Script Editor

Thursday, 23 February 2023 by Gavin Huet

This blog introduces finPOWER Connect developers to the new Script Editor in version 4.

finPOWER Connect version 4 introduced an updated Script Editor that uses the latest scripting components from the Actipro library.

The updated Script Editor has many advantages, such as increased performance and enhanced intellisense integration, and a lot of built in functionality has been rewritten to make use of these advantages.

The updated Script Editor has implemented new features to make coding even easier for developers:

There are some visual changes to the new Script Editor such as the new Function Explorer on the right hand side and the font size button on the bottom toolbar.

Going into Edit Mode is now immediate and there is more intellisense support.

Overview of Script Editor

Intellisense

Scripting intellisense has been updated to include external references and function libraries.

External references can be specified in two ways in the script:

  #Reference Newtonsoft.Json.dll
  #Reference "C:\Temp\Newtonsoft.Json.dll"

Once you save these changes the external reference library will be loaded and available for intellisense, which will appear automatically as you type, for example:

  Newtonsoft.

Intellisense external reference

Function libraries can be specified in the script:

  #INCLUDE "LIBSTRING"

Intellisese library definition

Once the script is saved the function library methods will appear in the Function Explorer and also in the intellisense.

Intellisense library

Business Layer Help

Pressing Alt+F1 activates the Business Layer Help, and this has been enhanced to navigate to the Microsoft Help pages in MSDN for .NET functionality.

In the example below the cursor is on the String.Format function when Business Layer Help is activated.

MSN Help

The Microsoft MSDN page for the String.Format function will open in the default browser.