Variant

VBScript has only one data type and it's called a Variant. A

Variant is a special kind of data type that can contain different

kinds of information, depending on how it's used. Because Variant

is the only data type in VBScript, it's also the data type returned by

all functions in VBScript.

At its simplest, a Variant can contain either numeric or string

information. A Variant behaves as a number when you're using it

in a numeric context and as a string when you use it in a string

context. That is, if you're working with data that looks like

numbers, VBScript assumes that it is numbers and does the thing

that is most appropriate for numbers. Of course, you can always

make numbers behave as strings, by enclosing them in quotation

marks. Similarly, if you're working with data that can only be string

data, VBScript treats it as string data.

Beyond the simple numeric or string classifications, a Variant can

make further distinctions about the specific nature of numeric

information. For example, you can have numeric information that

represents a date or a time. When used with other date or time

data, the result is always expressed as a date or a time. Of course,

you can also have a rich variety of numeric information ranging in

size from Boolean values to huge floating-point numbers. These

different categories of information that can be contained in a

Variant are called subtypes . Most of the time, you can just put the

kind of data you want in a Variant and it behaves in a way that is

most appropriate for the data it contains.