[jawsscripts] Re: advantages of object oriented over procedural API, plus Gw Fs Scripting methodology question.

  • From: "Dennis Brown" <DennisTBrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <jawsscripts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 15:39:39 -0400

Great points again, Jamal
The FS script editor needs some improvements, but it is much easier than 
text-editing scripting.
I'd like to see an enhanced script editor, such as bookmarks, point-to-point 
copy/cut/paste, integrated FS SDK when F1 is pressed on a function name, 
enhanced documentation with examples of function uses, trace functionality 
to track function execution, and jsb files included with a "use" statement 
have their functions accessible in the function list when the user hits 
Control+L to list the functions or inserts a function.
Your text editor, TextPal, adapted to the script manager would be a nice 
start!

Thanks,
Dennis Brown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jamal Mazrui" <empower@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <jawsscripts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 12:17 PM
Subject: [jawsscripts] Re: advantages of object oriented over procedural 
API, plus Gw Fs Scripting methodology question.


> Hi Geoff,
> The Window-Eyes API is object oriented in the manner of COM,
> e.g., like the Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, or Internet Explorer object
> models.  COM is not a complete OO approach, e.g., classes are not
> inheritable, but it does make coding easier because related elements are
> grouped together such as the properties, methods, and events of an object.
> Compared to the OO of COM, I think a procedural API can generally do the
> same things by passing a handle to an object as the first parameter of a
> method.  So, the OO nature of the WE APIis not so much an advantage
> technically as with the organization it brings, which helps in
> distinguishing concepts, seperating namespaces, and remembering syntax,
> since OO consciously uses similar names for similar methods or properties
> of different objects (polymorphism).  For anyone familiar with the Word or
> IE object models, imagine if there was no hierarchy of objects, but just a
> long list of methods for the whole API -- it would be more difficult to
> work with!
>
> Regarding advantages of the JAWS API, it does have a type of inheritance
> of script and function names, whereby an application can redefine a
> routine with the same name, and then choose to call the default version or
> not (actually, the next version with the same name that is up a level in
> the hierarchy).  WinEyes does not have this.  JAWS functions can have
> optional parameters, which VBScript (the most common WinEyes scripting
> language) functions cannot.  JAWS offers an integrated development
> environment via Script Manager, whereas WinEyes requires an editor that is
> not customized to WinEyes scripting.  In my opinion, this is the most
> significant advantage that JAWS scripting still has over WinEyes
> scripting.
>
> Addressing some points others have raised, VBScript is more of an open
> source language than the JAWS scripting language, which is truly
> proprietary (only FS uses it).  VBScript is freely available and can be
> run by various hosts including the Windows Script Host, Internet Explorer,
> and Microsoft Outlook.  One will find many more free tutorials and
> examples on the web that use VBScript compared to JAWS script.  Although a
> WinEyes script can be encoded, none of the 80 or so currently available on
> the GW web site, including ones developed by the company, are encoded.
> Its source code is released under a BSD license.  It is unclear what
> license FS intends for its scripts, but given its propensity to litigate,
> I doubt it is the permissive BSD license (freely modify the code as long
> as the original source is acknowledged but not used to promote the
> modified version).
>
> The WinEyes scripting engine hosts two languages internally, just like the
> Windows Script Host:  VBScript and JScript.  I think the WinEyes security
> model is clearly stronger than the JAWS one.  A user can decide not to
> permit any script to run that has not ben explicitly allowed in advance.
>
> Feel free to ask further questions.  I welcome other opinions as
> well.  I do prefer the JAWS keyboard interface, so have developed a
> WinEyes script package called Homer Layout to emulate most JAWS keys,
> while also incorporating functionality unique to WinEyes.
>
> Regards,
> Jamal
>
> On Mon, 4 Aug 2008, Geoff Chapman wrote:
>
>> Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 02:44:28 +1000
>> From: Geoff Chapman <gch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Reply-To: jawsscripts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> To: jawsscripts@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [jawsscripts] advantages of object oriented over procedural API,
>>      plus Gw Fs Scripting methodology question.
>>
>> Regarding Jamal's post of last week concerning some of the advantages he 
>> currently saw and listed
>> with the current window eyes Scripting implementation over the Fs current 
>> offering, I have a question from another scripter not onlist to ask here, 
>> plus one of my own.
>> First my friend's question:
>>
>> Aside from just being yet another way to think about the
>> problem at hand, what is the true advantage of object-oriented approaches 
>> in this environment?  In other words, what can you do in an 
>> object-oriented system, that you can not do procedurally.
>>
>> And, now for my question:
>>
>> Jamal, once again thinking of both scripting approaches as you know them, 
>> and as they stand right now, would you care to comment as to whether, in 
>> your view, the scripting model that fs has in place with jaws right now,
>> holds, any, current pluses/a dvantages at all right now, either of 
>> tightness of integration or procedurally,
>> over the current gw model?
>> with all it's caveats?
>> Thanks very much.
>>
>> geoff c.
>>
>>
>>
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