The Basics

When users interact with computers, they usually get to some point where the

computer asks them for information. That information is stored or manipulated by

the computer in some way. Suppose, for example, that you want to keep a record

of the number of times the user has clicked the button. In that case, you would

want to store a value in memory. In any ca se, you need a  "container" in which to

store information. Programmers commonly call these containers variables.

What is a variable?

A variable is a virtual container in the computer's memory or convenient

placeholder that refers to a computer memory location where you can store

program information that may change during the time your script is running.

Where the variable is stored in computer memory is unimportant. What is

important is that you only have to refer to a variable by name to see or change its

value. In VBScript, variables are always of one fundamental data type, Variant.

A computer program can store information in a variable and then access that

information later by referring to the variable's name.

Variables Naming Restrictions

Variable names follow the standard rules for naming anything in VBScript. A

variable name:

Must begin with an alphabetic charact er.

Cannot contain an embedded period.

Must not exceed 255 characters.

Must be unique in the scope in which it is declared.

Make sure you never create variables that have the same name as keywords

already used by VBScript. These keywords are called reserved words and

include terms such as Date, Minute, Second, Time, and so on.

How Do I Create a Variable?

When you create a variable, you have to give it a name. That way, when you need

to find out what's contained in the variable, you use its name to let the computer

know which variable you are referring to. You have two ways to create a variable.

The first way, called the explicit method, is where you use the Dim keyword to tell

VBScript you are about to create a variable. You then follow this keyword with the

name of the variable. If, for example, you want to creat e a variable called

Quantity, you would enter