Microsoft's Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript), a subset of Visual Basic for Applications, is a powerful language for Internet application development, where it can serve as a scripting language for server-side Internet applications (i.e., Active Server Pages), and client-side web pages. It can also be used for system scripting (i.e., Windows Script Host scripts) and programming Outlook forms. The greater part of this book is an alphabetical VBScript language reference to all VBScript statements, keywords and objects, emphasizing the following details:

• The syntax, using standard code conventions
• A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure, if any exist
• A description of the data returned by a function
• A discussion of how and where the keyword should be used within the scripting environment
• A section of notes and solutions to real-world gotchas, and various undocumented behaviors and aspects of the language that help the reader avoid potential problems
• A section that focuses on the differences between the language element in VBA and in VBScript
• A brief example to illustrate the use of the keyword

Supplementing this focus on VBScript language essentials is a wealth of additional information about VBScript, including:

• Basic language information on VBScript data types, constants, variables, and arrays
• The difference between VBScript and VBA or JavaScript
• The use of the MSIE, Active Server, Outlook, and Windows Script Host object models to interface a script with the application it's controlling
• Tables listing VBScript functions and statements by category
• The version-specific features of VBScript

Regardless of the types of scripts you're using VBScript to create, VBScript in a Nutshell is the only book you'll need by your side--a complete and easy-to-use language reference.

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VBScript in a Nutshell Review,  September 30 2000
Submitted by Steve   [Respond | View]

Nice one - easy to read and easy to understand . A proper reference for VBScript.


VBScript in a Nutshell Review,  September 19 2000
Submitted by terry mealy   [Respond | View]

So good it almost makes VBScript seem like a good scripting language!


VBScript in a Nutshell Review,  July 27 2000
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

I have always favored O'Reilly reference books and this one is no exception. It is the only book I need for writing VBScript in Active Server Pages. Being a programmer who never programmed in VB before but wanted to learn ASP, I needed a complete, well-indexed guide to the language -THIS IS IT!


VBScript in a Nutshell Review,  July 27 2000
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

I needed a good VBScript reference book to consult when doing scripting projects for my company.
The entire book isn't just a reference to the VBScript language-- that's only about half of the book.

The reference is organized alphabetically and contains a description, rules and usually a decent example of the VBScript function, statement, method, etc.

So the surprise is the first half of the book, and it may be important to you and it may not. There are 20 pages on general program structure that most every programmer will find boring: pasing parameters by reference, passing variables into a subroutine, etc. After 8 more pages on data types and 22 pages on error handling/debugging, the authors included four other sections on VBScript with Active Server Pages, Programming Outlook forms, Windows Script Host, and VBScript with Internet Explorer. I found these sections to be out of the scope of what I was looking for in what
O'Reilly calls a "desktop quick reference" book: simply a reference to the language.

I gave it four stars because the thing is only $( ) and you are getting 500 pages. I bought the book
for the reference, even if it has this other stuff I don't care about. If you are programming VBScript or ASP in Notepad without "Help" to consult, this may be the best pure VBScript book out there. It will come in handy.


VBScript in a Nutshell Review,  July 27 2000
Submitted by Kenn   [Respond | View]

Covers EVERYTHING. Scripting techniques, error handling, differences between VB, VBA and
VBScript, Structuring your program for reuse, etc. It gives a quick, down and dirty, high-level overview of the places you're most likely to use VBScript -- ASP, IE, Outlook and Windows Shell Scripts (wsh) -- and an incredible reference to nearly every VBScript function, procedure and call. This book is not for the beginner looking to learn the language -- it's for the intermediate or advanced scripter who already knows a little but needs a reference to know HOW to use the functions, etc. It excels in this regard, not only explaining every command and option under VBScript, but also the syntax, parameters, rules and even 'Programming Tips & Gotchas'.

In short, if you need a true reference that documents nearly every facet of the VBScript language, this is a must have.

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