What are people using JScript.Net for?

user_134754 0
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I'm interested to know who uses JScript.Net and for what sort of applications. Whenever I'm reading MSDN .Net documentation, I always notice the JScript samples but in all the years I've been a C# dev I've never actually known anyone to use it.

What sort of applications are people using this for, and how does it measure, in terms of flexibility, power and general usage, to C#?

[Edit: Just to clarify - I'm not asking what JScript.Net is, I'm asking what people are actually using it for - i.e. interested to know actual usage scenarios and how people have found it to work with]

jscript.net asp.net .net
12 Answers

Rob - I have used JScript.NET in anger in one place in my code, which is essentially to expose the functionality of its eval method. Here is a cut-down version:

static public class Evaluator
{
    private const string _jscriptSource =
        @"package Evaluator
        {
           class Evaluator
           {
              public function Eval(expr : String) : String 
              { 
                 return eval(expr); 
              }
           }
        }";

    static private object _evaluator;
    static private Type _evaluatorType;

    static Evaluator()
    {
        InstantiateInternalEvaluator();
    }

    static private void InstantiateInternalEvaluator()
    {
        JScriptCodeProvider compiler = new JScriptCodeProvider();

        CompilerParameters parameters;
        parameters = new CompilerParameters();
        parameters.GenerateInMemory = true;

        CompilerResults results;
        results = compiler.CompileAssemblyFromSource(parameters, _jscriptSource);

        Assembly assembly = results.CompiledAssembly;
        _evaluatorType = assembly.GetType("Evaluator.Evaluator");

        _evaluator = Activator.CreateInstance(_evaluatorType);
    }

    static public object EvaluateToObject(string statement)
    {
        try
        {
            return _evaluatorType.InvokeMember(
                "Eval",
                BindingFlags.InvokeMethod,
                null,
                _evaluator,
                new object[] {statement}
                );
        }
        catch (Exception)
        {
            InstantiateInternalEvaluator();
            return null;
        }
    }

You can obviously create overloads for other return types. I can't claim the original idea for this was mine! Uses for this would be, for example, to evaluate a string expression like 3 + 4 to 7 without expression parsing.

user_831090

JScript .NET is one of the languages supported for writing application extensions for Sony's family of media editing products. Sound Forge & Vegas.

In particular Sound Forge has a window that you can use to edit and run scripts to manipulate audio files.

It turns out the Microsoft made it pretty easy to add scripting to your application using one (or all) of the .NET supported languages. VB, JScript & C#. Just just have to expose some objects from your application and hand those objects (assemblies actually) to the compiler along with the user's script text.

They have a web forum for script writers for Sound Forge

user_2348150

With the Business Process Management tool Metastorm BPM you can use JScript.Net to extend your workflows. For example you can add custom .Net .dlls to the engine and interact with them in your processes using JScript.Net.

My experience was quite positive. I've implemented just some small glue scripts but I'd prefer scripting with JScript.Net to VBScript (the second supported Scripting Language) anytime.

user_264620

I'm late to the party here, but I want to add my take:

I see JScript.NET being useful for server-side code. It's pretty natural to use something server-side that is essentially the same as what you use client-side. Also, it makes working with JSON that much easier so can be a boon if you're creating a web service that communicates via JSON.

I wrote a web service where I work in C# but am thinking of migrating to JScript.NET because of those reasons.

user_2595790

I don't know how it compares performance-wise, but I know that JScript.NET is one of the languages you can use with Unity 3D.

user_1521680

JScript .NET is a modern scripting language with a wide variety of applications. It is a true object-oriented language, and yet it still keeps its "scripting" feel. JScript .NET maintains full backwards compatibility with previous versions of JScript, while incorporating great new features and providing access to the common language runtime and .NET Framework (from JScript.NET).

Besides, you might find this stackoverflow post helpful as well: Can JScript.NET be used to script a .NET application?

As for who is using, I am honestly not aware of (I am pretty sure there are out there).

Read Introducing JScript.NET.

My personal thought was that it could be awsome for web developers who're used to write in plain JScript and want to get the benefits of .NET without need to learn a new language, or for those who want to have all their code written in one language.

Shimmy_755000
user_2306540

I'd just assumed it was used by Microsoft to inflate the number of languages .NET supported at launch for marketing purposes.

user_543230
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