Comprehensive scripting index

[bobmorrane]

Hi,

I saw there is already a post for improvements to the Scripting index here :Scripting-Index-improvements  . However, I don't know if wishes are actually taken into account when they are submitted as comments to an existing wish, so I'll just make a new post.

Something that would be very useful would be to have a 100% comprehensive Scripting index. What I mean is to include for every function, a complete list of all arguments, what the funtion returns, and the clearest possible explanation so a novice can understand exactly how a function works and what it does.

Yes I know, some of this information can be found in the JSL syntax reference. But why not have it all in the same place?  All too often I have to read both the text of the Scripting index and the syntax reference to understand what the function actually is and how it works. So having a more thorough, more detailed, more education oriented Scripting index would be very valuable.

Thanks

[bobmorrane]

Another improvement please :

• Make text easily copied. Currently, if I want to copy the text explaining the function syntax and its explanation, I have to right click--> edit --> select  and then Ctrl+C or right click --> copy text. This way of doing things is quite old, the same the Windows command line! Could we have a one click solution? Like a button or just by making the text selectable directly with a left mouse click.
• Make text easily pasted! After I copied text from the Scripting index, when I paste it in a text editor like word or Notepad, it contains a bunch of formatting code that looks like html or something. Can we have just plain text ?

[Justin_Chilton]

Hi @bobmorrane,

Thank you for all of your ideas!

For your original suggestion to make the Scripting Index more comprehensive, I have entered a suggestion for our development and documentation team to review.

Regarding copying text, typically in JMP, we use the fat-plus selection tool to do selection before Ctrl+C to copy. The shortcut to switch to selection mode is just the letter “S” but that does not appear to work in the Scripting Index window. If this worked, would that be acceptable? You could quickly press "S" for selection, select the text box, Ctrl+C to copy, and press "A" to switch back to the arrow.

As for the format tags in the pasted text, that should only appear when one of your search terms appears in the text. If you clear your search and then copy the text, it should be without any format tags. However, I have passed along the suggestion for the tags to automatically be removed when copying.

Thanks,

Justin

[bobmorrane]

Hi Justin,

sure, selecting the text using the selection mode would be acceptable. Thanks for looking into this.

Bob

[john_madden]

Another improvement request: For custom functions, there is a difference in the way the Scripting Index handles categories versus the way the Formula Editor does.

• In the Scripting Index, if you assign a custom function to a built-in category, it doesn't work. (The custom function just isn't added to the Category pane at all, although it can be found by searching. If your custom function has a category name that does not conflict with a built-in category, then there is no problem.)
• In the Formula Editor, if you assign a custom function to a built-in category, it works fine. The custom function appears under the assigned (built-in) category.

I'd like the Scripting Index to work the same as the Formula Editor.

John

[Chris_Rodrigues]

Yes PLEASE we need a comprehensive scripting index that shows us all the functions, their syntax, all their possible arguments, as well as all object types, their properties, and the functions that can act on them.  More usage examples would be nice as well.  Currently the descriptions in the scripting index are terse, many function arguments are either minimally-described or completely undocumented, and the examples are limited.  When I am learning to use a new JSL scripting feature, I spend about half of my time searching these Community Forums because the answers are not found in the Scripting Index or any other documentation I am aware of.

It would also be really nice if the Scripting Index were displayed in a "tree" or some other hierarchical style (similar to the Object Browser in Microsoft Excel VBA).  For example, a Data Table object contains Column objects, Column objects have properties of Data Type, Modeling Type, Format, etc.  Functions like Get/Set Property can act on Column objects.  I know that I can use Show Properties(obj) to enumerate all of this information to the log window, but it is cumbersome to have to do this manually every time when it should be easily accessible graphically in the Scripting Index.  Currently the Scripting Index contains some, but not all, of this information, and it is displayed in a flat list that does not describe the hierarchical relationships that may exist between object types.  Something like Get Property is shown multiple times in the flat list, once for each type of object it applies to.

Here I will start adding examples of why a detailed Scripting Object Browser is needed:

• Display Boxes contain messages that not all sub-types of display boxes have implemented.
  • Show Properties() on a StringColBox indicates that there is a <<Set Width message that is actually non-functional.  Per @Jeff_Perkinson : "Unfortunately, there is no way to change the width of a StringColBox.  The Set Width message is a property of all display boxes even though only a few implement it".
  • https://community.jmp.com/t5/Discussions/String-Col-Box-width/td-p/7905
• Undocumented authentication options in New HTTP Request()
  • Kerberos authentication method in HTTP request uses undocumented syntax Password(":")
  • https://community.jmp.com/t5/Discussions/How-do-I-use-Kerberos-authentication-HTTP-request/m-p/36977...

[Audrey_Shull]

This wish list item contains several great ideas! We can't yet mark this entire item as done, but i can report that at least one of the enhancement requests in the comments was specifically addressed in JMP 16, which was released last month March 2021:

• When copying text from a text box that contains markup, do not include markup/formatting tags. Paste will behave more intelligently, pasting text only if the application doesn't support any formatting, but formatted text (without markup tags) will be pasted into rich text applications.

[bobmorrane]

Hello,

here is the latest example I can share that illustrates the need for detailed scripting index.

So, I haven't been using JMP in a couple of years so I'm a little rusty. I wanted to use the function Col Mean in a column in my data table.

Here is the syntax example: 

y = Col Mean( xCol, <byVar, ...>, < << Freq( freqCol ) > )

I want the mean to be calculated for different groups ( treatments on biological tests), so I needed to use this <byVar > argument. Problem, it is not written anywhere how to write this. The description of the function somewhat mentions "byvar" but it is not clearly written that all I need to do is just to write a column name, as :Column. 

When searching the scripting index for Byvar, I find the various functions that use it. But none of them CLEARLY explains what it actually means. 

So perhaps something that could be done would be to have specific entries in the index for arguments. The general way to use them, their syntax, how the system handles them. 

Thanks

[SamGardner]

I am adding a link to this more recent discussion thread that includes more requests for improved scripting index and documentation:  
JMP Scripting Index feedback and discussion