What Is Windows Script Host?
Windows Script Host, or WSH, is a language-independent scripting host for 32-bit Windows platforms. It, like Internet Explorer, acts as a controller of Active X, can be found in both Java and Visual Basic scripting engines, and can be used to open Windows script files from both Windows and from the command prompt.
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Windows Script Files
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Windows script files, or .wsf files, are text documents that contain XML code. These files are not engine-specific, and act only as a container. Because of the flexibility built into their code, these files allow you to use more than one scripting language per file, incorporate both Visual Basic and Java elements, add constants to your code, edit files with any XML editor, and store all your code in a single location.
Appropriate Tasks
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Windows Script Host is appropriate only for running simple tasks, which require only non-interactive scripting. Windows Script Host can be used to access networks, create an automated log-in script, drive applications, execute file management operations, manage shortcuts, manipulate the system registry, run scripts remotely, sign a script and other similar tasks.
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Running Scripts
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There are three basic ways you can run a script using Windows Scripting Host. In windows, a script can be run by double clicking on the script icon from the desktop, just as you run any other executable file. Also, from windows, you can go to the Start menu, click "Run", and in the open field of the Run dialog box, type the full path name of the script before clicking "OK". Finally, a script can be run from the command line, by typing the name of the script and hitting "Enter".
System Requirements
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Windows Scripting Host is not a full Internet browser; it is more simplistic, and so has a smaller memory footprint. However, because it is a smaller program it relies on Visual Basic and Java Script engines that are part of Internet Explorer. This means that, for Windows Host Scripting to function properly, the computer must meet the minimum system requirements for, and be using, Internet Explorer 3.0 or later.
Downloading
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Windows Script Host is included in Internet Explorer 5. The most current version, 5.6, can also be downloaded independently from the Microsoft website. The download will install Microsoft Windows Script containing Visual Basic Script, JScript, Windows Script Components, Windows Script Host and Windows Script Runtime. The file is 678 KB, and takes approximately 2 minutes to download on a 56K connection.
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References
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