How does vbscript display information for the user?

Answer 1

VBScript, is a versatile programming language, using multiple different ways to display it's output.

VBScript code can be written inside of a web page: [.html]/or else, the web page can link to the code which has being saved as an external script file: [.vbs]. When used inside of the web page, VBScript uses the window document object to display it's output.

VBscript files can also be both written and run as being a purely stand alone file: [.vbs]; in the which case it doesn't need any web page document object to display it's output; but, instead, the output is displayed using a standard windows dialog message box.

Example 1> VBScript, written inside of a web page

For example, when VBScript code is being written inside of a web page...it uses the web page document window object itself to write it's output to; in the which case, the output statement might look like this...

USER INSTRUCTIONS: Save the above file as being called: vbs01.html

...then, left double click on the file to run/make the code execute.

NOTE(1): Only web browser MSIE/Microsoft Internet Explorer knows how to run VBScript code, successfully; without needing to use any external browser plug in. Therefore, the above code is certainly not guaranteed to work/run inside of any other web browser software; which, most probably, won't even understand it at all?!

That's the reason why the above code uses HTML comment notation: to hide the VBScript code from other Web Browsers that might not be able to understand it; in this way, the VBScript code will not accidentally be displayed if the web browser doesn't know what it is; instead, the code will, quite simply, be 'ignored'; and, thus, remain hidden instead.

NOTE(2): In order to use VBScript within a web page; you first need to surround the code with a pair of open and close: tags.

NOTE(3): The use of a pair of brackets: () to enclose the "string literal" text is entirely optional.

Example 2> VBScript, written as a stand alone document file

MsgBox "Hello, world! (1)"

'...which could alternatively be written as...

MsgBox("Hello, world! (2)")

'...in this case a Windows standard Dialog Box is used to display the output text.

USER INSTRUCTIONS: Save the above file as being called: vbs02.vbs

...then, left double click on the file to run/make the code execute.

NOTE(1): A stand alone VBScript (.vbs) file...has no window object to send it's output to...so, it uses a Windows standard dialog message box to display output messages.

NOTE(2): The use of a pair of brackets: () to enclose the "string literal" text is entirely optional.