ScriptBuilder is a dedicated script editor that supports an impressive array of client- and server-side languages, including JavaScript, JScript, VBScript, Lotus Script, Dynamic HTML (DHTML) and current Netscape LiveWire and Microsoft Active Server Page (ASP) extensions. Given this line-up, I was surprised to learn that ScriptBuilder retails for a mere $99.

Upon using it, I learned the reason. ScriptBuilder smooths the mechanics of script writing in much the same way a good text editor makes typing and spell checking less arduous. But it does little to streamline the process of building dynamic, interactive web pages. Its "support" of languages other than JavaScript and VBScript is limited to a handful of canned code, and ScriptBuilder offers neither visual programming nor debugging. Don't expect JavaScript RAD.

Instead, ScriptBuilder does for scripting roughly what Allaire HomeSite 3.1 does for writing HTML. It provides a clean, multi-pane environment that strongly resembles HomeSite's, as shown below.

Zoom to 800x600 (22k)

Laundry list of supported languages aside, ScriptBuilder's value proposition boils down to four features:

1. Color-coding of JavaScript, VBScript and user-defined tags
2. Document Map view showing JavaScript functions and VBScript subroutines in outline format
3. Script Inspector that reports incompatibilities with specific versions of Netscape or Microsoft browsers
4. Extensive links to reference material hosted at third-party sites, including Microsoft's and Netscape's.

Let's take these each in turn.

Syntax highlighting makes source code easier to read, and is pretty much a given in any modern programming tool. ScriptBuilder lets you customize colors or turn off highlighting altogether. They haven't perfected the algorithm yet; keywords such as 'this' or 'and' that appear inside comments get highlighted. But a couple of point releases will fix that. I recall that early versions of HomeSite had similar problems color-coding HTML.

ScriptBuilder's Document Map displays the structure of dynamic documents, which is handy. Functions and subroutines can readily be navigated on the collapsible outline, which moves the source window to the relevant code. But ScriptBuilder stops there, short of delivering true object-oriented value.

Unlike full-strength programming tools like Symantec Visual Café for Java (which also sells for $99), ScriptBuilder doesn't let you control objects with property sheets. My fantasy scripting tool would encourage you to right-click on HTML objects in the Document Map, then assign properties and event handlers in a floating property window. By contrast, ScriptBuilder's passive outline of functions and subroutines feels like a throwback to structured analysis and design.

The next feature, Script Inspector, is well implemented and will save many a scripter from alienating portions of the viewing audience. I first experienced browser compatibility analysis in Macromedia's WYSIWYG authoring tool, Dreamweaver, which lets you assign scripted behaviors to browser objects. Dreamweaver analyzes pages against a user-specified set of browsers, producing a status report that lists incompatibilities.

ScriptBuilder's Inspector implementation is similar, but the results it generates are more useful for developers. As shown below, a results pane appears below the code.

Zoom to 800x600 (28k)  

Clicking on a line in the inspection results takes you to the corresponding line in your code. This is as it should be, but it's not clear what a developer is supposed to do when incompatibilities surface. In general, there are no workarounds for sexy DHTML effects. You either write for Internet Explorer 4.0 and the hindmost be damned, or you make sacrifices in the name of browser diversity. ScriptBuilder's Inspector and sample files, which work only when viewed in IE 4.0, make this painfully clear.

The final significant feature is ScriptBuilder's reference library, a hypertext help system called InfoBrowser. By accessing third-party language information at its source - Netscape for JavaScript, Microsoft for VBScript and Lotus for Lotus Script - InfoBrowser benefits both NetObjects (keeping documentation costs low) and users (ensuring that reference data is accurate and up-to-date). Additional links to a panoply of reference sites round out the offering.

The rich information accessible by ScriptBuilder accounts for much of the product's value. But online Help has a downside: you need to be on line. This could be problematic for developers planning to finish their code on the cross-country flight to the Big Presentation. Until wireless connectivity erases the need for physical cables, online Help will put a leash on some forms of productivity.

Summary

Scripting is not a new concept. Languages such as Perl and Tcl have been around since the mid-1980s and are enjoying a resurgence on the Web as server-side scripting languages. But there is an important difference between these success stories and the newly minted languages ScriptBuilder supports.

Perl and Tcl are beautifully standardized across platforms as diverse as the Macintosh, Windows, every known Unix, VMS and mainframe MVS. By contrast JavaScript and VBScript don't work properly even across proximate versions of the same platform. Remember my experience with the search engine? No amount of technical elegance in an authoring tool can change the fact that client-side scripting is in bad shape.

NetObjects ScriptBuilder helps a little. It would help more if it added property sheets, a debugger and a serious library of canned code. Even then, without greater consensus between language vendors, ScriptBuilder will be a tool in search of a technology.

NetObjects, Inc.
602 Galveston Drive
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650-482-3200
Fax: 650-562-0298