VBScript tips and tricks
Posted by jpluimers on 2013/01/22
I normally don’t do much VBScript stuff, but sometimes I have to, and these tips helped me big time:
- You can use Visual Studio 2005, 2008 SP1 or 2010 to edit VBS files (with syntax highlighting, etc)
- Debugging VBS files with cscript.exe and Visual Studio requires an extra step: you need to initiate this from the script side
–jeroen
This was the script in question (mimicked a bit after Prnmngr.vbs):
It uses AddPrinterConnection and RemovePrinterConnection of the Windows Scripting Host Network object to add/remove local LPT ports to network printers so that DOS applications can still print.
So it is equivalent to NET USE LPT1 \\servername\printershare
Option Explicit
On Error Resume Next
Dim objWshNetwork
Set objWshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")
' This is the same as "NET USE LPT#: \\servername\printername" but with extra error checking
Sub ShowError (txtMessage, txtCaption)
Call MsgBox (txtMessage, vbCritical, txtCaption)
End Sub
Sub MapPrinter(txtPort, txtNetworkPrinter, txtAlternatePort)
On Error Resume Next
Call MsgBox ("mapping " & txtPort & " to " & txtNetworkPrinter, 16, txtNetworkPrinter)
objWshNetwork.removePrinterConnection txtPort, True
' If Err.Number <> 0 Then
' Call ShowError ("Unmapping " & txtPort & "; Error # " & CStr(Err.Number) & " " & Err.Description, txtNetworkPrinter)
' Err.Clear
' End If
objWshNetwork.addPrinterConnection txtPort, txtNetworkPrinter
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
Call ShowError ("Redirecting " & txtPort & " to network printer " & txtNetworkPrinter & " failed," & _
"Error # " & CStr(Err.Number) & ": " & Err.Description _
, txtNetworkPrinter)
Err.Clear
End If
End Sub
Dim objPrinter
For Each objPrinter In GetObject("winmgmts:").ExecQuery("select * from Win32_Printer where default=true")
Dim txtNetworkPrinter
txtNetworkPrinter = objPrinter.ServerName & "\" & objPrinter.ShareName
If txtNetworkPrinter = "\" Then
Call ShowError ("You do not have a default printer that is a network printer, so there is nothing to redirect" _
, txtNetworkPrinter)
Else
Call MapPrinter("LPT1:", txtNetworkPrinter)
Call MapPrinter("LPT2:", txtNetworkPrinter)
End If
Next
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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