Scripting language

A scripting language, script language or extension language is a programming language that allows control of one or more software applications. "Scripts" are distinct from the core code of the application, as they are usually written in a different language and are often created or at least modified by the end-user. Scripts are often interpreted from source code or bytecode, whereas the applications they control are traditionally compiled to native machine code.

Scripting in GIS Software
A major class of scripting languages has grown out of the automation of job control, which relates to starting and controlling the behavior of system programs. In ArcGIS Desktop, users are able to automate tasks, such as geoprocessing, using scripting languages, such as Visual Basic and Python. As of version 10, both Python and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) are supported, but Esri has stated that future versions of ArcGIS Desktop will not support VBA.