¶ General
Back Go back to the scripting pageThis is general information about scripting and the AngelScript Scripting Library. This is for people who know "programming" and know C++ or something similar, and also for Server Hosters.
¶ AngelScript
AngelScript is a free, open source, flexible, and cross-platform scripting library meant to be embedded in applications. The purpose is to provide an easy to use library that is powerful, but that isn't weighed down by a large amount of rarely used features.
Development of AngelScript begun in February, 2003, with the first public release on March 28th, 2003, with only the most basic of functionality. Ever since that day the world has seen frequent releases with new features and improvements. The author is still dedicated to the continued improvement and growth of this library.
The AngelCode Scripting Library, or AngelScript as it is also known, is an extremely flexible cross-platform scripting library designed to allow applications to extend their functionality through external scripts. It has been designed from the beginning to be an easy to use component, both for the application programmer and the script writer.
Efforts have been made to let it call standard C functions and C++ methods with little to no need for proxy functions. The application simply registers the functions, objects, and methods that the scripts should be able to work with and nothing more has to be done with your code. The same functions used by the application internally can also be used by the scripting engine, which eliminates the need to duplicate functionality.
Current version: AngelScript 2.37.0 (July 20th, 2024)
The official site for the library is http://www.angelcode.com/angelscript.
¶ Features
- Familiar syntax - The script syntax is similar to that of C or C++, with only a few differences.
- Statically typed - Unlike most scripting languages that are dynamically typed this one uses the same static types as C++, and applications can register additional types.
- Object oriented - The script language allows for declaration of classes, with support for single inheritance and polymorphism through interfaces.
- Object handles - Pointers are not safe in a scripted environment, so AngelScript uses object handles instead. Object handles are almost like smart pointers, that control the life time of the object they hold.
- Sandboxing - The library provides a secure environment for the scripts, i.e. the scripts can only access what the application explicitly exposes, and any built-in script objects are completely secure.
- International support - The script files can be encoded in ASCII or UTF-8. String constants can include UTF-8 encoded characters directly or can use escape sequences to add specific unicode code points. UTF-16 encoded string literals is also supported.
- No costs - The scripting library is completely free for all use, though donations are appreciated.
- Well documented - Both the script language and library is fully documented.