Scripting languages have traditionally been difficult to integrate into Java applications. A new article on the Sun Developer Network takes a look at using JSR 223 - Scripting for the Java Platform to integrate scripting into your application. JSR 223 attempts to solve the scripting problem by providing a common way to interface Java with scripting languages. Specifically it looks to:
- Access and control Java technology-based objects from a scripting environment
- Create web content with scripting languages
- Embed scripting environments within Java technology-based applications
JSR 223 specifies a series of interfaces in the java.script package that define the interaction with specific scripting implementations. Java SE 6 includes a reference implementation of the JSR along with a scripting engine implementation based on the Rhino: Javascript for Java library. The scripting.dev.java.net includes engine implementations for popular scripting languages such as Groovy, OGNL, Python, Ruby and others.