Before using the MyScript iink SDK web client-side libraries, you need to be familiar with the following concepts and tools heavily used by the web libraries.

JavaScript dependencies management

MyScript API can be built and used thanks to other open sources libraries. Npm is used to manage those dependencies instead of managing them manually. If you are not familiar with npm, please read the related documentation. A file descriptor lists all the dependencies, then the client tool downloads and locally installs the binaries (or runnable sources).

Polyfills

A polyfill is a browser fallback, made in JavaScript, that enables functionalities expected in modern browsers to work in older ones (e.g. to support pointer events in browsers like Firefox or Safari). More about polyfill concept in Wikipedia.

As capturing handwriting is key for an API like ours, we recommend using Pointer Events Polyfill that is the most complete polyfill for Pointer Event Specification according to us. This W3C standard gives a homogenous API for JavaScript developers to grab user input event, should they use a mouse, a stylus or a touch capable surface to write. Whatever the input is, events are captured the same way, making the development of libraries such as MyScript’s easier.

Consider reading this Sitepoint article if the concept of polyfill is still unclear.