The Complete VBScript Tutorial – Expert Guide for Beginners

VBScript is a beginner-friendly scripting language developed by Microsoft that allows automating tasks across Windows applications. With VBScript, you can write macros, add interactivity to web pages, administer systems and streamline workflows.

In this expert guide, I will take you from zero experience in VBScript all the way to writing scripts independently for automating your own tasks. Stick through the end and you will be scripting like a pro!

A Brief History of VBScript

Let‘s first understand the roots of VBScript before we jump into the technology itself…

VBScript was created by Microsoft way back in 1996 as a lightweight interpreted scripting language for Windows. The key goals were:

  • Make it easy for beginners to start scripting without needing programming experience
  • Provide integration across Microsoft apps like Internet Explorer, Office suite etc.
  • Enable admin automation of Windows filesystem, systems, networks

The adoption of VBScript grew quickly among enterprises due to these factors. Even today, over 25% of large US companies report using VBScript proving its stability and usefulness over decades.

Now with the background covered, let‘s get into actually learning VBScript hands-on!

Getting Set Up for VBScript

Another reason for VBScript‘s popularity is how quick and easy it is to get started scripting.

You do not need to install any additional software since VBScript support comes built into Windows out of the box.

Follow these simple steps to write your first script:

  1. Open a Notepad document
  2. Write VBScript code there with .vbs file extension
  3. Save the file then double-click to run the script

And you‘re ready! Make sure you use Windows 7 or higher for best compatibility.

Now let‘s actually write our first script…

Understanding Core VBScript Syntax

The syntax of VBScript is quite similar if you have used languages like Visual Basic or Microsoft Office macros before.

Let‘s breakdown the key components:

VBScript Comments

‘ Single line comment

‘‘‘ Multiline 
Comment ‘‘‘

Use apostrophe (‘) for single line and three apostrophes for multiline comments.

VBScript Variables

Dim myVariable ‘Declare 
myVariable = 10 ‘Initialize

myString = "Welcome"

Variables must be declared using the Dim statement but data types are decided automatically.

Common ones are:

  • Integer: For storing whole numbers
  • String: For text data
  • Boolean: For True/False values
  • Date: For handling dates
  • And more special types…

VBScript Operators

sum = 10 + 5 ‘ Arithmetic operators

isEqual = (5 = 5) ‘ Comparison operators

msg = "Hello" & " Reader" ‘ Concatenation

VBScript supports operators like arithmetic, concatenation, comparison and logical.

This covers the basic building blocks – let‘s now get into the real power of VBScript for automating tasks!

VBScript Control Flows

The key purpose of learning a scripting language is to control the flow of your program using conditions and loops.

VBScript contains in-built control flow statements for this.

If Conditionals

age = 15
If age >= 18 Then 
   MsgBox "You can vote!"
Else
   MsgBox "You must be 18+"   
End If

If statements allow executing code blocks conditionally. Else clause catches the false case.

Select Case

Helpful when checking multiple conditions:

grade="B" 
Select Case grade
   Case "A" : MsgBox "Excellent job"
   Case "B", "C" : MsgBox "Good effort"
   Case Else : MsgBox "Work harder" 
End Select

Matches expression against different use cases.

Do Loops

count = 1
Do While count < 10
   MsgBox count
   count = count + 1
Loop

‘ Loops at least once
Do
   ‘Statements
Loop Until testCondition

Do While checks condition first before loop. Do Until will always run loop body minimally once.

There are also other loops like the For Each loop in VBScript.

Writing Reusable VBScript Subroutines

Any code you repeatedly need can be modularized into reusable procedures and functions:

Sub PrintReport()
   ‘Code to print report
End Sub

Function CalculateTotal(x, y)
   CalculateTotal = x + y
End Function

And called in our main code easily whenever required:

PrintReport 

total = CalculateTotal(10, 20)

This improves code reuse and saves duplication!

Now that you have understood the core concepts, let‘s apply them by building something useful…

Real-World Examples of Automating with VBScript

VBScript is commonly used for automating business processes, administration tasks and workflows in an enterprise environment.

Here are some examples of VBScript usage:

  • Bulk file rename to organize folders
  • Process data from Excel and output charts
  • Parse application log files and track key metrics
  • Automate Excel report generation from databases
  • Backup critical systems data on schedule
  • Automated UI testing of internal web tools

And many more across every industry!

The best way to master VBScript is simply to start scripting for your own requirements. Over time as you build experience, the applications will get more advanced.

Now let‘s talk a little about dealing with bugs…

Debugging VBScript Code

While coding its inevitable you might run into bugs even in simple scripts.

Here are some tips to easily debug VBScript programs:

  • Mandatory variable declaration using Option Explicit
  • Print interim values using MsgBox while testing
  • Gracefully handle errors using On Error syntax
  • Comment blocks of code for easy debugging

Follow these best practices right from your first program to setup good habits!

That concludes this complete tutorial guide to learning VBScript from the ground up. You now have the knowledge to start scripting independently for automating tasks.

The next step is to simply put it into practice by working on small projects useful for you. Eventually with some experience you will be able to script like an expert!

I hope you found this guide helpful. Happy scripting my friend!

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