Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself Windows Script Host in 21 Days

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a great book. The examples and the amount of information covered and the clear explanations are nothing less than amazing. This is a book that will take you from having no experience with programming (vbscript/jscript), COM, WSH, etc. to using all of these too write useful scripts.

If you are network administrator using NT/2000 do yourself a favor and get this book. If you simply want an introduction to high-level programming without buying VB then get this book. What you learn in this book will provide a foundation to learning Visual Basic if you decide to go further into programming.

The biggest problem with the WSH and VBScript is that it is marketed as being a powerful but simple "macro" language. Nothing could be further from the truth. VBScript is essentially VB without the forms and graphics. VBScript is just as powerful, has the same controlling capabilities, and uses almost all the same commands and syntax as VB. To think of writing scripts for the WSH as anything less than programming is a mistake.

When I first got this book, I read a ways into it, decided I didn't have the time or energy to go on, and put it aside. Had I written a review at that point, it would not have been favorable. Then I learned more about the WSH, what it was and what my expectations should be, what a person could do with it - and I picked it back up, and really applied myself. And apply yourself you must for this book. The first 154 pages of this 600 page book teach you the syntax and structure of VBScript (and some JScript). It's a little dry, and easy to get lost in. But once you have that down, the rest of the book can really open things up and show you quite a bit.

Besides an introduction to the language, the book covers "upgrading" your old batch files, writing logon scripts for users, automating network tasks, SQL server, IIS server, as well as showing you how to use ActiveX objects for the file system, CDO, ADO (Database), etc. The book even goes so far as to touch on ADSI scripting for Windows NT and Windows 200 Active Directory.

Even though at this point in time the book is a little out-dated (written in the Windows NT 4 time), it is still a good learning tool. Not so unlike other "... in 21 days" books, the average person won't complete the book in that time, and you learn just as much correcting the errors in the code and doing the workshop material as you do from the actual guided lessons. If you're looking for a scripting solution that is quick and easy, WSH and VBScript isn't it, and neither is this book. If you're looking for a powerful automation tool for network and services automation, and you're willing to spend the time it will take to complete this book, then this could be the title for you.

This is a great book. It provides a excellent foundation for learning the basics of: WSH, vbscript, jscript and provides useful real-world examples for scripting: IIS, MS Office, ADO, ADSI, etc. The author even devotes a chapter on how to deploy scripting solutions.

After you finish reading this book get the MS help files on: WSH, vbscript, jscript, ADO, ADSI, other COM, and MS OLE/COM viewer and you'll be ready for scripting in the real world.

I am really new to WSH but this book made it really easy for me to grasp the concepts. It strarts from the basics and moves to harder material. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to learn not just WSH but VBscript and jscript.

This book is a great intro to Windows Script Host. A definate must-have for scripting newbies.

Some reviewers here complain some of the scripts dont work, but that's because WSH has been updated since then. After you purchase the book, you can download the scripts from the author's website.

For a programmer who has used VB, Java, or any ASP, this book will boost your skills incredibly with a minimal learning curve. It shows the basics of the WSH objects and an overview of VBScript and JScript within the first few chapters- it is worth buying the book just for those chapters alone.

If you are not familiar yet with the concepts of OOP and looking at object models, you might need a primer found in another book before looking into WSH. It is built purely on objects that your code will refence and it can be a bear to take on unprepared.

It will be interesting to see how the .Net framework will integrate the objects in WSH- there is a significant chance that little in this book will be completely valid after Windows XP and Visual Studio .Net have become standard. Nevertheless, this book is an invaluable tool to the Windows programmer who wants to simplify life by automating as many tasks as possible.

Book should be called "Teach yourself WSH in 21 days If you know VB". Not really a beginner's guide...dissapointed. Going to buy Tim Hill's new book : )

A concise and straightforward explanation of this incredibly valuable program. Hopefully many will find their way to this book.

It took them long enough to get this book out, but I have to admit as much as I wanted to slam them for taking so long, I'm really impressed with the end result! You can tell that they started with WSH 1.0 and then updated the content for WSH 2, but it's still full of terrific (and timely) advice. Lots of practical applications for WSH!

It took me 2 Months though..it will really teach you Sript Hosting..per se... Just be patient and eager enough to learn step by step...