VBScript Tutorial #5
So far
we've been using standard script that could be used with
the Windows Scripting Host (WSH) that comes as standard
with Windows 98/2000. Now I'll show you how to
communicate with the browser. Take a look at this:-
<script
language="VBS">
document.write "Hello"
</script>
Note first that you can call the script language using a
shorter name rather than VBScript if you wish although
VBS is less descriptive. This simple script will display
the word Hello. Now look at this script:-
<script
language="VBS">
document.write "Hello"
document.write "there!"
next
</script>
Before you run it, try to predict what will
happen. Now run it. Ypu might have expected the second document.write
function to print on a new line but it doesn't. To make
it do so you need to use this:-
<script
language="VBS">
document.write "Hello<BR>"
document.write "there!"
</script>
Now this is interesting. We have used some HTML
code and embedded it in the string but the browser has
interpreted it as HTML (provided you used the <HTML>
tag as in previous tutorials). So perhaps you can see how
scripts and HTML are interlinked. Still doesn't look
quite as hoped as there is no space between the two words.
Adding a space between Hello and the BReak
tag will do the trick. So what else can we do?
<script
language="VBS">
for i = 1 to 3
document.write "Hello "
document.write "<b>there!</b><BR>"
next
</script>
This will then write Hello there! three times
but the there! will be in bold again due
to the <b> bold HTML tags. For all
you old BASIC programmers, also note that there isn't a next
i statement but simply a next.
This I agree is a very bad programming style but it is
the only form that VBScript will take. Loops can still be
nested but will have to be indented to make the flow more
readable (good practice anyway but I can't show it here
as HTML won't let me). Now for the final bit of code this
session:-
<script
language="VBS">
dim name
name="Nick"
for i = 1 to 3
document.write "Hello "
document.write "<b>" & name &
"</b><BR>"
next
</script>
We have DIMensioned a variable and
assigned a name (mine in this case but it could be yours)
which we use further down. Note how we use the &
(ampersand) to display the contents of the varibable
otherwise you'll get the word name
printed on the screen. Note also the break is used
otherwise we won't get a nice display in on new lines.
That's it for today. I hope you can see that scripting is
a very powerful addition to the HTML armoury and I'll be
delving deeper in future tutorials.
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Written by Nick
Cheesman. Last updated: 01/04/2004
Please eMail me at: nickjc@nickjc.co.uk if you need help
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