Menu Scripting > 
Customize / External Editor
Use external application as Docklight Script Editor
Check this option to disable the built-in script editor, and launch an external editor application for this purpose.
A flexible configuration syntax allows you to work with almost any editor that at least supports opening a file using a command line like
myEditor.exe tempScriptFile.vbs
Application Control
This configuration file defines how Docklight Scripting controls the external editor.
Load preset for...
Predefined configuration files for three widely available editors.
TIP: We recommend the Notepad++ editor available at https://notepad-plus-plus.org/. The Windows Notepad example is just for illustrative purposes and explains how the configuration files work. You can use it as a starting point for integrating your own editor.
How to integrate your own favorite editor
You can set the application path at the beginning of the configuration file, using the path= syntax. Example line:
path=C:\Program Files\Notepad++
All following lines of the configuration file have the following syntax:
<Edit Action> <Application Control>
Example line:
open: notepad.exe "%FILE%"
<Edit Action> can be one of the following Docklight editing actions:
Edit Action |
Description |
open: |
Open a new script code file |
goto: |
Go to a line number within the script file |
save: |
Save the current file open |
close: |
Close the current file open |
<Application Control> can be one of the following operations:
Application Control |
Description |
sendkeys |
Send one or more keystrokes to the external editor. It uses the same argument syntax as the Windows Script Host SendKeys method. See the related Microsoft documentation for details. Example: goto: sendkeys +^{HOME}{DOWN %LINE%}+{UP} |
endtask |
End the external application. Example: close: endtask |
activate |
Activate the external application window. Example: goto: activate |
sleep |
Wait up to 500 milliseconds to give the external application some extra time to sort things out. This might be necessary when working with the sendkeys: operation described above. Example: open: sleep 100 |
Command Line |
Besides the above operations, you can execute any Windows command line, e.g. for launching your external editor. Example: open: notepad++.exe -nosession -lvb -n%LINE% "%FILE%" |
For each <Edit Action> you can define several command lines, e.g.
goto: sendkeys +^{HOME}{DOWN %LINE%}+{UP}
goto: activate
The following wildcards are available for <Application Control>
Wildcard |
Description |
%FILE% |
Path to a temporary file containing the script code to edit. Docklight Scripting creates and manages the temporary file. |
%FILE_UNIX% |
Same as %FILE%, but uses a UNIX-style '/' for the path separator. This is useful for some open source editor packages that have problems with the Windows backslash ('\') separator. |
%FILE_ESC% |
Same as %FILE%, but uses a double backslash ('escape sequence') for the path separator. This is necessary e.g. when working with the SciTE free source code editor. |
%LINE% |
The current source code line number. This is used for the goto: action. |
Remarks
The External Editor Support is a flexible and open solution to our users who are working with large script projects and would prefer to work with a full-featured editing package.
The application control interface offered described above gives you flexibility, but we are aware of the limitations of controlling third-party applications that are not really designed to be controlled from outside.
If you find a smart configuration file for your personal favorite editor, or you are experiencing problems with the above interface, our Customer Support would be happy to hear about it.