Lingo in a Nutshell

Lingo Scripting Basics

Computer languages tend to be simpler and more rigid than human languages, but like any other language Lingo has a set of rules that control the structure (syntax) of your Lingo program. Just as languages have grammar, Lingo’s syntactical rules restrict the spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation so that Director can understand your instructions.

Tip

A syntax error or script error usually indicates a typographical error or the incorrect use of a Lingo statement.

Lingo’s built-in keywords (or reserved words) make up Lingo’s vocabulary and are the building blocks of any Lingo program. We’ll see later how these keywords form the skeleton of your Director program, just as any language’s words are the basis for sentences and paragraphs. It is crucial that you recognize which items in a Lingo script are built-in keywords versus those that are specified arbitrarily by the programmer. Refer to Chapter 18, Lingo Keyword and Command Summary, for a complete list of all Lingo keywords. The PrettyScript Xtra (http://rampages.onramp.net/~joker/tools/) is a $20 U.S. shareware tool that colorizes some items in your Lingo scripts to make them easier to recognize. The ScriptOMatic Lite Xtra, is available under XtrasScriptOMatic➤Lite, colorizes a broader range of items, but it is crippled almost to the point of being useless. The full version is promised imminently from g/matter (http://www.gmatter.com/products/scriptomatic/) at press time.

Handlers and Scripts

A handler is a series ...