VBScript
VBScript (short form of
Visual Basic Script Edition) is an
Active Scripting language interpreted via Microsoft's
Windows Script Host. The language's syntax reflects its pedigree as a variation of Microsoft's
Visual Basic programming language. It has gained significant support from Windows administrators seeking an automation tool more powerful than the batch language first developed in the late 1970s.
VBScript is interpreted by a script engine
vbscript.dll, which can be invoked by
ASP engine
asp.dll in a web environment,
wscript.exe in a Windows GUI environment, and
cscript.exe in a command-line environment. When VBScript source code is contained in stand-alone files, they typically have the
file extension .vbs.
When employed in
Internet Explorer, VBScript is very similar in function to
JavaScript â€"- it processes code embedded in
HTML. VBScript can be also used to create stand-alone HTML applications (
file extension .hta) which require Internet Explorer 5 or later to run. Web developers may prefer to use JavaScript instead for better compatibility with web browsers other than Internet Explorer.
VBScript is the language that was used to write some notable
e-mail worms, such as
ILOVEYOU. There are several reasons for this. First, the scroll-like icon representing VBS files may lure users with little Windows experience to think that it's a text file. Second, it is easy to write a basic e-mail worm in VBScript in just a few lines of code.
*
VBScript User's Guide*
The Script Center - Script Repository*
W3Schools - Thorough VBScript Tutorial
