Running Scripts Using Cscript.Exe

Running Scripts Using Cscript.exe

To use Cscript.exe, open a Command Prompt window and type a Cscript command line. CScript uses the following syntax:

cscript [script name] [host options...] [script options]

Script name is the name of the script file, complete with extension and any necessary path information, such as: d:\admin\vbscripts\chart.vbs.
Host options enable or disable various Windows Scripting Host features. Host options are always preceeded by two slashes (//).
Script options are passed to the script. Script parameters are always preceeded by only one slash (/).

Each parameter is optional; however, you cannot specify script options without specifying a script name. If you do not specify parameters, Cscript displays the Cscript syntax and the valid host parameters.

Cscript.exe supports the host parameters shown in the following table.

Parameter	Description
//I	Interactive Mode: allows display of user prompts and script errors (this is the default, and the opposite of //B).
//B	Batch Mode: suppresses command-line display of user prompts and script errors.
//T:nn	Enables time-out: the maximum number of seconds the script can run. The default is no limit. (See the text following this table for more information on this parameter.)
//logo	Displays a banner (default; opposite of //nologo).
//nologo	Prevents display of an execution banner at run time.
//H:Cscript or //H:Wscript	Registers Cscript.exe or Wscript.exe as the default application for running scripts. If neither is specified, Wscript.exe is assumed as the default.
//S	Saves the current command-line options for this user.
//?	Shows command usage (same as with parameters).

The //T parameter prevents excessive execution of scripts; it does this by setting a timer. When execution time exceeds the specified value, Cscript interrupts the scripting engine using the IActiveScript::InterruptThread method and terminates the process.

A Cscript Example

Several sample scripts are installed when you install the final release of the Windows Scripting Host. These are also available for download at:

http://www.microsoft.com/management/wsh.htm

Suppose, for the purposes of this example, that you have copied the Chart.vbs sample script to the following folder on your computer:

c:\sample scripts\chart.vbs

You can run the script with and without a logo, as follows:

Click Start, point to Programs, and click Command Prompt.
Type the following commands at the command prompt (if your sample scripts are located in a different folder, these lines should be modified accordingly):
```
cscript //logo c:\”sample scripts”\chart.vbs
cscript //nologo c:\”sample scripts”\chart.vbs
```

When Windows Scripting Host ships with Windows NT 5.0, you will no longer need to provide the script file extension. Instead, you can type just the script name, or double-click the script in Windows Explorer.