Use scripting to control apps and perform Windows tasks

This sample chapter from Windows Admin Scripting Little Black Book, 3rd Edition will show you how to script applications and Windows from the command line, script the Windows shell and common apps, and use send-keys to automate applications that aren't scripting-friendly.

The recently released 3rd edition of Windows Admin Scripting Little Black Book offers tutorials and scripts covering dozens of admin chores, from file management to registry maintenance to backup and scheduling. In this chapter, author Jesse Torres takes a look at how you can tap into application automation to script a variety of tasks. Examples include:

• Scripting Windows XP/2003 Defrag
• Scripting Norton AV 2006
• Scripting FTP uploads and downloads
• Scripting Control Panel applets
• Using an Application object to automate IE, Excel, and Word
• Automating applications using send-keys

Title: Windows Admin Scripting Little Black Book, 3rd Edition
ISBN: ISBN: 1-933097-10-8
Published: January 2006; Paraglyph Press
Author: Jesse M. Torres
Chapter: Chapter 5, Automating Windows and Applications