Active Scripting(formerly known asActiveX Scripting) is the technology used inWindowsto implement component-based scripting support. It is based onOLE Automation(part ofCOM) and allows installation of additional scripting engines in the form of COM modules.
Uses and history
editThe Active Scripting technologies were first released in 1996, with the release of theMicrosoft Internet Explorer 3.0(August 1996) andInternet Information Services3.0 products (December 1996).
Usual applications of Active Scripting includeActive Server Pages(ASP)server scripts,Internet Explorer,andWindows Script Host(WSH) scripts automating routine tasks, including use for login scripts,Registrymanipulation, and the like. Other administrative uses includeWindows Management InstrumentationandActive DirectoryService Interfaces. Active Scripting can also be used for general-purpose scripting, such as database programming, text-processing, rapid prototyping, and application macro/scripting programming; some applications use Active Scripting as the main automation method, others do not have a macro facility but the components are available for use via the API; or one may opt to add a language and/or tool not available by default, like programmingMicrosoft ExcelinPerlorREXXrather thanVisual Basic for Applications(VBA) or transferring data from aterminal emulatortoword processorby way of aspreadsheetwhen they have dissimilar macro tools or none at all.
For many of the above uses, Active Scripting is an addition to Windows that is similar to the functionality of Unix shell scripts, as well as an incremental improvement upon batch files (command.com), Windows NT style shell scripts (cmd.exe) and, by way ofVBScript,the replacement forQBasic,which was last available on the supplementary disc for Windows 95. The majority of the languages used for Active Scripting mentioned below areglue languages,withPerlbeing the most commonly used third-party script engine.
The interfaces to Active Scripting engines are public, so any developer can create applications that are programmable in Active Scripting languages as well as engines for additional languages.
Implementations
editActive Scripting engines are available for several languages. Some of the most popular include:[1]
- ActivePerl–Perl
- ActivePHP and PHPScript forPHP
- ActivePython –Python
- Delphi
- Fortran
- Haskell
- Lua
- REXX(multiple versions)
- Ruby
- Tcl
- VBScriptandJScriptfor Windows versions afterWindows 95,optional withCE
- Visual Basic for Applications(VBA) for Windows; and requiresMicrosoft Office,or other software packages that are VBA-programmable.
- XLNT
- XSLT
In Windows,CScript.exeat the command line and WScript.exe running in the GUI are the main means of implementation of installed Active Script languages.[2]Clicking on an icon or running from the command line, a script, the Run dialogue, etc. will by default run a plain text file containing the code. AWindows Script File(.wsf) is anXMLfile that can contain more than one script in more than one language in addition to other elements, and are executed by the Windows Script Host.[3]
Some software such asSecureCRTuse the WSH functionality to allow automation by means of any installed scripting engine.[4]
The script host, related components, and engines are able to be integrated into and called from Windows applications just like any other component.
Retirement
editActive scripting is regarded complete, and no longer under active development by Microsoft. Furthermore, scripting engines will continue to be shipped with future releases of Microsoft Windows and IIS.[5]
Originally, the.NET Framework had a scripting technology of its own and a separate scripting IDE calledVisual Studio for Applications(VSA),[6][7]and the interfaces to the technology were also available via Active Scripting, allowing even.NET-unaware applications to be scripted using.NET languages. VSA was also meant to replace Visual Basic for Applications.[8]However, that entire technology was deprecated in version 2.0 of the.NET Framework,[8]leaving no clear upgrade path for applications desiring Active Scripting support (although "scripts" can be created inC#,VBScript,Visual Basic.NET,and other.NET languages, which can becompiledand executed at run-time vialibrariesinstalled as part of the standard.NET runtime).
In 2006, Microsoft introducedWindows PowerShell,which can expose applications via PowerShell cmdlets or PowerShell providers.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"2. Choosing a Server-Side Scripting Language - Designing Active Server Pages [Book]".www.oreilly.com.Retrieved2024-02-21.
- ^"[Definition] What Is Cscript.exe & Cscript vs Wscript?".MiniTool.2021-04-30.Retrieved2024-02-21.
- ^"Using Windows Script Files (.wsf)".admhelp.microfocus.com.Retrieved2024-02-21.
- ^"SecureCRT Scripting - FAQ".vandyke.com.Retrieved2024-02-21.
- ^Rumours of VBScript's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated,on Eric Lippert's BlogFabulous Adventures In Codingon MSDN (April 09, 2004).
- ^Script Happens.NET,article by Andrew Clinick of Microsoft Corporation, in Scripting Clinic on MSDN (July 25, 2001).
- ^Microsoft Takes Wraps Off VSA Development TechnologyArchived2007-12-17 at theWayback Machine,by Scott Bekker on Redmondmag.com (January 16, 2001).
- ^abVSA scripting in.NETArchived2007-02-11 at theWayback Machine,by Mark Belles on The Code Project.
- ^Bright, Peter (August 18, 2016)."PowerShell is Microsoft's latest open source release, coming to Linux, OS X".Ars Technica.Condé Nast.Archivedfrom the original on April 9, 2020.RetrievedMay 12,2020.
External links
edit- Windows Script Interfaces– Active Scripting documentation.
- Future of VBScript Language– Information about the future of Active Scripting technologies.