Groovy Script Console integration in AEM

Introduction

Groovy was developed by Jochen Theodorou, Guillaume Laforge, Cedric Champeau, and Paul King. Its typing discipline is strong, static and dynamic. It was licensed under the Apache 2.0 license. It first appeared in the year 2003. Its file extension is .groovy and was designed by James Strachan.

What is Groovy Script:

Apache Groovy is an Object-oriented programming language used for Java platform. It can be used as a scripting language for the Java platform.

Groovy vs Java

Groovy vs Java	Groovy	Java
Definition	It is compiled to JVM bytecode and is compatible with Java Platform.	It is developed on JDK and is run on JVM.
Usage	It is used when as both programming language and scripting language.	It is used as programming and object-oriented language.
Integration	It can be integrated along with any web applications and scripting applications.	It can also be integrated with any object-oriented application as it is compatible with any JVM based applications.
Platform	It supports any operating systems or platforms	It supports cross-platform operating systems
Syntax	The syntax is very similar to Java syntax.	It has a strong disciple in its syntax.
Community	It has been submitted to JCP for specification request.	It has a larger community called Java Community process i.es JCP being maintained by a large group of highly qualified technical experts across the industry.
License	It was licensed under Apache license 2.0	It was licensed under GNU General Public License.
Imports	All the packages will be imported by default.	It has to be mentioned clearly to import any package into the java class file.
Documentation	It provides single page documentation.	It has documentation in the form specification given by JCP.

Setup:

1. Download the Groovy Console package. Check the version compatible with your AEM instance. For AEM 6.5 I am using 14.0.0 version.
2. Install the downloaded package using the CRX package manager.
3. To verify the installation, open http://localhost:4502/apps/groovyconsole.html in browser to view the groovy console.

Note: From 13.0.0 release, paths were changed from /etc/ to /apps/ to access Groovy Console

GUI Console:


Sample scripts are available in the Groovy Console.


Open any script and click on Run Script.



If you get an error when running scripts, add user group in Allowed Group property of "Groovy Console Configuration Service".


Sample Script:

getPage("/content/wknd-events").recurse { page ->

    def content = page.node

    if (content && !content.get("hideInNav")) {

        println page.path

    }

}

The above script will pull the pages which have property "hideInNav" as false from the Weekend Event site.


Reference:
https://github.com/icfnext/aem-groovy-console
https://www.educba.com/groovy-vs-java/