65 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
65 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
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# Create and Use Libraries
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Libraries are scripts with functions that you can use in other scripts. #docs #libraries #language #library
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### @parent js/language
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Libraries are scripts with functions that you can use in other scripts. For example, `game` is a library of game-related functions that you can use in your scripts.
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Benefits of using libraries:
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* **reuse code** between scripts
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* **collaborate** with other people on a project by combining scripts into a library
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### Add a library
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To add a library to a script:
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1. Open a script in the [Touch Develop editor](/microbit/js/editor) and then click `script` (in the upper-right corner).
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2. Click `+` **add new**.
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3. Click `library`.
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4. Choose the library you want to use or search for a library (such as `game`).
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Once you've added a library to your script, you can use any of the library's non-private [functions](/microbit/js/function). Here's how:
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* on the [Code Keyboard](/microbit/js/editor) click the button with the library's name (for example, `micro:bit` and `micro:bit game` are library buttons). The functions in the library have a button on the Code Keyboard.
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### Create a library
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Creating and publishing a script as a library is easy. Here's how:
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1. Open a script in the [Touch Develop editor](/microbit/js/editor), and then click `script`.
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2. Click the script name to open the script properties.
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3. Mark the `this script is a library` check box.
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4. Click `script`.
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5. Click `publish`.
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Once a script is marked as a _library_ and published, it's immediately available to other people.
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### Visibility
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The following library items are not accessible by other scripts:
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* data (global variables)
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* functions marked as `private`
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If you want to access global library variables from other scripts, you need to create [functions](/microbit/js/function) that pass values in and out of the library script.
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### Library and function documentation
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Be sure to document the purpose of your functions and libraries. Add a [comment](/microbit/js/comment) at the beginning of a library to describe the purpose of the library.
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Use [comments](/microbit/js/comment) at the beginning of your [functions](/microbit/js/function) to describe the function's purpose. Comment text shows in the help area of the Code Keyboard when you insert the function.
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### See also
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[functions](/microbit/js/function), [Touch Develop Documentation](/microbit/js/contents)
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