Adding a GUI to VBScript

Question

I\'m currently working on a vbs script but I need user interaction with script. Basically I need two buttons and 4 checkboxes ( checkboxes isn\'t important).

Thanks

Answer 1

The best approach I found is to open HTA file from VBS using "WScript.Shell Run" and communicate back to the VBS using an XML file.

Example (dialog.vbs)

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") 
Set oFile = fso.GetFile(Wscript.ScriptFullName) 
sFolder = oFile.ParentFolder 
sHtaFilePath = sFolder & "\dialog.hta"
Dim oShell: Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oShell.Run sHtaFilePath, 1, True

'Load return data from XML File
If fso.FileExists(sHtaFilePath & ".xml") Then
    Set oXml = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
    oXML.async = False
    oXML.load sHtaFilePath & ".xml"

    MsgBox "Value 1: " & oXML.SelectSingleNode("/root/txt1").text
    MsgBox "Value 2: " & oXML.SelectSingleNode("/root/txt2").text

    fso.DeleteFile sHtaFilePath & ".xml"
End If

Example HTA (dialog.hta)

  
  
  





  

    Value 1 
    
  

  

    Value 2 
    
      A
      B
      D
    
  


  
  

Even better approach is for the HTA file to be created by the VBS file and then deleted. This way HTA does not have to be distributed along with the VBS.

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") 

sHtml = "
Value 1 " & _
    "" & _
  "
" & _
  "
Value 2 " & _
    "" & _
      "A" & _
      "B" & _
      "D" & _
    "" & _
  "
" & _
  "
" & _
    " " & _
    "" & _
  "
"

  Set oRet = OpenDialog(sHtml, "txt1,txt2", 300, 200, "Dialog 1")
  MsgBox "Value 1: " & oRet("txt1") & ", Value 2: " & oRet("txt2")

'==================================
Function OpenDialog(sHtml, sFields,iWidth,iHeight, sTitle)
  sHtaFilePath = Wscript.ScriptFullName & ".hta"

  CreateHtaFile sHtaFilePath, sHtml, sFields,iWidth,iHeight,sTitle

  Set f = fso.GetFile(sHtaFilePath)
  f.attributes = f.attributes + 2 'Hidden

  Dim oShell: Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

  oShell.Run """" & sHtaFilePath & """", 1, True

  If fso.FileExists(sHtaFilePath) Then
    fso.DeleteFile sHtaFilePath
  End If

  Set oRet = CreateObject("Scripting.Dictionary")

  'Load return data from XML File
  If fso.FileExists(sHtaFilePath & ".xml") Then
      Set oXml = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
      oXML.async = False
      oXML.load sHtaFilePath & ".xml"

      For each sField In Split(sFields,",")
        oRet.Add trim(sField), oXML.SelectSingleNode("/root/" & trim(sField)).text
      Next

      fso.DeleteFile sHtaFilePath & ".xml"
  End If

  Set OpenDialog = oRet
End Function

Sub CreateHtaFile(sHtaFilePath, sHtml, sFields, iWidth, iHeight, sTitle)
  Set f = fso.CreateTextFile(sHtaFilePath, True)
  f.WriteLine ""
  f.WriteLine ""
  f.WriteLine ""
  f.WriteLine sHtml
  f.WriteLine ""
  f.Close
End Sub