So, what are scripts? JMP is designed to be very interactive but that's not the only way to work with it. You can also use a script to communicate with JMP in order to complete an analysis or task. A script uses the JMP Scripting Language, or JSL, to convey what you want to use in JMP and how you want to use it, in words rather than through mouse-clicks. Although using scripts is different than interactively working in JMP, scripts invoke the same features that are available through JMP menus, toolbars, and keyboard shortcuts. And in fact, both methods access the same software routines. It's important to be aware that scripts are not macros that are recorded as you work, which you might have seen with other software. There are lots of things you can do with JSL. In fact, anything that you can do by interacting with JMP, you can do with a script. Plus, you can write scripts that automate regular tasks or even extend the capabilities of JMP. So for example, you can open existing JMP data tables, or you can import data sets that are in other file formats, or you can query a database. You can prepare your data for an analysis or a graph. And you can perform routine analyses or make standard plots by launching the analysis and graphing platforms. You can also customize JMP reports and plots. That might mean changing a number format or an axis scale, adding new information or deleting unnecessary information, or combining elements of several reports into a single custom report. Or, you can script a dialog box that enables users to make choices or provide information, such as selecting data columns or date ranges that will be used by the script to create a custom report. So, as you learn about JMP scripting, I want you to be thinking about what kinds of things you would like to be able to do with a script.
