IDEs for COM scripting: C# v. Python v. Iron Python v. JPython

  • Thread starter Siegfried Heintze
  • Start date
S

Siegfried Heintze

I love the typing assist I get when using C# in VS2005 to write COM clients.

I need to write a program to automate some tasks in outlook. Givin that the
typing assist feature is very important to me, what would be the best
combination of IDE and language for COM scripting?

I was experimenting with Groovy and Eclipse and was extremely pleased to
discover that I get the typing assist with that combination. However, I'm
getting an accvio with a minimal outlook COM client. I hear great things
about Iron Python: is there a good IDE for it that has a typing assist?

Thanks,
Siegfried
 
M

Méta-MCI

Hi!
I love the typing assist I get when using C# in VS2005 to write COM
clients.

But this run only for static-COM-servers. Dynamic-COM-servers are not
supported by these assists.
And, all COM-servers builds with Python are dynamic-COM-server.
And also, dynamic-COM-server is a marvelous way for developpment.

@-salutations

Michel Claveau




PS : C# can use dynamic COM servers, with "late binding"
 
D

Diez B. Roggisch

M������������������������������������������ said:
Hi!


But this run only for static-COM-servers. Dynamic-COM-servers are not
supported by these assists.

No. The IDIspatch-interface explicitely lists what methods with what
arguments it has. So code completion is possible there as well.

Diez
 
D

Diez B. Roggisch

Siegfried said:
I love the typing assist I get when using C# in VS2005 to write COM clients.

I need to write a program to automate some tasks in outlook. Givin that the
typing assist feature is very important to me, what would be the best
combination of IDE and language for COM scripting?

I was experimenting with Groovy and Eclipse and was extremely pleased to
discover that I get the typing assist with that combination. However, I'm
getting an accvio with a minimal outlook COM client. I hear great things
about Iron Python: is there a good IDE for it that has a typing assist?

You won't get it in python. Python has no type declarations, thus the
IDE has no idea what type a name points to. This is true for IronPython
as well.

There are some other aids - for example eric (a python editor written in
python, using Qt) will have API-files generated that at least let you
choose the name of a method/property after you typed the first character.


But you should still try and see how productive one is in python. I'm
working in a Java shop, with eclipse - one of the most intimate
IDE-language-relationships imaginable. I get all the auto-completion,
refactoring and whatnot-support.

And I'd swap it for python + emacs every minute.

Diez
 
S

Siegfried Heintze

Can someone suggest some criterion for selecting Python, JPython or Iron
Python for COM Scripting?

I have not looked: I assume there are multiple eclipse plugins for
Python/JPython/Iron Python. Could someone recommend one? I'll also try out
eric that was mentioned previously.

I figured out my problem with Groovy/COM/Eclipse scripting: I had outlook
running in another remote desktop session and discovered that if I run my
script in the same session as I am running outlook in, it works. I assume
the situation would be the same with Python.

Since Groovy/COM/Eclipse works for this purpose, I assume JPython with
JaWin/Jacob would work too.

Thanks,
Siegfried
 
M

MC

Hi!
No. The IDIspatch-interface explicitely lists what methods with what
arguments it has. So code completion is possible there as well.

Sorry, I think different.
In VS, assists use TLB for find methods & arguments.
Dynamic-server can't have TLB.

Other way for verify : try a Makepy on a COM server write with
Python+Pywin32...
 
J

John J. Lee

Méta-MCI said:
And, all COM-servers builds with Python are dynamic-COM-server.

Not true. Look for "comtypes" on this page:

http://python.net/crew/theller/ctypes/

[...]
about Iron Python: is there a good IDE for it that has a typing assist?

MS calls this "typing assist" feature IntelliSense:

http://msdn.microsoft.com//msdnmag/issues/06/10/clrinsideout/default.aspx

"""
The Visual Studio SDK ships with a Visual Studio Integration sample of
IronPython. This features IronPython projects to be created, syntax
coloring, debugging, and IntelliSense® in Python files and the
IronPython console. This is another example of the benefits of being a
full-fledged .NET citizen: Visual Studio support!
"""

But things are changing very quickly with IronPython ATM. If you want
to do anything with IronPython ATM, you'd be mad not to be subscribed
to the IronPython mailing list. Try reading recent messages there,
and asking there if still in doubt, what the current situation is (may
*well* have changed since that article, and in particular you're very
likely to need just the right versions of everything for this to work
-- not necessarily the latest versions).


John
 

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