Scripting Blog [archived]

Formerly known as the "Hey, Scripting Guy!" blog

How Can I Execute a Scheduled Task in Windows Vista?

(image) Hey, Scripting Guy! I understand that, in Windows Vista, I can write a script that will cause a scheduled task to immediately execute. How do I do that?-- KW(image) (image) (image) Hey, KW. Before we answer today’s question, we’d like to take a moment to say a few things in memory of our colleague, Scripting Guy Dean Tsaltas. ...

How Can I Reverse All the Lines in a Text File?

(image) Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I “rotate” a text file 180 degrees? I need the last line in the file to become the first line, the first line in the file to become the last line, and all the lines in between to switch places as well.-- BJM (image) (image) (image) Hey, BJM. You know, when most people think of the Scripting Guys they...

How Can I Get a List of Appointments for a Specific Month?

(image) Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I get a list of my appointments for a specific month (for example, all my appointments for December, 2007)?-- HG (image) (image) (image) Hey, HG. We’ll get to your question in just a moment. Before we do that, however, the Scripting Guy who writes this column wants to take a little time and enjoy the ...

How Can I Find All the Files in a Directory Tree that Contain a Specific Word or Phrase?

(image) Hey, Scripting Guy! How can I find all the files in a directory tree that contain a specified phrase?-- PB (image) (image) (image) Hey, PB. OK, so picture this: for the first time in a couple of months, the Scripting Guy who writes this column and the Scripting Son are playing basketball. The Scripting Son has a comfortable lead, ...

How Can I Replace Numeric Values in an Excel Spreadsheet?

(image) Hey, Scripting Guy! We have a spreadsheet where people enter a bunch of data. In order for this data to be used in another application, none of the values can exceed 999; if we have a value like 1234, that’s supposed to be entered as 999, the maximum-allowed value. However, people have a tendency to enter the value as 1234; that ...