exec32 Scripting Language

Integrated Web Browser and Context Pages

The Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser control has been integrated into exec32. It fills a pane to the right of the file pane. When pages are browsed to (by selecting a web page from the Help pull-down menu, or by clicking a link), they are loaded into this IE instance. The web browser has the ability to toggle to full screen.

exec32 introduces a new file type, with the extension of "hte". An hte file combines an html page with an exec32 script. You can make links in the page that will:

Browse to other pages locally, on your network, or on the Internet.
Execute exec32 in-line script procedures in the file.
Execute external exec32 scripts.
Execute windows applications (installed locally on your system or network).

Pages (of the name "exec32.hte") can be created in your work or project directories. These pages are used to display information and graphics in context with the directory. When you use exec32 to change to a given directory, its page will be automatically displayed. If a directory does not have an exec32.htm page, the default page is displayed.

You can use the context pages to increase productivity:

A context page for a project can introduce the project with a nice a title and background.
A link displays a "Project Notes" text file in your editor. Use to clip email messages, to-do lists, status notes, etc. Another link pulls your Design Document into Word from the network.
A link runs your development environment, and loads your project.
Links can run scripts to drive your application, entering information over and over, to save time in testing modules.
A link can run a build procedure. Certain files are edited. Object files are copied to staging directories. Code and help files are compiled. InstallShield builds are kicked off.
You save time by not having to change directories and browse for files 180 times a day.
Quality of your work is increased by self-documenting and self-running build procedures.

The toolbar provides for certain default actions (Home, Search, Favorites, History) that when clicked, will run exec32 scripts. You can edit the scripts in order to customize their behavior. For example, you can modify your Home button to retrieve data from a web site and / or local files, parse and format the data, write a page out on the fly, and the display that page, similar to an ASP web server. You can write your own Favorites support.

How Links Work

When a link is clicked, the event is captured. If the target is a web page, the event is sent to IE, as is normal. If the target of the link begins "exec32://", then a callback is made into exec32, and IE does not receive the click. The link string is parsed according to these rules:

If any occurances of "%20" are found in the link string, they are replaced with a space.
If the link string ends in ".e", exec32 will assume we have a script, and will attempt to open it and run sub main().
If the link string contains an ".e#", exec32 will assume we have a script with a procedure entry point other than main(), and will attempt to open it and run the sub specified to the right of the pound (#) sign.
If the link string contains an "ilp#", exec32 will execute an in-line script procedure.
If a semi-colon is found in the string, the string to the right of the semi-colon (if present) is assumed to be a start-in directory, exec32 will change drives and directories to there. Then the string to the left of the semi-colon is presumed to be an executable statment, and will be shelled (executed, with normal focus).
If we changed directories (in the previous step), we change back, such that the current directory is restored.

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