This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Windows Script Host is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
The Microsoft Windows Script Host (originally called Windows Scripting Host, but renamed for the second release) is an automation technology for Microsoft Windows operating systems that provides scripting capabilities comparable to batch files, but with a greater range of supported features.
It is language-independent in the sense that it can make use of different Active Scripting language engines. By default it interprets and runs plain-text JScript (.JS and .JSE files) and VBScript (.VBS and .VBE files). Users can install different scripting engines to enable them to script in other languages, for instance Perl. The language independent filename extension WSF can also be used. The advantage of the Windows Script File (.WSF) is that it allows the user to use a combination of scripting languages within a single file.
Windows Script Host is distributed and installed by default on Windows 98 and later versions of Windows. It is also installed if Internet Explorer 5 (or a later version) is installed. Beginning with Windows 2000, the Windows Script Host became available for use with user login scripts.
Contents |
Usage
Windows Script Host may be used for a variety of purposes, including logon scripts, administration and general automation. Microsoft describes it as an administration tool.1 WSH provides an environment for scripts to run – it invokes the appropriate script engine and provides a set of services and objects for the script to work with.1 These scripts may be run in either GUI mode (WScript.exe) or command line mode (CScript.exe) offering flexibility to the user for interactive or non-interactive scripts.2 WSH implements an object model which exposes a set of COM interfaces.3
Example
This is a very simple example of some VBScript which uses the root WSH COM object "WScript" to display a message and 'OK' button. Upon launching this script the cscript or WScript engine would be called and the runtime environment provided.
WScript.Echo "Hello World" WScript.Quit
Security concerns
Windows applications and processes may be automated using a script in Windows Script Host. Viruses and malware may attempt to use this ability as an exploit. Consequently, some suggest disabling it for security reasons.4 Alternatively antivirus programs may offer features to control .vbs and other scripts which run in the WSH environment.
One way to address security concerns about Windows Script Host is to change the default handler for the .vbs, .vbe, .js, .jse, .wsf, .wsh file types to edit rather than run.5
Since version 5.6 of WSH, scripts can be digitally signed programmatically using the Scripting.Signer object in a script itself, provided a valid certificate is present on the system. Alternatively, the signcode tool from the Platform SDK, which has been extended to support WSH filetypes, may be used at the command line.
By using Software Restriction Policies introduced with Windows XP, a system may be configured to execute only those scripts which have been digitally signed, thus preventing the execution of untrusted scripts.6
Version history
| Windows Version | Shipped with WSH version | Last redistributable version |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 95 | None (Separate redistributable) | 5.6 |
| Windows NT 4.0 | None (Separate redistributable) | 5.6 |
| Windows 98 | 1.0 | 5.6 |
| Windows 2000 | 2.0 (also known as WSH 5.1) | 5.7 |
| Windows Me | 2.0 (also known as WSH 5.1) | 5.6 |
| Windows XP / Windows Server 2003 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| Windows Vista / Windows Server 2008 / Windows XP SP3 | 5.7 | Not applicable |
The redistributable version of WSH version 5.6 can be installed on Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT 4.0/2000. WSH 5.7 is downloadable for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Recently, redistributable versions for older operating systems (Windows 9x and Windows NT 4.0) are no longer available from the Microsoft Download Center.
As of Windows XP Service Pack 3, release 5.7 can no longer be installed.
See also
References
External links
- WSH Primer on Microsoft TechNet – Get started with WSH
- WSH home at MSDN
- WSH Reference
- Microsoft Windows Script Downloads
- Release notes for Windows Script 5.7
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 5 November 2008, at 21:20.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Windows Script Host".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.