Note: This feature is available starting in version 3.2. It is currently considered experimental.
Strange Eons can be started in a non-interactive script runner mode, meaning that it can be used to run a script without displaying an interface. To do this, start the app from the command line with the -run (or --run) argument and the name of the script file. For example, under Windows you might use:
"c:\program files\strangeeons\bin\eons" -run script-to-run.js
How to specify command line options on different platforms
The app will start without showing a splash screen or main application window. It will load extensions and plug-ins normally. Once the app is ready, it will load and run the specified script file, then exit. (The script runs at about the same point as the application window would normally be shown.)
The main StrangeEons class has a method getScriptRunner() that returns null if the app is not in script runner mode. If the app is in script runner mode, it returns an object that can be used to get information about the mode and modify its default behaviour.
The following code could be used in a plug-in or other script to detect if the app is in script runner mode:
if (Eons.scriptRunner != null) {
// script runner mode is active
}
The returned ScriptRunnerState object has the following informational properties:
file
Returns a File object for the script file that was specified on the command line.
started
Returns true if the app has at least started to load and run the script file. This is false until the app has started up and is ready to run the script. (So, for example, it is false while extensions are loaded.) Once true, it does not change again.
finished
Returns true if the app has finished running the script file. That is, if it started running the script and the script returned. Note that if the script starts other threads or installs event handlers, these will not prevent the script from finishing. Immediately after this becomes true, the app will start to exit unless prevented from doing so.
Normally, as soon as the main script file finishes, the app will exit. If your script starts new threads or is waiting for an event listener to fire, you can prevent the app from exiting with:
Eons.scriptRunner.keepAlive = true;
If used, this flag must be set before reaching the end of the script. You must ensure that you stop the app at a later time by calling:
Eons.window.exitApplication(false);
The app can be made interactive by making the main window visible. For example, from a script:
Eons.window.visible = true;
Because the app window is not normally made visible, your script can be blocked if you perform an action that opens a modal dialog. (A modal dialog is one that prevents you from using the rest of the app until the dialog closes.)
If your script throws an uncaught exception (uncaught error in JavaScript parlance), the app will exit regardless of the value of keepAlive property. This is intentional. This applies only to errors thrown when the main script is run. For example, if you attach an event listener that throws an exception when the event is fired, the app will continue to run.