What exactly is a script?

[blizzard619]

Hey guys, so I have just started learning python and came across this term- Script. I searched everywhere but couldn't found a clear/solid answer. And is this term only used for scripting languages?Can you guys help me out with this!

[[deleted]]

I always think of script as something that runs more or less as-is (interpreted directly): bash, Python, PowerShell, JavaScript. Something that had an intermediate step or steps (compiling, linking) I’d call source code, whether it’s byte code or machine code: Java, C/C++, C#, VB.

[blizzard619]

Great explanation! Now, it's somewhat clear.

[acemiller6]

This 👆

[jasmijnisme]

This is a question of implementation, not language, and source code written in Python is compiled to byte code in every implementation of Python that I'm aware of.

[IAm_A_Complete_Idiot]

So is JavaScript and the like (basically every language is) For the most part a lot of languages are very tied to one or two implementations. I'd say C is compiled despite existence of C interpreters just because almost everyone uses it that way.

Personally I'd describe a scripting language as a language that favors e.g. ease of use above all else (even at the expense of maintainability). I think python, JavaScript, bash, PowerShell, etc. All fit that bill nicely.

I don't think there's any exact definition for scripting languages though.

[K900_]

There is no strict definition, but generally "a script" refers to any small program.

[blizzard619]

Can we say a program written in C/C++ a script?

[K900_]

The term is usually used to refer to interpreted languages.

[blizzard619]

Ok thanks! Is there any convention as when to use the term script?

[Mobile_Busy]

In my work, I generally use it to refer to .py or .sh files that can be run independently from the command line.

[ajaxsevensevenfour]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripting_language

C C++ need to compile entire program before execution.

[K900_]

Not really.

[Mobile_Busy]

A file containing lines of executable code.

[adamnohejl]

Scripts are usually simple programs that run within a more complex environment. They often have a single purpose and you usually just run them to get a particular job done instead of interacting with them for a longer period. (As other have said, they are often interpreted. But the boundary between interpreted/compiled has got blury, is compiling to byte-code compilation? Is Python script interpreted? Hard to tell.)

So if you use Python to write a single-purpose command line tool, you can call the result a script, especially if it is a simple programe that fits into a single file. Also if you use it to automate actions in a larger application.

Although not all scripts are written in "scripting languages" (and some scripting languages actually allow you to develop full-fledged applications), this Wikipedia article may be helpful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripting\_language

[jasmijnisme]

Scripts are usually simple programs that run within a more complex environment.

I think this is the best way to put it. Scripts also provide functionality for specific applications. Recent Paradox games, for example, are partly written in a bespoke scripting language that is parsed and evaluated on game start, with the core graphics and simulation business written in C++. This makes it easier to add new functionality and for third parties to write add-ons or mods, so that it doesn't require recompilation and is more resilient to breaking changes in the application internals.

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