RailwayRouteOptimization/scripts/Misc/Tutorials/ScriptScope.dox

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\page ScriptScope Scope of Script Development

The QCAD Application Framework offers a very complete and powerful
ECMAScript interface. Almost the entire functionality of 
the Qt Application Framework (Qt) and the QCAD Application Framework 
is accessible through that scripting interface. 

ECMAScript (also known as JavaScript) is a popular script language
that is easy to learn for anyone with previous programming experience.

\section extending_qcad Extending the QCAD Application

Through the ECMAScript interface of, developers can extend QCAD in an easy 
and very efficient way. Such extensions can for example be CAD related
interactive construction or modification tools or user interface components
(widgets).

\image html ecmascript_extensions.png

\section creating_applications Creating new Applications

Alternatively, developers can build entirely new applications 
based on the QCAD Application Framework. New applications might be 
CAD related console tools or desktop applications with graphical user 
interfaces that are significantly different to the QCAD application.

\image html ecmascript_applications.png

Since the QCAD Application itself is built using the ECMAScript interface
of the QCAD Application Framework, there is plenty of example code available 
which has been thoroughly tested.

\section licensing Licensing

To use the ECMAScript interface to extend QCAD or develop new applications
based on QCAD technology, all you need is a regular QCAD single user
license. Every QCAD user may use the ECMAScript interface and distribute
any modifications and additions to anyone else with a valid QCAD license on
their own terms.


\section qt_qcad_ecma Qt, the QCAD Application Framework and ECMAScript

The figure below shows some of the main functionality that is covered
by Qt and the QCAD Application Framework. Qt covers the generic functionality 
that is usually seen in all kinds of desktop applications and is not directly 
related to CAD. The QCAD Application Framework offers CAD specific 
functionality such as a CAD Core, DXF export and import, 
a powerful graphics view, and so on. The ECMAScript files put the available 
functionality together into an application.

\image html qt_qcad_functionality.png

The ECMAScript interface of the QCAD Application Framework can be used 
to very rapidly build and extend CAD specific applications.

The QCAD user interface itself and all its interactive tools as well as
most widgets and dialogs are implemented through the ECMAScript interface.

The QCAD executable that comes with every QCAD package is essentially 
a script interpreter that features standard ECMAScript functionality and 
on top of that provides additional classes from the Qt API and the QCAD API. 
Running the QCAD executable in an isolated environment would do nothing 
as there are no ECMAScripts to be executed. By default, the QCAD executable 
looks for a file called "scripts/autostart.js" to execute. In the case of QCAD,
the autostart script initializes all ECMAScript tools and user interface 
components and launches the main application loop.

Almost all widgets, menus and tools that are currently available in 
QCAD are implemented in ECMAScript. 
These scripts are located in the 'scripts' directory of the 
downloaded QCAD package. Note that under Mac OS X, the scripts directory is 
located inside the application bundle under 'QCAD.app/Contents/Resources/scripts'.

*/