how to make my scripts portable vbs - windows

this would be a noob question..but I want to make my scripts more portable.
lets say, I have coded all my .vbs(or any script in any code of nature) in a USB.
so I want to run that vbs on that current machine. the USB is assigned to be in F: drive
however when i unplugged that usb and sticked to another machine..it is going to be no longer F:..but it could be E: G: or whatever
I just wanted to know how do i overcome that without changing it directly on the scripts but the script is capable of reading which directory its pointing toward.
Im not sure how that property/functionality is called.
but would appreciate any hints/tips

There are two main ways you can make your script more portable.
The first, and probably the most appropriate for your use case, is to check what drive your executable is running on by using WScript.ScriptFullName and getting the first three characters to find the drive letter. You could alternatively chop the script name (WScript.ScriptName) off the end to find the current working directory. Assign this to a variable, and use it everywhere in your code where you specify a path.
Dim fullname : fullname = WScript.ScriptFullName
Dim drive : drive = Mid(fullname, 1, 3)
Dim path : path = Mid(fullname, 1, Len(fullname) - Len(WScript.ScriptName))
WScript.Echo "Drive = " & drive & vbcrlf & "Path = " & path
Another way is to make your script expect run-time arguments from the user, so you can specify exactly where you want to do things.
' Make a shortcut to your script and add a parameter,
' Or run from the command prompt with an additional parameter.
If WScript.Arguments.Length = 0 Then
WScript.Echo "No arguments supplied!"
WScript.Quit
End If
WScript.Echo WScript.Arguments(0)
I hope that helps!

Related

Failure to run VBS script with task scheduler

we have this vbs script we use to update certain documents with SyncToy.
This is the script as it is currently written:
'--------------------------------------------------
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
sFilePath = chr(34) & "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" &
chr(34) & "-R"
iRC = oShell.Run(sFilePath, 0, True)
' Return with the same errorlevel as the batch file had
Wscript.Quit iRC
'---------------------------------------------------
I didn't write this script, and I have very little experience with scripting.
I have a task set up in task scheduler that runs this script anytime the device connects to a network. The script should run SyncToy and then synchronize the folder pair that is set up. I have tried running the script through command prompt with the cscript command but nothing happens as far as I can tell. At least the folders aren't syncing.
The script is running on a Windows 10 pro tablet
I have verified that the task is indeed running when it is supposed to. I'm just not sure if it is an issue with the way the script is written or if the task settings need to be changed. Is there anything wrong with the script as far as you can tell?
I was unsure whether to post this here or over in serverfault. If this doesn't belong here please move the question over to serverfault
Update: I've verified that this isn't a problem with the script. This problem apparently arose only after the update from SyncToy 2.0 to 2.1.
Thanks Guys.
There is a error with the sFilePath lines.
First, I don't know if this was originaly on a single line but it should (or add "_" before changing line).
Then, this (...)& >"-R" would not work. The ">" symbole is outside the quotes and generate a error.
If you want to execute this command: "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" -R,
this is the way to do this:
sFilePath = chr(34) & "C:\Program Files\SyncToy 2.1\SyncToyCmd.exe" & chr(34) & " -R"
You can also add msgbox sFilePath to show a popup with the value of sFilePath.
To test/run the script, you just need to double-click on it.

Command to find Active Drive

I am trying to build a VBScript to automatically run some .exe files. The problem is that the script and the .exe files are on a flashdrive, so it needs to find the current drive letter by itself. I can do it on a batch file using %~d0, but I like some of the functions of VBScript better, especially the ability to send keystrokes. Anyways, I found a whole list of VBScript commands, but I am no expert and I need help with the syntax. So far I have it set to open the task manager and press some keys to have it select the "performance tab" of the task manager:
Dim Act :Set Act = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
Act.Run("taskmgr.exe")
Success = Act.AppActivate("taskmgr")
Wscript.Sleep 250
Act.SendKeys "{TAB 5}" :WScript.Sleep 500
Act.SendKeys "{RIGHT 3}" :WScript.Sleep 500
I'd like to know what command I need to use to tell the script to use the drive letter where the script was executed from (USB drive).
Use the .ScriptFullName property to get the full file spec of the running script and apply .GetParentFolderName for the folder's path or .GetDriveName for just the drive letter.
>> Set oFS = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
>> s = WScript.ScriptFullName
>> WScript.Echo oFS.GetParentFolderName(s), oFS.GetDriveName(s)
>>
M:\bin M:
cf. here

opening a file that's not in the same directory

I want to run a program (that is not in the same directory as the script) with a MSG box, here's the code (it doesen't work because it needs the program to be on desktop like the script)
puls = MsgBox("Want to open steam?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion)
if puls = vbYes then
CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run "C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\Steam.exe"
CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run "C:\Users\Dario Loi\AppData\Local\TeamSpeak 3 Client\ts3client_win64.exe"
else
MsgBox "Okay :(", vbInformation
end if
now, as you can see, i want to execute this at system startup to get my gaming programs running, but i can't put steam on the desktop because it will dump it's assets there, and it would be a mess, i can't put the script in steam's directory too, same thing for TS3, also, i tried to replace the name of the file with it's path, but it does not work either
EDIT:
Just for making things clear, i've got a VBS File on my desktop, along with it, on the desktop i've got 2 links (not the original EXEs), to steam and TS, (the programs i want to run), i would want to open these 2 programs without putting the script and the program in the same folder, so
by making the script refer to the link and
by making the script refer to the path,
if you got ideas, please tell me
And if you try like this ?
puls = MsgBox("Want to open steam?", vbYesNo + vbQuestion)
Set ws = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
if puls = vbYes then
ws.Run DblQuote("C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\Steam.exe")
ws.Run DblQuote("C:\Users\Dario Loi\AppData\Local\TeamSpeak 3 Client\ts3client_win64.exe")
else
MsgBox "Okay :(", vbInformation
end if
'*****************************************
Function DblQuote(Str)
DblQuote = Chr(34) & Str & Chr(34)
End Function
'*****************************************
Add a cd (change directory) line to the full path of your executables which will bring the cmd prompt to that directory, and do your run command.

VB Using "Runas"

I am having a heck of a time getting some syntax correct here.
I have a small VB Script which prompts for credentials and then uses those credentials to run another vb script:
set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
strAdminName = inputBox("What is your username (Domain\Username)")
objShell.Run "runas /user:" & strAdminName & " ""Wscript.exe \\xxx.xx.xxx\dfs\Tumw-IS\Juniper Tools and Utilities\Juniper Removal Tools\delete_folders.vbs"" "
When I run the script everything works, except it can't find the script I am calling. I get an error stating "There is no file extension in "\xxx.xx.xxx\dfs\tumw-is\Juniper"
Obviously the problem is in the fact that there are spaces in the file location and also that I am using a DFS link. When I run this and target a VBS file with no spaces in the location it works fine.
I just can't get the syntax down to handle the DFS link or the spaces in the name. I assume it's pretty straightforward, but I just can't get it to work.
Any ideas?
Thanks
-John
Try this:
objShell.Run "runas /user:" & strAdminName & " ""Wscript.exe \""\\xxx.xx.xxx\dfs\Tumw-IS\Juniper Tools and Utilities\Juniper Removal Tools\delete_folders.vbs\"""""

Run a vbscript as an admin from itself (Nagios / NSclient)

I'll detail as much as I can so you can understand in which environment I'm working on and what I am trying to do.
I am using Nagios at work to monitor our servers. Each one of our Windows servers has NSclient++ installed on it. One of the many scripts Nagios' calling is check_updates.vbs; here 's how it goes if someone need to know:
On the Nagios' server side, we execute the following command:
/usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_nrpe -H WindowsServerIpAddress -p 5666 -t 120 -c check_updates
When we execute that command, here is what's happening on the Windows Server:
By using the nscp service, it calls the following command, defined in the nsclient.ini file (into NSclient++ folder):
check_updates=cscript.exe //T:120 //NoLogo scripts\\check_updates.vbs
Then, it calls the check_updates.vbs script.
The local account on the Windows Server is the administrator one. We have changed nscp service's properties so that this service is called with another account, created especially for monitoring.
So, when we call the check_updates.vbs script directly on the Windows server (i.e locally), everything goes well, the script is working perfectly. But if we call it remotely, on the Nagios server, we have a simple (but deadly) error that says Permission denied.
That is why we are focusing on giving enough permissions to the monitoring-user.
After searching more and more and trying everything we could, I must say we're kinda lost right now.
The last solution I tried was to add these lines at the beginning of the script, to give the monitoring-user enough permissions to execute the script properly:
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
If WScript.Arguments.length = 0 Then
Set ObjShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
ObjShell.ShellExecute "wscript.exe", """" & _
WScript.ScriptFullName & """" &_
" RunAsAdministrator", , "runas", 1
End if
(I found this here)
When I use this, locally I get an [error notice*] but the script is working anyway. However, when I call the script remotely, I just have a timeout after 120s.
More info: UAC is disabled on the Windows server, and the monitoring-user has full access control on the NSclient++\scripts folder. Using the nscp service with the admin account is not the solution we are seeking for this matter.
So, am I missing something here ? Do you have any idea about this ?
Thanks for the help ! :)
[*error notice]: Invalid arguments, check help with cscript.exe check_available_updates.vbs -h
If UAC is off then it's not a UAC permission error therefore don't worry about runas.
It's also unlikely to be a file permissions problem (all admins are equal unless someone made it different).
What is likely is the different environments. You have an assumption that is true for the interactive user only. You need to log what is happening in your script (see wshshell.LogEvent(intType, strMessage [,strTarget])). If your script has
on error remove next
remove it.
Mapped drives are a problem. As are environmental variables and special folders.
Try using Runas command line command with various options (eg /env) to see if you can duplicate the behaviour.
Also run
cmd /c set > c:\set.log
and compare the output from the two ways of running it (ie with your client and direct).
Thanks for your answer Tony, I've tried your suggestions, but eventually we ended up getting around the problem.
Despite we gave the monitoring-user all permissions needed to execute this script, it was not working. So here's what we've done:
We created a bat file which contains the command-line to call check_update.vbs and to write its output into a new file:
cscript.exe //T:120 //NoLogo "C:\Program Files\NSClient++\scripts\check_updates.vbs" > "C:\Program Files\NSClient++\check_update.log"
Then, we've created a scheduled task (using the TaskScheduler) which calls the bat file every day to check for new updates.
To have the correct output in Nagios, we created another vbscript which only has to read the check_update.log file and return the appropriate value to Nagios:
Const ForReading = 1
Const rOK = 0
Const rWarning = 1
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile("C:\Program Files\NSClient++\check_update.log", ForReading)
FirstChar = objFile.Read(1)
Content = objFile.ReadAll
If FirstChar = "O" Then
Wscript.Echo FirstChar + Content
Wscript.Quit(rOK)
Else
WScript.Echo FirstChar + Content
End If
Wscript.Quit(rWarning)
This vbscript is really basic, since it only reads the first letter of the file to decide which value to return. Indeed, if there are no updates available, the message will always be "OK - No patches missing".
So, by calling the bat file using the SchedulerTask, we get around the fact that the monitoring-user has not enough permissions to execute the script.

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