The CloudScript scripting language is implemented using CodeScript, a scripting language, that is based on Liana, a precompiled language designed for the development of Microsoft Windows GUI programs.
CloudScript is an interpreted, C++/Java-like, object-oriented programming language and class library.
Unlike BASIC, CloudScript is a true object-oriented programming (OOP) language with user-defined classes, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and late binding. CloudScript is based on the Liana OOP language whose syntax is an easy-to-learn subset of C/C++ that is much less error-prone than C/C++ while retaining the conciseness of C that make it so desirable. The semantics of the language are simpler than C/C++ but extended with the more powerful semantics of Smalltalk.
The "typeless" nature of CloudScript (like LISP and SNOBOL) eliminates the need for declaration of variables. Through dynamic linking, even functions and classes do not need to be declared. This dramatically reduces the level of effort needed to get a project started and keep it moving at a fast pace. Developing a snippet is not a full-blown project with all the files and bookkeeping associated with a C executable.
CloudScript provides high-level language programmability for your web pages. The CloudScript runtime provides the following features:
A "workspace" with automatic memory management.
Reading and writing global variables.
Definition of functions and classes.
Both true OOP (single inheritance) and C-like.
Evaluation of expressions involving:
- The C/C++ expression operators
- Basic datatypes: Null, boolean, integer, real, string.
- Extended datatypes: dynamic array, associative lookup table, user-defined classes.
Calls to many of the C runtime functions
- Including math and file I/O
Calls to functions in the CloudScript library
- Including additional string operations
Calls to functions in DLLs.
Classes defined in the CloudScript library
- Including dynamic array and associative lookup table
- Instantiation and manipulation of objects.
- The "new" operator and class members.
Execution of "macros" which are sequences of CloudScript statements that are virtually identical to the C statements.
Function calls, passing arguments and returning the result.
John Elkins (john@vermontdatabase.com) 5-May-00