In this section you learn about writing scripts for VisualAge. Scripts are useful when you need to add unique actions to a part or when there is no visual connection that does precisely what you need. Scripts are most appropriate for creating application logic. You can build your user interface using scripts, although it is usually easier to build it using the Composition Editor and visual connections.
Some common uses for scripts include:
For simple uses like these, you can link scripts to events or attributes in the Composition Editor. Before you can write scripts, you need to learn the fundamentals of Smalltalk, the language that is used to write scripts. Smalltalk is easy to learn because of its simple syntax and structure.
Scripts are also used for implementing the actions of new parts, particularly for parts that perform your application-specific logic. When you advance to this level of VisualAge programming, you will also want to learn more about the overall Smalltalk system and its class library, which are described in IBM Smalltalk Programmer's Reference.