Scripting Guide - SAS

Chapter 2 Introduction 31
What JSL Can Do for You
What JSL Can Do for You
JMP can automatically save scripts to reproduce any data table or analysis in its current state. You can pause
any time in your analysis to save a script to a script window (or script editor), in a data table, or in an analysis
report. You can then modify the script as needed for future projects. When you are finished with your work,
you can then save a script to reproduce your final results.
Here are some examples where JSL scripts can be helpful:
• Suppose you need to describe an analysis process in detail, from beginning to end. An example is to
create an audit trail for a governing agency, or for peers reviewing your journal article.
• Suppose you have a set of analysis steps that should be followed routinely by your lab technicians.
• Suppose you fit the same model to new data every day, and the steps are always the same.
You can use JMP interactively as usual, save scripts to reproduce your work, and in the future run those
scripts to reproduce your results.
There are a few things that JSL is not designed to do:
• JMP cannot record scripts while you are working. Though script-recording is a useful feature in some
other scripting languages, it is less important for software like JMP, where the results are what matter.
You cannot use script-recording to observe how a sequence of interactive steps is performed.
• JSL is not an alternative command-line interface for using the program.
Help with Learning JSL
There are several places within JMP to get help with writing or understanding a JSL script.
The Scripting Guide
The Scripting Guide book begins with basic information (such as terminology and syntax) for JMP users
who are not familiar with the scripting language. The book progresses to more advanced information.
Chapters 2 through 4
Chapters 5 through 8
Chapters 9 through 13
Chapter 14
Includes information about learning JSL, producing basic
scripts, and introduces you to the JSL scripting environment.
Introduces the building blocks of the language; working with
basic data types, such as numbers and strings; writings lists,
matrices, and associate arrays; namespaces; and the
fundamentals of programming in JSL.
Covers using JSL with objects in JMP, such as data tables,
platforms, windows, and graphics.
Describes how to write scripts that work with external
programs, such as SAS, R, and Excel.