Launch VBScript from HTA and pass variables

Question

I'm fairly new to javascript and HTAs but here's what I have so far:

  <HTML> 
  <HEAD> 
  <title>Create Drive</title>
    <HTA:APPLICATION
     APPLICATIONNAME="CreateDrive"
     VERSION="1.0"
     SINGLEINSTANCE="yes"/>
    <SCRIPT language="JavaScript">
    window.resizeTo(400,300)
      function WriteFile() {
        var fso  = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject"); 
        var fh = fso.CreateTextFile("output.txt", true); 
        fh.WriteLine(userinfo.UN.value + ' ' + userinfo.FN.value + ' ' + userinfo.LN.value);
        fh.Close(); 
      }
    </SCRIPT>
  </HEAD>
  <BODY>
    <FORM name="userinfo">
      <P>User Name: <INPUT name="UN" type="text"></P>
      <P>First Name: <INPUT name="FN" type="text"></P>
      <P>Last Name: <INPUT name="LN" type="text"></P>
      <P><INPUT type="button" value="Create Drive" onclick="WriteFile();"></P>
    </FORM>
    </BODY>
</HTML>

My goal is to use this HTA to create network drives for new user accounts. Previously, to accomplish this, a .bat was used that referenced a VBScript and the user entered three values (user, first, and last name) which were passed along to the .vbs and created the drive:

cscript /nologo newdrive.vbs q:\users\%1 /DFS:yes /server:server1 /server2:server2 /userfirstname:%2 /userlastname:%3 /quiet:no

I would like to access this VBScript directly from my HTA and pass the values of UN, FN, and LN. I'm currently saving the values entered into a text file, but I appreciate any info on completing this a better way.

Thanks for your assistance.

Bond · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-02 18:39:33Z

1

I'm using VBScript for this example. You could just as easily do this in JavaScript, however.

Sub WriteFile()

    ' Retrieve the form values to be passed as args...
    a1 = userinfo.UN.value
    a2 = userinfo.FN.value
    a3 = userinfo.LN.value

    With CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

        ' Run the script, passing along the form values...
        .Run "wscript.exe newdrive.vbs " & a1 & " " & a2 & " " & a3

    End With

End Sub

In your newdrive.vbs script, you would retrieve these values using the WScript.Arguments collection:

strUser  = WScript.Arguments(0)
strFirst = WScript.Arguments(1)
strLast  = WScript.Arguments(2)

edited Sep 2, 2014 at 18:39

answered Sep 2, 2014 at 15:18

Bond

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7 Comments

4W4K3 Over a year ago

Thanks for the response, but I thought the CommandLine property was to be used for variables when the HTA is initially opened from a command line? My workflow will be that a user opens the HTA, enters in the values of UN, FN, & LN, submits and (hopefully) passes these entered values along to the vbs. As it stands now, I will not have any variables when the HTA is launched. Sorry if I'm confusing the function of this property though.

Bond Over a year ago

Ahh, okay. So do you just plan on using WshShell.Run to launch your VBScript and pass the arguments to it?

4W4K3 Over a year ago

Correct, that's what I was thinking. Currently I'm saving the values entered to "output.txt" and was going to try to find a way to then reference these from the file when the VBScript is launched... but perhaps there's a way to do this without the need for a separate text file?

Bond Over a year ago

Yeah, you should be able to just launch your VBScript from your HTA and pass those values as arguments. I'll update my answer.

Bond Over a year ago

You're missing some &'s and you forgot to replace %2 with a2. Try this:

.Run "wscript.exe newdrive.vbs e:\users\" & a1 & " /DFS:yes /server:server /server2:server /userfirstname:" & a2 & " /userlastname:" & a3 & " /quiet:no"

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