VBScript Variables

A variable is a name given to a particular area in memory that stores a value, which can later be reused. When naming variables in VBScript it should be noted that the names are not case sensitive. Variable names must start with a letter, but can then be followed by either letters, numbers or underscores and cannot exceed 255 characters in length. One further restriction is that a variable name cannot be the same as a reserved word, or keyword, as they are sometimes known. Reserved words are those that have a specific purpose in VBScript and therefore cannot be used for anything else.

When declaring a variable, the ‘Dim’ reserved word is used. Unlike with a number of other languages, it is not necessary to specify the type of data that is to be assigned.

Dim variable_name

Once a variable has been declared, a value can be assigned to it.

variable_name = value

Variable declaration and assignment must be done separately in VBScript, the two processes cannot be combined, unlike with a number of other languages.

Below are some examples of variable declaration and assignment, the last of which contains a boolean value, that can either be ‘True’ or ‘False’.

' Variable declaration.
Dim firstName
Dim age
Dim price
Dim result

' Variable assignment.
firstName = "Fred"  ' String value.
age = 30            ' Integer value.
price = 12.99       ' Floating point or decimal value.
result = True       ' Boolean "True" or "False" value.