If I could add just a little to what Rheinhard has already explained really really well, everything is script, its just whether it is OS order script compiled into making a binary .so .exe etc or script being interpreted on the fly when that exe is being run.<div>
<br></div><div>As already shared, when script can be interpreted on the fly, it does not have to be incorporated into the main exe which is extremely efficient for project development cycles and requires less main code to be maintained.<br>
<br>So your web browser will show you web pages that likely sit on the bedrock of the Java or C/C++ code but in a ginormous number of cases, your web page would not work unless interpreted -(out side the .exe)- script code was running for you behind the scenes.<br>
<br>Intelligent careful design of compiled script allows valuably for less overall/longterm C++ development work, when that design allows extensions through non-compiled run-time built plug-ins (additional windows, toolbars, menus, and other features) as well as scripting engines which can even interact with the host OS- which often lets other code be re-used as well.<br>
<br></div><div>In TeXworks, your error log is actually produced by a script when the typesetting is finished, and that is one of the features you listed as being valuable to you Phil, and it is done by a QtScript!</div><div>
<br></div><div>In TeXworks a non C++ developer was able to make a very small help towards the eventual advancement of sorting out a problem with the log window, because it is written in script.<br><br><div>It all allows for the grand concept of distributed development workload, and recycling instead of the new-writing of code and a wider set of libraries.</div>
<br>So Scripts are already working for you in TeXworks whether you know it or not :)<br><br>Paul<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 2 November 2011 11:26, Reinhard Kotucha <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:reinhard.kotucha@web.de">reinhard.kotucha@web.de</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div class="im">On 2011-11-01 at 09:12:42 +0000, Philip TAYLOR (Webmaster, Ret'd) wrote:<br>
<br>
> I have never found the need for scripting in any environment other<br>
> than the underlying operating system, and even then very rarely.<br>
> Even in WinEDT, which I have used for many many years and which I<br>
> prefer in many ways to TeXworks (but which is not yet UTF-8<br>
> compatible,) I have never found any need for scripting.<br>
<br>
</div>Hi Phil,<br>
it seems that you assume that scripts are supposed to be written by<br>
end users. Of course, advanced users can do that, but in the first<br>
place scripting is meant as an easy way to extend TW without the need<br>
to change the core program. Ideally the end user doesn't notice<br>
whether a particular feature he's using is written in C or QtScript.<br>
<br>
TeX is quite similar in this respect: The program contains only the<br>
low level stuff, everything else is provided by scripts (for instance<br>
plain.tex). Similarly, a C compiler only provides the low level<br>
stuff, most of its functionality comes from external libraries.<br>
<br>
This approach has significant advantages:<br>
<br>
* It's easier to make the core program robust if it's kept as small<br>
as possible.<br>
<br>
* If most of the functionality can be provided by scripts, more<br>
people can work on extensions without the risk to break the core<br>
program.<br>
<br>
* Scripts are platform independent, the core program isn't.<br>
<br>
Another point is that there are several flavours of TeX (plain, LaTeX,<br>
ConTeXt). In order to support them all it makes more sense to me to<br>
have distinct scripts for each format and load them on demand rather<br>
than to hard-code everything in the core program.<br>
<br>
Thus I'm convinced that providing a scripting language is unavoidable<br>
in the long term. It allows more people to contribute.<br>
<br>
Well, if you say that you never found the need for scripting in any<br>
environment other than the underlying operating system, you probably<br>
forgot that you do scripting in TeX all the time. :)<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Reinhard<br>
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