Embedded scripting is increasingly gaining popularity in design of software systems and applications. In the programming paradigm of embedded scripting, an interpreter or scripting engine is embedded into a binary application program. The application can execute script code through the embedded interpreter. The script code can also invoke binary code. Although a powerful embeddable interpreter can speed-up software development and deployment significantly, the power and capabilities of this programming paradigm are yet to be explored and fully utilized.

For example, if a C/C++ interpreter is embedded in an automated program for testing hardware and software, quality assurance engineers are able to access binary C functions and C++ member functions from C/C++ testing scripts. A binary application program can be used to test different products by just invoking different scripts that can be entered from the GUI or loaded from files. As another example, an embedded interpreter can be used to customize a product for different customers and applications, and extra functionality can be added to applications specific to a particular customer’s needs without changing the standard product. By using scripts, executed at the defined points from the application, customer-specific behaviors can be implemented.

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