Customer Reviews

Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is an absolute must for the beginning VBScript programmer. Not only does Ford provide step-by-step direction to scripting, gradually ramping the complexity of the exercises, but he leaves the reader with WORKING scripts in the form of games with foundational concepts applicable to real-world scripting development.

My primary objective was to learn VBScripting basics to support script enhancements for Mercury Interactive's QuickTest Pro tool (that is based in VBScript), and this book well served its purpose.

I highly recommend it to other readers.

This book was a very easy read. I am a complete beginner when it comes to WSH and VBScripting. I found this book to be a great primer. The only questions the book left me with were the actual syntax of methods, properties, and built in functions. These are important areas, but I feel the book left me with a good overall understanding of the 2 topics. I am not sure I could write my own worth while script yet, but I could definitely read and understand a script already created. Only took 2 days of reading to complete this book and my interest was kept the whole time.

For a book that's 460 pages long, and intended for the "Absolute Beginner"... I was lost after page 43.
It seems to me that any aspiring programmer would want to follow along every step of the way, and have each item explained in every line of code. My issue is the line of code: Set WshShl = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell"). This line is usually the first statement in all the VBScripts in the book, but there is NO EXPLANATION for what the ("WScript.Shell") entry does, or is. Is it an object, a property, a method? What words can you use to the right of "WScript." instead of the word "Shell"?
Page 43 explains that the initial "Set WshShl =" statement "sets up an instance of the WshShell object. How does it do that when the word "WshShell" is nowhere to be found in the statement line? The variable "WshShl" comes close, but we all know that with computers, a miss like that is more than a mile... Besides, the phrase "Set WshShl =" is setting up a variable, not an object (by my understanding). SO, HOW DOES IT WORK? WHERE IS THE LIST OF OTHER THINGS WE CAN USE INSTEAD OF ("WScript.Shell")?? I guess I'll stumble on trying to understand what table does what... It sure would be nice if there was an Email address for book support. The website in the book to download the .VBS source-codes has no way to contact the author.

I need to learn VBScript for work. I purchased this book and On The Job Training Series: VBScript by CBT Nuggets. I liked the CBT but I felt like I was walking into a movie 20 minutes late. The content was good but I felt like I was missing a good foundation of knowledge. This book started out exactly as I thought it should. It started out by making really simple scripts and then building on that knowledge by making progressively larger ones. People always wonder about typos in technical books. Through the first 100 pages, I have caught a few typos but they have been minor in nature. None of them has impaired my ability to learn. I bought this book because it was amongst the newest VBScript books available. I'm pleased to see it is also a high quality book.

I reallly enjoyed this book. It was a great reference for a beginner such as myself. It was easy to read and very easy to understand. I definitely recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn how to script. I would have it given it five stars but there were a few spelling and graphical errors in it. Other than that, a great book for beginners.

I panned an earlier edition of this book as confused and not providing useful information.

In this Third Edition, Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. gets it right.

He says he has added a new chapter and two new appendices, in addition to expanding coverage throughout the book. All of these efforts show to good effect.

This is now an excellent introduction learning VBScript, one of the most widely used scripting languages.

Ford leads you by the hand through the very basics of using Windows Script Host (WSH) and VBScript. He begins with an overview and moves into the Windows Script Host, which is a good idea. VBScript is capable by itself within a limited range: it is WSH that really expands its usefulness - and WSH can be a difficult concept to understand.

As in the other "Absolute Beginner" series, they use the development of games as their teaching vehicle. I am uncomfortable with this concept, but you do what you have to do.

In this instance, Ford uses the concept well to teach the essentials of VBScript and constants, variables, arrays, dictionaries, conditional logic, data, error tracking and so on. He then moves into more realistic scenarios involving the Windows Registry, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Remote WSH and WSH Administrative Scripting.

Overall, what was once a throwaway book is now an excellent way to teach and learn VBScript. Ford has done a great job of listening to his critics and revising his product.

Jerry

The content of the book was very good. The proofreading of the book was positively AWFUL. I had to mark the rating down 2 stars because of the HORRIBLE proofreading. The layout, design and content of the book was definitely appropriate for a beginner, but it was sure hard seeing correct programming syntax with so many proofreading errors.

This is a really bad book to learn vbscript. The author barely explain any code, he put all the code in there without explaining anything. If I want to learn how to drive I need to know how to drive, not how the car engine function. The author talks more about how the engine work, not how to drive. I would not suggest this book to anymore, not beginner, not advanced either. It was a big waste for me. I am looking to buy another book. THE AUTHOR NEEDS TO KNOW, WE WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE, NOT HOW THE ENGINE FUNCTION.

I was a VBA programmer with MS Access, I was excited with this book. I liked to learn about other aspects of the programming languages.

I'm currently using this book in a college course. It's a great book for the beginner and it will be a great reference for the experienced programmer.