What's Next

Upcoming Features in future releases of the Office Scripting Framework

The basic Scripting Framework core is now in place. This document intends to outline enhancements to the framework core and features which are currently being considered for up and coming releases. The intention is to release updates regularly as new features become available. Those interesting in scriting are encouragged to try out the releases, offer feedback and suggestions on future directions.

Next Release

Additional Language Support

The Scripting Framework has been designed to allow other scripting language runtimes to be plugged in. The only dependancy is that the appropriate UNO to <language> bridge is available.

Which Languages?

Scripts tend to be written in type-less scripting style languages, which are simpler to program in than more formal strictly typed programming languages. Given the UNO to Java Bridge already exists, the plan is to support a scripting style language written in Java. BeanShell is a small interpreter (around 135k) and is integrated into NetBeans.

BeanShell

This is a small, free, embeddable, Java source interpreter with object scripting language features, written in Java. BeanShell executes standard Java statements and expressions, in addition to obvious scripting commands and syntax. It is supported in NetBeans so should enable NetBeans IDE integration. It will be integrated into the existing Java Runtime.

Note: There are a variety of other scripting languages implemented in Java that could be looked at after BeanShell, such as Jython or Rhino.

Other Language Runtimes

Documentation is due on the design and implementation requirements for a Language Runtime as part of this release. This will enable any member of the community to implement other language runtimes for which there is an UNO bridge available such as the UNO Python bridge.

Binding

• Enable binding to document scripts in the “Assign Script...” dialogs.
  Currently it is not possible to view scripts in a document within the “Assign Script...” dialogs. This makes it difficult to assign menu or key bindings to scripts in documents.

• Support language selection in the “Assign Script...” dialog.
  See what if any modifications are needed to support multiple script languages in the “Assign Script...” dialogs.

• Enable binding to OpenOffice.org events.
  Add another dialog to allow users to bind Java scripts to specific OpenOffice.org events, such as document open [Note: this will require some minor changes in OpenOffice.org event execution before this can be done].

Future Releases

IDE Add-ins

• NetBeans enhancement.
  Enhance the support, to make it more consistent with other NetBean modules, in areas such as installation and help support.

• Other IDE's
  The current release has a common core set of IDE functionality that is shared between both the NetBeans and Jedit add-ins. Enhancements to this common core, along with appropriate documentation, so that they could be used by any community member to add support for their favorite IDE.

• Programming Model
  It would be very useful to provide developers with additional UNO helper interfaces and more task oriented API's to allow them to create powerful OpenOffice.org scripts more quickly, than using the raw UNO API as it stands today.

Performance

• OpenOffice.org integration
  Currently the basic invocation objects are being created at the point of execution of the scripts. Moving this creation to the point of document open or creation, should enhance script execution [this should be under configuration control, so users can optimize for document open or script execution].

• Runtime enhancements
  Caching of jars, classes and script objects to be considered as a means of enhancing script execution times.

Macro Configuration

General configuration settings are available for StarBasic macros, such as don't run macros, run only from specified locations and so on. We would like to offer the same degree of configuration control for our new language macros, and extend these settings if appropriate.

• StarBasic Integration
  Currently the “Assign Script..” dialogs have no connection with the Tools/ Configure dialog used by StarBasic. These dialogs should be integrated so all script binding management can be done from the same dialog set.

Security

• Digital Signing Support
  The intention is to use digital signing of script parcels to give a higher degree of security for OpenOffice.org users of these new language scripts. The Scripting Framework will have to be enhanced to verify the digital signatures of scripts before they are executed. Appropriate configuration settings could be added so users can control if they only want to run digitally signed scripts and to allow them to choose which digital certificates they trust.

• Packaging Format
  We will move to a common packaging format for both UNO components and collections of Scripts. A jar file format would facilitate jar signing support available in the IDE's. Scripts will not be unpacked into the user and share areas of OpenOffice.org installations, but will deployed in single digitally signed packages.

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Last Modified: Fri Nov 29 17:03:03 GMT 2002