Review

VBScript is easy to execute, because WScript.exe has been included with every major release of Windows since Windows 98. And, in Windows 2000 and later, WScript is even under Windows File Protection, ensuring that your users can't accidentally delete it. After you've taken precautions to ensure that only your scripts will execute (something I'll address in Chapter 28), you'll be ready to run!

Editing scripts can be a bit less satisfying. Windows doesn't come with any built-in tools specifically for editing scripts, and Notepad is a poor substitute. An advanced text editor like Programmer's File Editor makes things easier, and you can acquire some well-designed editors designed specifically for VBScript. Unfortunately, the most powerful script editors don't compare with the convenience and flexibility of professional software development tools like Visual Studio. On the other hand, your scripts probably won't ever be as complicated as most software development projects, so the extra convenience and flexibility isn't required.

COMING UP

Now that you know everything you need to create and execute scripts, you're ready to start learning how they work. Chapter 3 will cover the various components of a script, and introduce some sample scripts for you to review. Chapter 4 will let you practice everything you've learned in Part I by designing a script from scratch.