I am Searching for Innovative Uses of MiniScript

kieranas

Hey All,
I am using it for automating small tasks but I want to hear about some of the more creative applications you have all come up with.
Have you used MiniScript for any unexpected or innovative projects?
I want to hear some inspiring examples & expand my horizons with what's possible using MiniScript.
As a Java developer I want to know if anyone has explored using MiniScript to interact with Java applications or libraries.

Please share if anyone have any resources, project ideas or bits of code that you have found useful.

Thank you…🙂

jennifer

kieranas
MiniScript is a powerful yet lightweight scripting language, and beyond automating small tasks, it has been used in some truly creative ways. Some developers have embedded it in game engines for modding support, used it for procedural content generation, or even created lightweight AI scripting for NPC behaviors. Others have integrated MiniScript into web applications or interactive simulations, leveraging its simplicity for scripting logic dynamically. As a Java developer, you might find it interesting that MiniScript can be embedded in Java applications via JNI (Java Native Interface) or by using a MiniScript interpreter written in Java. This could allow for dynamic scripting within Java-based applications, enabling users to customize workflows, automate tasks, or even modify game logic on the fly. If you’re looking for resources, exploring the MiniScript GitHub repository, community forums, or even experimenting with embedding it in a Java-based application could be a great start. If you’re interested in specific project ideas, consider using MiniScript to create a lightweight rule-based system in a Java application or even as a scripting extension for a Java game engine. Would love to hear more about what you're working on!

jstrout

Hi @kieranas! That's a really interesting question!
I've used it on occasion to process data or even create (synthetic) training data for work projects. For example, reading a CSV file and processing a bunch of related files. I guess this goes under the heading of "automating small tasks."
Kind of in the same vein, there are several MiniScripts involved in maintaining the MiniScript.org website. For example, all the games/apps listed in the Mini Micro programs tab are defined with paired JSON and PNG files in a separate folder:

...and whenever I change these, I run a MiniScript program that compiles it for the website. Another script updatse the news page, including the RSS feed (in case anybody's still using an RSS reader!) and the top story on the home page.
For a while, my son and I were into buying and selling vacant land, and so I had a Mini Micro program to scrape the county website. I'd give it a range of property numbers, and it would patiently pull down the county assessor's data property by property, extracting the relevant details and dumping it all into a nice neat CSV for us. It took a couple seconds per property (in part because we wanted to be careful not to hit their server too hard!), so we'd just let it run for hours. Still way faster than doing all that work manually!
I too would love to hear what other creative uses people have found for MiniScript! And @kieranas, tell us more about the tasks you've automated with it!