CODEWITHSUNDEEP
clua
Nouman Tajik
Nouman Tajik

Reputation: 493

Why would i need to add scripting engine in my standalone applications

I would like to know in which scenarios would embedding scripting language in my C projects help me.

I have heard about lua which the developers embed in their projects to extending their software applications but why developers prefer to extend their applications using some scripting engine rather then the primary language?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 471

Answers (2)

Astrofra
Astrofra

Reputation: 321

Regarding your "scenario" question : adding a script engine to your standalone (C or C++ for instance) application is the most direct way to combine the performance of a dedicated engine with the expertise of your power users.

No matter the field of you standalone application, thanks to the ability to write scripts, a power user will usually be able to get the most of it by creating dedicated or project-centric workflow.

The script interface brings a safe and secure environment that is suited for such users whose primary skills is generally not to deal with C/C++.

This leads to your second question : a script API perfectly (using Lua or Squirrel, for instance) makes sense if the primary language needs low-level programming skills. Typically, and application written in C++ will require your power users to write plugins using a C++ SDK. On the opposite, if your standalone application is written in Python, the benefit of embedding Lua is far from obious in my opinion.

Upvotes: 0

Maarten
Maarten

Reputation: 36

This mostly comes down to who ends up using your applications and what they are using it for. If the application needs no per-user customization, then there's no need for scripting. New functionality can be added normally as part of the application.

However, like in game engines, if the users need to create/script custom behaviour into the application there has to be some way for them to do so. You could try to make your users write their scripts in the language of the application, however in the case of C and many other languages, this requires the code for the application to be recompiled (Not to mention the fact that your users might not be programmers and could benefit from a more high level scripting language).

By adding a scripting engine, you allow your users to add their own (limited) functionality to the application without needing to understand or recompile the entire codebase.

tl;dr Scripting engines make sense if your users need routinely to add custom behaviours to the application.

Upvotes: 2

Related Questions