What's your Work Environment for Vectorscript?

[FMA]

What does it look like when you guys are working with Vectorscript?

 

Scripting in the built in VWX-Editor is very tedious. I've seen a couple of posts about custom work environments, utilities etc. but haven't got any of them to work well. I'm very keen to know how to use Vectorscript in a more productive setting.

I'm new to coding and so far I've only worked with the VWX Editor.

[Sam Jones]

If you are on a Mac, then BBEdit from Bare Bones Software, https://www.barebones.com/, is what you want.  I've been VW scripting for 20 years, and if BBEdit disappeared, I would quit the next day.  It is an amazing text editor that is aware of vectorscript keywords.  You can use $Include functions to run straight from the text files or copy and paste.

[FMA]

On 7/4/2025 at 5:57 PM, Sam Jones said:

If you are on a Mac, then BBEdit from Bare Bones Software, https://www.barebones.com/, is what you want.  I've been VW scripting for 20 years, and if BBEdit disappeared, I would quit the next day.  It is an amazing text editor that is aware of vectorscript keywords.  You can use $Include functions to run straight from the text files or copy and paste.

Sadly I am using Windows, but I will keep my eyes open.

[Sam Jones]

Perhaps @C. Andrew Dunning can help.

[C. Andrew Dunning]

I've been using Crimson Editor (http://www.crimsoneditor.com/) for years.

 

[Pat Stanford]

While I don't know what the best editor is for Windows, but have seen recommendations for UltraEdit and NotePad++. And I would take a close look at Andrew's suggestion also.

 

There is really not a development environment.

 

The basic procedure is to the built in editor to create a very basic file with one or more {$INCLUDE} lines specifying the files you want to include in the script. Then use the external editor to edit the scripts.  There is a toggle in VW Preferences for Run Scripts in Developer Mode that will force the script to recompile before each run. This will make VW recognize changes made in the external files.

 

 

So the basic workflow is:

 

Create Script with at least one {$INCLUDE}.  I like to put the top level script outline in the file also

 

Procedure Test;

{Comments go here}

{$INCLUDE}

Run(Test);

 

The Include file(s) will need to have the Begin/End statements necessary to be syntactically correct inside that scope.

 

Edit the include file(s) in an external editor.

 

Run the script (double click from a script palette) to for a recompile and run. Compile errors will show up and can be reviewed in the error message.

 

HTH

[FMA]

@C. Andrew Dunning @Pat Stanford

Thank you very much! I will look into that!