Another Awesome Collection - IronPython Links

Another tab closing session - a lot of links to IronPython (etc) content here. There are a couple of interesting reports of Python libraries working with IronPython, but we start with an IronRuby article:

• .NET Interop: Getting Started with IronRuby and RSpec, Part 1

An excellent article by Ben Hall on testing .NET code (C#) with IronRuby and RSpec.

In this article, I will introduce you to Ruby and IronRuby and demonstrate some basics of Ruby interoperating with Microsoft .NET Framework-based code. I also explain how frameworks such as RSpec can be used to generate examples of how objects are intended to behave, providing both documentation and verification that the system is built correctly. This will set the stage for a future article in which I will explain acceptance testing in detail and demonstrate creating acceptance tests with IronRuby.

• IronPythonの特徴

A Japanese article on IronPython. No idea what it says!

• Dynamic Language Runtime on Azure

A demo of an Azure (Microsoft cloud platform) application that hosts the Dynamic Language Runtime and can dynamically execute code in either IronPython or IronRuby - with server side security sandboxing.

• IronPython on Digipede - Part 1

The Expert Texture blog gives an early report (but no code) on running IronPython with the Digipede clustering network (for distributed grid computing).

Next step: distribute IronPython objects. Fairly straightforward, but I’ll write a reusable C# Executive to load the IronPython class definition.

• IronPython in Portugese
  

A translation of the Microsoft: "IronPython: Engaging the Python Community in its Own Language (pdf)" document. Resolver Systems gets a mention here.

• Ego-driven Software Development

Or "How M.C. Escher Would Have Packaged His Software". A rant on the packaging of IronPython Studio - the IronPython integration with Visual Studio 2008 which is based on the Visual Studio Shell and can also be run as a standalone application. Personally I don't think that IPy Studio is worth the pain and you're much better off with a proper Python IDE like Wing.

• Learning C# and IronPython

Jacob Santos on starting to learn both C# and IronPython:

Well, I didn’t know Python at all, and I was able to create a solution in days. I think that is more a feature of the language, than my mad skillz. If you have been programming before, then you can just “get” Python, because it is just that simple. That is part of the reason I want to further my understanding of it in Visual Studio.

By doing both C# and Python in Visual Studio I have both of the best worlds. Some solutions are easier in Python than in C#, so it makes sense to use Python. However, I still want to build the application with both. That is to say, I don’t want Python scripts sitting there available for people to look at or have to load Python runtime to execute Python scripts. I just want them both to work together.

• IronPython de Serpientes a Primates

Another article on IronPython in non-English. This one in some FlashPaper document reader thing that actually makes it hard to read. The article is quite long and looks worth it though.

• PyParsing and IronPython 2.0.1

With the latest version of IronPython it takes only a minor modification to use the PyParsing library. PyParsing is a popular Python parsing library with a novel object oriented approach to constructing grammars.

• Director 1.2.0 and IronPython

Director is a Python plugin framework "that allows developers to create command line plugins for tools making it easy to add new functionality". Steve Milner notes:

Even though it's not in the documentation IronPython 2.0.1 passed Director's tests making it the first release that works with IronPython!

• Majerus.net Active Shell

An interesting looking project that combines the interactive shell environments of various scripting languages including both Python and IronPython (for both Windows and Windows Mobile - although DLR based languages don't run on Windows Mobile):

MAS is a script-based command shell (CLI) for Microsoft Windows NT (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, including 64-bit editions) and Windows CE (Embedded and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC). MAS creates an environment for executing scripts interactively. When you type commands at the MAS prompt, MAS plays the part of the host application, it interact with the selected script engine to get your command executed, and makes objects and services available for the script.

It makes it easy to interact with Automation objects and ActiveX objects and controls.

MAS help file contains a complete user's guide that shows how to use Windows Script Runtime and Windows Script Host components, script the Windows shell, Microsoft Agent assistants, common applications such as Microsoft Office, access databases and files using ADO and MSXML, call Web services using MSSOAP, inspect and modify the computer configuration using WMI (WBEM), encode audio and video using Windows Media Encoder, and many others, in several scripting languages including Microsoft JScript, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript), RubyScript (ActiveRubyScript), PerlScript, Python and ForthScript. Limited functionnality is also available using ObjectRexxScript and PHPScript.

It also includes Majerus.net Active Shell .NET, also known as MASX, which is the .NET Framework + DLR (Dynamic Language Runtime) conterpart of the native COM/OLE Automation + Active Scripting version of MAS. It provides the same experience with .NET DLR script engines and .NET objects, giving full access to the .NET Framework using managed script engines such as Managed JScript and IronPython, and later, Dynamic Visual Basic (VBX) and IronRuby.