How to learn Scripting?

Hello everyone. I have been with the build in SL for awhile and got a pretty good hang of making objects. The one thing though I have not even attempted was scripting. For me that whole subject is like decodeing Foreign languages. Is there an easy to understand ingame class or documents? Before you say it, yesI have tried LSL Wiki and great scotts is that not entry level friendly.


any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Hi Malacite,

There are a couple of tutorials on the wiki that might help. There is an lsl wiki mentoring service (it includes me and quite a few others) who are willing to help with specific points once you've started.

Various people will also teach scripting - I think Nonnux White is one and I will as well if we can find a good time for both of us (I also tend to charge a bit for my teaching but you do get 1:1 teaching to your needs). Scouring the events listings isn't much fun but you will sometimes find classes there too.

It depends on how "I can't script" you are - I've taken someone from argh not a clue to being able to start her own projects (with continuing mentoring support) in 5 or 6 90 minute classes - she's been scripting a little bit since class 2. I'm happy to teach you on a similar basis from whatever starting point you're at: IM me if you'd be interested.

The other place a fair number of people start is by searching the script library forum for something that does the job they want. They then tinker with it to get it to do the job they want AS they want it and then move on from there slowly and surely until they're writing their own scripts from scratch. That's how I started in lsl and it's how I'm going in php which I'm currently learning.

Eloise has some good specific points. But because I'm feeling "chatty" I'll give my long-winded theory about it, depending on starting experience.

Level 1: Never programmed/scripted anything in one's life (no Basic, no C, no Excel, no Lego Mindstorms, nothing)
In this case, it might not hurt to get a basic programming book, of find a free tutorial on the web. The syntax will be different from LSL, but many of the basic concepts are the same. For some folks they get the gist of it within a few minutes, others can take longer to get used to the very "one small step at a time" need in scripting. This isn't a slam on either group, anyone can do it, but certain mind sets and certain experience makes this REALLY intuitive for some and a bit of a departure for others. It helps to have the programming thought process first. At that point, you hit Level 2.

Level 2: Know something about scripting/programming, but not really a pro
Eloise's suggestion to look at publicly available scripts is the way to go here. Review them, get a fell for how they work, how they interact. Change small things in them and then branch out. Think of some small scripts you have seen that you might like to have, and using the wiki try and create them yourself. When I did this, the basic tuff I played with was the sit-hack teleporters, dance bracelets, scripts that change the color/texture of prims on touch, simple little things that are easy to manage but give a feel for the types of things one can do.

Level 3: Programming god, but new to LSL.
Read the wiki. This person will have seen everything before, and just needs the syntax and whatever idiosyncrasies there are to LSL.

Classes can be good when you can find them in the event morass, but I'd suggest that you review basic programming concepts first per Level 1 (if that applies to you). Scripting is kind of like calculus, it's not really hard, just requires a different mindset that you quickly get used to. Well, okay, scripting is a LOT easier than calculus, btu the relative analogy still holds.

sounds pretty good to me, thouh ill pass on LSL Wiki since thats a bit muchfor ppl new to jump in. still wish there had been a basic lesson ion the arrival island because not everything i makeis starting to be just eye candy with scripts.

The bulk of the wiki is fairly technical and is more of a reference than a learning tool, but there are a couple of articles that are introductions to scripting, and IMO those are a pretty good place to start.

There are a lot of free and modifiable scripts out there. Just take a few, make copies and hack away.

I think I am somewhere between groups 2 and 3. I have done various elements of programming in the past but it has not been a fulltime job or is a current hobby. I have done a fair bit with both compiled and interpreted basic. I had to get to grips with a language called Forth and learned assembly language to program a comms interface for a project. But I still cant seem to get my head around LSL so that I feel confortable with it. I think the things that throw me are understanding the state machine properly and trying to understand that LSL seems to be both a sequential language like traditional basic but is also an event driven language.

I have started small projects but usually end up in the "where do I go next" position before its finished. I have not seen anyone advertising 1 to 1 tutorials, but if they did exist I would gladly have a go.

When I was learning assembler language I usually had reference to block diagram of the processors registers and also flowcharts etc. This seemed to make it a lot easier to understand and follow. Possibly if there was some similar for LSL it might help make it easier to understand how the state machine works.

Hi Bobby - at the risk of it sounding like advertising grab me sometime in world and I'll happily teach you for a bit if appropriate and mentor you too.

Is or has anyone written an article of tip, short cuts, and little know techniques with examples? Reading the Wiki sometimes helps, especially when examples are given, but when you run across a function or command that the Wiki only explains by presenting its arguments, it can be difficult to interpret or put into practice.

Mod

P.S. I have to say the I genuinely appreciate the help that so many of you give freely though the forum. With out it I would still only be saying "Hello Avatar."

I agree Mod. A book of general tips with lots of examples would be a very good supplement to the wiki. The wiki has quite a few examples, especially with events. But there are still quite a number of functions which could proabably benifit from a few examples. One area that still has me scrabbling for examples are dataserver events.

Thank's Eloise. I will contact you inworld for a chat if thats ok.

I found this Kan-Ed Tutorial to be easier for me to understand then the Wiki examples, allthough I dont claim to understand all of it, but by working thru it one step at a time I am learning. I like the fact that it provides scripts with explanations of how they work, and sort of builds from simple to more complex scripts.

Using the Linden Script Language
http://www.kan-ed.org/second-life/using-LSL.html

Anyone have a good one for a boat? Not the speed boat one but like the pontoon. also interested in the bumper boat script

Ive look at and still figuring out scripting from online text but i have a feeling this is somthing that needs to be taught hands on. I have tried attending the event classes but my pc tends to crash if its a over-populated area and this is very bad as you need to hear "every" instruction.

IF anyone thinks they can help please send me an IM .

thx in advance.