BeanShell commands appear to the user as pre-defined methods such as print(), load(), or save().

BeanShell Commands can be implemented as scripted methods or compiled Java classes which are dynamically loaded on demand from the classpath. We'll talk about adding your own commands in the next section "Adding BeanShell Commands".

Tip: You can easily override any BeanShell command simply by defining the method yourself in your script. For example:

print( arg ) {
  System.out.println( "You printed: " + arg );
}

If you define the method in the global scope it will apply everywhere. If you define it local to a scripted object it will only apply in that object context.

This is a high level overview of the BeanShell command set. You can find full documentation for all BeanShell commands in the "BeanShell Commands Documentation" section of this manual. See also the "BshDoc" section which covers javadoc style documentation of BeanShell script files.

The following commands affect general modes of operation of the interpreter.

The following commands are used for output:

The following commands are used for evaluation or to run external scripts or applications:

The following commands are useful utilities:

The following commands affect the current scope:

The following commands manipulate or access the classpath:

The following commands work with files, directories, and the working directory:

The following commands work with GUI tools:

Note: The dir() command is written in Java; primarily as a demonstration of how to do this when desired.