Why VBScript still matters
VBScript: A Visual Quickstart Guide was published over two years ago, an eternity in the computer industry. One might rightly wonder whether this subject is better left for dead, whether VBScript has any life left in it at all. But such questions miss the point because VBScript--as a member of the Visual Basic family--has only just begun.

It's all about world domination.

Despite all the hype about Java, all the detractors from the Visual C++ and Delphi camps, and all of the talk about a Windows-less future, there is one harsh reality that programmers across the globe need to deal with: Visual Basic is, by far, the most popular programming language in the world. By far. In fact, Visual Basic's share of the programming tools market has increased every single year since the product was introduced. And, as you probably realized, Visual Basic has branched out into other areas--Web scripting, operating system scripting, and intra-application programmability to name but a few--to ensure that this language has its tendrils in every possible pie. It's called hedging your bets.

One way that Microsoft pushes Visual Basic is through VBScript, the lightweight version of VB that was first introduced with Internet Explorer 3.0 in 1996. Today, VBScript can be used for the following:

  • Client-side Web scripting - This is the focus of VBScript: A Visual Quickstart Guide. Client-side scripting requires that your users browse the Web with Internet Explorer. A few years ago, this was alot to ask. Today, IE has overwhelming marketshare, so the vast majority of Web users will, indeed, be able to use your VBScript pages. And the latest IE technology--Dynamic HTML (DHTML) is based on, you guessed it, VBScript.
  • Server-side Web scripting - Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) technology allows you to write scripts that execute on a Web server and then return plain text to the browser. The benefit here is that any type of browser can be used to view the pages. Also, you can hide your scripts on the server and do more complicated things, such as access a database. I've written numerous books about ASP; my latest is called Visual InterDev 6.0 Unleashed.
  • Scripting the Operating System - Windows 98 and later versions of Windows include the Windows Scripting Host (WSH), a way to write scripts that interact with the operating system and automate common administrative tasks. The language of WSH? Yup, VBScript. Users of Windows 95 and NT 4.0 can even download the WSH engine for free.
But your knowledge of VBScript opens even more doors. Because the syntax of the VBScript language happens to be identical to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), the programming environment that ships with Microsoft Office. Using VBA, programmers can create applications that automate and combine various Office capabilities using the built-in applications or user interfaces of their own design. It's way more than a macro language and numerous other third-party developers are beginning to bundle VBA with their applications as well.

But wait, there's more. Because VBScript and VBA also happen to share their language with the grandaddy of them all, Visual Basic. That's right: If you know VBScript, then you know VBA, and you know Visual Basic itself. The languages are identical. So anyone that's mastered VBScript will have no problem moving up to the full product, opening themselves up to an untold number of possibilities. You can use Visual Basic to write Windows applications, database applications, Interent applications for both the client and the server, and more. It's the real deal. And because you took the time to learn VBScript, you've already got a foot in the door.

So does VBScript matter? You bet it does. VBScript is the first step on a long journey that can lead to new careers and opportunities for anyone. We live in a Visual Basic world, and VBScript is one way to take advantage of it. So the next time you hear one of those Java weenies scoffing at your cute little language, just smile and say nothing. You're on the way to the bank, and you can't let someone like that get in your way.

Enjoy,

--Paul Thurrott
August 24, 1999

All content © 1997-1999 Paul Thurrott