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Visual Basic Scripting (VBS)

VBS is a watered down version of VB/VBA that can run stand-alone on a machine with Windows Scripting Host installed. It must be hard to find a computer without WSH nowadays, because the last few versions of IE and Windows install WSH by default.

I don't use a lot of these scripts, but the examples below show how handy they can be. The examples are virtually identical, sorry for the repetition, but I just copied the scripts from my own hard drive.

XLcheck

This script tells you if Excel is running, and makes the first instance it finds visible. Copy this code into a text file, and save it in a convenient folder or on your desktop with a name like 'XLcheck.vbs'. When you think you've left an invisible instance of Excel running, run this (by double clicking) to make it visible, so you can deal with it.

' XLcheck.vbs
' Find an invisible instance of Excel
' from Rob Bruce

Dim objXL, strMessage

On Error Resume Next

' Try to grab a running instance of Excel:
Set objXL = GetObject(, "Excel.Application")

' What have we found?
If Not TypeName(objXL) = "Empty" Then
    strMessage = "Excel Running."
Else
    strMessage = "Excel Not Running."
End If

'  Feedback to user...
MsgBox strMessage, vbInformation, "Excel Status"

' Make it show so we can kill it
if strMessage = "Excel Running." then objXL.Visible = true

' End of VBS code

WDcheck

This script tells you if Word is running, and makes the first instance it finds visible. Copy this code into a text file, and save it in a convenient folder or on your desktop with a name like 'WDcheck.vbs'. When you think you've left an invisible instance of Word running, run this (by double clicking) to make it visible, so you can deal with it.

' WDcheck.vbs
' Find an invisible instance of Word
' from Coleen Christensen

Dim objWD
Dim strMessage
On Error Resume Next

' Try to grab a running instance of Word...
Set objWD = GetObject(, "Word.Application")

'  What did we find?..
If Not TypeName(objWD) = "Empty" Then
     strMessage = "Word Running."
Else
     strMessage = "Word Not Running."
End If

'  Feedback to user...
MsgBox strMessage, vbInformation, "Word Status"

'  Make the Word instance visible if we found one
If strMessage = "Word Running." then objWD.Visible = true

' End of vbs code

PPTcheck

This script tells you if PowerPoint is running, and makes the first instance it finds visible. Copy this code into a text file, and save it in a convenient folder or on your desktop with a name like 'PPTcheck.vbs'. When you think you've left an invisible instance of PowerPoint running, run this (by double clicking) to make it visible, so you can deal with it.

' PPTcheck.vbs
' Find an invisible instance of PowerPoint
' adapted from Rob Bruce (XL) & Coleen Christensen (WD)

Dim objPPT, strMessage

On Error Resume Next

' Try to grab a running instance of PowerPoint...
Set objPPT = GetObject(, "PowerPoint.Application")

' Did we find anything...?
If Not TypeName(objPPT) = "Empty" Then
    strMessage = "PowerPoint Running."
Else
    strMessage = "PowerPoint Not Running."
End If

' Tell the user what we found
MsgBox strMessage, vbInformation, "PowerPoint Status"

' Make it visible so we can close it
if strMessage = "PowerPoint Running." then objPPT.Visible = true

' End of vbs code