Wiki source code of Scripting

Version 38.1 by Vincent Massol on 2012/05/18

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1 {{box cssClass="floatinginfobox" title="**Contents**"}}
2 {{toc/}}
3 {{/box}}
4
5 Scripting allows you to create basic to complex web applications at the XWiki page (or view) layer without the need for compiling code or deploying software components. In other words, you can use scripting syntax in addition to wiki and HTML syntax as the contents of an XWiki page.
6
7 XWiki integrates [[jsr-223>>http://scripting.dev.java.net/]] scripting. You can script using several available languages by using one of the following macros:
8
9 * [[Velocity Macro>>extensions:Extension.Velocity Macro]] (installed by default in XWiki Enterprise)
10 * [[Groovy Macro>>extensions:Extension.Groovy Macro]] (installed by default in XWiki Enterprise)
11 * [[Python Macro>>extensions:Extension.Python Macro]] (installed by default in XWiki Enterprise)
12 * [[Ruby Macro>>extensions:Extension.Ruby Macro]] (not installed by default in XWiki Enterprise)
13 * [[PHP Macro>>extensions:Extension.PHP Macro]] (not installed by default in XWiki Enterprise)
14
15 = Choosing a Scripting language =
16
17 Since XWiki supports several scripting languages you might be wondering which one to use.
18
19 The first thing to know is that Velocity is different from the other scripting languages on 2 aspects:
20 * It's a templating language rather than a pure scripting language, which means that its content is actually wiki markup interspersed with Velocity directives whereas pure scripting languages are written in that language and they need to output wiki markup. For example:(((
21 Velocity:
22
23 {{code}}
24 {{velocity}}
25 Your username is $xcontext.getUser(), welcome to the site.
26 {{/velocity}}
27 {{/code}}
28
29 Groovy:
30
31 {{code}}
32 {{groovy}}
33 println("Your username is " + xcontext.getUser() + " welcome to the site.");
34 {{/groovy}}
35 {{/code}}
36 )))
37 * It doesn't require special permissions since it runs in a Sandbox. Other scripting language require the user to have Programming Rights to execute them. Note that starting with XWiki 4.1 we've introduced a [[Sandbox for Groovy>>platform:AdminGuide.Configuration#HSecuringGroovyScripts]] too but it's still in an early stage.
38
39 After taking into account these considerations and if requiring Programming Rights isn't an issue for you, you should pick the script language that you're most familiar with!
40
41 = XWiki Scripting API =
42
43 The API is documented in Javadoc format and can be accessed here: [[XWiki API Javadoc>>DevGuide.API]]. If you are not familiar with Java or object oriented programming, you will probably be confused by the API documentation. It is not within the scope of our documentation to teach you all the details about Java, or object oriented programming. You can find all of that information already online. You can also explore the page code found throughout the [[Extensions wiki>>extensions:Main.WebHome]] area to see how others have figured out how to achieve a variety of results.
44
45 == [[Bindings>>extensions:Extension.Script Macro#HBindings]] ==
46
47 These objects are available to you in scripting languages.
48
49 * [[The current Document>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/api/Document.html]]: **##doc##**
50 * [[The Context of the request>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/api/Context.html]]: **##xcontext##**
51 * [[The Request object>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/web/XWikiRequest.html]]: **##request##**
52 * [[The Response object>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/web/XWikiResponse.html]]: **##response##**
53 * [[The XWiki object>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/api/XWiki.html]]: **##xwiki##**
54 * [[The XWiki utils>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/api/Util.html]]: **##util##**
55
56 == [[XWiki Component>>extensions:Extension.Component Module]] Access ==
57
58 You can also gain direct access to XWiki components using the following code snippet (also see: [[Accessing components from Groovy>>DevGuide.WritingComponents#HAccessingacomponentfromgroovy]]):
59
60 {{info}}
61 This snippet is written in Groovy and will have to be converted to your scripting language.
62 {{/info}}
63
64 {{code language="java"}}
65 {{groovy}}
66 def greeter = com.xpn.xwiki.web.Utils.getComponent(org.xwiki.component.HelloWorld.class);
67 println greeter.sayHello();
68 {{/groovy}}
69 {{/code}}
70
71 == XWiki Core Access ==
72
73 Sometimes the XWiki Api doesn't provide the methods which you need for your application. You can gain raw access the core of XWiki but it presents an increased security risk and requires **Programming Rights** to be able to save the page containing the script (Programming Rights are not required for viewing a page containing a script requiring Programming Rights, rights are only needed at save time). Using the core should be avoided if at all possible.
74
75 {{code language="java"}}
76 {{groovy}}
77 def xc = xcontext.getContext();
78 def wiki = xc.getWiki();
79 def xdoc = doc.getDocument();
80 {{/groovy}}
81 {{/code}}
82
83 After using this snippet, you will have 3 new objects:
84
85 * [[The underlying XWikiContext behind the Context object>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/XWikiContext.html]]: **##xc##**
86 * [[The underlying XWiki object which backs the **##xwiki##** object>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/XWiki.html]]: **##wiki##**
87 * [[The underlying XWikiDocument behind the current Document>>http://maven.xwiki.org/site/xwiki-core-parent/xwiki-core/apidocs/com/xpn/xwiki/doc/XWikiDocument.html]]: **##xdoc##**
88
89 You will find that many of the methods in **##wiki##** and **##xdoc##** require an instance of the XWikiContext, this is the underlying xcontext **##xc##** not the Api context **##xcontext##**.
90
91 Again, these methods are only for the rare cases when functionality is not provided by the public Api. We put a lot of effort into preserving the behavior of the public Api and much less into preserving the behavior of core methods so you may find that core methods are deprecated, removed, or their behavior is changed in subsequent versions.
92
93 == Querying XWiki's Model ==
94
95 From your script you can query the full XWiki's Model. Check the [[Query Module>>extensions:Extension.Query Module]] for more information.
96
97 {{id name="velocity"/}}
98
99 = Velocity Specific Information =
100
101 Velocity is currently the only scripting language which can be used without Programming [[AdminGuide.Access Rights]]. This means you can save velocity scripts using a user with less permission and an exploit of your script is less of a security breach.
102
103 You can [[gain access to the XWiki core>>#HXWikiCoreAccess]] from Velocity but this will require Programming Rights. Strictly speaking, protected APIs are only available when the page that contains them was last saved by someone who had Programming Rights (see above).
104
105 In Velocity you can't import classes and as such you cannot gain direct access to XWiki components as shown [[above>>#HXWikiComponentAccess]]. This leaves you with the provided [[bindings>>#HBindings]] (NOTE: In Velocity, these bindings all start with **##$##** as with all other Velocity variables)
106
107 For more information about programming in the Velocity language, you can refer to the [[Velocity User Guide>>http://velocity.apache.org/engine/releases/velocity-1.6.2/user-guide.html]].
108
109 For more details on using Velocity check the [[Velocity Module Documentation>>extensions:Extension.Velocity Module]] which also contains the full list of Velocity Tools that you can use in your scripts.
110
111 {{info}}
112 If you wish to add new Velocity tools you'll need to edit your ##xwiki.properties## file and follow the instructions in there.
113 {{/info}}
114
115 To include Velocity scripts in other Velocity scripts, see [[How to include a velocity page into another page>>DevGuide.IncludeInVelocity]].
116
117 == Other Velocity Variables ==
118
119 {{warning}}
120 These variables can be used but are subject to change in the future.
121 {{/warning}}
122
123 {{id name="HControllingwhethertodisplayCommentsHistoryAttachmentInformationsectionsornot"/}}
124
125 === Controlling Which Sections to Display ===
126
127 You can control whether to display Comments/History/Attachment/Information sections or not by setting some velocity variable to "no":
128
129 {{code language="velocity"}}
130 #set ($showcomments = "no")
131 #set ($showattachments = "no")
132 #set ($showhistory = "no")
133 #set ($showinformation = "no")
134 {{/code}}
135
136 To remove them all you can set:
137
138 {{code language="velocity"}}
139 #set($docextras = [])
140 {{/code}}
141
142 === Information about the current user ===
143
144 The following variables (set in the {{scm path="xwiki-platform-core/xwiki-platform-web/src/main/webapp/templates/xwikivars.vm"}}xwikivars.vm{{/scm}} template) are shortcuts for checking various information **for the current user**:
145
146 * ##$isGuest##: checks if the current user is ##XWiki.XWikiGuest##
147 * ##$isSuperAdmin##: checks if the current user is the special user ##superadmin##
148
149 * ##$hasComment##: checks comment rights on the current document
150 * ##$hasEdit##: checks edit rights on the current document
151 * ##$hasWatch##: checks if the user is authenticated and the watch service is available
152
153 * ##$hasAdmin##: checks admin rights on the current document
154 * ##$hasSpaceAdmin##: checks admin rights on the ##XWikiPreferences## document of the current space
155 * ##$hasGlobalAdmin##: checks admin rights on ##XWiki.XWikiPreferences##
156
157 * ##$hasCreateSpace##: checks edit rights on that page that does not exist, in a space that doesn't exist
158 * ##$hasCreatePage##: checks edit rights on that page that does not exist, in the current space
159
160 * ##$hasProgramming##: checks if the current user has programming rights
161
162 * ##$isAdvancedUser##: advanced users: ##superadmin##, users with the ##usertype## property set to "Advanced", guest users with admin rights
163
164 Example:
165
166 {{code language="velocity"}}
167 {{velocity}}
168 #if ($hasAdmin)
169 ## This link will only be visible to users that have admin rights on this document
170 [[Do some admin action>>Some.Document]]
171 #end
172 {{/velocity}}
173 {{/code}}
174
175 === Information about the current wiki ===
176
177 The following variables (set in the {{scm path="xwiki-platform-core/xwiki-platform-web/src/main/webapp/templates/xwikivars.vm"}}xwikivars.vm{{/scm}} template) are shortcuts for checking various information **about the current wiki**:
178
179 * ##$isReadOnly##
180 * ##$isInServletMode##
181 * ##$isInPortletMode##
182
183 = Groovy Specific Information =
184
185 {{info}}
186 Currently all non Velocity scripting languages are only allowed users having Programming Rights.
187 {{/info}}
188
189 * See Groovy snippets in the [[Extensions wiki>>extensions:Main.WebHome]] (click on the "Groovy" tag in the Tag Cloud)
190 * [[Groovy web site>>http://groovy.codehaus.org/]]
191
192 == Groovy Example ==
193
194 The following example demonstrates how to use a groovy script to interact with velocity code in your page. This example performs a DNS lookup from the velocity variable ##$hostname## and stores the result in the variable ##$address##.
195
196 **Using XWiki Syntax 2.0:**
197
198 Objects can be passed back and forth between scripting languages by storing them in commonly available objects. One such commonly available object which only lasts the length of the request is the context object, known as xcontext.
199
200 {{code language="velocity"}}
201 {{velocity}}
202 #set($hostname = "www.xwiki.org")
203 Host Name: $hostname
204 $xcontext.put("hostname", $hostname)
205 {{/velocity}}
206 {{groovy}}
207 import java.net.InetAddress;
208 host = xcontext.get("hostname");
209 InetAddress addr = InetAddress.getByName(host);
210 String address = addr.getHostAddress();
211 xcontext.put("address", address);
212 {{/groovy}}
213 {{velocity}}
214 IP Address: $xcontext.get("address")
215 {{/velocity}}
216 {{/code}}
217
218 **Using XWiki Syntax 1.0:**
219
220 Because Groovy and Velocity code are parsed together, variables defined in Groovy can be used directly in velocity without storing in and retrieving from the context.
221
222 {{code language="velocity"}}
223 #set ($hostname = "www.xwiki.org")
224 Host Name: $hostname
225 <%
226 import java.net.InetAddress;
227 vcontext = context.get("vcontext");
228 host = vcontext.get("hostname");
229 InetAddress addr = InetAddress.getByName(host);
230 String address = addr.getHostAddress();
231 %>
232 IP Address: $address
233 {{/code}}
234
235 = Python Specific Information =
236
237 You can run Python code in XWiki just like Velocity or Groovy.
238
239 {{code language="python"}}
240 {{python}}
241 print "The full name of this document is " + doc.getFullName()
242 {{/python}}
243 {{/code}}
244
245 {{warning}}
246 Versions prior to [[XWiki Enterprise 2.4>>xwiki:ReleaseNotes.ReleaseNotesXWikiEnterprise24]] have a bug which prevents you from having access to the default objects (doc, xcontext, request, etc.) a [[workaround is available in the Extensions wiki>>extensions:Extension.Access To Bindings In Python]]
247 {{/warning}}
248
249 = Scripting In XWiki Syntax 1.0 =
250
251 XWiki Syntax 1.0 is rendered by an old rendering engine which still supported but for which no further development is planned (it will eventually be removed). Syntax 1.0 has some idiosyncrasies which were solved by syntax 2.0.
252
253 * The only scripting languages available to you are Velocity and Groovy.
254 * In Groovy, the context is known as: **##context##** not **##xcontext##**
255 * The beginning and end of Groovy scripts are denoted by <% and %> rather than through the [[extensions:Extension.Groovy Macro]] (using ~{~{groovy}} and ~{~{/groovy}})
256 * Velocity is parsed in a page no matter what (there is no need to invoke the [[extensions:Extension.Velocity Macro]] using ~{~{velocity}} and ~{~{/velocity}})
257
258 The last part is important because it means you need to be careful of using $ and # in your document. This is still true inside of <% and %> so you have to be careful writing Groovy.

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