Live Scripting System

The Live Scripting System is one of the most exciting features of the AcceleratXR platform and service framework. The system allows for any code published within a given service to be modifiable in real-time using the REST API. This gives developers tremendous power and flexibility to alter the behavior of an existing AcceleratXR backend without needing to fork, build, publish and deploy services.

The system works by implementing Source Code Management (SCM) principles. On service startup, all of the code that is pre-packaged with the service is loaded into memory and stored in a special database, before the server performs any initialization. The system then compiles the code stored in the database back to disk in order to continue with server initialization and setup.

The stored files from the database are then exposed via REST API. When you make a modification to a given file using this REST API the changes are compiled for verification and stored in the database as a new unique version. If the file is then set to publish the service restarts and loads the modified file.

At some point the service will likely need to be upgraded to a new version as provided by AcceleratXR. During the upgrade process any modified files stored in the database are merged with the latest official release. If there are no merge conflicts or compilation errors after the upgrade the script is automatically marked as published and is loaded along with the rest of the changes during server startup.

You can interface with the Live Scripting System in one of the following two ways:

AcceleratXR Admin Console

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The AcceleratXR Admin Console features a complete integrated code editor and interface for working with the Live Scripting System. Simply select Live Scripting from the menu bar on the left and select the backend service you want to modify from the drop-down menu. Once connected, you can browse all of the pre-bundled code that ships with the service by default as well as add new files and folders as desired.

AcceleratXR Script Manager

The AcceleratXR Script Manager is a plug-in for Visual Studio Code <https://code.visualstudio.com/>. The plug-in implements the REST API as a SCM provider that makes working with the system feel native like any other SCM such as Git.

For a complete guide on how to work with the Live Scripting System using Script Manager read the Live Scripting Tutorial.