Vista - VBScript procedure and function calls

Hi,
I am confused about VBScript procedure and function calls. sometimes
the parenthese are included sometimes no like for example when calling
Date (two version Date() and Date) and Time

any thought please. thank you

"ekkehard.horner" <ekkehard.horner@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:498055a5$0$31863$9b4e6d93@xxxxxx-online.net...Fortunately, this bad code is more likely to trigger a syntax error when
more than one parameter is involved.
True, however, putting a blank character between the module name and the
leading parenthesis is an optional (but useful) convention that is
meaningless to the parser.
I think it is useful to learn about the Call statement because one might
occasionally inherit code written that way. It also completes the comparison
of the various ways to invoke a sub or function, along with a apparent few
syntactical anomalies.

Although you can use CALL to invoke a function (thereby ignoring the
returned value), I think its best use is to explicitly differentiate between
routines that do return a value (functions) and those that do not (subs).

That said, I now tend to use functions exclusively, and, as a result, never
use a CALL statement, even though that could be done with no ill effect.

Strangely enough, though, when you use CALL without parentheses, the error
thrown is: "expected end of statement", whereas when you include parentheses
but have no CALL, the error message is "cannot use parenthesis when calling
a sub" (same message if the routine in question is defined as a function).
It is almost as if using CALL is not a call, whereas leaving it off is
somehow considered a call...

/Al

----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Dunbar" <alandrub@xxxxxx>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.scripting.vbscript
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 5:48 PM
Subject: Re: VBScript procedure and function calls

<snip>I have never written a single line of vb / vbscript code with CALL. The
lengthy explanations alone are reason enough to avoid it.

Just because it allows you to make something do what it isn't intended is
reason enough to not use it..

"MikeB" <bauerlie@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uOykehkgJHA.5956@xxxxxxI have no issues with anyone avoiding certain "features" of vbscript. I
rarely use CALL, but I NEVER use WEND.

As to your fear of lengthy explanations, do you really only observe short
explanations? ;-)
I'm not sure what you mean by that. But I was not counselling anyone to use
CALL, just suggesting that it can be useful to have some knowledge of all of
the features available.

<snip>

/Al