Do you find that you’re locked out from using the best equipment because programming languages clash? There are a huge variety of devices available to you, but your ability to use them depends on the skills you have in-house.
It is a familiar problem in both academic and industry settings, and one we have overcome at OpenIOLabs with ScriptML™ (Script Meta-Language).
There are a whole host of excellent programming languages, each serving their own purpose in the lab. The issues arise when trying to use so many of these languages at once, trying to input commands and interpret results. Along with setup and analysis of data, knowledge is also an issue – you and your team can’t hope to know every language!
What is ScriptML™?
“ScriptML™ is a sophisticated application logic transport protocol”
Put in to context, our ScriptML™ is a translator that lets you focus on using the right tools for the job. It recognises the function and commands being requested from a device and translates this into any compatible language of your choice, and executes it at the end point.
ScriptML™ brings the following benefits to developers and service providers:
It’s flexible. It lets developers innovate without worrying about compatibility, while service providers enjoy total freedom in what devices they choose to use.
It scales. Use each device as it was intended without needing to worry about keeping all your operations centralised or limiting the capabilities of the hardware you can employ.
It’s easy to use. There’s no need to retrain staff to work with new languages or equipment.
It’s intelligent. Putting intelligent application logic at the end-points allows for the design of very advanced systems and peripherals with functions that can adapt and change dynamically with time.
How ScriptML™ works
ScriptML™ works in stages. The protocol is a mechanism that allows application logic defined in one node or system, in a certain language, to be transported to a second system as a token and executed there within a completely different execution environment.
The ScriptML ™ protocol delivers these tokens to a decoder in the target device, and then goes on to execute the application logic using the device’s native execution environment.
What does ScriptML™ allow you to do?
ScriptML™ has been developed to tackle the challenges of interoperability and accessibility in both the lab and also industrial environments. We are helping to unlock responsiveness and new levels of potential, allowing you to:
- Avoid vendor lock-in
- Use the best and correct hardware and software for every job
- Manage your work from a unified, customisable interface
- Save time – no extra programming languages to learn
- Choose a language for each component of your system
- Remotely manage your work
Current Machine-to-Machine (M2M) networks or systems tend to be homogeneous systems; all the devices must talk the same language – forming what is called heterogeneous networks.
Future systems, which OpenIOLabs facilitates, become a system-of-systems, known as heterogeneous networks (M2M-Het-Nets). Integrating these M2M-Het-Nets achieves interoperability, adaptability and efficiency.
- Making functionality accessible regardless of the type or make of hardware.
- Staying agile, able to make use of the best hardware and software tools available.
- Reducing training, set up and running costs, lowering barriers to better hardware integration and operation.
The ScriptML™ server
One of the cornerstones of ScriptML ™ is the ability for the user to control every aspect of their set up, whatever form it may take. The ScriptML ™ server provides a user-controlled environment with advanced database and graphics processing, which is controlled and accessed via intuitive web interface.
Servers are available in standalone native Linux nodes, virtual servers on most Windows platforms and via cloud-based server instances.
What’s next?
We’re confident in saying that it can help anyone conduct their work more intelligently and efficiently in a way they’ve never done before. Find out more about ScriptML™ and IOI interfaces.
Interested? Shop online or get in touch.