Still, most scripts bare a striking resemblance to spoken English, making writing and understanding scripts significantly simpler then with other programming languages. Once a script has been written, it can be executed in a number of different ways. Scripts can be activated by double-clicking, just as with an ordinary application. Scripts can be made to perform an action when a file or folder is dropped onto them. They can even be made to stay open indefinitely, performing a given action periodically.
Scripts function essentially as very small applications.
The script's role as miniature application can be extended by using a graphic interface generator such as FaceSpan or HyperCard. These programs allow you to add menus, modal dialogs, and other graphic elements to your scripts that can make them virtually indistinguishable from an application written in C or Pascal. Already, most major software packages are written with extensive scripting dictionaries, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and FileMaker Pro. As the use of scripting becomes more popular, even small developers, including those that cater to scientists, will design their applications to be OSA compliant. ABI has announced that version 3.0 of Sequence Analysis will, at last, be scriptable.