StrComp - VBScript

Overview

The StrComp command in VB Script compares two strings and returns a numeric value indicating their relative order. It is commonly used to sort or compare text values in scripts.

Syntax

StrComp(string1, string2, [compareOption])

Parameters:

  • string1 (required): The first string to compare.
  • string2 (required): The second string to compare.
  • compareOption (optional): Specifies the comparison criteria.

Options/Flags

  • CompareOption:=0 (Default): Binary comparison based on string values.
  • CompareOption:=1: Text comparison, case-insensitive.
  • CompareOption:=2: Text comparison, case-sensitive.

Examples

Simple Comparison:

WScript.Echo StrComp("Apple", "Orange") 'Output: -1 (Apple comes before Orange alphabetically)

Case-Insensitive Comparison:

WScript.Echo StrComp("Apple", "APPLE", 1) 'Output: 0 (Same string, case-insensitive)

Complex Comparison with Leading Spaces:

WScript.Echo StrComp("     Apple", "Apple", 2) 'Output: 1 (Leading spaces make strings unequal, case-sensitive)

Common Issues

  • Incorrect comparison values: Ensure that the correct string values and comparison options are used.
  • Null or empty strings: Handle null or empty strings explicitly to avoid errors.

Integration

StrComp can be combined with other VB Script commands for advanced operations:

Sub SortArray()
  Dim arr = Array("Apple", "Orange", "Banana")
  arr.Sort StrComp

  For i = 0 To arr.UBound
    WScript.Echo arr(i)
  Next
End Sub
  • InStr: Search for a substring in a string.
  • LCase: Convert a string to lowercase.
  • UCase: Convert a string to uppercase.
  • Trim: Remove leading and trailing spaces from a string.