VBScript ResponseStream Property

last modified April 9, 2025

The ResponseStream property in VBScript is part of the ServerXMLHTTP object. It provides access to the raw binary data returned from HTTP requests. This property is essential for handling non-text responses like files, images, or binary data. It allows direct access to the response body as a stream.

ResponseStream is read-only and available after a successful HTTP request. It’s commonly used with ADODB.Stream for processing binary data. This tutorial covers ResponseStream with practical examples to demonstrate its usage.

ResponseStream Property Overview

The ResponseStream property returns an IStream interface to the HTTP response body. It’s available through the ServerXMLHTTP object after sending a request. The property provides binary access to response data regardless of content type.

Key features include direct binary data access and support for large responses. It doesn’t automatically decode or interpret the response content. ResponseStream works with both text and binary HTTP responses. Understanding this property helps create robust HTTP clients.

Basic Text Response Reading

This example demonstrates reading a text response using ResponseStream. It shows how to convert the binary stream to a string. The script makes an HTTP GET request and reads the response body.

basic_response.vbs

Set http = CreateObject(“MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0”) http.Open “GET”, “https://example.com”, False http.Send

Set stream = CreateObject(“ADODB.Stream”) stream.Type = 1 ’ Binary stream.Open stream.Write http.ResponseStream stream.Position = 0

stream.Type = 2 ’ Text responseText = stream.ReadText WScript.Echo responseText

stream.Close Set stream = Nothing Set http = Nothing

The script creates a ServerXMLHTTP object and sends a GET request. It uses ADODB.Stream to read the ResponseStream. The binary data is converted to text for display. This approach works for text-based HTTP responses.

Downloading Binary File

This example shows how to download a binary file using ResponseStream. It demonstrates saving the response directly to a file. The script downloads an image and saves it locally.

download_file.vbs

Set http = CreateObject(“MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0”) http.Open “GET”, “https://example.com/image.jpg", False http.Send

Set stream = CreateObject(“ADODB.Stream”) stream.Type = 1 ’ Binary stream.Open stream.Write http.ResponseStream stream.SaveToFile “C:\temp\image.jpg”, 2 ’ Overwrite

stream.Close Set stream = Nothing Set http = Nothing

WScript.Echo “File downloaded successfully”

The script makes a GET request for an image file. The binary response is written directly to a file using SaveToFile. This method preserves the original binary data without modification. It’s ideal for downloading files.

Processing Large Responses

ResponseStream is efficient for large responses as it doesn’t load everything into memory. This example shows chunked reading of a large response. It processes the stream in manageable portions.

large_response.vbs

Set http = CreateObject(“MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0”) http.Open “GET”, “https://example.com/largefile.bin", False http.Send

Set stream = CreateObject(“ADODB.Stream”) stream.Type = 1 ’ Binary stream.Open stream.Write http.ResponseStream stream.Position = 0

chunkSize = 4096 Do Until stream.EOS chunk = stream.Read(chunkSize) ’ Process chunk here WScript.Echo “Read " & LenB(chunk) & " bytes” Loop

stream.Close Set stream = Nothing Set http = Nothing

The script reads the response in 4KB chunks using a loop. This approach is memory-efficient for large files. Each chunk can be processed individually without loading the entire response. The EOS property checks for end-of-stream.

Checking Response Availability

This example demonstrates checking if ResponseStream contains data. It shows proper error handling for empty responses. The script verifies the response before processing.

check_response.vbs

Set http = CreateObject(“MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0”) http.Open “GET”, “https://example.com/nodata", False http.Send

If http.Status = 200 Then If Not http.ResponseStream Is Nothing Then Set stream = CreateObject(“ADODB.Stream”) stream.Type = 1 stream.Open stream.Write http.ResponseStream

    If stream.Size > 0 Then
        WScript.Echo "Response contains data"
    Else
        WScript.Echo "Empty response"
    End If
    stream.Close
Else
    WScript.Echo "No response stream available"
End If

Else WScript.Echo “HTTP error: " & http.Status End If

Set stream = Nothing Set http = Nothing

The script checks the HTTP status code first. Then it verifies the ResponseStream exists. Finally, it checks the stream size for actual content. This comprehensive checking prevents errors with empty responses.

Reading Response Headers with Stream

This example shows how to access response headers while using ResponseStream. It demonstrates reading both headers and body from an HTTP response. The script displays headers before processing the body.

headers_with_stream.vbs

Set http = CreateObject(“MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0”) http.Open “GET”, “https://example.com”, False http.Send

’ Display all response headers WScript.Echo “Response Headers:” WScript.Echo http.getAllResponseHeaders()

’ Process response body Set stream = CreateObject(“ADODB.Stream”) stream.Type = 1 stream.Open stream.Write http.ResponseStream stream.Position = 0

stream.Type = 2 WScript.Echo “Response Body:” WScript.Echo stream.ReadText

stream.Close Set stream = Nothing Set http = Nothing

The script first displays all response headers using getAllResponseHeaders. Then it processes the response body through ResponseStream. This approach allows complete access to both headers and body content. Headers often contain important metadata about the response.

Source

ServerXMLHTTP Documentation

In this article, we have explored the ResponseStream property in VBScript, covering its usage and practical applications. From text responses to binary file downloads, these examples demonstrate reliable HTTP response handling. With this knowledge, you can enhance your HTTP client scripts with robust response processing.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar and I am a passionate programmer with many years of programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. So far, I have written over 1400 articles and 8 e-books. I have over eight years of experience in teaching programming.

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