Windows Shell and WSH Scripting—Still Useful After All These Years

With Windows PowerShell now in the scripting scene, you might think that Windows shell scripting (.cmd and .bat code) and Windows Script Host (WSH) scripting (.vbs and .js code) are history. However, they are not gone nor have they been forgotten. To showcase the continued usefulness of .cmd, .bat, .vbs, and .js code, Scripting Pro VIP is running a Reader to Reader contest.

Entering is simple: Just send an email that tells me about a .cmd, .bat, .vbs, or .js script or reusable code snippet (e.g., function, subroutine) that you've written. Let me know:

You can find many examples of Reader to Reader articles at http://www.scriptingprovip.com/Departments/DepartmentID/1039/1039.html and http://www.windowsitpro.com/Departments/DepartmentID/841/841.html.

For each article you send (you can submit more than one), you'll be entered into a drawing. On Monday, Feb. 4, three winners will be selected. Each winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com. I'll announce the winners in the February 6 edition of Scripting Pro VIP Update.

I'll be sending all the submitted Reader to Reader articles to a technical editor, who will review the article for technical accuracy and test the code. If the technical editor accepts your article for publication in Scripting Pro VIP, you'll receive $100 when it's published. (Your submission doesn't have to be accepted for publication to be part of the drawing.)

Send your article and code to me at [email protected]. Please include your full name and telephone number. To avoid problems with email filters, please append ".txt" to the code file's name (e.g., MyScript.cmd.txt, MyFunction.vbs.txt). I'll then remove the ".txt" when I receive the code file. In addition, if you have WinZip, please send the code files in a .zip file.

Send me your articles today. This is your chance to not only showcase your code but also prove that .cmd, .bat, .vbs, and .js code is still useful after all these years.