Thanks Chip: If, when, I get back into looking at Visual Studio scripting again I will see if something like that will work to get at the UIA objects in the .net environment but that will add more complexity to an already overly complex situation. It may be the only way to use UIA from a vbs script though, just dont know. Rick USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Chip Orange To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 9:04 PM Subject: RE: VBA MS Continued Support?
Hi Bruce and Rick, If you'd like access to the .net environment while using VBScript, or one of the other scripting languages, check out the app written by Jamal Mazrui early on; I believe it's named IronCom demo. There may be other ways as well for a scripting language to have access to the .net run-time; if so, I hope someone would post some info on them here. Chip From: BX [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2012 3:04 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: VBA MS Continued Support? Hi Rick, Yes, I have done a lot of scripting in Python and such and miss the tweaking of all the stuff and the Win32 Com in Python is extensive but has it's problems. As you say, I want to have complete access to the entire environment. Now, Ithaca college went to Oracle and Cornel has or is moving towards Linux... department infighting to keep there jobs when attempting to go to one system. I did some of my first programming in Java Script besides the old assembly which I liked because in assembler you can get to the guts, but have to be patient to build all the extra stuff as well... too time consuming in the long run. So, it is time to experiment with the .net and see where it takes me. I have all the redistributable software and getting my XP rebuilt with some of the stuff as well since the old one got hosed in the house fire; electrical short weakened the old mother board. My Windows 7 is holding up well and compile all my stuff on that machine to make it reverse compatible. The Trek game I wrote needs a little tweaking for sighted users only but have not had the desire to get into it at the moment. I have to make my own .ini file for data tracking and storage if the Windoweyes scripting environment is absent. So, time to get busy and see what I come up with next ... Bruce To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2012 4:22 AM Subject: Re: VBA MS Continued Support? Hi Bruce: Accessibility is the issue with allot of the more advanced software. Allot of programmers try and use text editors to do their work to avoid the complexity andthe accessibility of the major IDE players but there is a reason they are the major players. .net is an extremely powerful development environment. You can do anything from Office projects in Word or Excel to building highly advanced Websites with Web Services, realtime or ondemand hooking to Internet and Desktop as well as phone, tablet etc. and native DeskTop development. You have Intellisense for almost everything from xml to css and all other languages so you can find out the commands to do anything you want without having to look things up in help documents. You have built in data base support and automatic hooking to any UI elements without having to create all the code or JavaScript to do it. Intellisense also lets you find any variables, properties or methods exposed in any classes within a project without switching around and looking for them while you are typing on a line in a totally independent class. You can find documents, set properties compile, deploy and create many, many styles of projects from asp to mvc web sites or web projects, xml documents, desktop apps and do it all in an environment where all the many, many individual features work together without any compatibility issues or versioning issues. You have a built -in test environment where you can compile and test with the push of a key and the flexibility to configure almost every aspect of a project and even the IDE itself. There are more technical goodies like built-in handling of session state, tons of pre-defined controls that are difficult or impossible to duplicate in native JavaScript, CSS or Win32 and all that jazz as well as snipets and more. That said, typing and using some of these really powerful features has been becomming more and more problematic for screen reader users. Microsoft is, according to documentation, exposing their DOM for the Screen Reader companies to make Visual Studio more accessible but I am not sure of how far they have gone nor how far the Screen reader companies have taken making HTML5, CSS3, WPF and the custom controls totally accessible. Scripting Visual Studio is quite a job, time consuming and complex indeed. There are a few other major players like Adobe and Zend as well as some less directed products like Eclipse that offer some IDE features and are more or less accessible depending on which modules you install. JAWS provides some accessibility developed for Visual Studio in-house but it is lacking in some areas and it's scripting language is lacking as well. WindowEyes works but is not nearly as sound as it was with the VS 2005 and 2008 versions. But, it's scripting language is more powerful and past versions of Visual Studio could be scripted fairly well. I have dabbled with the Microsoft Accessibility platform some (UIA) but not done much more than a few tests using a script I developed in vb.net 2008 over the vb.net 2010 program's IDE. Long story short, if you are going into the business you will likely be using some major player's offerings from Visual Studio to something like Eclipse, Zend or one of the Oracle or IBM product lines. Knowing how to script your choice will be a benefit to you since hiring a scriptor to work on a major package like these will be expensive. Other than this I have nothing to say about which packages to use since it usually comes down to preference, a job requirement or which toolset is the best for a particular job at any given time. Sometimes perhaps Visual Studio, sometimes some Linux based products and whatever floats your boat at any given time. My suggestion is to learn scripting, either for UIA and ARIA or for something like the free NVDA or Orca and, or, Vinux projects so you can tweek anything that you run up against on the fly if necessary. Well, it is very early here in Farmington Michigan this morning and I may be babbling so I'll sign off. Later: Rick USA I have not worked with, nor tried to script Adobe or any of the other product lines so cant speek to them. ----- Original Message ----- From: BX To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 6:28 PM Subject: Re: VBA MS Continued Support? Hi Guys, The courses I am taking are heavy on C++ and VB 2010 which seems to always be the standard for, as you say, easy writing. The .net needs more access and stuff... Bruce My $0.02 or 2 cents... Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 12:45 PM Subject: Re: VBA MS Continued Support? Hi: Looks like that is the case. I think they bought it back in 2011 or I read some bad articles some time ago on the subject. Also, VBScript is widely used as a tool by mainline business administrators so it may be around for some time. That said... I am pretty sure they were talking at one time of getting rid of VBA macros and replacing VBS with something, perhaps JScript or that new Power scripting language but there was allot of pushback about these plans so I guess they have shelved them for now. That is good indeed. Now, if GW would only somehow give us a language with direct access to the .net environment - that is if MS doesn't do away with that too now that they like their new MetroGhetto platform, sigh. Rick USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Chip Orange To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 12:01 PM Subject: RE: VBA MS Continued Support? Hi Rick, Sorry, but have to disagree with you re "dropping VBA"; see the quote below from a review of 2013: "Then there is Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), the macro scripting language that will not die. Lightweight and effective, VBA still exists in Office 2013, the new release currently in preview." After this, who knows . And VBScript, yes, they aren't doing anything with it, but it also costs them little to keep it going for legacy reasons. As you say, it really is the simplest for starting newbies on programming. Chip From: RicksPlace [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 4:13 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: VBA MS Continued Support? Hi Chip: I was actually referring to VBS. MS is moving more and more twoard JavaScript for Web Apps and their new, really nasty, power scripting language for other operations. I am pretty sure they wont drop support anytime soon since there are still allot of managers out there using VBS to manage Sql Server and other Database and various Networking operations. That said, MS has not done anything with VBS in several years, they are dropping VBA, it's brother, from Office and they are pushing use of their new power scripting language or putting application development up on the web where they can charge more for it. Anyway, I thought I would ask since GW and some of you guys are heavy into VBS and may have heard something. I just created a little VBS script to pull down stock quotes from Yahoo finance for a few blind folks who wanted to do that and was toren between VBS, JScript, JavaScript and vb.net and went with VBS for eas of use for nubes. I hope you are doing well these days and getting ready for Windows8. I need a new machine and W8 is going to be something I will need to slog through unless I go with something like Linux or even Apple if it is as bad as I have heard in the GW Audio Broadcasts. My one hope is that the rest of the business community will rip W8 a new one. There has already been allot of negative feedback from them on this metro carp. Oh well, it is what it is as the guys say. Later, God Bless and take care of yourselfand your family! Rick USA
