390 If strPlayerInput = “” Then ‘Player must type something strNotificationMsg = “Missing entry. Please try again.” blnValidCell = “False” End If ‘Check each cell to make sure that it has not already been selected If strPlayerInput = “A1” Then If A1 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “A2” Then If A2 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “A3” Then If A3 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “B1” Then If B1 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition If strPlayerInput = “B2” Then If B2 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “B3” Then If B3 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “C1” Then If C1 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “C2” Then If C2 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If If strPlayerInput = “C3” Then If C3 <> “ “ Then blnValidCell = “False” strNotificationMsg = “Invalid entry. Cell already selected. “ & _ “Please try again.” End If End If End Function 391 Chapter 11 • Working with Built-In VBScript Objects 392 Function MarkPlayerSelection() ‘Mark an X or O in the appropriate cell If strPlayerInput = “A1” Then A1 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “A2” Then A2 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “A3” Then A3 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “B1” Then B1 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “B2” Then B2 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “B3” Then B3 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “C1” Then C1 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “C2” Then C2 = strPlayer End If If strPlayerInput = “C3” Then C3 = strPlayer End If End Function Function SeeIfWon() ‘Check across the first row If A1 = strPlayer Then If A2 = strPlayer Then Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition If A3 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- First row across!” End If End If End If ‘Check across the second row If B1 = strPlayer Then If B2 = strPlayer Then If B3 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- Second row across!” End If End If End If ‘Check across the third row If C1 = strPlayer Then If C2 = strPlayer Then If C3 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- Third row across!” End If End If End If ‘Check the first column If A1 = strPlayer Then If B1 = strPlayer Then If C1 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- First column down!” End If End If End If 393 Chapter 11 • Working with Built-In VBScript Objects 394 ‘Check the second column If A2 = strPlayer Then If B2 = strPlayer Then If C2 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- Second column down!” End If End If End If ‘Check the third column If A3 = strPlayer Then If B3 = strPlayer Then If C3 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- Third column down!” End If End If End If ‘Check diagonally If A1 = strPlayer Then If B2 = strPlayer Then If C3 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- Diagonally A1 - C3!” End If End If End If ‘Check diagonally If A3 = strPlayer Then If B2 = strPlayer Then If C1 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection = “- Diagonally C1 - A3!” End If End If End If End Function Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition Function DisplaySplashScreen() ‘Display splash screen and terminate game MsgBox “Thank you for playing Tic-Tac-Toe” & _ “© Jerry Ford 2004.” & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & “Please play again “ & _ “soon!”, 4144, cTitleBarMsg WScript.Quit() End Function Okay, run through the Tic-Tac-Toe game a few times to be sure that you haven’t accidentally made a few typos when keying in the script. After you have everything working just right, go out and get a friend to play with and show off what you have learned. Summary In this chapter, you learned how to work with built-in VBScript objects. This included learn- ing how to create custom objects with their own unique set of properties and methods. You also learned how to trigger events associated with custom objects. On top of all this, you learned how to perform complex parsing operations by working with the RegExp object and you created your first multi-player VBScript game. 395 Chapter 11 • Working with Built-In VBScript Objects C HALLENGES 1. Enhance the Tic-Tac-Toe game by adding options that allow the players to get help. 2. If you have a Web site, consider modifying the game’s closing splash screen to display its address. 3. Try making a computerized version of this game where a single player goes head to head against the computer. 4. Add logic that keeps track of the total number of games played and display this information, along with the total number of games won by each player, at the end of the final game. This page intentionally left blank Combining Different Scripting Languages 12 CHAPTER W elcome to the final chapter of this book. In this chapter, you will learn how to develop a new type of script, called a Windows Script File, which enables you to combine VBScript with one or more other WSH-supported scripting languages to create a single executable script. Doing so enables you to create scripts that can take advantage of the strengths of each individual scripting language. Specifically, in this chapter I’ll demonstrate how to develop Windows Script Files that combine VBScript and JScript. Along the way, you’ll be introduced to the Extensible Markup Language, or XML, which allows different scripting lan- guages to be combined into Windows Script Files. Specifically, you will • Learn how to combine VBScript with another scripting language to create Windows Script Files • Learn how XML is used to format Windows Script Files • Get a sneak peek at the JScript scripting language • Learn how to execute Windows Script Files Project Preview: The VBScript Game Console In your final project, you will learn how to create Windows Script Files that com- bine VBScript with a little bit of JScript to create a game console for all your VBScript games. Once started, the game console displays a dynamically created numbered list of your VBScript games and enables the user to choose which game to play by either typing in the name of the game or typing its assigned number. CHAPTER 398 When started, the game console appears in the upper-left corner of the display area. As games are selected, they will appear in the middle of the screen. This keeps the game console handy without making it intrusive. Figures 12.1 through 12.5 demonstrate the overall oper- ation of the game console from beginning to end. Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition Figure 12.1 A JScript that displays the game console’s initial splash screen is executed. Figure 12.2 The core logic for the game console is provided by a VBScript, which is responsible for displaying and controlling the execution of your VBScript games. Figure 12.3 The game console remains tucked away in the corner while the player enjoys playing your VBScript game. Figure 12.4 By selecting the About option, the user can get more information about the game console and its author. Introducing Windows Script Files One of the strengths of the WSH is that it supports a number of different scripting lan- guages, including VBScript, JScript, Perl, Python, and REXX. Microsoft automatically equips the WSH with VBScript and JScript. Third-party software developers provide support for the other scripting languages. Besides executing scripts written in any of these scripting lan- guages, the WSH enables you to put any combination of these languages into a single script file known as a Windows Script File. XML provides the glue for combining different scripts into a Windows Script File. In this chapter, I’ll cover some of the more commonly used WSH-supported XML statements. However, there simply is not enough space available in this book to completely cover every single XML element supported by the WSH. To learn more about the WSH’s support for XML, visit http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/scripting and read through the Windows Script Host documentation posted there. Using XML, you specify the components that make up Windows Script Files. For example, you use XML to mark the locations within Windows Script Files where individual scripts (written in scripting languages such as VBScript and JScript) are embedded. Windows Script Files are saved as plain text files with a .wsh file extension and can be created using any plain text or script editor. XML is case-sensitive and imposes a strict set of rules on the format of Windows Script Files. For example, within the context of the WSH, most XML tags occur in pairs with one opening and one closing tag. Failure to include a matching closing tag will result in an error. 399 Chapter 12 • Combining Different Scripting Languages Figure 12.5 When the game console is finally closed, another JScript is run to display a closing splash screen. Definition A Windows Script File is a type of script that allows multiple scripts, written in any WSH-supported scripting language, to be combined to create a single script. Definition Extensible Markup Language, or XML, is a language similar in design and syntax to HTML. It is used within the context of the WSH to define the structure of Windows Script Files. . the first row If A1 = strPlayer Then If A2 = strPlayer Then Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition If A3 = strPlayer Then strWinner = strPlayer strDirection. demonstrate the overall oper- ation of the game console from beginning to end. Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition Figure 12.1 A JScript that displays the. Function Microsoft WSH and VBScript Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition Function DisplaySplashScreen() ‘Display splash screen and terminate game MsgBox “Thank you for playing