[texworks] Lua scripting

[Jérome Laurens]

Scripting is sometimes a good candidate to extend the possibilities of  
an application, but care must be taken to provide a good API for that  
purpose.
In particular, gathering all the scripts in one script menu is not a  
good idea if the scripts become numerous.
The example given by Hartmut is typically something that should not  
appear in a script menu.
More precisely, the parsing of the output log file should be  
automatically initiated once the typesetting process has successfully  
ended.
In short, there should be an "engine" which only purpose is to typeset  
the current document with latex or texexec or whatsoever and analyze  
the output for possible errors.
In case of an error, a visible signal should be sent to the user (like  
the red traffic light in textures™).
There also can be a tiny stop icon in front of each line where an  
error occurred, and when you click or roll over this icon, the reason  
appears in a small note window.
Eventually a check box in some preference pane could allow to suppress  
the parsing of the log.

Extending TeXWorks with scripts is nothing but a plugin design.  
Unfortunately, scripts won't do everything and other sorts of plugins  
are necessary.
For example, configuration files used in syntax coloring are also  
plugins.
There should be a unique plugin design to render installation/ 
Uninstallation straightforward.
The user is not a configure/make fan.

Finally, lua is powerful but dangerous. TeXWorks should launch scripts  
in a safe environment to avoid viruses and other kinds of malware.

Jerome