How to Navigate Lscript Docs [Archive]

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Mary K.Blohm

10-13-2004, 05:40 PM

In the Lscript User Manual which is part of the online Lightwave Help, the introduction indicates that the documentation has been divided into parts. Part 1 is an Introduction to Programming. How do you get to this Introduction to Programming? You can't link to it through the HTML file and if you put into Introduction to Programming as a search term, you get introductions to various things, but not an Introduction to Programming. The same is true of the other topics. How can you navigate around? One area says that the current section builds on the previous section, but there is not link to that section, so how do you get to the "previous" section?
:confused:

faulknermano

10-13-2004, 10:15 PM

:confused:

i feel your pain.. sort of... the docs are very confusing and are arranged alphabetically, not topically. i would recommend getting the LScript User Guide, if newtek still has it at their server. nice piece of work that Guide.
... no i checked, there's no link to the guide. i dont have it with me in my computer here so i have to check back on my other one. shoot me an email if you're interested in getting hold of that pdf.

masterchief

10-14-2004, 07:37 AM

There are two reference guides for LScript available from NewTek

Volume 1: LScript User Guide
Look in upper left corner of every odd number page.

Volume 2: LScript Reference Manual

Look in Volume...
Part I. LScript Introduction (Introduction to Programming)
Chapters 1-5

Part II. Modeler LScript (Examples)
Chapter 6-10

Part III. Layout LScript (LScript and Layout) includes examples :)
Chapters 11-19

Part IV. Interfaces (LScript Programming Environment)
Chapters 20-24

LScript Interface Designer (LSIDE) is supposed to have macro capabilities according to LScript 2.6 release notes. LSIDE does not have macro button available under tools option. TheLScript Editor (LSED) has this option, but there is no documentation provided for that.

Volume 2 can be broken down in the same way... frustrating isn't it?

BTW - when you attempt to view these two volumes from inside SDK online docs, you only get the title page from each reference. you have to download the files from NewTek, install them in your LScript docs directory and rename the files appropriately ....

Hope this helps....

regards,
William

Mary K.Blohm

10-14-2004, 06:32 PM

Thanks. I couldn't find a link at newtek either, but I did a Google search and found it at : http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer/8lwsdk/docs/lscript/

masterchief

10-15-2004, 09:09 AM

that only gets you the title page of the LScript User Guide and LScript Reference Manual. They are not complete manuals. I have them both on my system

Mary K.Blohm

10-15-2004, 02:45 PM

Woops. You're right. So where is your system? Do you have them available for public download?

masterchief

10-19-2004, 06:50 AM

LScript User Guide attached to this message

update: cannot update user guide for some reason

masterchief

10-19-2004, 06:58 AM

LScript Reference attached to this message

Steph

10-22-2004, 04:45 AM

The attached file (User guide) is not appearing, so, we can't download it. Can you send it again? Thanks

Chuck

10-22-2004, 09:59 AM

LScript User Guide attached to this message

update: cannot update user guide for some reason

What's the file size? Maybe it's larger than our current limit.

Exper

10-22-2004, 10:13 AM

The zip file is 616Kb... it seems ok to me: downloaded twice.

Chuck

10-22-2004, 10:57 AM

The zip file is 616Kb... it seems ok to me: downloaded twice.

That's the Reference Manual; in the post above, Masterchief had tried to upload the User Manual, and was unsuccessful.

The link to the LScript Reference Manual in our developer section is now working, btw - we've located the pdf version of the Reference Manual and have it in place now.

http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer/LW80/8lwsdk/docs/lscript/LScriptReference.pdf

Exper

10-22-2004, 11:30 AM

That's the Reference Manual; in the post above, Masterchief had tried to upload the User Manual, and was unsuccessful.

The link to the LScript Reference Manual in our developer section is now working, btw - we've located the pdf version of the Reference Manual and have it in place now.

http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer/LW80/8lwsdk/docs/lscript/LScriptReference.pdfSorry for the misunderstanding!

Good in seeing the manuals back online. :cool:

Brinson

10-26-2004, 10:10 PM

Helllo all,

I have been looking all over for the LightWave lscript documentation because there is no longer a live link for it at Newtek. Can anyone help me out? I just started playing around with scripts and I want to learn more.

Thanks in advance.

Brinson

10-26-2004, 10:19 PM

I read a little more of the posts about the lscript pdf. and I found the link. All is well.

Thanks again!

Steph

10-27-2004, 01:52 AM

It's OK for the Reference Guide but what about the User Guide? The attached file is still not appearing (There is the following message : cannot update user guide for some reason), so, we can't download it.

Can you send it again? Thanks.

Chuck

12-19-2004, 11:26 AM

Chrusion

01-11-2005, 11:11 AM

The link to the LScript Reference Manual in our developer section is now working, btw - we've located the pdf version of the Reference Manual and have it in place now.

OK... aside from the directory structure in the link, just where the heck IS the Developer section on the website menu? I'm looking thru ALL the dropdown menus and tabs for the Lightwave product and don't see anything called Developers.

Please inform the web team to make this section easier to see visually as I'm sure there's probably (gotta be) lots more goodies there than a little Lscript manual.

And, WHOOPS! When you go to the Gallery, POOF, there go all the tabs to navigate to the rest of the LW site. Not good. Same for Register.

Now, if I go to http://newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer
I get a forbidden error. If I add /lw80, I get a 404, same for adding each of the other folders all the way to the last one "/8lwsdk."

Therefore, these direct links in these msgs appear to be the ONLY way to get to the docs.

Now, aside from this, are these the same as the html versions provided with 8.0.1? If so, isn't there anything better, more comprehensive, giving more usage examples and better specs on when and where and how each function can/should be used?

Matt

01-13-2005, 11:49 AM

I don't understand why there are two 'manuals' for LScript anyway! All we need is one clear, concise tome broken up into logical sections with an example for every single lscript command.

faulknermano

01-13-2005, 01:20 PM

I don't understand why there are two 'manuals' for LScript anyway! All we need is one clear, concise tome broken up into logical sections with an example for every single lscript command.

as a matter of fact, there are three, if you count the HTML release notes, which you should because it contains ALOT of information not found in the pdfs. furthermore, there are still unclear functions that are otherwise not documented properly in the release notes. for example: displacement map PREBONE flag is mentioned once in the release notes to announce that it has been changed from BEFOREBONES. a search into the release notes *and* the pdfs reveal nothing to explain the existence of flag in lscript (though you can search the SDK docs for an explanation of it). i am wondering if there are certain features of lscript that are as equally obscured.

Matt

01-13-2005, 01:26 PM

Well, there you go, my point exactly - it's all a big mess waiting to be cleaned up!

faulknermano

01-13-2005, 01:29 PM

i think that the current reference docs have a good structure to them. i would say the same for the user guide. i think a combination would be best. keep the reference guide intact, append the release notes to their relevant chapters and then totally redo the user guide content but keep the structure similar, that is, architecture-oriented. experienced scripters ought to be sought for the behaviors and limitations of each architecture and information collated to form tips, tricks, techniques to best use each functin in the context of the architecture. while one can simply live on a reference doc and a handful of scripts to learn from, having real-world experience on how these architecture work is still more info in the pool of our collective lw consciousness. :p

Chuck

01-29-2005, 08:44 AM

OK... aside from the directory structure in the link, just where the heck IS the Developer section on the website menu? I'm looking thru ALL the dropdown menus and tabs for the Lightwave product and don't see anything called Developers.

Please inform the web team to make this section easier to see visually as I'm sure there's probably (gotta be) lots more goodies there than a little Lscript manual.

When you are in the Lightwave product section, one of the tabs is "Profiles" - which used to be labeled Comunity which made more sense given that more than just the profiles are located there - so is the Developer's section link.

And, WHOOPS! When you go to the Gallery, POOF, there go all the tabs to navigate to the rest of the LW site. Not good. Same for Register.

Now, if I go to http://newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer
I get a forbidden error. If I add /lw80, I get a 404, same for adding each of the other folders all the way to the last one "/8lwsdk."

Therefore, these direct links in these msgs appear to be the ONLY way to get to the docs.

That isn't the case, but clearly we do need a site redesign to make everything easier to find. That's in progress.

Now, aside from this, are these the same as the html versions provided with 8.0.1? If so, isn't there anything better, more comprehensive, giving more usage examples and better specs on when and where and how each function can/should be used?

You must have missed this:

http://www.newtek.com/news/releases/09-07-04a.html

So, updated documentation is indeed in the works. I don't have an estimate on the availability yet.

Chuck

01-29-2005, 08:50 AM

I don't understand why there are two 'manuals' for LScript anyway! All we need is one clear, concise tome broken up into logical sections with an example for every single lscript command.

I'm sure that such a document would be sufficient for users already experienced with programming and scripting and with the structure and logic of LightWave, but for many other users approaching the prospect of beginning scripting for LightWave, having a reference manual, which fulfills the function you describe, plus a tutorial manual such as the user guide we've provided, certainly seems to us to make sense.

CB_3D

03-26-2005, 11:06 AM

faulknermano

03-27-2005, 11:41 AM

What i´d really love is a step by step tutorial that takes us from beginning to end of the creation of a complex script with interface,requesters,Layout connections etc etc.

Additionally a simple updated list of all available commands.

Now that would be something helpfull. ;)

I would even pay for something like that (hint to scripting pros) :D :D

i actually, once, had the patience to write something like that with a script called DisplayLayersMC.

of course, the more complex something is, the more specialised the function (sometimes, that is).

personally, i'd like to see a collated form of useful and hard-to-find UDFs (especially those math stuffs ;) ) for use with LScript.

funk

12-31-2010, 09:36 PM

We've located the PDF of the User Guide now as well, and the links to both guides now get the complete PDF and not just a title page.

Main LScript Reference Page:

http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer/LW80/8lwsdk/docs/lscript/index.html

LScript User Guide:
http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer/LW80/8lwsdk/docs/lscript/LscriptUserGuide.pdf

LScript Reference Manual:

http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/developer/LW80/8lwsdk/docs/lscript/LScriptReference.pdf

We'll also be making sure that this material is arranged properly in the next edition of the Help File, rather than being in the alphabetical arrangement by section name.

This was posted in 2004. It's now 6 years later. LW10 has been released. The webhelp lscripts docs are still listed in alphabetical order (instead of correct chapter order) and the sdk still contains links to lscript pdfs that only contain a title page (instead of the entire document)

For those looking for the original PDFs, they are here:
ftp://ftp.newtek.com/products/LightWave/SDK/LScriptReference.pdf
ftp://ftp.newtek.com/products/LightWave/SDK/LScriptUserGuide.pdf

Dodgy

01-01-2011, 01:32 AM

And there are, as always, my docs which try to incorporate all the changes. i haven't included the 10 changes as yet, but here they are at the moment.
http://www.mikegreen.name/Lscripts.html#Lscript