Chapter 8 Logs and Scripts SciAn has a simple scripting mechanism which stores sequences of user operations in files. Usually, one line is used per operation. In a few cases, such as dragging and dropping icons, more than one line is required to complete the operation. A script can keep track of every operation that can be done within windows, through menus, and by direct manipulation.
Scripts refer to windows on the screen and objects within windows by name.
They reflect user interface operations, such as setting a control to a certain value or moving an icon from one window to another. Although it is possible to write scripts by hand, it is most effective to let SciAn save a log and then modify the log afterward if necessary, such as to make a movie. Usually SciAn does about 95 per cent of the work and the user contributes the remaining five per cent. Making logs To have SciAn log its operations to a file automatically, include the -l switch with a file name on the SciAn command line. For example, scian -l test.log Everything which is done within SciAn will be logged to test.log .