Beginning AppleScript

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ISBN: 9780764574009 | 0764574000
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 12/17/2004

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What is this book about?Geared toward programmers with no prior development knowledge, Beginning AppleScript serves as a comprehensive guide to using AppleScript on the Mac OS X platform. This title introduces the reader to AppleScript, and then illustrates how to efficiently start writing scripts through sample programs as each concept is introduced. Exercises at the end of each chapter allow the reader to test and demonstrate their knowledge on how to write functional scripts. The appendices include a list of other resources for additional developer information, and a summary of the language suitable for reference.

About the Author

Acknowledgments

xxv

Introduction

(1)

Who This Book Is For

(1)

How This Book Is Structured

(2)

What You Need to Use This Book

(1)

Conventions

(1)

Source Code

(1)

Errata

(1)

p2p.wrox.com

(1)

Writing Your First AppleScript Program

(18)

Starting with Script Editor

(2)

Try It Out: Typing Your First Program

(1)

Compiling and Running Your Program

(3)

Try It Out: Running Your First Program

(2)

Try It Out: Saving Your First Program

(1)

Extending Your First Program

(3)

Reporting Errors in Your Programs

(2)

Try It Out: Adding a Description to Your Program

(1)

An AppleScript Command to Display a Dialog

(2)

Understanding the Buttons Parameter in the display dialog Command

(4)

Try It Out: Using the display dialog's Buttons Parameter

(2)

Changing the Labels on a Button

(1)

Try It Out: Setting the Default Button In a Dialog

(1)

Adding an Icon to Your Dialog Box

(1)

Try It Out: Adding a Note Icon to Your Dialog

(1)

Multiple AppleScript Commands

(1)

Try It Out: Add a ``Beep''

(1)

Adding Comments to Your Programs

(1)

Summary

(1)

Exercises

(1)

Variables, Classes, and Expressions

(44)

Working with Variables

(9)

Variable Names and the set Command

(2)

Accessing the Value of a Variable and the get Command

(1)

Try It Out: Working with Variables

(1)

Try It Out: More on Working with Variables

(2)

Try It Out: Understanding Case In Variable Names

(3)

Writing Special Variable Names

(1)

The Special result Variable

(1)

More on Working with Applications

338

(5)

Try It Out: Generating a List of Backup Files

338

(4)

Ignoring Application Responses

342

(1)

Application Timeouts

343

(1)

Applets and Droplets

343

(8)

Stay Open Applications

344

(1)

The run Handler

344

(1)

The quit Handler

344

(1)

The reopen Handler

344

(1)

The idle Handler

345

(1)

Try It Out: Simple Applet Handlers

345

(2)

Droplets

347

(1)

Try It Out: Creating a Droplet

347

(4)

Summary

351

(1)

Exercises

352

(3)

Scripting iLife Applications

355

(30)

Scripting iTunes

356

(10)

Try It Out: Examining the iTunes Dictionary

356

(3)

Working with Tracks and Playlists

359

(4)

An iTunes Player Applet

363

(1)

Try It Out: An iTunes Song Player

363

(3)

Scripting iPhoto

366

(6)

Try It Out: Examining iPhoto's Dictionary

367

(1)

Try It Out: Making an Album from a Folder of Images

368

(4)

Scripting iDVD

372

(10)

Try It Out: Examining iDVD's Dictionary

372

(3)

Try It Out: Making a DVD Slide Show from a Folder of Images

375

(7)

Summary

382

(1)

Exercises

382

(3)

Script Objects

385

(34)

Defining a Script Object

385

(1)

Try It Out: Defining a Script Object

385

(1)

Script Properties

386

(4)

Try It Out: Working with Script Properties

387

(1)

Initializing Script Properties

387

(1)

Try It Out: Initializing Script Properties

388

(1)

Copying Script Objects

389

(1)

Try It Out: Copying Script Objects

389

(1)

Your Program Is a Script Object

390

(4)

Try It Out: Defining Properties at the Top Level

390

(1)

Try It Out: Properties in Applications

391

(1)

Try It Out: Recording Values in Applications

392

(1)

Scope of Properties

393

(1)

Try It Out: Scope of Script Properties

393

(1)

pi Is a Property

394

(1)

Script Objects Containing Handlers

394

(3)

Try It Out: Defining Handlers Inside Scripts

395

(1)

The Run Handler

396

(1)

Handlers Containing Script Objects

397

(2)

Try It Out: Defining Script Objects Inside Handlers

397

(2)

Storing, Loading, and Running Scripts from Files

399

(2)

Try It Out: Illustrating the store script and run script Commands

399

(1)

Try It Out: Running and Loading a Script

400

(1)

Script Objects and Object-Oriented Programming

401

(14)

Try It Out: Returning a Script Object from a Handler

402

(1)

Try It Out: More on Returning Script Objects

403

(2)

Try It Out: Defining a Rectangle Object

405

(2)

Polymorphism

407

(1)

Try It Out: Polymorphism In AppleScript

407

(2)

Inheritance

409

(1)

Try It Out: Illustrating Inheritance

410

(2)

Try It Out: Defining a Square Using Inheritance

412

(1)

Using its in Inherited Handlers

413

(1)

Try It Out: Using my in Handlers

413

(1)

The continue Command

414

(1)

Try It Out: Calling a Parent's Handler Using the continue Command

414

(1)

Summary

415

(1)

Exercises

416

(3)

Loose Ends

419

(30)

Command Handlers

419

(1)

Try It Out: Writing a Command Handler

420

(1)

Using terms from

420

(1)

Using the clipboard

421

(2)

The Script Menu

423

(1)

Folder Actions

424

(3)

Try It Out: Working with Folder Actions

425

(2)

Open Scripting Architecture

427

(2)

Scripting Additions

429

(1)

AppleEvents

429

(1)

Try It Out: AppleEvents in the Event Log History

429

(1)

Recording Scripts

430

(2)

Try It Out: Recording Actions in the Finder

430

(2)

GUI Scripting

432

(2)

Try It Out: Introduction to GUI Scripting

432

(2)

Before and After

434

(1)

Creating a Reference to an Object

434

(1)

Web Services: XML-RPC and SOAP

435

(3)

Try It Out: Using SOAP Services

437

(1)

Running Scripts from Terminal

438

(1)

The do shell script Command

439

(2)

The with transaction Statement

441

(1)

Delayed Evaluation with the run script Command

441

(1)

Scheduling Scripts to Run with the cron

442

(3)

Try It Out: Chime the Hour!

442

(3)

Summary

445

(1)

Exercises

446

(3)

Introducing AppleScript Studio

449

(24)

Installing AppleScript Studio

449

(1)

Developing a Simple Application

450

(19)

Try It Out: Working with AppleScript Studio

451

(18)

An iTunes Remote

469

(1)

Summary

470

(1)

Exercises

471

(2)

Appendix A: Exercise Answers

473

(52)

Appendix B: Language Reference

525

(30)

Operators

525

(3)

English Equivalents of Relational Operators

526

(1)

Containment Operators

527

(1)

Built-in Classes

528

(2)

Classes of Weights and Measures

530

(1)

Lists

530

(1)

List Class Properties

530

(1)

Element Specifiers

531

(1)

Records

531

(1)

Record Class Properties

531

(1)

Strings

532

(1)

String Class Properties

532

(1)

Predefined String Properties

532

(1)

Escape Characters

532

(1)

String Elements

533

(1)

Dates

533

(1)

Date Class Properties

533

(1)

Predefined Properties for Working with Dates

534

(1)

Compound Statements

534

(4)

considering

534

(1)

535

(1)

ignoring

536

(1)

repeat

536

(1)

tell

537

(1)

try

537

(1)

using terms from

537

(1)

with timeout

537

(1)

with transaction

538

(1)

Commands

538

(17)

activate

539

(1)

adding folder items to*

539

(1)

ASCII character*

540

(1)

ASCII number*

540

(1)

choose application*

540

(1)

choose color*

540

(1)

choose file*

540

(1)

choose file name*

541

(1)

choose folder*

541

(1)

choose from list*

541

(1)

choose URL*

541

(1)

clipboard info*

541

(1)

close access*

542

(1)

closing folder window for*

542

(1)

continue

542

(1)

copy

542

(1)

count

542

(1)

current date*

543

(1)

delay*

543

(1)

display dialog*

543

(1)

do shell script*

543

(1)

error

544

(1)

exit repeat

545

(1)

get

545

(1)

get eof*

545

(1)

get volume settings*

545

(1)

handle CGI request*

545

(1)

info for*

546

(1)

launch

546

(1)

list disks*

546

(1)

list folder*

546

(1)

load script *

546

(1)

log

547

(1)

mount volume*

547

(1)

moving folder window for*

547

(1)

offset*

547

(1)

open for access*

547

(1)

open location*

548

(1)

opening folder*

548

(1)

path to*

548

(1)

random number*

548

(1)

read*

549

(1)

removing folder items from*

549

(1)

return

549

(1)

round*

550

(1)

run script*

550

(1)

say*

550

(1)

scripting components*

550

(1)

set

551

(1)

set eof*

551

(1)

set the clipboard to*

551

(1)

set volume*

551

(1)

start log

551

(1)

stop log

552

(1)

store script*

552

(1)

summarize*

552

(1)

system attribute*

552

(1)

the clipboard*

552

(1)

time to GMT*

553

(1)

write*

553

(2)

Appendix C: Resources

555

(4)

Errata, etc.

555

(1)

AppleScript Books

555

(1)

Websites

556

(1)

Mailing Lists and Newsgroups

556

(1)

Development Tools

557

(2)

AppleScript Studio

557

(1)

Script Editor

558

(1)

Smile

558

(1)

Script Debugger 3.0

558

(1)

Index

559

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Beginning AppleScript

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials