Winbatch
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Winbatch is a scripting language designed to run under Microsoft Windows. It is installed as an editor / interpreter / dialog designer application that permits the writing and testing of scripts. Winbatch is a true computer language as it supports variables, conditional flow of control, and subroutines. Winbatch programs are run by an interpreter. Although a compiler is available, this binds the interpreter together with the pseudo-code into an executable file, so the code is still interpreted. The strength of Winbatch is that the functions are extremely powerful which reduces the number of lines of code as opposed to other languages. This may be important if programs have to be written quickly since studies show that programmers program the same number of lines of code per hour regardless of the programming language. The downside of this language is that it (as opposed to other languages) has primitive dialog and code editors. Winbatch is developed by Wilson WindowWare and was released in 2000 (date is very approximate). A free trial version is available on the WinBatch website.
Company Background
Wilson WindowWare, a closely held corporation, was founded in 1989 with the idea that developing Windows software might be more interesting than working for an aerospace behemoth. Command Post was released into a market of Windows early adopters who ached to replace the MSDOS Executive file browser included free in Windows.
Command Post produced a number of firsts. It was the first third-party Windows shell. It was the first shareware product offered for Windows. PC Magazine gave it a Best of 1989 award saying "Command Post just might keep you from tossing your Windows out the window." Since then, Bill Gates and Microsoft have expressed their appreciation by producing free competitive products to toss WinBatch out the window. However, WinBatch keeps ahead of the grim reaper by being the best way for busy corporate system administrators to keep up with changes in Windows.
In 1991, the menuing language in Command Post became WinBatch. Shortly after that, a corporate version with a "compiler" became the product that established Wilson WindowWare. Network scripting for Microsoft, Novell and other networks made WinBatch into an essential tool for network administration. The combination of desktop management and complete network automation proved to be useful. WinBatch is sold throughout the world with about 1/3 of sales outside the USA. Documentation is available in German, Spanish and Japanese languages.
Wilson WindowWare is privately held. Employees number about 10. Yearly sales range between 1.5 and 2.5 million dollars.
Hello world
Here is the Winbatch Hello World program:
;Comments start with semi-colons, like this
;Stereotypical Hello World program
Message("Hello","World")
Winbatch Uses
System Administration
- Software distribution
- Scheduling unattended processes
- Security Administration in large sites
- Email Management
- Automate Telnet sessions with special purpose extender functions
- Control Panel Manipulation
- System configuration checker, inventory, system metrics
- Registry maintenance utilities
- Automating login scripts
- Workstation backup and restore system
- Novell and MS administration
- Auditing account domains
Network Administration
- Logon scripts
- Disk space utilization checker
- Manage user accounts
- NetWare SAA gateway and MS SNA Server automation
- System admin of MS and NDS network
- Server status checker
- System backups
- Printer installation and setup of default printer
- Start and stop services automatically
- ADSI Administration
- Security Management
- Software upgrade utilities
- File Management
- GUI front end for user input
- Laboratory automation and instrument control via GPIB extender
- Utilities to automate faxing
- CD production automation
- PDF file creation
- Read bar codes in serial mode
- Data parsing and manipulation
- Analyze log files
- ODBC/SQL automation
- Automate repeated tasks
- Manipulate Windows with API calls
- File management
- Serial and parallel port programming and manipulation
- Command line utilities
- Automate zipping and unzipping of files
- Automated emailer and email retrieval of messages and attachments
- Control web browsers, get web pages, fill out web forms
- Automate FTP transfers
WinBatch Extenders
WinBatch has some two dozen odd extenders that add a great deal of functionality to the WinBatch product. Only a few of the most commonly used extenders are included in the basic WinBatch install. The other extenders, if you want them, need to be downloaded and installed separately.
ADSI Extender:
The WinBatch ADSI extender provides access to the powerful functionality of Microsoft's Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI).
Control Manager Extender:
The Control Manager Extender allows near-complete access to all standard Windows controls displayed on the screen, and especially within Dialog Boxes presented by various applications. Controls include Check Boxes, Radio Buttons, Tabbed Dialogs, List Boxes and Combo Boxes.
CPU Extender:
The CPU Extender allows you to detect CPU type and performance. This can be used to determine information like the CPU generation, manufacturer, or existence of an Overdrive™ processor. The functions in this extender work on newer Intel486™, all Pentium and later processors, as well as on AMD and Cyrix processors.
File Searcher Extender:
The WITZSRCH extender dll is designed to extend the built-in function set of the WIL processor. The WITZSRCH extender can be used to: find any file in the system, scan all sub-directories, find all files, search the contents of any or all files.
GPIB Extender:
For the ComputerBoards (and compatible) GPIB cards or the National Instruments (and compatible) GPIB cards.
IP Address Grabber Extender:
Gets the machine's IP Addresses.
Mapi Extender:
Perform MAPI Operations.
Netware Extenders:
These network extenders provide standard support for Novell networks. They may be used in addition with other extenders, such as the Windows for WorkGroups Multinet extender or with each other. The Netware extenders help you to attach, map and manipulate network processes within your Windows System. Netware 3x functions and Netware 4x functions are designed specifically for the separate versions of Netware. These functions can be used within WIL scripts or can be compiled into WIL executables. Netware 3x and Netware 4x extenders are available for both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. Windows NT requires the 32 bit Netware 3x or 4x extenders be used in conjunction with the Netware Client 32.
ODBC Extender:
The ODBC extender has a basic set of ODBC functions. WinBatch is accepting input on implementing other functions.
Parallel Extender:
Talk to parallel ports. Communicate with obscure hardware devices. Lab equipment. Home brew controllers.
Postie Extender:
The Ultimate Internet Email extender. Sends and receives POP3, IMAP4, and NNTP (newsgroup) email. Able to send and receive mime or uuencoded attachments.
Printer Control Extender:
Assists in working with printer drivers.
Process Extender:
The Process Extender allows near-complete access to processes various applications. It also includes performance monitoring functions. Each function has a complete running example to show its usage.
RAS Extender:
The Ras Extender allows you to manage remote access connections, and manipulate phone-book entries. Remote Access Service (RAS) provides remote access capabilities to client applications on computers using Microsoft® Windows® 95 or later and Windows NT® version 4.0 and later, including Windows 2000, operating systems. RAS applications can perform the following tasks: Start and end a RAS connection operations Create, edit, or copy phone-book entries Get RAS information, including information about existing RAS connections, and notifications when a RAS connection begins or ends.
Serial Communications Extender:
The Serial Communications Extender allows WIL scripts to communicate with standard serial ports and to devices (such as modems, lab equipment, other computers, serial terminals, serial printers and X-10 home controllers) connected to those ports. The extender has built in modem support to communicate with most standard modems. It also supports a few file transfer methods such as Zmodem.
Shell Operations Extender:
Performs Explorer-style file operations with animated graphics. Can also copy, delete, and move entire directory structures. Also has a simple Progress bar and a MessageBox that will timeout!
WILX Extender:
This extender provides additional capability to the Windows Interface Language and is a good example of the useful things you as a developer can create using the Extender SDK.
Windows 95 extender:
For use on Windows 95 workstations. Can control Windows 95 servers
WinInet Extender:
This extender extends the capabilities of Dial-up Networking and FTP. It requires MSIE 4.0, or Windows 98 or higher support.
Internet/WinSock Extender:
The Internet WinSock Extender contains a slew of functions which allow communication between host computers, Internet Service Providers and supported networks for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT operating systems. These functions include high level operations (including ftp, http, smtp, pop3, and ping) as well as low level operations consisting of various direct WinSock calls. The Internet Extender can Communicate over any TCP/IP supported network with the socket functions. Connect to an Internet Service Provider with the Dial-Up Networking (DUN) functions. Use the HTTP functions to request files from a web server. Transfer files from a remote host computer with the FTP family of functions. Check the mailbox for incoming Internet mail via the POP3 functions. Send outgoing mail with Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP). These functions can be used within WIL scripts or can be compiled into WIL executables.
Zipper Extender:
This extender provides functions for zipping files into archives and unzipping them.
Other extenders are added periodically.
External links
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