JavaScript documentation page.

4ae91812 · rswindell · 8ad96377 · 4ae91812
Commit 4ae91812 authored 21 years ago by rswindell
--- a/docs/js.html
+++ b/docs/js.html
+<html>
+
+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
+<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 4.0">
+<meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
+<title>JavaScript in Synchronet</title>
+</head>
+
+<body>
+
+<h1><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">JavaScript in Synchronet</span></h1>
+<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial">Synchronet v3.1</span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
+uses <a href="http://mozilla.org/js/">Netscapes JavaScript engine</a>
+(version 1.5) for its preferred local scripting environment.<br>
+You can learn about the core JavaScript language and object model from the
+following Netscape documents:<o:p>
+</o:p>
+</span></p>
+<ul style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type="disc">
+  <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><a href="http://devedge.netscape.com/library/manuals/2000/javascript/1.5/guide/">Core
+    JavaScript Guide</a><o:p>
+    </o:p>
+    </span></li>
+  <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><a href="http://devedge.netscape.com/library/manuals/2000/javascript/1.5/reference/">Core
+    JavaScript Reference</a><o:p>
+    </o:p>
+    </span></li>
+</ul>
+<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">JavaScript is an
+established, mature scripting language syntactically similar to C++ and Java.<b><br>
+JavaScript is</b> <b>not Java</b>. <o:p>
+</o:p>
+</span></p>
+<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The ECMA and ISO standards
+organizations have standardized the core JavaScript language in <a href="http://developer.netscape.com/docs/javascript/e262-pdf.pdf">ECMA-262</a>
+(ECMAScript) and ISO-16262.<o:p>
+</o:p>
+</span></p>
+<h2><span style="font-family: Arial">Baja and JavaScript</span></h2>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial"><a href="baja.html">Baja</a> is the original
+programming language of Synchronet (introduced in v2.0), used to create
+Synchronet-specific <i>modules</i> and <i>command shells</i>. Baja was
+originally designed as a simple BASIC-like language for controlling the display
+of menus and command prompts, accepting commands from the user and passing on
+control to high-level BBS functions. Over the years, Baja has been extended and
+enhanced to allow a high-level of functionality, but it was never going to reach
+the power and flexibility of JavaScript.</span></p>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">For example Baja modules and command shells,
+see the <b><samp>.src</samp></b> files in your Synchronet <b><code>exec</code></b> directory.</span></p>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">For the foreseeable future Baja modules and
+command-shells will continue to be supported in Synchronet, but sysops and
+developers are encouraged to use JavaScript instead of Baja moving forward. With
+very few exceptions, everything that can be done in a Baja module can be done in
+a JavaScript module, and much much more.</span></p>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">Eventually, all the stock command-shells and
+external modules will be converted to JavaScript.</span></p>
+<h2><span style="font-family: Arial">JavaScript Files</span></h2>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">JavaScript files are just ASCII text files.
+They are normally named with a <b><code>.js</code></b> file extension and located in your
+Synchronet <b><samp>exec</samp></b> directory. JavaScript files do not need to be compiled.
+JavaScript files are loaded into memory at the time of execution, so a change to
+a JavaScript file will take effect the next time that file is executed.</span></p>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">For example JavaScript modules and services,
+see the <b><samp>.js</samp></b> files in your Synchronet <b><code>exec</code></b> directory.</span></p>
+<h2><span style="font-family: Arial">Integration</span></h2>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">At this time (v3.10j beta), JavaScript files
+can be executed from:</span></p>
+
+<ul>
+  <li><span style="font-family: Arial"><b>Telnet/Rlogin Server</b>&nbsp;<br>
+ as a timed event, external program (door), login/logon/newuser module,<br>
+    basically anywhere a Baja module or executable can be launched</span></li>
+  <li><span style="font-family: Arial"><b>FTP Server</b><br>
+    dynamically generates HTML index files<br>
+    see <samp>exec/ftp-html.js</samp></span></li>
+  <li><span style="font-family: Arial"><b>Services</b><br>
+    all services at this time (both static and dynamic) are written in
+    JavaScript<br>
+    see <samp>exec/*service.js</samp> and <samp>ctrl/services.cfg</samp></span></li>
+</ul>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">From the Telnet/Rlogin server, a JavaScript file is executed on a native command-line
+by placing a question mark (<samp>?</samp>) at the beginning of the command-line
+before the JavaScript file name (in SCFG). It is not necessary to specify the <b><samp>.js</samp></b>
+portion of the file name on the command-line. For example, the command-line to execute
+the file <tt>exec/newslink.js</tt> would be &quot;<tt>?newslink</tt>&quot;.</span></p>
+
+<h2><span style="font-family: Arial">Object Model</span></h2>
+<p><span style="font-family: Arial">Synchronet has its own JavaScript object
+model, not to be confused with the Document Object Model (DOM) used in web
+browsers. In order to fully understand the capabilities of JavaScript modules in
+Synchronet, you must familiarize yourself with <a href="http://devedge.netscape.com/library/manuals/2000/javascript/1.5/reference/">Core
+JavaScript</a> as well as the <a href="jsobjs.html">Synchronet JavaScript Object
+Model</a>.</span></p>
+
+</body>
+
+</html>