@ jser.info 5 years event, Jan 2016

1. [R.I.P. IE8] Active Scripting
JSer.info event @ Jan 2016

2. Congratulation
jser.info 5 years!

3. IE 4-8 Architecture
• HTML Parse and Render …
MsHtml
• Browser UX … BrowseUI /
ShDocVw -> IEFrame (IE7+)
• Networking Stack … WinInet and
UrlMon
• Scripting … Active Scripting Host

4. APIs by IE
• Web Browser controls using COM APIs
• Browser Helper Object (BHO) APIs for browser extension (ex. Toolbar
etc)
• Pluggable Protocol Moniker
• ActiveScripting

5. Active Scripting
• COM interfaces to bind scripting engine
• For Engine API
• For Host API
• Used by
• IE (3?-8)
• Windows Scripting Host
• Active server page (IIS)
• Office
• 3rd party Apps

6. Backends
• By Microsoft
• JScript
• VBScript
• By 3rd party
• Ruby
• Python
• Perl
• PHP
• etc

7. Security?
<script language=“python”>
import __builtin__
myfile = __builtin__.open(“c:¥¥autoexec.bat”)
document.write(str(myfile.readlines()))
myfile.close()
</script>
http://www.python.jp/pipermail/python-ml-jp/2002-
January/000977.html

8. COM Interfaces
• IE uses IDispatchEx interface to access methods and properties
• As IE, Script was a kind of COM

9. this access from Host Apps (IE)
// Invoke method with "this" pointer
DISPID putid = DISPID_THIS;
VARIANT var;
DISPPARAM disparams;
IDispatchEx* pdexObj;
var.vt = VT_DISPATCH;
var.pdispVal = pdispObj;
dispparams.rgvarg = &var;
dispparams.rgdispidNamedArgs = &putid;
dispparams.cArgs = 1;
dispparams.cNamedArgs = 1;
pdexObj->InvokeEx(dispid, LOCALE_USER_DEFAULT, DISPATCH_METHOD, &dispparams,
NULL, NULL, NULL);

10. Implement Scripting Engine
• Engine must implement IAcriptScript* interfaces such as
IActiveScriptHost etc
• When using on IE, mark as safe like ActiveX control

11. Debugger Support
• Debugging APIs (COM APIs) to integrate IDE
• Profiler API is IE9+
• PDM (Process Debug Manager)

12. Conclusion
• Active Scripting is the binding interface used by IE8 (not IE9+)
• APIs is for host, engine and debugging
• Bye Bye IE8!

13. References
• Windows Script interfaces
• https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/fdee6589%28v=vs.94%29.aspx
• Active Scripting APIs: Add Powerful Custom Debugging to Your Script-
Hosting App
• https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb984890.aspx
• Microsoft Press – Inside Windows Debugging