ILWIS objects

Scripts

Scripts are used to perform a sequenced list of ILWIS commands and expressions. By creating a script, you can build a complete GIS or Remote Sensing analysis for your own research discipline. Scripts are more or less equivalent to batch files in ILWIS version 1.4.

Lines in a script may contain commands for object management (e.g. copy or delete), display of data objects (open or Show), and for the creation and calculation of data objects. All MapCalc, and TabCalc formulas, and all ILWIS expressions to perform operations may be used. Other scripts and other Windows applications can also be called from within a script. A script can use parameters. For more information on valid script expressions, refer to Appendices : ILWIS commands, Appendices : ILWIS expressions or Appendices : ILWIS script language (syntax). For more information on using parameters in scripts, see How to use parameters in scripts.

Names of scripts:

In ILWIS 3, object names comply with Windows long file names. Also Universal Naming Convention (UNC) paths are supported. For more information, see How to use long object names.

To create a script:

in the Main window, open the File menu and choose Create Script, or
in the Operation-tree, expand the Create item and double-click New Script item, or
in the Operation-list, double-click the New Script item.

The Script editor appears in which you can type your script expressions.

To edit a script:

in the Catalog, double-click a script, or
select a script in the Catalog, open the Edit menu in the Main window and choose Edit Object, or
in the Catalog, click a script with the right mouse button, and select Open from the context-sensitive menu.

The Script editor appears.

Tips:

To show scripts in a Catalog, refer to How to customize the Catalog.
To show scripts in the Operation-list, the Operation-tree and on the Operations menu of the Main window, see How to customize the Operation-tree, the Operation-list and the Operations menu.

Using parameters in scripts:

Parameters in a script replace (parts of) object names, operations, etc. Parameters in scripts work as DOS replaceable parameters in DOS batch files, and must be written on the Script tab in the Script editor as %1, %2, %3, up to %9. For more information, see How to use parameters in scripts.

On the Script tab, you can type your script commands and expressions. Optionally, you can use parameters %1 until %9.
On the Parameters tab, you can assign names to parameters. Parameter names will be visible in the Run Script dialog box when you run the script.
On the Default Values tab, you can fill out default objects for your parameters so that you can test the script and/or wish to have defaults in the Run Script dialog box.

To run a script:

with the right mouse button, select a script in the Catalog and choose Run from the context-sensitive menu,
in the Script editor press the Run Script button, or
if you copied your script to the ILWIS\scripts directory, you can double-click your script in the Operation-tree and the Operation-list.

If your script does not contain any parameters it will immediately be executed. If your script does contain parameters the Run Script dialog box will appear.

In the Run Script dialog box, all parameter names are listed as specified on the Parameters tab of the script editor.

If you did not specify default objects on the Default Values tab you will need to select objects for input parameters and/or type object names for output parameters.
If you did fill out objects on the Default Values tab, the Run Script dialog box, will already be filled out with these defaults.

When the OK button is clicked and when all parameters are correctly specified, the script will be executed.

For more information about running script, e.g. to run a script from the command line see How to run scripts.

You can create your own Help file for a script so that you can explain the meaning of parameters to other users of the script. For more information, see the Run Script dialog box.

Example:

In How to use parameters in scripts, two script examples are given. A more elaborate example of a script to create slope maps in percentages and in degrees is presented in Map & Table calculation : creating and running scripts.

Technical information:

A script consists of an ASCII object definition file (.ISL, ILWIS Script Language) and an ASCII data file (.ISF, ILWIS Script File).