.NET Scripting IDE Integration

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I am maintaining an application that was writting in VB6 and has VBA 6.2
integrated into it. The VBA SDK allows the users of the application to
generate VBA projects and scripts to gain access to the application and
perform product specific functions. This provides maximum flexiability for
our users.

We are about to convert this application into .NET. In doing some proof of
concepts, we were able to integrate VBA 6.4 into a .NET application.
However, we are wary of staying with VBA. It appears that Microsoft and
Summit Software don't take the VBA SDK seriously as both of their websites
still advertise the "NEW VBA SDK 6.3" (the current version is 6.4)

My question is there some sort of equivalent to VBA in .NET? I did a little
research and found Visual Studio for Applications (VSA), but that project
appears to have been abonded. I am aware of the namespaces that allow us to
read, compile, and execute .NET code at runtime, but this does not satisfy
our requirements. We need a fully functional IDE with debug capability (just
like VBA).

Is there anything out there that will integrate ".NET Scripting" into an
application with an IDE that has debugging capability? Sort of like a .NET
version of the VBA SDK.

Thanks!
 
Hi Rmacias,

Welcome to MSDN newsgroup.
As for the runtime script engine in .NET, as far as I know, VBA is not
buildin scripting mechanism in .NETand we may need to use COM interop to
communicate with it. As for pure .NET runtime scripting support, I have
found the following namespace which contains some components and interfaces
for runtime script parsing and execution:

#Microsoft.Vsa Namespace
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpref/html/
frlrfmicrosoftvsa.asp

#Script Happens .NET
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnclinic/html/scripting06112001.asp?
frame=true

This scripting namespace provide runtime script intefaces which is
different from the System.Reflection namespace's components which
dynamically compiled and executing .net assembly(MSIL).
Hope helps. Thanks,

Steven Cheng
Microsoft Online Support

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--------------------
| Thread-Topic: .NET Scripting IDE Integration
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| From: "=?Utf-8?B?cm1hY2lhcw==?=" <[email protected]>
| Subject: .NET Scripting IDE Integration
| Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2005 15:11:01 -0700
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|
| I am maintaining an application that was writting in VB6 and has VBA 6.2
| integrated into it. The VBA SDK allows the users of the application to
| generate VBA projects and scripts to gain access to the application and
| perform product specific functions. This provides maximum flexiability
for
| our users.
|
| We are about to convert this application into .NET. In doing some proof
of
| concepts, we were able to integrate VBA 6.4 into a .NET application.
| However, we are wary of staying with VBA. It appears that Microsoft and
| Summit Software don't take the VBA SDK seriously as both of their
websites
| still advertise the "NEW VBA SDK 6.3" (the current version is 6.4)
|
| My question is there some sort of equivalent to VBA in .NET? I did a
little
| research and found Visual Studio for Applications (VSA), but that project
| appears to have been abonded. I am aware of the namespaces that allow us
to
| read, compile, and execute .NET code at runtime, but this does not
satisfy
| our requirements. We need a fully functional IDE with debug capability
(just
| like VBA).
|
| Is there anything out there that will integrate ".NET Scripting" into an
| application with an IDE that has debugging capability? Sort of like a
..NET
| version of the VBA SDK.
|
| Thanks!
|
 
Hi Steven,

Thanks for your response, as it is greatly appreciated. I am aware of the
namespaces you mentioned for compiling and running .NET code at runtime.
However, my requirements are that we have an IDE with a debug capability
integrated into the application for .NET code (moving forward with .NET and
abondoning VBA).

We were able to integrate VBA into a .NET app to reproduce the current
functionality, but we would like to move forward with .NET and leave VBA
behind. However, what is stopping us from doing that is the inability for
our application to debug the .NET code inside our application (like we can do
with VBA).

Are you aware of anything that will allow our application to view, execute,
and debug .NET code within our application?

Thanks!!!!
 
I'm sorry. I should clarify that we need to have an IDE with debug
capability for .NET code. The statement below has a typo that might sound
that that we already have an IDE.

Sorry for the confusion.
 
Thank you for your reply Kevin. You are correct, I need a scripting IDE with
a debugger to integrate into my application (like you can do with VBA). I
was hoping there was already one out there some where.

Thank you for the link to the article. That looks interesting. If this is
the route we go, it may be a huge project in itself.

Thanks!
 
Hi Rmacias,

Just stubbled over your conversation about VBA integration. We also
integrated (very few) VBA functionality into a .NET application. About a
year ago I was in the same situation, hearing about VSA (Visual Studio
for Applications) and after communicating with Summit Software and
Microsoft they came up, that they took out VSA from their support. They
only support customers who already integrated VSA into there
application.

After a phone call with the people at Microsoft knowing about the
scripting future the information was as shown below:

1. VSA isn't supported anymore
2. Microsoft recommends to use VBA, even in .NET applications and they
'promised' they will support it several more years
3. Also they told me, that there will be a new technology (in
development) which will replace the VSA approach. Last summer they told
me something about end of 2004 for release of this new technology. As
far as I know, nothing happend yet. I assume they will release something
a while after the VS2005 release, because I think this will also have an
extended scripting functionality.

Hope this gives you some orientation where to go for the future.

Regards
Danillo
 
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