KiXtart Scripting Basics

To make the best use of KiXtart, you should have a concept of the basic control constructs, variables, macros, commands, and functions that the tool uses. You can find more comprehensive information at http://www.kixtart.org or in the KiXtart documentation.

Control Constructs
Control constructs are the commands that control the flow of your scripts. Constructs permit certain commands or other scripts to be run, based on information provided in the script. For example, when you want a certain user to run a specific script, you can add the following If Else Endif control command to a script that every user runs.

If @USERID = "testuser"Call "testusers.kix"EndIf

Every user runs the script, but only the user testuser will call the testusers.kix script that the If Else Endif control construct identifies. Other KiXtart control constructs include the following:

Variables
Variables provide the ability to store information in a descriptive label for your script to use. You then can use the variable and modify its value throughout your scripts. In KiXtart, all variables must begin with a dollar sign ($). The following example shows a variable put to use.

$strUserID = @USERID? $strUserID

As with more advanced programming languages, KiXtart variables have a specific scope. A variable's scope determines whether subroutines or scripts called from within a script can see a variable that an earlier routine defined. You must understand the concept of variable scope when scripting. Improperly assigning a variable's scope can result in failed scripts or unknown results. The two types of scope are Global, in which any subroutine or script can see and alter the variable during the KiXtart session (i.e., during the logon process), and Local, in which the variable exists only in the subroutine or script that declared it. You can declare or create variables in several ways:

Dim $variable

Variables that you declare using the Global command have a global scope and can be seen throughout the script execution. The proper syntax for the Global command is as follows:

Global $variable

Macros
Macros in KiXtart return information from the system running the script or from the network. These macros are similar to environment variables and shouldn't be confused with macros in products such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or Word Perfect. KiXtart macros aren't programs, and users can't modify them. All macros begin with the @ character. The following KiXtart macros are particularly useful:

Commands
Commands perform an action. The following are some common commands:

Functions
Functions are similar to commands but return data. Typically, this data is stored in a variable. Sometimes the value is the status of the action that the function takes. For example, the ADDKEY() function adds a registry key and returns information that the key was added successfully or an error code that the addition was unsuccessful. Another example is the UCASE() function, which converts a string to uppercase. For example, to return the text HELLO, type

UCASE("hello")

KiXtart contains some standard programming functions available in the majority of programming languages. In additional, KiXtart has specialized functions geared toward use in logon scripts on Windows 2000– or Windows NT–based network. One such function is the INGROUP() function, which evaluates whether the logged on user is part of the specified security group (and which cemented my love for KiXtart, incidentally). For example, the following code determines whether the current user is part of the Finance group, deletes any mapping to the G: drive, and remaps the drive to the Finance department share.

If INGROUP("Finance")   Use g: /delete   Use g: "\servernamefinanceshare"EndIf

User-Defined Functions
KiXtart 2001 provides the ability to create user-defined functions (UDFs). Programmers are aware of the power and flexibility this enhancement provides. You can now create common modular routines that act on information you pass to them and return values as needed. To find out more about these new UDFs, refer to the KiXtart documentation.