The xTalk family of scripting languages is a group of loosely defined languages known for their simple, English-like syntax, the use of real-life metaphors, a Small-talk style image and message-sending apparatus, and Pascal-style block boundaries, but with a less rigid structure.
The most well-known of the xTalk languages is HyperTalk, used in conjunction with Apple's HyperCard development kit for Apple Macintosh and Apple IIGS computers in the late 1980s.
Sharing a common set of basic data structures and commands, as well as a general object model, other xTalk languages include SuperTalk, the scripting language used in SuperCard, and derived from HyperTalk. Also stemming from HyperTalk, SenseTalk was initially used as the scripting language in the HyperSense multimedia authoring applications for the NeXTStep and OpenStep platforms, resurfacing in 2002 as the scripting language for eggPlant, the first commercial Mac OS X and cross-platform GUI testing application. Originally known as RevTalk, then MetaTalk, Transcript is the scripting language used in LiveCode.
Other languages included in the xTalk family are CompileIt!-Talk, Double-XX-Talk, MediaTalk, PlusTalk, and XION, the latter of which was once the language of an open-source HyperCard clone that was never released but is now implemented as OpenXION. Others may also exist.
The xTalk family inspired some other languages, such as ActionScript, AppleScript, ECMAScript, JavaScript, and Lingo. However, these languages, as currently existing, have object models that differ considerably from xCode languages, so they are not considered to be xTalk languages.
Languages that fall within the family of scripting languages known as xTalk are the focus of resources in this category and may be listed in this category or one of its subcategories, whichever is the most specific. Editors, IDEs, and other applications and tools that were designed to facilitate programming in one or more of these languages, as well as those for which one of these languages was designed to support, such as LiveCode and HyperCard, are also appropriate for this category, as are xCode user groups, forums, tutorials, and guides.
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HyperTalk & HyperCardTranscript & LiveCode |
Recommended Resources
Based in the Netherlands, Economy x-Talk is a software vendor and custom software and web solutions company that develops software for desktop computers and mobile devices and is experienced with cross-platform programming tools like SuperCard, Revolution, and MetaCard, which are used to produce high-quality software products. The company also offers training services on RunRev and SuperCard. Its services and products are highlighted.
http://www3.economy-x-talk.com/
Fledgling Languages List: Hammer
Hammer is an English-like programming language that uses real-life metaphors, in the tradition of xTalk programming languages. It is defined as a language that is intended to think like the user, not make the user think like it, and to encourage the discovery of programming by examining existing code and objects, and trying things out rather than reading about them in the documentation. Users are encouraged to submit languages to the database. The criteria for listing languages are put forth.
http://fll.presidentbeef.com/lang/hammer/
WyldCard is a clone of the HyperCard and HyperTalk scripting language system. Written in Java, it was developed as a class project for a graduate-level compiler design course at Chicago's DePaul University, its goal being to offer a high-fidelity reproduction of Apple's original HyperCard system, rather than a modern implementation of it. Instructions on how to run the application using Gradle are given, along with documentation.
https://github.com/defano/wyldcard/
Open Source xTalk Interpreter Archive
Once a closed-source, proprietary language, there are now open-source xTalk interpreters, which may be freely downloaded and modified, if necessary. This is a repository of such products, which include OpenXION, StackImport, JsCard, Joker Project, JsCard Compiler, Project 11, WOBA, RealHyperCardX, and HyperCard Format Documentation, each of which is available under various free and open-source licenses. Direct downloads, for some, and links to download pages, for others, are included.
http://www.creysoft.com/xtalk/
