WaveForms SDK Vs. The Script Editor

If you have ever attempted to do any sort of custom scripting in WaveForms, you may be familiar with the WaveForms SDK and/or the Script Editor. However, it can be confusing to differentiate between the two and figure out which one is right for your application.

To break it down, the Script Editor is the in-application tool that you can use to do custom JavaScript and access any of the other tools in WaveForms. It is capable of stringing together multiple tools at a time, and allows you access to the WaveForms user interface so you do not have to build your own.

One example of the Script Editor being put to good use is the VGA Decoder. The script uses the Logic Analyzer to read a buffer of VGA data, then the script decodes it and creates an image of what the data represents. So you can see the data in WaveForms on the Logic Analyzer, and open the saved image to see what the data actually means. Both are important for debugging VGA.

However, the Script Editor can be somewhat limited at times, since it cannot run something that interacts with outside libraries or programs.

That is where the WaveForms SDK comes in. The WaveForms SDK is a folder of libraries and examples that you can use to communicate with any instrumentation device compatible with WaveForms (so unfortunately not the OpenScope). The SDK can be coded in Python and C++ (as well as Java, thanks to a wrapper contributed by a community member). You can find out more about the WaveForms SDK by checking out its introduction post.

A good example of the WaveForms SDK in action is the Memristor Discovery project by Tim Molter.

To put it simply, if an application is possible in the Script Editor, it would probably be easier to just use the Script Editor. If it is an application that requires communication with external libraries/programs, a custom user interface, or any sort of functionality not offered by the tools available in WaveForms (or some combination of the tools) then the WaveForms SDK is your best bet.

If you are looking to get started with either option or for additional support and resources, please check out their respective resource centers or feel free to search/ask on the Forum!

Author

  • Miranda Hansen

    I enjoy creative writing, engineering, thinking, building, exploring and sharing with people. Huge aficionado of spending time thinking about things that “don’t matter.” I am very interested in unconstrained creativity. I love cross-discipline ideas and all of their integration into complete original systems. And I like things that do things.

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About Miranda Hansen

I enjoy creative writing, engineering, thinking, building, exploring and sharing with people. Huge aficionado of spending time thinking about things that “don’t matter.” I am very interested in unconstrained creativity. I love cross-discipline ideas and all of their integration into complete original systems. And I like things that do things.

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