H:"

Finding the Next Available Drive

To find the next available drive that you can map, there are two methods that
you can use.
The EnumNetworkDrives method of the WScript.Network object returns a
collection that stores the local drives as the first items, followed by any current
share mappings. As the method name suggests, it lists only the currently
mapped network drives. If no network drive is mapped, no values are returned.
The following script is an example of the use of the EnumNetworkDrives
method:
Example Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
For Each oDrive in oNetwork.EnumNetworkDrives
WScript.Echo oDrive
Next

This produces an output similar to the following when running CScript.exe

from a console window:
Example E:
\\Myserver\data
F:
\\Myserver\copy
G:
\\Myserver\personal

The second method uses the FileSystemObject object from the Windows
Script Runtime to view all the systems drives. This method is advantageous,
because it returns information about local drives and network drive.
Example Set oFS = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
For Each oDrive in oFS.Drives
sFinalDrive = left(oDrive, 1)
Next

After the last drive letter has been found, the ASC and CHR functions in
Visual Basic Scripting Edition can be used to calculate the next letter in the
alphabet. This is useful when writing a script that maps a new drive while
keeping all existing mappings in place.
22 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

The following example shows how to use this approach:

Example Option Explicit
On Error Resume Next
Dim oNetwork, oFSO, Drive, sNextDrive, sFinalDrive
'Create Network and FSO objects
Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'Loop Through all used drives
For Each Drive in oFSO.Drives
'Take the first letter from the drive
sFinalDrive = left(Drive, 1)
Next
'Convert final used drive to ASC, add 1 and return to
'character
sNextDrive = Chr(Asc(sFinalDrive) + 1) & ":"
'Map new drive
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive sNextDrive, "\\MyServer\Share"
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 23

Mapping Printers
Topic Objective
To explain how to map a
Adding a Printer Connection
network printer.
oNetwork.AddPrinterConnection
oNetwork.AddPrinterConnection "LPT1",
"LPT1", "\\Server\Print1"
"\\Server\Print1"
Lead-in
In the same way that you

oNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection
oNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection "\\Server\Print2"
"\\Server\Print2"
map a network drive, you
can map a network printer.

Removing a Printer Connection
oNetwork.RemovePrinterConnection
oNetwork.RemovePrinterConnection "" Lexmark
Lexmark Optra
Optra SS PS"
PS"

oNetwork.RemovePrinterConnection
oNetwork.RemovePrinterConnection "LPT1:"
"LPT1:"

Setting the Default Printer

oNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter
oNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "\\MyServer\Print1"
"\\MyServer\Print1"

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Adding a printer object in a script is similar to adding a drive object.

Adding a Printer Connection

The AddPrinterConnection method of the WScript.Network object uses
syntax similar to the MapNetworkDrive method.
Syntax object.AddPrinterConnection strLocalName,

strRemoteName[,bUpdateProfile][,strUser][,strPassword]

In the above syntax, strLocalName refers to a local port, and strRemoteName

refers to a shared printer. This method is limited to the number of line printer
(LPT) ports on the system.
The following example maps LPT1 to a shared printer:
Example oNetwork.AddPrinterConnection "LPT1", "\\Server\Print1"

You can avoid the limitation of only being able to use the number of LPT ports
on the system, by using the AddWindowsPrinterConnection method with
Windows client computers. The syntax for this method is as follows:
Syntax object.AddWindowsPrinterConnection(strPrinterPath,

strDriverName[,strPort])

In this syntax, strPrinterPath is the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC)

printer path. This is the only required argument if the computer using the script
is running Windows 2000 or Windows NT. The next arguments are only used if
the computer is running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium
Edition (Me). For these operating systems, strDriverName is the name of the
Windows printer driver. The strPort argument specifies the printer port that
you use for the mapping.
24 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Note If the printer driver name is used in the

AddWindowsPrinterConnection statement, the name must be identical to the
description shown in the properties of the printer under the Model: heading,
including spaces.

You can enumerate printers like drive mappings. The

EnumPrinterConnections method is used in the same way as the
EnumNetworkDrives method; for example:
Example Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
For Each oDrive in oNetwork.EnumPrinterConnections
WScript.Echo oDrive
Next

Removing a Printer Connection

Removing a mapping to a printer is a simple task. The
RemovePrinterConnection method has only one required argument, which is
the local name of the printer, such as LPT1, or the remote name if no local
name exists. Two optional arguments allow you to remove the printer, even if it
is in use, and update the user’s profile.
Example object.RemovePrinterConnection strName, [bForce],

[bUpdateProfile]

Setting the Default Printer

You can set a printer as the default printer by using the SetDefaultPrinter
method and passing the remote printer name as an argument as shown below:
Example oNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "\\MyServer\Print1"

Note There is a dynamic-link library (DLL) that is provided with the

Windows 2000 Resource Kit called PrnAdmin.dll. This DLL provides many
properties and methods that you can use to manage printers. For more
information, see the Windows 2000 Resource Kit Tools help file.
If a local printer exists, you can publish it in Active Directory™ by using a
script that is installed as part of the WSH environment. The script is in the
system folder and is called Pubprn.vbs. For more information about this script,
see the Knowledge Base article Q234619.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 25

Launching Utility Programs

Topic Objective
To introduce how to launch

Calling Applications
programs from within script.
oShell.Run("%windir%\notepad"
oShell.Run("%windir%\notepad" && WScript.ScriptFullName)
WScript.ScriptFullName)
Lead-in
As well as configuring the
user environment, you can
Making an Application Active
launch programs or utilities
oShell.AppActivate
oShell.AppActivate "Calculator"
"Calculator"
and control their behavior.

Pausing the Script
WScript.Sleep
WScript.Sleep 100
100

Sending Keystrokes
oShell.SendKeys
oShell.SendKeys "%fx"
"%fx"

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Your logon scripts may need to launch other programs to perform certain tasks,
such as virus scanning, disk checking or other maintenance utilities. The
simplest way to launch another program is to use the Run method of the
WScript.Shell object as follows:
Syntax object.Run (strCommand, [intWindowStyle], [bWaitOnReturn])

In the above syntax, strCommand is the command to run, intWindowStyle is

the window style for the new program, such as minimized or maximized, and
bWaitOnReturn allows the script to continue to run without waiting for the
new program to end (default) or forces the script to wait until the program ends.

Calling Applications
The following example shows how to run Notepad from a script. As well as
starting Notepad, it also passes the name of the file that you want to open:
Example oShell.Run "%windir%\notepad.exe " & WScript.ScriptFullName

Making an Application Active

You can change the active program by using the AppActivate method of the
WScript.Shell object. In this method, you specify the title of the window that
you want to activate.

Pausing the Script

You can call the Sleep method of the WScript object if you want to pause the
script. You specify the length of time delay in milliseconds.
26 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Sending Keystrokes
You can send keystrokes to another program by first calling the AppActivate
method and then calling the SendKeys method of the WScript.Shell object.
The effect of this is like a user entering keystrokes manually. With this method,
you can run menu items and shortcut keys, such as %fx, which is like a user
pressing ALT + F and then X. This closes the program through the File menu.
A complete listing of various control keys is included here for reference.
Key Code

BACKSPACE {BACKSPACE}, {BS}, or {BKSP}

BREAK {BREAK}
CAPS LOCK {CAPSLOCK}
DEL or DELETE {DELETE} or {DEL}
DOWN ARROW {DOWN}
END {END}
ENTER {ENTER}or ~
ESC {ESC}
HELP {HELP}
HOME {HOME}
INS or INSERT {INSERT} or {INS}
LEFT ARROW {LEFT}
NUM LOCK {NUMLOCK}
PAGE DOWN {PGDN}
PAGE UP {PGUP}
PRINT SCREEN {PRTSC}
RIGHT ARROW {RIGHT}
SCROLL LOCK {SCROLLLOCK}
TAB {TAB}
UP ARROW {UP}
F1 {F1}
F2 {F2}
F3 {F3}
F4 {F4}
F5 {F5}
F6 {F6}
F7 {F7}
F8 {F8}
F9 {F9}
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 27

(continued)
Key Code

F10 {F10}
F11 {F11}
F12 {F12}
F13 {F13}
F14 {F14}
F15 {F15}
F16 {F16}

To specify keys combined with any combination of the SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT
keys, precede the key code with one or more of the following codes.

Key Code

SHIFT +
CTRL ^
ALT %

Caution While using the SendKeys method can be very useful, it is important
to understand its limitations. It is easy for a user to change the focus of a
window while the script is running. This causes the script to fail. SendKeys is
not a robust method and should be used when there is no other way to control
an application.
28 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Lab 6.1: Creating Logon Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will create a
logon script that performs
several tasks, including
mapping a network drive.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to create a logon script that performs
administration tasks such as mapping drives and printers and creating desktop
shortcuts.

Scenario
In this lab, you will write a logon script that maps drives and printers. In
addition, it will create a desktop shortcut to a text file.
After you create and test the script, you will assign it to a user. You will then
test that it runs as expected during the logon process.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 45 minutes

 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 29

Exercise 1
Mapping Drives and Printers
In this exercise, you will create logon scripts that map drives and printers for
the users in the Northwind Traders domain.

To create a new script file

1. Log on to your machine as [email protected] with a
password of password
2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to SAPIEN Technologies, Inc, and
then click PrimalSCRIPT 2.0.
3. On the File menu, click New.
4. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.

To map drives
1. Type the following lines of code to force variable declaration and declare
variables that will be used in this script:
Option Explicit
On Error Resume Next
Dim oNetwork, oDrives, oFSO, Drive
Dim sFinalDrive, iChar, sNewDrive

2. Type the following lines of code to instantiate a WScript.Network object

and use it to map a specific drive letter to a share on the Instructor’s
computer:
Set oNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive "H:", "\\London\LabShare"

3. Type the following lines of code to instantiate a

Scripting.FileSystemObject object and use it to obtain the next available
drive letter that you can use to map to a share:
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
For Each Drive in oFSO.Drives
sFinalDrive = left(Drive, 1)
Next
iChar = Asc(sFinalDrive)
sNewDrive = Chr(iChar + 1)

4. Type the following lines of code to map the drive letter that is determined
above to a share on the instructor’s computer:
oNetwork.MapNetworkDrive sNewDrive & ":", _
"\\London\LabShare"
30 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

To map printers
1. Type the following lines of code to map to a printer:
oNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection "\\London\ClassPrn"

2. Type the following line of code to set the printer as the default printer:
oNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "\\London\ClassPrn"

3. On the File menu, click Save As.

4. In the Save As dialog box, go to the
install_folder\Labs\Lab06\Lab6_1\Starter folder.
5. In the File Name box, type Logonx.vbs (where x is your student number),
and then click Save.
Leave the script open, because you will use it in the next exercise.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 31

Exercise 2
Creating Shortcuts
In this exercise, you will create shortcuts to a text file by using Visual Basic
Scripting Edition.

To create a shortcut to a text file

1. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the root of the C drive, and then click
it.
2. On the File menu, click New, and then click Text Document, type
Readme.txt as the file’s name, and then press ENTER.
3. Switch to PrimalSCRIPT.
4. After the code that you have already written, type the following code to
create a shortcut to the Readme.txt file that you have just created:
Dim oShell, oShortCut, sDesktop, sLnkPath
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.shell")
sDesktop = oShell.SpecialFolders("Desktop")
Set oShortCut = oShell.CreateShortcut _
(sDesktop & "\readme.lnk")
oShortCut.TargetPath = "C:\Readme.txt"
oShortCut.Save
WScript.Echo "Logon Script Complete"

To test your script

1. On the File menu, click Save.
2. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
3. Click OK when you receive the message “Logon Script Complete.”
4. On your desktop, double-click My Computer.
5. Verify that you now have a drive mapped to the LabShare on the London
computer.
6. On the Start menu, click Settings, and then click Printers.
7. Verify that you have a connection to the printer on the London computer.

You have now created and tested your logon script.

32 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Exercise 3
Assigning Logon Scripts to a User
In this exercise, you will assign the logon script that you have just created to a
user. You will then test that it runs as expected when the user logs on to the
domain.

To assign your script to a user

1. Switch to PrimalSCRIPT.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. In the File name box type:
\\London\Admin$\SYSVOL\sysvol\NWTraders.msft\scripts
\Logonx.vbs (where x is your student number).
4. On the Start menu, click Run.
5. In the Open box, type MMC and then press ENTER.
6. On the Console menu, click 1 ADUsers and Computers.
7. In the Tree pane, click WST.
8. In the details pane, click Adminx (where x is your student number).
9. On the Action menu, click Properties, and then click the Profile tab.
10. In the Logon script box, type Logonx.vbs (where x is your student
number), and then click OK.

To verify that your script runs correctly during the logon process
1. Close all open windows and programs.
2. Log off from Windows.
3. Log on to the NWTraders.msft domain as Adminx (where x is your student
number).
4. Click OK when prompted that the logon script has finished.
5. Verify that you have a shortcut to Readme.txt on your desktop.
6. Double-click My Computer.
7. Verify that the drives have been mapped as expected.
8. On the Start menu, click Settings, and then click Printers.
9. Verify that you have a connection to the printer on the London computer.

You have now successfully created, assigned, and tested a logon script written
in VBScript.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 33

Managing Logon Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce the tasks
involved in effectively
managing logon scripts.
Assigning Logon Scripts
Lead-in
Script Time Windows
After you create logon
scripts, you must manage
Securing WSH
them effectively.

Protecting Logon Scripts

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In addition to performing the common tasks outlined so far in this module, you
will also need to successfully manage the logon scripts in your enterprise
network.
This section describes assigning logon scripts, script time windows, securing
the WSH environment, protecting logon scripts, and troubleshooting logon
scripts. It also outlines good practices for managing your logon scripts.
34 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Assigning Logon Scripts

Topic Objective
To explain how logon scripts
are assigned to users and
Using Active Directory
computers.

Assign logon scripts on a per user basis
Lead-in
Let’s look at the ways in
Using Group Policy
which you can assign a
logon script to a user
Logon/logoff scripts
account.

Startups/shutdown scripts

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Windows 2000 provides two mechanisms for assigning a logon script to a user
account. You can do this through the user properties in Active Directory or
through Group Policy.

Using Active Directory

In the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in, you can specify a logon
script as part of the user properties, on a per-user basis. This approach enables
you to assign logon scripts to individual user accounts.

Using Group Policy to Assign Logon Scripts

Group Policy is a Windows 2000 technology that provides centralized control
over the configuration of computer and user environments. This includes the
assignment of logon scripts to users, groups of users, and computers.
To assign logon scripts to groups, it is recommended that you use Group Policy
Objects (GPOs). Group Policy gives you access to the user’s logon/logoff script
windows and to the computer's Startup/Shutdown windows. With this method,
you can also assign multiple logon scripts to a collection of users.
When assigning scripts in this way, you have greater control over how the script
runs.
Using Group Policy to assign logon scripts requires the following settings:

Run logon scripts synchronously
This setting directs the system to wait for the logon scripts to end before
starting Microsoft Windows Explorer. The default is for the scripts and
Windows Explorer to run asynchronously, so that scripts are still running
when Windows Explorer is starting.
Note that the computer version of this setting takes precedence over this
setting.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 35

Run legacy logon scripts hidden

This hides the running of batch files that were written for logon scripts in
Windows NT. By default, these batch files are displayed.

Run logon scripts visible
This processes the logon script as a visible process, thereby displaying each
instruction in the script. By default, these instruction are hidden.

Run logoff script visible
This assigns the same setting as “Run logon scripts visible,” but for logoff
scripts.

Important If you use Group Policy to deploy your logon/logoff scripts, be sure
that a large number of scripts do not run synchronously. The overall script
execution time can cause an unacceptable delay in the logon time for users.
Always test the scripts to make sure that the execution time is acceptable before
assigning the logon script in the production environment.

For computers, using Group Policy to assign logon scripts requires the
following settings:

Run logon scripts synchronously
This setting directs the system to wait for the logon scripts to end before
starting Windows Explorer. The default is for the scripts and Windows
Explorer to run asynchronously, so that scripts are still running when
Windows Explorer is starting.
Note that this setting takes precedence over the user version of this setting.

Run startup scripts asynchronously
This enables startup scripts to run simultaneously. The default is for each
script to end before the next script runs.

Run startup scripts visible
This processes the startup script written in Visual Basic Scripting Edition as
a visible process, thereby displaying each instruction in the script. By
default, these instructions are hidden.

Run shutdown script visible
This assigns the same setting as “Run startup scripts visible,” but for
shutdown scripts.

Maximum wait time for Group Policy scripts
This setting governs how long the system waits to process startup or
shutdown scripts. If this time-out is reached, script processing is forcibly
stopped, and an error is reported in the system event log.
This setting can be very important, because many scripts require some sort
of user interaction. For example, you may write a startup script to connect to
a domain resource. If the account password changes, a dialog box is
displayed that prompts the user to type the correct password.
36 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

However, in a startup script, this dialog box will not be displayed, because
the startup script is not interactive. As a result, the system appears to be
hung. In this situation, the “Maximum wait time for Group Policy scripts”
setting governs how long the machine stays in this state before the script is
forcibly stopped. By default, the system waits for 600 seconds (ten
minutes).
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 37

Script Time Windows

Topic Objective
To introduce script time
windows.
Lead-in
Execution Order:
Let’s look at the specific 1. System Startup
times at which you can run
scripts. 2. User Logon
3. User Logoff
4. System Shutdown

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Windows 2000 extends the functionality of logon scripts by providing
additional script time-windows for you to execute them in. As well as the logon
script window that is provided when the user logs on to the system,
Windows 2000 provides three additional script time-windows: User Logoff,
System Startup, and System Shutdown.
The order of execution for these script time-windows is as follows:
1. System Startup
This runs when the computer is powered up and the operating system is
booted.
2. User Logon
This runs after the user has been successfully authenticated.
3. User Logoff
When the user has chosen to log off or shut down the computer, this script
runs.
4. System Shutdown
The shutdown script is only run when the computer shuts down. If a user
has a logoff script, this script runs before the shutdown script runs.
38 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Securing WSH
Topic Objective
To introduce WSH security.
Lead-in
VBScript is a powerful

VBScript-Based Viruses
language. Let’s look at ways
Remove WSH
that you can secure the
WSH environment.
Change default action on .vbs .vbe .js .jse .wsf

Restrict Access to Host

NTFS file system permissions

CScript.exe and WScript.exe

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It is important that you understand how to secure the WSH environment to
prevent the proliferation of VBScript-based viruses in your enterprise network.

VBScript-Based Viruses
VBScript-based viruses show that creators of viruses can use script. You can
take several steps to minimize the risk of these viruses using the WSH
environment.
One way is to remove the WSH environment. Another way to prevent script
viruses is to change the default application handler for script files.
The following procedure changes the application that opens vbs, .vbe, .js, .jse,
or .wsf files. If those files open, it opens with Notepad.exe and not with the
application handler.
1. Double-click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the File Types tab, and then scroll down to the first item in the list
above .jse, which is a Microsoft JScript® encoded file.
4. Click the .jse file, and then click Edit.
5. In the Action window, click Open, and then click Edit.
6. Change the following line from:
C:\WINNT\System32\WScript.exe "%1" %*

To:
C:\WINNT\System32\Notepad.exe "%1" %*

7. Click OK, and then click Close.

 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 39

Repeat these steps for each of the other file types listed previously.

Note Many administrators and users reconfigure the default method of files
with a .vbs or .js extension on their systems so that they open rather than run
when invoked. This is an effective counter-measure that you can use to prevent
the spread of script viruses.
On systems with this configuration, startup and shutdown scripts run correctly.
Logon and logoff scripts fail, because they use the default method. As a result,
instead of having the logon script run, users see the script in an editor (such as
Notepad) when the user logs on and logs off. Users can work around this by
calling the login script directly from within a batch file.

Restricting Access to the Host

It is also possible to further restrict the WSH environment by using NTFS file
system permissions to control how users run scripts. This is best achieved by
concentrating on the host executables, because they are the simplest files to set
permissions on. For WSH, the host files are CScript.exe and WScript.exe. By
setting appropriate NTFS file system permissions on these files, you can restrict
someone’s ability to run scripts.

Note For more information about this subject, go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/default.asp
You can also find information in the Knowledge Base article Q263568,
“Information on Preventing Certain Types of Software from Running
Automatically.”
40 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Protecting Logon Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce the script
encoder that protects
scripts.
Scripting Encoder
Lead-in
Basic script protection
If you don’t want users to
read your scripts, then you
Seamless to the user
can encode them by using
the Script Encoder.
Suffix must be .vbe or .jse

Script Encoder Syntax

Examples

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You may want to hide the contents of your scripts from the users that run them
to protect sensitive data, such as passwords, and prevent users from changing
the contents of the file.

Script Encoder
The Script Encoder (Screnc.exe) is a command-line tool that protects the
contents of a script from unauthorized viewing, copying, or modification, while
still enabling the script to run. The script file is passed to the Script Encoder,
which then performs an encoding routine against the file and creates a new file
with a .vbe (or .jse for Jscript) extension.
This file, if viewed in a text editor, contains what appear to be random
command characters. Changing any part of the file renders it inoperable. This
ensures the integrity of the encoded script, while enabling it to be decoded and
executed by WSH.

Important This encoding only protects the script from a casual attempt at
viewing and modifying script. It does not protect the script from a determined
attempt to crack the encoding mechanism.

The Script Encoder is available from the Microsoft Script Web site at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/default.htm?/scripting/vbscript/download/v
bsdown.htm
It is important to note that this script encoder was written primarily for the
encoding of Web-based scripts such as Active Server Pages (ASP). As a result,
many of the switches and examples given as part of the documentation should
not be used for encoding WSH files.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 41

Script Encoder Syntax

The following shows the syntax for the Script Encoder:
Syntax screnc [/?] [/s] <source> <destination>

The arguments are described in the following table.

Argument Description

/? Help.
/s Silent. Display no messages.
source The file to encode. It can include wildcard
characters.
destination The destination file.

Note This is a simplified list of the syntax for Screnc.exe. It shows the
switches that are important to the encoding of standard WSH files. For a more
detailed explanation of all of the switches, see the Script Encoder
documentation.

Examples
The following are some examples of how the Script Encoder can be used:
Example screnc Demo.vbs EncodedDemo.vbe

This encodes Demo.vbs into EncodedDemo.vbe.

Example screnc Demo.vbs /s c:\testscripts\EncodedDemo.vbe

This encodes Demo.vbs into c:\testscript\EncodedDemo.vbe, without

generating any messages.
42 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Troubleshooting Logon Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce tips for
troubleshooting logon
scripts.
Replicating Logon Scripts
Lead-in
Setting Time-Outs
Let’s discuss some of the
issues that you must
Preventing Premature Execution of Logon Scripts in
consider before deploying Windows 95 and Windows 98
your logon scripts.

Network Bandwidth

At server and client

Testing for Required Files

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Before distributing logon scripts to the enterprise network, there are several
issues that you must understand and plan for.

Replicating Logon Scripts

Windows 2000 can use the File Replication Service (FRS) to replicate logon
scripts between servers in the enterprise network. Windows NT uses the
Directory Replicator (LMRepl) in a similar way. By default, logon scripts are
stored in the SysVol folder, at \…\SYSVOL\SysVol\MyDomain\Scripts.
This folder is in the NETLOGON share that is used by the client computers for
running logon scripts. Placing the logon script in this folder ensures that it is
available on all domain controllers, because the contents of the SysVol folder
automatically replicate throughout the domain. Replication is performed by
FRS on all domain controllers.
In a mixed-mode environment, logon scripts must be available in the Netlogon
share of all Windows NT and Windows 2000 domain controllers. The
replication of logon scripts is slightly more complex, because there is no
support for down-level replication in Windows 2000.
To bridge the replication process between the two operating systems, you can
use Lbridge.cmd from the Windows 2000 Resource Kit.

Note For more information, see Knowledge Base article Q248358,

“Windows 2000 Does Not Support Windows 4.0 Directory Replication.”
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 43

Setting Time-Outs
Setting time-outs can help prevent a hung script from degrading the logon
experience for users.
Setting the script time-out can be achieved by changing either the settings for
the script host or the setting in a .wsh file. However, you can also set a time-out
by using the Script Parameters option when the startup/shutdown or
logon/logoff scripts are assigned in Group Policy. This setting accepts any of
the standard command-line switches for the script engines. For example, the
following switch sets the maximum run-time for the script to 30 seconds:
Example //T:30

Preventing Premature Execution of Logon Scripts in

Windows 95 and Windows 98
Windows 95 and Windows 98 can run a user’s logon script before the user
account is authenticated. This can cause problems in a logon script if the user’s
credentials are required when the script runs. To fix this, add a test to the logon
script that waits for the UserName property to be populated. By doing so, the
script proves that the user has been authenticated fully. An example of a loop
that you can use to do this is shown below:
Example Username = ""
Do
Username = oNetwork.UserName
Loop Until Username <> ""

Network Bandwidth
There are two areas to consider when using scripts over a network:

Server bottlenecks
Bottlenecks may be the result of multiple simultaneous logon attempts at
peak times. Domain controllers are responsible for authenticating users and
accepting incoming connections from the client computers to retrieve
computer startup scripts and user logon scripts. Servicing all of these
requests may have a negative impact upon the performance of domain
controllers.

Connectivity bottlenecks
The speed of physical links, such as Wide Area Network (WAN) links for
remote sites or RAS links for mobile users, is a factor when assigning
scripts to users and computers. Before any of the scripts run, they must be
copied over the link to the local computer. This can significantly increase
the time it takes for a script to run.
44 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

To address these bottlenecks, consider the following:

Ensure that there are enough domain controllers to authenticate users. By
using Domain Naming Service (DNS) Records, Windows 2000 clients load
balance across multiple domain controllers. The authenticating domain
controller for each user has a copy of the scripts that are assigned to that
user in the Netlogon share.

Distribute the processing across multiple member servers. The user’s logon
script in the Netlogon share of the domain controller can be a pointer to the
main script. The client can then connect to a share on a member server to
retrieve this script.

Testing for Required Files

It is always a good practice to ensure that scripts run without generating
unnecessary errors. As a result, a script should test for the possibility of an
error. If possible, a script should correct the error, or at least exit gracefully with
a helpful message. A logon script should check that the files required for it to
run successfully are present and that the files are the required version.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 45

Best Practices
Topic Objective
To introduce best practices.
Lead-in
When working with script,

Test All Changes to Production Logon Scripts
follow these practices.
Implement Error Handling

Document Scripts

Be Aware of Network Bandwidth Issues

Protect Scripts with Encoding

Create a “Script Fix” and “Test User” Logon

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You should adhere to good practices when developing logon scripts.

Test All Changes to Production Logon Scripts

Do not make any changes to a production logon script without first testing the
script thoroughly in all environments that the script is likely to run. Consider
using a product like Microsoft Visual SourceSafe™ to keep track of versions of
your scripts. By doing so, you can retrieve older versions of scripts if the
changes implemented are problematic.

Implement Error Handling

Error handling is as essential for scripts as it is for compiled programs. If you
fail to test for errors, your script may not complete all of the functions that you
intended.

Document Scripts
Comments help scriptwriters and administrators to understand a script written
by someone else, or even a script that they wrote themselves a few months
previously. Comments make maintaining scripts easier.

Be Aware of Network Bandwidth Issues

Do not forget about network bandwidth issues. Assess whether scripts have
unnecessary functionalities; for example, they copy items over the network that
can be stored on the local computer.

Protect Scripts with Encoding

If you do not want users to be able to view the contents of your logon scripts,
consider encoding them with the Windows Script Encoder.
46 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Create a “Script Fix” and “Test User” Logon

Having a user account specifically for fixing problems with logon scripts can be
a benefit if something goes wrong with a script. Make sure that no scripts are
assigned to this user. Then, you can logon anywhere without any scripts
running.
It may also be useful to create a test user for the logon script. This test user has
the first account to have a new or modified logon script assigned to it. This
account should have the same level of permissions as the users that the script
will be assigned to.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 47

Lab 6.2: Assigning Logon Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will work with
the script time-windows and
assign scripts to computers
and users in the domain.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to understand the script time
windows available in Windows 2000 and how you can use them to run script.

Scenario
You are the administrator for the Northwind Traders domain. To ensure that all
of the computers and users in your domain have the appropriate settings, you
must write startup, logon, logoff, and shutdown scripts. You want to use Group
Policy settings to achieve this.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 45 minutes

48 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

Exercise 1
Configuring Scripts with Group Policies
In this exercise, you will write scripts and manage them by using Group Policy
settings.

To create the script folder

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the root of your C drive.
2. On the File menu, point to New, click Folder, type ScriptWindows as the
folder name, and then press ENTER.

To create the scripts

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to SAPIEN Technologies, Inc, and
then click PrimalSCRIPT 2.0.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.
4. Type the following line of code:
MsgBox "Starting Up!"

5. On the File menu, click Save As.

6. In the Save As box, navigate to the C:\ScriptWindows folder.
7. In the File name box, type Startup.vbs and then click Save.
8. Repeat steps 2 through 7, to create the following files and message boxes:
• Logon.vbs
MsgBox "Logging on!"

• Logoff.vbs
MsgBox "Logging off!"

• Shutdown.vbs
MsgBox "Shutting Down!"

9. Close PrimalSCRIPT.

To open the Group Policy Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

1. Click Start, and then click Run…
2. In the Open box, type MMC and then click OK.
3. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add.
5. In the Available Standalone Snap-ins list, click Group Policy, and then
click Add.
6. In the Select Group Policy Object dialog box, click Finish.
7. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, click Close.
8. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click OK.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 49

To assign the startup script

1. In the Tree pane, expand Local Computer Policy, Computer
Configuration, and Window Settings.
2. In the details pane, double-click Scripts (Startup/Shutdown).
3. Click Startup.
4. On the Action menu, click Properties.
5. In the Startup Properties dialog box, click Add.
6. In the Add a Script dialog box, click Browse.
7. Go to the C:\ScriptWindows folder, click Startup.vbs, and then click Open.
8. In the Add a Script dialog box, click OK.
9. In the Startup Properties dialog box, click OK.

To assign the shutdown script

1. In the detail pane, click Shutdown.
2. On the Action menu, click Properties.
3. In the Shutdown Properties dialog box, click Add.
4. In the Add a Script dialog box, click Browse.
5. Go to the C:\ScriptWindows folder, click Shutdown.vbs, and then click
Open.
6. In the Add a Script dialog box, click OK.
7. In the Shutdown Properties dialog box, click OK.

To assign the logon script

1. In the Tree pane, under User Configuration, expand Windows Settings.
2. In the Details pane, double-click Scripts (Logon/Logoff).
3. Click Logon.
4. On the Action menu, click Properties.
5. In the Logon Properties dialog box, click Add.
6. In the Add a Script dialog box, click Browse.
7. Go to the C:\ScriptWindows folder, click Logon.vbs, and then click Open.
8. In the Add a Script dialog box, click OK.
9. In the Logon Properties dialog box, click OK.
50 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts

To assign the logoff script

1. In the detail pane, click Logoff.
2. On the Action menu, click Properties.
3. In the Logoff Properties dialog box, click Add.
4. In the Add a Script dialog box, click Browse.
5. Go to the C:\ScriptWindows folder, click Logoff.vbs, and then click Open.
6. In the Add a Script dialog box, click OK.
7. In the Logoff Properties dialog box, click OK.
8. You have now assigned a script to each of the script time windows that are
provided by Windows 2000.

To save the MMC

1. On the Console menu, click Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, in the File name box, type GrpPol and then
click Save.
3. Close the MMC console.

To test the script time windows scripts

1. Click Start, and then click Shut Down.
2. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Restart, and then click OK.
3. In the Logging Off! message box, click OK.
4. In the Shutting Down! message box, click OK.
Windows restarts.
5. In the Starting Up! message box, click OK.
6. Log on to the Northwind Traders domain as Adminx (where x is your
student number).
7. In the Logging On! message box, click OK.
Note that your logon script, assigned in the previous lab, also runs.
8. Click OK.

You have now successfully written scripts that run in the script time windows
that are provided by Windows 2000.
 Module 6: Creating Logon Scripts 51

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
points.
Verifying the WSH Environment
Lead-in
Common Logon Script Tasks
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
Managing Logon Scripts
taught in this module.

Troubleshooting Logon Scripts

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1. What object exposes the MapNetworkDrive method?
The Network object.

2. What can you assign a logon script to?

You can assign a logon script directly to a user. Alternatively, you can
use Group Policy to assign logon scripts to users, groups of user, and
computers.

3. What are the four script time-windows that are provided by Windows 2000?
System Startup, User Logon, User Logoff, and System Shutdown.

4. What does the command-line variable %0 return?

The full path of the script file that is running.
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
 Module 7:
Administrative Scripts

Contents
Overview 1
Script Arguments 2
Working with Event Logs 3
Generating E-Mail Messages 5
Lab 7.1: Administrative Scripts 7
Managing the Registry 11
Working with Drives, Folders, and Files 13
Setting Folder-Level and File-Level
Security 22
Scheduling Scripts 25
Lab 7.2: Working with the
FileSystemObject 28
Review 32
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to
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places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company,
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should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.
Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any
written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Active Directory, ActiveX, FrontPage, JScript, MS-DOS, MSDN, Outlook,

PowerPoint, SQL Server, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual InterDev, Visual Studio, Windows,
Windows Media, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with the knowledge to script commonly
60 Minutes encountered administrative tasks.
Lab: After completing this module, students will be able to:
60 Minutes

Manage arguments in scripts.

Add entries to Microsoft® Windows® 2000 event logs.

Use Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) to generate e-mail messages.

Use script to manage the registry.

Work with drives, folders, and files by using script.

Schedule scripts.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:

Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_07.ppt.

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:

Read all of the materials for this module.

Complete the lab.
iv Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Module Strategy
Use the following strategies to present this module:

Script Arguments
Make the students aware that they can write scripts that accept arguments at
run time. Emphasize that this approach allows them to write more generic
scripts that can be controlled by passing appropriate arguments as needed.
Make sure that the students understand that dragging files onto a script
causes the file name of that file to pass as an argument to the script.

Working with Event Logs
Explain the importance of being able to log entries in the Windows 2000
Application Event Log.
Emphasize that the source object for any log entries generated by script, in
the manner described in this section, will be Microsoft Windows Script Host
(WSH) and not the script itself.
Because the students are likely to be very interested in this section, ensure
that they all understand how to create different types of log entries, as
described in this section.

Generating E-Mail Messages
Again, the students are likely to be interested in how to send e-mail
messages by using scripts. Explain how easily this can be achieved.

Managing the Registry
Most administrators will want to know how to manipulate the registry by
using script. Describe how this can be easily achieved, but emphasize that
care must be taken when deleting or modifying registry values and keys.

Working with Drives, Folders, and Files
This section recaps how to use the FileSystemObject to manipulate files,
folders, and drives. Provide further details about how to work with these
objects. Do not skim through these topics simply because they have been
mentioned before.

Setting Folder-Level and File-Level Security
This section recaps the Active Directory Services Interface (ADSI) security.
Do not spend too much time on this subject, but instead, refer the students to
scripting security documentation.

Scheduling Scripts
Most students will be familiar with using the Windows 2000 AT Scheduler.
Use this single-slide section to ensure that all students are comfortable with
the process of using the AT Scheduler

Best Practices
This single-slide section simply outlines some good practices. Go through
each recommendation with the students to ensure that they understand all of
the issues in this section.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts v

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Microsoft
Official Curriculum (MOC) courseware.

Important The labs in this module are also dependent on the classroom
configuration that is specified in the section “Customization Information” at the
end of the Classroom Setup Guide for course 2433A, Microsoft® Visual Basic®
Scripting Edition and Microsoft Windows® Script Host Essentials.

Lab Setup
There are no lab setup requirements that affect replication or customization.
This page intentionally left blank.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
Script Arguments
objectives.
Lead-in
Working with Event Logs
In this module, you will learn
Generating E-Mail Messages
how to use script to perform
common administrative
Managing the Registry
tasks.

Working with Drives, Folders, and Files

Setting Folder-Level and File-Level Security

Scheduling Scripts

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Using script to perform administrative functions offers many advantages. In this
module, you will learn how to use script to perform typical administrative tasks
by using the various scripting models that are available through Microsoft®
Windows® Script Host (WSH) and Microsoft Visual Basic® Script (VBScript).
After completing this module, you will be able to:

Manage arguments in scripts.

Add entries to Microsoft Windows 2000 event logs.

Use Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) to generate e-mail messages.

Use script to manage the registry.

Work with drives, folders, and files by using script.

Schedule scripts.
2 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Script Arguments
Topic Objective
To explain how to send
arguments to a script.
Lead-in
WScript Object
You can modify the tasks
Arguments Collection
that an administrative script
performs each time it runs
by sending arguments to the For
For ii == 00 to
to WScript.Arguments.Count
WScript.Arguments.Count –– 11
MsgBox
MsgBox "Argument
"Argument "" && i+1
i+1 && "" is
is "" && WScript.Arguments.Item(i)
script. WScript.Arguments.Item(i)
Next
Next

Using the Drag-and-Drop Operation

File name passed as an argument

If script does not check for arguments, they are ignored

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As with most command line utilities, you can send arguments to a script. This is
especially useful for administrative scripts. To avoid changing your script files
every time they need to perform a series of slightly different tasks, you can
develop the scripts so that they accept arguments. You can then supply these
arguments at run time to modify the tasks being performed.

WScript Object
The WScript object has an Arguments collection that gives your code access to
all of the values that are passed in to the script as arguments. The following
script example shows how you can loop through the Arguments collection and
process each argument individually:
Example For i = 0 to WScript.Arguments.Count – 1
MsgBox "Argument " & i+1 & " is " _
& WScript.Arguments.Item(i)
Next

When you invoke a script, you can provide multiple arguments by separating
them with spaces. If you need to pass in values that themselves contain spaces,
you can enclose the values in double quotes (“ ”). The following is an example
of a command line that provides two arguments to a script. Note that one of the
arguments contains spaces:
Example Cscript.exe Args.vbs [email protected] “Kathie Flood”

Using the Drag-and-Drop Operation

If you drag a file onto a script, the full path and file name are passed to that
script as an argument. If the script has no argument-handling routine, the
arguments will be ignored, and the script will run as if no arguments were
passed in.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 3

Working with Event Logs

Topic Objective
To introduce the use of
Writing to the Windows 2000 Application Event Log
event logging in scripts.
Lead-in oShell.LogEvent
oShell.LogEvent 4,
4, “Login
“Login Script
Script Succeeded”
Succeeded”
You can create scripts that
log events to the
SUCCESS 0
Windows 2000 Application
Event Log.
ERROR 1

WARNING 2

INFORMATION 4

AUDIT_SUCCESS 8

AUDIT_FAILURE 16

Reading from Event Logs

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When a script is being executed, it can log events to the Windows 2000
Application Event Log.

Writing to the Windows 2000 Application Event Log

You can use the LogEvent method of the Shell object to log events. The source
of the log message is shown in Event Viewer as “WSH.” The syntax for this
command is shown in the following example:
Example object.LogEvent (intType, strMessage [,strTarget])

The intType argument is an integer value that represents the type of event to
log.
You can choose from the integer values in the following table.
IntType Value Meaning

0 SUCCESS
1 ERROR
2 WARNING
4 INFORMATION
8 AUDIT_SUCCESS
16 AUDIT_FAILURE

Note that “strMessage” is the text entry of the event, and “strTarget” is the
target system where the event should be logged. The default target is the local
system.
If the script is run on a Microsoft Windows 95 or a Microsoft Windows 98
machine, the events are logged in a text file called WSH.log in the Windows
folder.
4 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

An example of code to log an event is shown in the following example:

Example oShell.LogEvent 4, "Logon Script Succeeded"

Reading from Event Logs

You cannot use the WSH objects to read information from system event logs.
However, you can achieve this by using the following alternative solutions:

Use the Dumpel.exe utility from the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. This
utility creates a tab-separated text file that can be manipulated by using the
FileSystemObject.
Use the Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) object
model. WMI has a Microsoft Windows NT® Event Log Provider that
provides access to data and event notifications from the Windows 2000
Event Log.

Use some of the available third-party COM components that provide read
and write access to the system event logs. For examples of Web sites that
provide such components, see Module 8, “Beyond the Basics.”
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 5

Generating E-Mail Messages

Topic Objective
To explain how to use the
CDO Object Model to send
e-mail.
Generating E-Mail Messages
Lead-in
CDO Object Model
You can use the CDO
Object Model to send e-mail
Sending an E-Mail Message
messages through script.
Set
Set oMyMail
oMyMail == CreateObject("CDO.Message")
CreateObject("CDO.Message")
oMyMail.To
oMyMail.To == “[email protected]”
“[email protected]”
oMyMail.Subject
oMyMail.Subject == “Test
“Test Mail
Mail from
from Script”
Script”
oMyMail.TextBody = “Please Ignore”
oMyMail.TextBody = “Please Ignore”
oMyMail.Send
oMyMail.Send

Configuration Changes

Inherits either IIS or default identity of Outlook Express

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The Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) libraries can be used to
programmatically access messaging functionality. This is especially useful for
tasks such as sending administrative alerts by e-mail.

Generating E-Mail Messages

There are four different versions of CDO libraries that provide e-mail
functionality. This example concentrates on CDO for Windows 2000 because it
is the standard on all computers running Windows 2000. In order to function,
this library must reside on a computer that has either local or network access to
a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) or Network News Transfer Protocol
(NNTP) service.

Note If Microsoft Exchange 2000 is installed on your Windows 2000 server,

the CDO library for Exchange 2000 replaces the CDO library for
Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 library is a subset of the Exchange 2000
library, so any programs written for the first library will continue to function if
the new library is installed.
6 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Sending an E-Mail Message

The CDO library Message object provides the functionality that enables you to
send e-mail messages as part of your scripts.
The following example shows how easy it is to add messaging features to your
scripts:
Example Set oMyMail = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
oMyMail.To = "[email protected]"
oMyMail.Subject = "Test Mail from Script"
oMyMail.TextBody = "Please Ignore"
oMyMail.AddAttachment "C:\ErrorLog.txt"
oMyMail.MIMEFormatted = False
oMyMail.Send
WScript.Echo "Message Sent From : " & oMyMail.From
Wscript.Echo " To : " & oMyMail.To

The properties and methods of the Message object are self-explanatory, such as
To (comma separators for multiple addresses), Subject, and From.
AddAttachment is a method that can be called multiple times to add several
attachments to a message.

Configuration Changes
You can also configure many settings, such as language, time zone, proxy, and
connection-timeout values, by using the CDO.Configuration object.
If these settings are not changed, default values are loaded from either
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) or the identity of the default
MAPI profile used by your mail client (such as Microsoft Outlook®). Therefore,
it is advisable to use configuration objects if there is a possibility that the
default configuration settings may be inappropriate. If a local SMTP or NNTP
service is found on the computer, the default submittal method for messages is
through the associated pickup directory.
For more information about configuration, see “Configuring the Message
Object” in the CDO for Windows 2000 Platform SDK.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 7

Lab 7.1: Administrative Scripts

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will use the
drag-and-drop operation of
WSH to send arguments to
a VBScript file.

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Objectives
In this lab, you will use the drag-and-drop operation to pass arguments to a
script. You will also write an entry into the Windows 2000 Application Event
Log.

Scenario
As the administrator responsible for writing scripts, you want to make your
scripts as reusable as possible. One way to achieve this is to allow arguments to
be passed to the scripts when they are run. In this lab, you will learn how to
write scripts that accept arguments.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 30 minutes

8 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Exercise 1
Passing Arguments to Scripts
In this exercise, you will create a script that accepts a file name as an argument
and displays a message box that contains the script's full path and file name.

To create a script that accepts file names as arguments

1. Start PrimalSCRIPT if it is not already running.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.
4. Type the following code, which uses an If…Then block to check for
arguments passed to the script. The code also stores the value of each
argument in an array (for later use in the lab):
Option Explicit
Dim vArg, aArgs(), iCount
If WScript.Arguments.Count = 0 then
MsgBox "No Arguments Supplied"
WScript.Quit
Else
ReDim aArgs(WScript.Arguments.Count - 1)
For iCount = 0 to WScript.Arguments.Count - 1
aArgs(iCount) = WScript.Arguments(iCount)
MsgBox aArgs(iCount)
Next
End If

5. On the File menu, click Save As.

6. In the Save As dialog box, go to the folder
<install folder>\Labs\Lab07\Lab7_1\Starter.
7. In the File name box, type VBArg.vbs
8. Click Save.

To create files to be used as arguments for your script

1. In Windows Explorer, move to the folder
<install folder>\Labs\Lab07\Lab7_1\Starter.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. Click Text Document.
4. Type Text1.txt as the new file name, and press ENTER.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 to create two more text documents named
Text2.txt and Text3.txt, respectively.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 9

To run the script that accepts file names as arguments

1. Drag Text1.txt and drop it onto the VBArgs.vbs script file.
2. In the message box that appears, click OK.
3. Select Text1.txt, Text2.txt, and Text3.txt.
4. Drag Text1.txt, Text2.txt, and Text3.txt onto the VBArgs.vbs script file.
Note that three message boxes appear, one for each file.
5. Double-click the VBArgs.vbs script to run it directly without any
arguments.
Note the message box that appears.
10 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Exercise 2
Writing an Event into the Application Event Log
In this exercise, you will add a new section to the previous script that writes a
new entry into the Windows 2000 Application Event Log to indicate which files
were passed as arguments.

To write events to the Application Event Log

1. Switch to PrimalSCRIPT.
2. Add the following lines of code to the end of the script to write entries to the
Application Event Log:
Dim oShell, sLogEntry
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
sLogEntry = "Script was run with :"
For iCount = 0 to UBound(aArgs)
sLogEntry = sLogEntry & vbCrLf & aArgs(iCount)
Next
oShell.LogEvent 4, sLogEntry

3. On the File menu, click Save.

4. Switch to Windows Explorer.
5. Select Text1.txt, Text2.txt, and Text3.txt.
6. Drag Text1.txt, Text2.txt, and Text3.txt onto the VBArgs.vbs script file.
7. Click OK for each of the message boxes.

To review the events in the Application Event Log

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and
then click Event Viewer.
2. In the Tree pane, click Application Log.
3. In the right pane, double-click and review the entry at the top of the list.

Tip The Source columns will specify WSH for the entry generated by your
script.

4. Click OK.
5. Close Event Viewer.

You have now written a script that accepts arguments and writes entries to the
Windows 2000 Application Event Log.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 11

Managing the Registry

Topic Objective
To introduce how to modify
the registry with script.
Lead-in
Reading from the Registry
Instead of configuring a
machine manually, you can sValue
sValue == oShell.RegRead
oShell.RegRead (“HKLM\System\Current…”)
(“HKLM\System\Current…”)
use script to change registry
settings.

Writing to the Registry

oShell.RegWrite
oShell.RegWrite “HKLM\..\Current…”,
“HKLM\..\Current…”, “New
“New value”
value”

Deleting from the Registry

oShell.RegDelete
oShell.RegDelete “HKLM\System\Current…”
“HKLM\System\Current…”

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The registry is one of the most important storage locations in the Microsoft
Windows environment. Administrators often need to access information stored
in the registry and manipulate key configuration settings to reconfigure
systems. You can accomplish this by using script. The WScript.Shell object
allows access to the registry to read, write, and delete keys and values.

Reading from the Registry

To read data in the registry, you can create a WScript.Shell object and use the
RegRead method, as shown in the following example:
Example Set oShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
MsgBox oShell.RegRead("HKLM\Software\Microsoft\

Windows NT\CurrentVersion\CurrentVersion")

This method returns different data types, depending on the key value that is set
in the registry. This may cause problems, but the majority of values returned are
strings, integers, or binaries.

Tip Use the VBScript Join function to read from a value registry entry of
REG_MULTI_SZ.
For more information about the Join function, see the VBScript documentation.

If your script attempts to read a key that does not exist, an error will occur. You
can trap the error by using the On Error Resume Next statement and checking
for an Err.Number value that is not 0 (zero). In this way, you can verify the
existence of a key by attempting to read from it.
12 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

This is demonstrated in the script below, which tests for the existence of a
registry key for Microsoft SQL Server™.
Example Dim oShell, sSQLServ
On Error Resume Next
Set oShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
sSQLServ = oShell.RegRead( _
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\MSSQLServer\" _
& "CurrentVersion\CurrentVersion")
If Err.Number = 0 Then
WScript.Echo "SQL Server Version is: " & sSQLServ
Else
WScript.Echo "SQL Server Version not found"
End If

Writing to the Registry

Writing to the registry is more restrictive than reading registry values. You can
only write strings, integers, and binary values to the registry by using script.
You cannot write REG_MULTI_SZ (array) values by using script.
You can use the RegWrite method to write to the registry. In the following
example, a new string value will be created in a registry key:
Example oShell.RegWrite “HKLM\Software\Newvalue”, “My new value”

If the last character of the key name is a backslash ( \ ), a new key is created
instead of a value. A third optional string argument tells the function what type
of value to write: REG_SZ (string), REG_DWORD (integer), or
REG_BINARY (binary). If no value type is specified, the decision is made by
analyzing the second argument to see if it is a string or an integer.

Deleting from the Registry

A key or a value can easily be deleted from the registry by using the RegDelete
function, as shown in the following example:
Example oShell.RegDelete "HKCU\ScriptEngine\Val" 'Delete value "Val"
oShell.RegDelete "HKCU\ScriptEngine\Key\" 'Delete key "Key"

Caution Use extreme care when deleting or modifying the registry by using a
script. Modifying or deleting certain values or keys may make the operating
system unstable or even unusable.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 13

Working with Drives, Folders, and Files

Topic Objective
To introduce the topics in
this section.
Lead-in
Accessing Drives, Folders, and Files
WSH offers a number of
Working with Folders
powerful methods for
controlling the file system of
Working with Files
a computer.

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Scripting gives you a high level of control over drives, files, and folders. WSH
exposes a variety of methods that you can use to manage file system resources.
You can use these methods to create, delete, write, and extract information from
local and remote drives, files, and folders. You can also record this information
for later reference.
In this section, you will learn how to manage file system resources by using
script.
14 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Accessing Drives, Folders, and Files

Topic Objective
The FileSystemObject
To introduce the use of the
FileSystemObject. Set
Set oFS
oFS == CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)

Lead-in
Drive Access

Let’s look at how you can
Drives collection or GetDrive method of FileSystemObject
access drives, files, and
folders by using script.
Folder Access

GetFolder method of FSO

RootFolder property of a drive

SubFolders collection of folder

File Access

GetFile method of FSO

Files collection of folder

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The Scripting Object Model (Scrrun.dll) provides useful objects that you can
use to manage drives, folders, and files. The root of these objects is the
FileSystemObject. All other objects are created or retrieved from the
FileSystemObject.

The FileSystemObject
This main object allows creation, copying, deletion, and information retrieval
from folders, files, and drives. You must create this object before any other
objects in the Scripting Object Model can be instantiated or used. You use the
following line of script to create an instance of the FileSystemObject object:
Example Set oFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)

Drive Access
Disk drives are accessed through the Drives collection property of the
FileSystemObject object or by calling the GetDrive method. The following
example shows how to loop through available drives and display some of the
drive properties. Note the use of the IsReady property to check the availability
of a drive. This is useful when you access removable media such as floppy
disks. Also note the use of the With statement, which enables you to perform a
series of actions on a specified object without having to retype the name of the
object for each action.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 15

Example Dim oFS, oDrive, sOutput

Set oFS = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
For Each oDrive In oFS.Drives
With oDrive
If .IsReady Then
sOutput = "Drive:" & .DriveLetter & vbCRLF
sOutput = sOutput & " Type:" & .FileSystem _
& vbCRLF
sOutput = sOutput & " Serial:" & .SerialNumber _
& vbCRLF
sOutput = sOutput & " Label:" & .VolumeName _
& vbCRLF
sOutput = sOutput & " Size:" & _
Round((.TotalSize / 1073741824), 2) & "GB" _
& vbCRLF
sOutput = SOutput & " Avail:" & _
Round((.AvailableSpace / 1073741824), 2) & "GB" _
& vbCRLF
WScript.Echo sOutput
else
WScript.Echo "Drive:" & .DriveLetter & " not ready"
End If
End With
Next

Folder Access
You can access folders by using the GetFolder method of the
FileSystemObject object or by using the RootFolder property of the Drive
object to gain access to the SubFolders collection.
The following example loops through the SubFolders collection of the C drive:
Example Set oDrive = oFS.GetDrive("C")
For Each oFolder In oDrive.RootFolder.SubFolders
WScript.Echo oFolder.name
Next

Because each folder also has the SubFolders collection property, it is possible
to loop through all of the child folders of a particular item.

File Access
You can use the Files collection of the Folder object to access file objects on
the hard drive. File properties, including Name, Path, Size, Type, and so on,
are available to your script. The following example loops through the Files
collection of a folder and displays each file name and type:
Example For Each oFile In oFolder.Files
Wscript.Echo " " & oFile.Name & " " & oFile.Type
Next
16 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Caution Use caution when using script to manipulate the file system because it
is easy to delete every file and folder from a hard drive when using these
powerful objects and methods. Be sure to test your scripts thoroughly before
releasing them into a production environment.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 17

Working with Folders

Topic Objective
To explain how to work with
folders.
Creating Folders
Lead-in oFS.CreateFolder
oFS.CreateFolder “C:\Temp\New
“C:\Temp\New Folder”
Folder”
You can use script to work
with folders.
Parent folder must exist (C:\Temp)

Deleting Folders
oFS.DeleteFolder
oFS.DeleteFolder “C:\Temp\New
“C:\Temp\New Folder”,
Folder”, True
True

Sharing Folders

Using ADSI

LanManServer Object

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The FileSystemObject object provides methods that you can use to create or
delete folders.

Creating Folders
To create a folder, call the CreateFolder method of the FileSystemObject
object as shown in the following example:
Example oFS.CreateFolder strFolderName

When you create a folder with this object, the parent of the folder must exist
before the new child folder is created or an error will occur.

Deleting Folders
You can use two methods to delete a folder. One is the DeleteFolder method of
the FileSystemObject object. The syntax for this method is shown in the
following example:
Syntax oFS.DeleteFolder folderSpec [, force]

The first argument “folderSpec,” is the folder name and can include wildcard
characters. The optional second argument, “force,” is a Boolean value that
forces folder deletion, even on read-only folders. The default value of this
argument is false. The DeleteFolder method also deletes any files or subfolders
in the chosen folder.
Alternatively, you can delete a folder by calling the Delete method of the
Folder object itself.

Caution These methods will delete the folders and the files that they contain
completely. The folders and files are not sent to the Recycle Bin.
18 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Sharing Folders
You cannot share a folder by using the Scripting Runtime library. To do this,
you must use the Microsoft Active Directory™ Service Interface (ADSI)
LanManServer object. For more information about ADSI and the
LanManServer object, see Module 5, “Understanding ADSI.”
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 19

Working with Files

Topic Objective
To explain how to work with
Creating a Text File
files. Set
Set oFile
oFile == oFS.OpenTextFile("c:\Users.txt",
oFS.OpenTextFile("c:\Users.txt", 1,
1, ))
Lead-in
You can use script to work
Reading from a Text File
with files.

OpenTextStream

Read, ReadLine, ReadAll

Writing to a Text File

CreateTextFile

OpenTextFile

Write, WriteLine, WriteBlankLines

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The FileSystemObject library enables you to create, read, and write to text
files. If you want to create, read, or write to other file types, such as Microsoft
Office documents, you must use the appropriate library to provide this
functionality. Microsoft Office exposes objects and methods to allow you to do
this.

Creating a Text File

The main way to create a file is by using the CreateTextFile method of the
FileSystemObject or Folder objects. This method creates a new file and
returns the TextStream object from the file, allowing you to write to the file.
The syntax for creating a file is shown in the following example:
Syntax object.CreateTextFile(filename[, overwrite[, unicode]])

The optional second argument is a Boolean value that indicates whether you
want to overwrite an existing file. The default value for this argument is false.
The optional third argument specifies the type of file to create, either ASCII
(the default in Windows 2000) or UNICODE.

Reading from a Text File

You can use the following methods of the TextStream object to read data from
a text file.
Method Task

Read Read a specified number of characters from a file.

ReadLine Read an entire line.
ReadAll Read the entire contents of a text file.
20 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

The Skip and SkipLine methods allow data to be skipped if required. The text
string returned by these methods can be displayed, parsed by string functions
(such as Left, Right, and Mid), concatenated with other data, and so on. The
following VBScript example demonstrates how to open a file, and then read the
first line from it:
Example Dim oFso, oFile
Set oFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oFile = oFso.OpenTextFile("c:\Users.txt", 1)
ReadTextFileTest = oFso.ReadLine

Writing to a Text File

The TextStream object provides write access to a text file. You can open a
TextStream object by using the CreateTextFile method of the
FileSystemObject or Folder object, the OpenTextStream method of
FileSystemObject, or the OpenAsTextStream method of a File object.
The following example shows the OpenTextFile syntax:
Syntax object.OpenTextFile(filename[, iomode[, create[, format]]])

The filename argument is the path and filename of the file to be opened.
The “iomode” switch allows you to specify whether the file is to be opened as
read-only, write-only, or appended to. You cannot open a file with the intention
of reading some lines and then writing others; you must open the file as read-
only, then close the file, and then reopen it as append or write. The following
table shows the constant values that are use to specify the mode in which the
method opens the file.

OpenTextFile Constants
Constant Value Description

ForReading 1 Open a file for reading only. You cannot

write to this file.
ForWriting 2 Open a file for writing only. You cannot
read from this file.
ForAppending 8 Open a file and write to the end of the file.

The Create argument allows the method to create a new file if the requested
file does not exist. The value should be set to True if you are creating a new
file or to False if this is not required. The default for this value is False.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 21

The Format argument enables you to specify that the file should be opened as
ASCII, UNICODE, or as the system default. You do this by using the values
shown in the following table.

Format Constants
Constant Value Description

TristateUseDefault -2 Opens the file by using the system default.

TristateTrue -1 Opens the file as UNICODE
TristateFalse 0 Opens the file as ASCII.
22 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Setting Folder-Level and File-Level Security

Topic Objective
To introduce the methods
ADSI
for setting security
permissions.
Part of ADSI SDK
Lead-in
Extension components required:
Let’s examine how to set ADsSecurity
folder-level and file-level
security. ADsSid

XCACLS

Part of Windows 2000 Resource Kit

Parameters

/G in Detail

Examples

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FileSystemObject does not have any methods for setting folder-level or file-
level security permissions. If you want to set or change permissions by using
script, you can use either the ADSI interface or the Windows 2000 Resource
Kit utility XCACLS.EXE.

ADSI
Before you can use this interface to set security permissions, you need COM
extensions to enable ADSI to access NT file system (NTFS) permissions. These
extensions provide a consistent security interface for file permissions, but are
currently only available from the ADSI Resource Kit.
For this reason, each machine that attempts to set permissions by using these
extensions must have them installed, or the script will fail. The process is very
similar to the process of setting permissions on objects in Active Directory. For
more information about setting permissions on objects in Active Directory, see
Module 5, “Understanding ADSI.”

XCACLS
An alternative method of setting security permissions is to use the Extended
Change Access Control List (XCACLS) tool from the Windows 2000 Resource
Kit. Xcacls.exe enables you to set all Microsoft Windows Explorer file-system
security options from the command line.
The following example, from C:\Labfiles\Mod6\Mod6xcaclsdemo.vbs,
achieves the same result as the preceding ADSI example:
Example Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.shell")
oShell.Run "XCACLS F:\ADSIPerms /G NWTraders\FrankL:R /E

/Y", 2, TRUE
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 23

In this script, an instance of the WScript.Shell object is created, and its Run
method is used to execute the XCACLS command. This command adds the
permission for the user “FrankL” to have read-access to the F:\ADSIPerms
folder. This approach requires much less code than using ADSI.

Parameters
Running XCACLS without any parameters displays the following syntax for
the utility:
Syntax XCACLS filename [/T] [/E] [/C] [/G user:perm;spec] [/R user

[...]][/P user:perm;spec [...]] [/D user [...]] [/Y]

This command allows the use of wildcard characters, multiple users in a single
command, and the combination of multiple access rights.
The following table describes these parameters.
Parameter Description

Filename This is the name of the file or directory with which

CACLS will work.
/T Causes XCACLS to walk recursively through the current
directory and all of its subdirectories.
/E Edits the ACL instead of replacing it. The default is to
replace the ACL.
/C Causes XCACLS to continue if an “access denied” error
occurs. If /C is not specified, XCACLS stops on this
error.
/G user:perm;spec Grants user access to the matching file or directory. See
below for more details.
/R user Revokes all access rights for the specified user.
/P user:perm;spec Replaces access rights for the user. The rules for
specifying perm and spec are the same as for the /G
option. Some examples are given below in this
documentation.
/D user Denies user access to the file or directory.
/Y Turns off the default confirmation when replacing user
access rights.

/G in Detail
The /G switch is the most complex part of the XCACLS utility. It consists of
the following three parameters.

User
This is the name of the account on which the permissions are being set.
Acceptable name formats are:
UserName or DomainName\UserName
GroupName or DomainName\GroupName
24 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Perm
Perm represents the special file-access-right mask for directories, which applies
permissions to the files. Perm can be one of the following values:

R (Read)

C (Change)

F (Full control)

P (Change Permissions)

O (Take Ownership)

X (Execute)

E (Read)

W (Write)

D (Delete)

Spec
Spec applies settings to folders only. It is possible to set an Access Control
Entry (ACE) for the folder itself without specifying an ACE that is
automatically applied to new files created in that folder. You accomplish this by
using the specifier, T, following the semicolon. All access rights specified
between the semicolon and the T are ignored. At least one access specifier must
follow the T. This means that only an ACE for the folder will be created.
All other options, which can also be set in Windows Explorer, are subsets of the
possible combinations of the basic access rights. Therefore, there are no special
options for directory access rights, such as List or Read.
Spec can be the same as Perm, and is only applied to a directory. In this case,
Perm will be used for file inheritance in this directory.

Examples
Example XCACLS *.* /G administrator:RW /Y

This command replaces the access control list (ACL) of all files and folders
found in the current folder without scanning any subfolders and without
confirmation.
Example XCACLS *.* /G MyUser:RWED;RW /E

This command edits the ACL of a file or a folder, but its effect on a folder is
different. The ACE that is added to the folder is also an inherited ACE for new
files created in this folder. In this example, “MyUser” is granted read, write,
execute, and delete rights for all new files created in this folder, but only read
and write permissions for the folder itself.
Example XCACLS *.* /G MyUser:R;TRW /E

This command grants read and write permissions for a folder without creating
an inherit entry for new files. Therefore, in the previous example, new files
created in this folder do not get an ACE for MyUser.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 25

Scheduling Scripts
Topic Objective
To introduce the
Windows 2000 Scheduler.
Lead-in
The AT Scheduler
You can schedule scripts to
Scheduling Service
be executed at appropriate
times.
Scheduled Task Wizard

Error Log if Task Fails

SchedLog.txt

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Scripting certain tasks eases the administrative load on an organization. Some
of these tasks, such as running and controlling maintenance or utility programs,
can be run after normal office hours. If you can script a process, you do not
have to be in the office to run the script. Instead, you can schedule scripts to be
executed at appropriate times.

The AT Scheduler
The AT command line utility for scheduling, or AT Scheduler, is available in
all Windows 2000 operating systems. You can use this utility to schedule the
running of scripts from the command line.
In Windows 2000, you will see tasks created by the AT command in the
Scheduled Tasks folder of the Control Panel.

Scheduling Service
The Scheduled Tasks folder in the Control Panel contains a wizard that helps
you to add any application or script file to a schedule. The schedule can be set
for daily, weekly, monthly, and other frequencies, and requires a user name and
a password with sufficient security permissions to run the program or execute
the script. In addition to these basic features, you can set advanced properties to
control the schedule, including the ability to run the application or script only
when the machine is in an idle state.

Error Log if Task Fails

If an error occurs during a scheduled task, the scheduling service appends an
error log to Schedlog.txt in the Windows directory.
26 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

An example of using script to control a scheduled application is the Microsoft

Management Console (MMC) Disk Defragmenter tool. If the AT Scheduler
calls C:\Winnt\System32\dfrg.msc, the Disk Defragmenter will run, but the AT
Scheduler has no way to control what the application does after it is launched.
However, rather than scheduling the Disk Defragmenter to run, you can
schedule a script. This script starts the Disk Defragmenter, and you can use the
SendKeys method to control what the Disk Defragmenter does when it is
running.

Tip Scheduled tasks are stored as .job files in the Windows\Tasks folder.
Because these tasks can be copied in the same way as any file, you can create
your job on one machine, and then copy the file as part of a logon script to
make distribution easier.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 27

Best Practices
Topic Objective
To explain good practices
for using administrative
scripts.
Build Error Handling into the Scripts
Lead-in
Test All Administrative Scripts Extensively
The following are some best
practices for working with
Be Careful When Using the FileSystemObject for
administrative scripts. Deletions

Back Up the Registry Before Testing Scripts

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Consider the following practices when working with administrative scripts.

Build Error Handling into the Scripts

Administrative scripts should include built-in error handling. It is very
important that you are aware of any script failures.

Test All Administrative Scripts Extensively

Always test administrative scripts in a test environment before releasing them
on a production system. Try testing scripts in varied scenarios to ensure that
they will function correctly.

Be Careful when Using the FileSystemObject for

Deletions
FileSystemObject can remove every file and folder from a hard drive without a
single prompt, if instructed to do so. Make sure that your script gives adequate
warning if it is about to delete files or folders from a user’s hard drive, and
build in a routine to allow the user to cancel the script if it was run in error.

Back Up the Registry Before Testing Scripts

If you are writing scripts to modify the registry of any systems, ensure that you
have backups that can be restored if the script damages the integrity of the
system.
28 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Lab 7.2: Working with the FileSystemObject

Topic Objective
To introduce the lab.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will write a
script that audits the
contents of each drive on
your computer.

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Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to use the FileSystemObject to
create and write to files, and extract information about the folders on each of the
drives on your computer.

Scenario
As an administrator, you often need to audit the contents of your users’
computers. This can be a time-consuming and tedious task. You have decided
that scripting the audit and recording the contents of the computer drives in a
text file would suit your needs. In this lab, you will write a script that
documents all of the folders on all of the drives of a computer. It will record the
details in a text file.

Estimated time to complete this lab: 30 minutes

 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 29

Exercise 1
Documenting your Computer Drives and Folders
In this exercise, you will use the FileSystemObject to create and write to a file
that contains information about the folders and hard drives on your computer.

To create a script that documents the drives on your computer

1. Start PrimalSCRIPT, if it is not already running.
2. On the File menu, click New.
3. In the New dialog box, click Text, and then click OK.
4. Type the following code to loop through the drives collection. Note that this
code uses a call to a function named GetDriveString and a subprocedure
named WriteFolder. You will create these procedures later in this exercise.
Dim oFS, oDrive, oFileTS, sOutPut
Set oFS = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oFileTS = oFS.CreateTextFile("c:\driveData.txt")
For Each oDrive In oFS.Drives
With oDrive
sOutput = "Drive:" & .DriveLetter
sOutput = sOutput & " Type:" _
& GetDriveString(.DriveType)
If .IsReady Then
sOutput = sOutput & " Format:" & .FileSystem
sOutput = sOutput & " Label:" & .VolumeName
If .DriveType <>3 Then
oFileTS.WriteLine sOutput
WriteFolder oDrive.RootFolder, " "
End If
Else
oFileTS.WriteLine sOutput & " not ready"
End If
End With
Next
WScript.Echo "All Done!!"
oFileTS.Close
WScript.Quit
30 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

5. Write the GetDriveString function at the end of the script by typing the
following code:
Function GetDriveString(iDriveType)
Const CDRom = 4
Const Fixed = 2
Const RamDisk = 5
Const Remote = 3
Const Removable = 1
Const Unknown = 0
Const CDRomString = "CDROM"
Const FixedString = "Fixed"
Const RamDiskString = "RamDisk"
Const RemoteString = "Remote"
Const RemovableString = "Removable"
Const UnknownString = "Unknown"
Select Case iDriveType
Case CDROM
GetDriveString = CDRomString
Case Fixed
GetDriveString = FixedString
Case RamDisk
GetDriveString = RamDiskString
Case Remote
GetDriveString = RemoteString
Case Removable
GetDriveString = RemovableString
Case Else
GetDriveString = UnknownString
End Select
End Function

6. Write the WriteFolder subprocedure at the end of the script by typing the
following code:
Sub WriteFolder(ByRef oFol, ByVal sSpaces)
Dim oFolder
On Error Resume Next
For Each oFolder in oFol.SubFolders
sOutPut = sSpaces & "-" & oFolder.Name
If Err.Number = 0 Then oFileTS.WriteLine sOutput
Err.Clear
WriteFolder oFolder, sSpaces & " "
Next
End Sub

To save the script that documents the drives on your computer

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the
<install folder>\Labs\Lab07\Lab7_2\Starter folder.
3. In the File name box, type Drives.vbs
4. Click Save.
 Module 7: Administrative Scripts 31

To run the script that documents the drives on your computer

1. On the Script menu, click Run Script.
2. When the All Done message appears, click OK.

Note The script may take a few seconds to run because it retrieves
information about all of the folders on all of your drives.

3. Using Windows Explorer, browse to the root of the C drive.

4. Double-click the file DriveData.txt to open it.
5. Review the file contents, and then close the DriveData.txt file.
You have now successfully documented all of the folders for all of the drives on
your computer.
32 Module 7: Administrative Scripts

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
Script Arguments
points.
Lead-in
Working with Event Logs
The review questions cover
Generating E-Mail Messages
some of the key concepts
taught in the module.
Managing the Registry

Working with Drives, Folders, and Files

Setting Folder-Level and File-Level Security

Scheduling Scripts

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1. To which event log can you write by using the LogEvent method of the
Shell object?
The Application Log.

2. If no configuration information is set in a script when sending an e-mail

message by means of CDO, where does the script get this information?
From either the default MAPI profile or the mail server settings.

3. What VBScript function can you use to help manage REG_MULTI_SZ

values in the registry?
Join.

4. Which object model exposes the FileSystemObject?

The Scripting Object Model.
 Module 8: Beyond the
Basics

Contents

Overview 1
Windows Script Files 2
Using COM Components 7
WMI 9
Scripting Microsoft Office 13
ASP Pages 18
Review 21
Information in this document, including URL and other Internet Web site references, is subject to
change without notice and is provided for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise noted,
the example companies, organizations, products, domain names, email addresses, logos, people,
places and events depicted herein are fictitious, and no association with any real company,
organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person, places or events is intended or
should be inferred. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user.
Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in
or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual
property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any
written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any
license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.

 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Active Directory, ActiveX, FrontPage, JScript, MS-DOS, MSDN, Outlook,

PowerPoint, Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual InterDev, Visual Studio, Windows, Windows
Media, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics iii

Instructor Notes
Presentation: This module provides students with an introduction to various tasks that they
60 Minutes can achieve with Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition.
After completing this module, students will be able to:

Describe Microsoft Windows® script (.wsf) files.

Describe how Component Object Model (COM) components can enhance
the power of scripts.

Describe Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

Begin scripting applications in Microsoft Office.

Describe Active Server Pages (ASP).

Find more information about scripting.

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach
this module.

Required Materials
To teach this module, you need the following materials:
• Microsoft PowerPoint® file 2433A_08.ppt

Preparation Tasks
To prepare for this module, you should:
• Read all of the materials for this module.
iv Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Module Strategy
Use the following strategy to present this module:

Windows Script Files
Use this section to introduce Windows script files. Explain the advantages
and features that Windows script files add to the students’ scripts.

Using COM Components
The students have already used COM components, such as Microsoft Office
and Microsoft ActiveX® Data Objects (ADO), in the course. Use this
section as a recap, and use it to provide further references.

WMI
Use this section to introduce WMI. Explain the advantages and features that
WMI adds to the student's scripts.

Scripting Microsoft Office
The students have already used Microsoft Office objects in this course. Use
this section as a recap, and use it to provide further references.

ASP Pages
Provide a very brief introduction to ASP pages, and point out its advantages.
Use this section to provide further references for ASP pages.

Customization Information
This section identifies the lab setup requirements for a module and the
configuration changes that occur on student computers during the labs. This
information is provided to assist you in replicating or customizing Training and
Certification courseware.
There are no labs in this module, and as a result, there are no lab setup
requirements or configuration changes that affect replication or customization.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 1

Overview
Topic Objective
To provide an overview of
the module topics and
objectives.
Windows Script Files
Lead-in
Using COM Components
In this module, you will learn
about how to further apply
WMI
script and where you can
find out more about these
Scripting Microsoft Office
topics.

ASP Pages

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You can relate the information that you have encountered already in this course
to other products and scenarios. You can use the skills that you have gained
when you work in other areas and with other programs.
In this module, you will learn about the application of script in scenarios other
than system administration. This module provides an introduction to new
topics. Further reading is required to develop skills in these areas.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:

Describe Microsoft® Windows® script (.wsf) files.

Describe how Component Object Model (COM) components enhance the
power of your scripts.

Describe Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

Begin scripting applications in Microsoft Office.

Describe Active Server Pages (ASP).
2 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Windows Script Files

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
In this section, you will learn

Benefits of Windows Script Files
about .wsf files.
Practice: Using Windows Script Files

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Windows script files add functionality to your scripts.
In this section, you will learn about .wsf files and where to get more
information about .wsf files.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 3

Benefits of Windows Script Files

Topic Objective
To introduce Windows script
files.
Lead-in
XML Format Script File
Windows script files were
Support for Multiple Script Engines
introduced with version 2.0
of WSH.
Multiple Jobs in a Single Script

Support for Including Other Script Files

Type Library Reference

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Windows script files were introduced with Windows Script Host (WSH)
version 2.0.

XML Format Script File

A .wsf file is a text document containing Extensible Markup Language (XML)
code. This code uses tags similar to those in Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML) but incorporates several features that offer more scripting flexibility.

Note Before the release of WSH 2.0, the .ws extension was used for XML
format script files and is still referred to by many reference books.
4 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Support for Multiple Script Engines

WSH 2.0 enables you to use multiple languages in a single .wsf file through the
XML format of a .wsf file.
The following example shows a .wsf file that includes script written in
Microsoft Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript) and Microsoft JScript®:
Example <job id="WSFDemo">
<script language="VBScript">
WScript.Echo "This came from VBScript"
</script>
<script language="JScript">
var strTxt1;
var strTxt2;
strTxt1 = "This came from JScript";
strTxt2 = "XML is very Powerful! ";
WScript.Echo (strTxt1 + "\n" + strTxt2);
</Script>
</Job>

WSH is extensible due to third party Microsoft ActiveX® scripting engines. As

a result, .wsf files are not restricted to VBScript or Microsoft JScript®. You can
use other script languages, such as PerlScript.

Multiple Jobs in a Single Script

Rather than keep related scripts in separate files, you can incorporate multiple
files into a single .wsf file. Enclosing each script in an XML tag defines the
scripts in a file as a collection of jobs, as follows:
Example <Job id="JobName">
'Your Script Goes Here
<Job>

You must identify each job by using a unique job identifier. To run that portion
of script, you can then reference these identifiers by using a command similar to
the following:

Example CScript //Job:JobName Allmyscripts.wsf

In this example, JobName is the name, or identifier, of the job contained in the
Allmyscripts.wsf file.

Support for Including Other Script Files

If an existing script already provides a function that is required, a .wsf file
enables you to use it without duplicating the script. This approach is similar to
using include statements found in other environments, such as Microsoft Visual
C++® and ASP.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 5

A .wsf file encapsulates a library of functions that multiple .wsf files can use.
The following example shows the contents of a .wsf file that includes a JScript
file (fso.js). It also includes a VBScript function that calls the GetFreeSpace
function in the included file, as follows:
Example <Job id="IncludeExample">
<script language="JScript" src="FSO.JS"/>
<script language="VBScript"> ' Get the free space for drive C.
s = GetFreeSpace("c:")
WScript.Echo s
</Script>
</Job>

The contents of fso.js is as follows:

Example function GetFreeSpace(drvPath) {
var fs, d, s;
fs = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
d = fs.GetDrive(fs.GetDriveName(drvPath));
s = "Drive " + drvPath + " - " ;
s += d.VolumeName;
s += " Free Space: " + d.FreeSpace/1024 + " Kbytes";
return s;
}

Type Library Reference

Although type libraries expose constants, WSH is unable to use them directly.
Instead, it treats the constant name like an undeclared variable unless you
specifically declare the constant and its value in your script. To address this
issue, you can create a reference to a type library in a .wsf file so that you can
use the constant directly. This is particularly useful when working with a type
library that exposes many constants, such as ActiveX Data Objects (ADO).
In the following example, the script uses the ADO constant adOpenDynamic
directly. The type library is contained in the ADO type library.
Example <Job id="TypeLibExample">
<Reference Object = "ADODB.RecordSet"/>
<Script language="VBScript">
Option Explicit
Dim aCon, aRst
Set aCon = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
aCon.ConnectionString="Provider=SQLOLEDB.1;" _
& "User ID=sa;Initial Catalog=Northwind;" _
& "Data Source=(Local)"
aCon.Open
Set aRst = CreateObject("ADODB.RecordSet")
aRST.Open "Select * From Employees",aCon,adOpenDynamic
WScript.Echo aRst("LastName")
</Script>
</Job>
6 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Practice: Using Windows Script Files

Topic Objective
To introduce how you can
use .wsf files.
Lead-in
In this practice, you will use
.wsf files.

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In this practice, you will use a .wsf file. This practice demonstrates some of the
features of the XML format inside a .wsf file.

To use WSF files

1. Using Microsoft Windows Explorer, go to the install folder\Practices folder.
2. Double-click Mod8WSFInAction.wsf.
Note the name of the job that runs.
3. Using the command prompt, go to the install folder\Practices folder.
4. Type the following command at the command prompt, and then press
ENTER:
Cscript Mod8WSFInAction.wsf //Job:Job2

Notice that a different script runs.

5. Repeat steps 4 and 5, but run Job4.
Two scripts run in the same job.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5, but run Job3.
This script echoes the value of some of the Active Directory™ Services
Interface (ADSI) constants used in group creation.
7. Open Mod8WSFInAction.wsf in Notepad, and then review the script. Close
Notepad.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 7

Using COM Components

Topic Objective
To introduce the use of
COM components in scripts.
Lead-in
Registering Components
You can use the features of
RegSvr32
any COM component from
within a script.
Calling COM Components

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You can use the features of any COM component from within a script as long
as the script can call the COM component.
For scripts to use COM components, the COM components must support
automation and correctly handle the script data types. There are many Web sites
that offer third party COM components to help you increase the functionality of
scripts.

Registering COM Components

COM components must be registered on the computer that you will use them
on. You can do this by using the installation routine of the component itself or
by manually using the RegSvr32 utility. To use this utility, click Start, click
Run, and then type Regsvr32 COMComponentName
The registration process adds the component to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
key of the registry. This is where the Component Services class registration
database is stored. These registry entries are required for the component to be
referenced and used.
8 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Calling COM Components

After registration is complete, the documentation that comes with the COM
component explains the object model that it exposes. You can call the
component from a script by using this object model, as shown in the following
example:
Example Set oMyComp = WScript.CreateObject("MyComp.MyNewObj")
Wscript.Echo oMyComp.Name

In this example, a new object is created by using a hypothetical component. A

property of this object, called Name, is then echoed to the screen.

Note You have already used COM components in this course, such as the
Connection, Command, and Recordset ADO objects.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 9

WMI
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Windows Management

WMI Architecture
Instrumentation (WMI)
Practice: Using WMI
interfaces increase the
functionality of your
administrative scripts.

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Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) interfaces increase the
functionality of your administrative scripts.
In this section, you will learn how to use WMI in your scripts.
10 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

WMI Architecture
Topic Objective
To introduce the WMI Script
architecture. WMI
Lead-in CIM Repository
WMI is made up of several Static Info. Sources Common Information Model
components. CIM Schema Object Manager
(CIMOM)

WMI Providers
SNMP PerfMon ADSI Registry Event Log Win32

Dynamic Information Sources

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WMI is made up of several components that work together to enable WMI
clients, such as management programs or scripts, to query, recover, and change
information from the hardware, software, or operating system.
The basic components of WMI are:

Common Information Model Object Manager (CIMOM)
CIMOM manages any calls a WMI client makes to WMI. It determines
whether the request involves static data stored in the Common Information
Model (CIM) repository or dynamic data supplied by a provider. These
WMI providers specialize in providing specific features to WMI for a
specific data source, such as the Windows registry. When a provider
finishes processing a request, it returns the results back to CIMOM.
CIMOM forwards the result back to the WMI client.

CIM repository
The CIM repository is a central storage area managed by CIMOM. It stores
the class definitions for static classes and stores static instances. If the data
is regularly updated or dynamic, the WMI providers manage the updates.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 11

WMI providers
WMI providers are COM objects that are interpreters for WMI. They enable
WMI to communicate with specific objects in a manageable and scalable
manner. Providers available as part of Microsoft Windows 2000 include:
• Win32.
• Registry.
• ADSI (Active Directory Services Interface).
• Event Viewer logs.
• Performance Monitor (PerfMon).
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

WMI is extensible. If a third-party developer wants to expose management

information about his or her program, the developer can write a WMI
provider and publish information about the provider’s capabilities to WMI.
Once published, WMI clients can also access this management information.
12 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Practice: Using WMI

Topic Objective
To introduce how you can
use WMI.
Lead-in
In this practice you will see
WMI in action.

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The demonstration script file, Mod8WMIInAction.vbs, shows how WMI can
read information from a computer. It then uses WSH objects to create a text file
and writes an event in the application log of the computer to help track the
execution of the script.

To retrieve machine data using WMI

1. Using Windows Explorer, go to the install folder\Practices folder.
2. Double-click Mod8WMIInAction.vbs.
3. Using Windows Explorer, go to the root of drive C.
4. Open the computer_name.txt file in Notepad (where computer_name is your
computer’s name).
5. Review its contents.
6. Close Notepad.
7. Using Windows Explorer, go to the install folder\Practices folder.
8. Open Mod8WMIInAction.vbs in Notepad.
9. Review its contents.
10. Close Notepad.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 13

Scripting Microsoft Office

Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Because Microsoft Office

Introduction to Scripting Microsoft Office
programs expose
Practice: Controlling Microsoft Office
automation objects, you can
control them with your
scripts.

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Because Microsoft Office programs expose automation objects, you can control
them with your scripts.
In this section, you will learn more about writing scripts that control Microsoft
Office programs.
14 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Introduction to Scripting Microsoft Office

Topic Objective
To introduce scripting for
Microsoft Office programs.
Lead-in
Worked Example
Microsoft Office programs
Microsoft Excel
provide automation
interfaces that enable you to
use script to manipulate the
program and its data.

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Microsoft Office programs provide automation interfaces that enable you to use
script to manipulate the program and its data. These programs provide detailed
programmable object models that enable you to access all of the functions
available to an interactive user through script.
The following example uses Microsoft Excel as an example of what can be
achieved by controlling Microsoft Office programs with script. Although the
objects in the example are specific to Microsoft Excel, a similar approach can
be employed to control any of the Microsoft Office programs.
Microsoft Excel has an extensive object model with many different classes.
However, you can perform many administrative tasks with just a few objects.
The Excel Application object is required to access Excel’s automation
functionality. To create an instance of the Application object, use the
CreateObject function, as shown in the following example:
Example Set oExcelApp = CreateObject(“Excel.Application”)

This opens a new instance of Excel, which is not visible by default. You can
make the Excel instance visible by setting the Visible property of the
Application object.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 15

After you create the Application object, you use the Workbooks collection to
perform tasks such as opening a file or creating a new file. Collections contain
one or more objects of the same type, in this case, the Workbook objects. An
example of how to open a Workbook object and store a reference, or variable,
to it is shown below:
Example Set oWorkbook = oExcelApp.Workbooks.Open(“C:\Users.xls”)

Most of the work that you want to do with Microsoft Excel can be done with
Worksheet objects. This type of object gives you access to other objects, such
as Ranges. There are various ways to navigate to a Worksheet object. The
simplest approach is to specify the ordinal number or the name of the
Worksheet object that you require in the Workbook object’s Worksheets
collection.
It is also useful to automate Excel for logging or reporting purposes. You can
use the Cells property to write and read information.
You can also chart data by using the Chart object. You create a chart by using
the Add method of the Workbook object’s Charts collection.
The easiest way to create a chart is to programmatically select the data that you
want to chart, and then use the following method:
Example Set oChart = oWorkbook.Charts.Add

The following script manipulates the most commonly used Excel objects. The
script:

Creates an Application object.

Creates a new Workbook object

Populates a Worksheet with data.

Selects the data.

Creates a chart.

Manipulates the chart.

Saves the Workbook object.

Quits Microsoft Excel.
16 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Example Dim xlApp, xlBook, xlChart, xlWks, xlRange

Dim iRows, iCols, iRotate
Const xl3DColumn = -4100
Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
Set xlBook = xlApp.Workbooks.Add
Set xlWks = xlBook.Worksheets(1)
Set xlRange = xlWks.Range("A1:C10")
For iRows = 1 To 10
For iCols = 1 To 3
xlRange.Cells(iRows,iCols).Value = iRows * iCols
Next
Next
xlApp.Visible = True
xlWks.Activate
xlRange.Select
set xlChart = xlBook.Charts.Add
With xlChart
.Activate
.Type=xl3DColumn
For iRotate = 0 to 360 Step 20
xlChart.Rotation = iRotate
Next
xlChart.Rotation = 20
End With
xlBook.SaveAs "C:\AutomatingExcel.xls"
xlApp.Quit
Set xlRange= Nothing
Set xlChart= Nothing
Set xlWks= Nothing
Set xlBook= Nothing
Set xlApp = Nothing
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 17

Practice: Controlling Microsoft Office

Topic Objective
To introduce how to control
Microsoft Excel with script.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will control
Microsoft Excel with script.

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

The script in this practice automates Microsoft Excel.

To automate Microsoft Excel

1. Logon as [email protected] with a password of password.
2. Using Windows Explorer, go to the install folder\Practices folder.
3. Double-click User.xls.
4. Review the contents of the file and modify the user account information to
ensure that the accounts are unique in the enterprise network.
5. Close User.xls.
6. Open Mod8adduser.vbs in Notepad.
7. Modify the target organizational unit (OU) to that of your own Student OU
that was created earlier in this course.
8. Close Notepad.
9. Double-click Mod8adduser.vbs.
10. In Microsoft Management Console (MMC), under Active Directory Users
and Computers, check that the new user accounts were created.
11. Close MMC.
18 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

ASP Pages
Topic Objective
To introduce this section.
Lead-in
Active Server Pages are the

Introduction to ASP Pages
foundation for many Web
Practice: Using ASP
applications.

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

Active Server Pages (ASP) are the foundation for many Web applications. The
most common language used to develop ASP pages is VBScript.
In this section, you will be introduced to ASP pages.
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 19

Introduction to ASP Pages

Topic Objective
To introduce ASP pages.
Lead-in
ASP combines the power of

Interactive Script
VBScript with the display
Client Versus Server
and interactivity of HTML.

Advantages of Server-Side Scripting

Easy maintenance

Lower bandwidth

Browser-independent

Full access to server-side object models

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

ASP pages were introduced in Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS)
version 3.0. They have been improved in each new release of IIS. ASP pages
make it quick and easy to write simple Web applications. ASP pages are also
easy to maintain, because they are composed of a simple scripting language.

Interactive Script
ASP pages combine the power of Visual Basic Scripting Edition with the
display and interactivity of HTML. ASP pages are a simple platform on which
you can develop rich and powerful Web applications. You can build intuitive
administrative interfaces for Windows 2000 by using ASP pages.

Client Versus Server

When you use script for Web programming, there are two main techniques:
client-side scripting and server-side scripting. Both methods are similar,
because they mix standard HTML with script.

Advantages of Server-Side Scripting

Server-side scripting has the following unique advantages over client-side
scripting:

The script runs on the server, so it is browser-independent.

Code runs on the server, which reduces data transfer to the client.

The script has full access to the object models on the server.

ASP is a large subject that is beyond the scope of this course. However, if you
start programming with ASP pages, you will find that many of the concepts
involved are easy for you to understand, because you use VBScript in ASP
pages to achieve your goals.
20 Module 8: Beyond the Basics

Practice: Using ASP

Topic Objective
To introduce how to use
ASP pages.
Lead-in
In this lab, you will navigate
to an ASP page.

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

This practice is designed to highlight some of the possibilities of an ASP page
when used to access ADSI and Active Directory.

To run an ASP page

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. In the address bar, type http://london/aspdemo
3. Browse the Web site to see some of the information that you can use ASP
pages and ADSI to expose.

Note This demonstration is a slightly modified version of the DS Info Web site
from the Microsoft Press book, “Building Enterprise Active Directory™
Services: Notes from the Field.”
 Module 8: Beyond the Basics 21

Review
Topic Objective
To reinforce module
objectives by reviewing key
points.
Windows Script Files
Lead-in
Using COM Components
The review questions cover
some of the key concepts
WMI
taught in the module.

Scripting Microsoft Office

ASP Pages

*****************************ILLEGAL FOR NON-TRAINER USE*****************************

1. What command-line utility is used to register COM components?
RegSvr32.exe.

2. List five WMI providers that ship with Windows 2000.

SNMP, ADSI, Event Viewer Logs, PerfMon, and Win32.

3. What is the name of the highest-level object that must be used to control
Microsoft Excel in your scripts?
Application.

4. Does ASP code run on the Web browser or on the Web server?
On the Web server.
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