How to Use TMS IntraWeb Component Pack Pro Script Edition

TMS IntraWeb Component Pack Pro Script Edition vs. Standard Edition: Key DifferencesTMS IntraWeb Component Pack is a suite of visual and non-visual components designed to extend IntraWeb (a framework for building web applications in Delphi and C++Builder). Two commonly compared packages are the Pro Script Edition and the Standard Edition. Below is a detailed comparison highlighting key differences, typical use cases, licensing and cost considerations, performance and scalability aspects, and guidance for choosing the right edition.

Standard Edition: aimed at developers who need a solid, ready-to-use set of components for building IntraWeb applications without advanced scripting or high-level customization features. It typically includes commonly used UI controls, form elements, layout helpers, and basic data-aware components.
Pro Script Edition: adds advanced features for runtime scripting, extended automation, and higher customization, enabling applications to execute scripts or dynamic expressions at runtime, provide end-user customization capabilities, and support more flexible application behavior without recompiling.

Standard Edition:
- Core visual components (grids, buttons, inputs, containers).
- Basic styling and layout controls.
- Standard data access and binding helpers tailored to IntraWeb.
- Built for straightforward form-centric web apps and administrative interfaces.
Pro Script Edition:
- Includes everything in Standard plus:
  - Runtime scripting engine support (ability to evaluate and run scripts or expressions at runtime).
  - Script-aware components or properties (expose events/properties that can be driven by scripts).
  - Advanced components for dynamic UI generation and runtime manipulation.
  - Tools for embedding or sandboxing scripts securely.
- Extra helpers for automation, macro recording/playback, or building apps that allow power-users to change behavior without a developer.

Standard Edition:
- Internal web apps, dashboards, CRUD applications where behavior is fixed at compile time.
- Projects constrained by budget where runtime scripting is unnecessary.
- Rapid development of admin panels, forms, and straightforward data-driven pages.
Pro Script Edition:
- Applications requiring runtime extensibility (plugins/macros/custom business rules).
- Products that allow customers to define behavior through scripts (for instance, domain-specific business rules engines).
- Complex portals where different tenants require custom behaviors without separate builds.
- Prototyping environments where non-developers or power users author small scripts.

Integration:
- Standard Edition integrates seamlessly with typical IntraWeb workflows and visual designers.
- Pro Script Edition requires additional attention to script engine configuration, security settings, and potential packaging of script resources.
Debugging and testing:
- Standard: straightforward debugging using IDE; behavior is deterministic from compiled code.
- Pro Script: additional layer — scripts executed at runtime mean you must validate and test scripts, provide error handling and logging for script errors, and possibly offer debugging aids to end-users or administrators.
Security:
- Standard: security model aligns with the compiled application (attack surface limited to standard web endpoints).
- Pro Script: increased attack surface because scripts can modify runtime behavior. Requires sandboxing, resource limits, and careful validation to prevent unauthorized access, infinite loops, or security breaches. Consider using restricted script APIs and timeouts.

Standard Edition:
- Predictable performance: components run as compiled code.
- Lower runtime overhead; easier to optimize for high request volume.
Pro Script Edition:
- Potential runtime overhead caused by script parsing and execution.
- Script caching and pre-compilation can mitigate overhead, but heavy script use may impact throughput.
- For high-scale apps, plan for script execution limits, pooling, and profiling to avoid hotspots.

Licensing:
- Both editions are commercially licensed; exact terms vary by vendor and version.
- Pro Script Edition typically costs more due to added capabilities and possible runtime royalty or licensing for the embedded script engine (verify current TMS licensing for specifics).
Support and updates:
- Standard Edition users get component updates and general support.
- Pro Script Edition users may receive additional documentation related to scripting, sample script libraries, and examples for embedding/sandboxing.

Choose Standard if:
- You build internal CRUD systems, customer portals with fixed behavior, or want minimal runtime complexity.
- Budget is tight and scripting is unnecessary.
Choose Pro Script if:
- You need runtime extensibility, allow customers to define rules or macros, or require advanced dynamic UI behavior.
- You’re building a multi-tenant product where tenants need to customize behavior without separate builds.

From Standard to Pro Script:
- Most components from Standard are available in Pro Script, so migrating typically involves adding script engine configuration and replacing or enabling script-aware properties/events.
- Review existing code for places where runtime scripting would change lifecycle or event flow, and add validation/permission checks as needed.

Risk: script-induced errors or crashes.
- Mitigation: sandbox scripts, provide execution time limits, validate inputs, log and gracefully degrade.
Risk: performance impact.
- Mitigation: precompile scripts, cache results, profile and scale horizontally.
Risk: licensing complications.
- Mitigation: confirm license terms for the desired deployment scenario and any redistributable script engine components.

If you need runtime scripting, dynamic user-driven behavior, or customizable business rules, choose the Pro Script Edition.
If your app requires predictable compiled behavior, lower runtime overhead, and lower cost, choose the Standard Edition.