Applescript

AppleScript: The Definitive Guide Second Edition explores and teaches the language from the ground up. If you're a beginner and want to learn how to write your first script or just understand what the excitement is all about, you'll be able to do so after reading this book.

Matt Neuburg has been programming computers since 1968. He majored in Greek at Swarthmore College, and received his PhD from Cornell University in 1981. Hopelessly hooked on computers since migrating to a Macintosh in 1990, he's written educational and utility freeware, and became an early regular contributor to the online journal TidBITS. In 1995, Matt became an editor for MacTech Magazine. He is also the author of "Frontier: The Definitive Guide" and "REALbasic: The Definitive Guide" for O'Reilly.

Preface

xiii

Part I. AppleScript Overview

Why to Use AppleScript

3

(11)

The Nature and Purpose of AppleScript

3

(2)

Is This Application Scriptable?

5

(2)

Calculation and Repetition

7

(1)

Reduction

8

(1)

Customization

9

(2)

Combining Specialties

11

(3)

Where to Use AppleScript

14

(20)

Script Editor

14

(4)

Internally Scriptable Application

18

(4)

Script Runner

22

(3)

Automatic Location

25

(1)

Application

26

(4)

Unix

30

(1)

Hyperlinks

30

(2)

Automator

32

(2)

Basic Concepts

34

(41)

Apple Events

34

(9)

The Open Scripting Architecture

43

(6)

Script

49

(3)

Compiling and Decompiling

52

(3)

Compiled Script Files

55

(3)

Script Text File

58

(1)

Applet and Droplet

59

(1)

Scripting Addition

60

(1)

Dictionary

61

(3)

Missing External Referents

64

(5)

Modes of Scriptability

69

(6)

Part II. The AppleScript Language

Introducing the Language

75

(8)

A Little Language

76

(1)

Extensibility and Its Perils

77

(1)

The ``English-likeness'' Monster

78

(2)

Object-likeness

80

(1)

LISP-likeness

80

(1)

The Learning Curve

81

(2)

Syntactic Ground of Being

83

(10)

Lines

83

(3)

Result

86

(2)

Comments

88

(2)

Abbreviations and Synonyms

90

(1)

Blocks

91

(1)

The

92

(1)

A Map of the World

93

(8)

Scope Blocks

93

(2)

Levels and Nesting

95

(1)

The Top Level

96

(1)

Code and the Run Handler

97

(3)

Variables

100

(1)

Variables

101

(8)

Assignment and Retrieval

101

(2)

Declaration and Definition of Variables

103

(2)

Variable Names

105

(4)

Script Objects

109

(25)

Script Object Definition

109

(1)

Run Handler

110

(1)

Script Properties

111

(1)

Script Objects as Values

111

(2)

Top-Level Entities

113

(5)

Compiled Script Files as Script Objects

118

(5)

Inheritance

123

(11)

Handlers

134

(22)

Handler Definition

134

(1)

Returned Value

135

(3)

Handlers as Values

138

(1)

Parameters

139

(1)

Pass by Reference

140

(1)

Syntax of Defining and Calling a Handler

141

(5)

Event Handlers

146

(2)

The Run Handler

148

(1)

Recursion

149

(2)

Power Handler Tricks

151

(5)

Scope

156

(24)

Regions of Scope

156

(1)

Kinds of Variable

157

(1)

Scope of Top-Level Entities

158

(3)

Scope of Locals

161

(2)

Scope of Globals

163

(4)

Scope of Undeclared Variables

167

(2)

Declare Your Variables

169

(2)

Free Variables

171

(1)

Redeclaration of Variables

172

(3)

Closures

175

(5)

Objects

180

(28)

Messages

180

(2)

Attributes

182

(1)

Class

182

(1)

Target

183

(7)

Get

190

(1)

It

191

(2)

Me

193

(2)

Properties and Elements

195

(2)

Element Specifiers

197

(7)

Operations on Multiple References

204

(2)

Assignment of Multiple Attributes

206

(1)

Object String Specifier

206

(2)

References

208

(12)

Reference as Target

208

(1)

Reference as Incantation

209

(2)

Creating a Reference

211

(1)

Identifying References

212

(1)

Dereferencing a Reference

213

(3)

Trouble with Contents

216

(1)

Creating References to Variables

217

(1)

Reference as Parameter

218

(2)

Datatypes

220

(24)

Application

220

(1)

Machine

220

(1)

Data

221

(1)

Boolean

221

(1)

Integer, Real, and Number

221

(1)

Date

222

(3)

String

225

(3)

Unicode Text

228

(3)

File and Alias

231

(5)

List

236

(3)

Record

239

(5)

Coercions

244

(12)

Implicit Coercion

244

(2)

Explicit Coercion

246

(2)

Boolean Coercions

248

(1)

Number, String, and Date Coercions

249

(2)

File Coercions

251

(1)

List Coercions

252

(3)

Unit Conversions

255

(1)

Operators

256

(15)

Implicit Coercion

256

(1)

Arithmetic Operators

257

(2)

Boolean Operators

259

(1)

Comparison Operators

260

(2)

Containment Operators

262

(3)

Concatenation Operator

265

(2)

Parentheses

267

(1)

Who Performs an Operation

268

(3)

Global Properties

271

(4)

Strings

272

(1)

Numbers

273

(1)

Miscellaneous

274

(1)

Constants

275

(3)

Commands

278

(3)

Application Commands

278

(1)

Standard Commands

279

(1)

Logging Commands

280

(1)

Control

281

(30)

Branching

281

(2)

Looping

283

(8)

Tell

291

(1)

Using Terms From

292

(3)

With

295

(3)

Considering/Ignoring

298

(2)

Errors

300

(7)

Second-Level Evaluation

307

(4)

Part III. AppleScript In Action

Dictionaries

311

(48)

Resolution of Terminology

312

(3)

Terminology Clash

315

(8)

Nonsensical Apple Events

323

(2)

Raw Four-Letter Codes

325

(3)

Multiple-Word Terms

328

(1)

What's in a Dictionary

329

(14)

The `aeut' Resource

343

(1)

Inadequacies of the Dictionary

344

(15)

Scripting Additions

359

(19)

Pros and Cons of Scripting Additions

360

(1)

Classic Scripting Additions

361

(1)

Loading Scripting Additions

362

(1)

Standard Scripting Addition Commands

363

(15)

Speed

378

(8)

Tools of the Trade

379

(1)

Apple Events

379

(3)

List Access

382

(1)

Scripting Additions

383

(1)

Context

384

(2)

Scriptable Applications

386

(15)

Targeting Scriptable Applications

386

(9)

Some Scriptable Applications

395

(6)

Unscriptable Applications

401

(6)

Historical Perspective

401

(2)

Getting Started with Accessibility

403

(2)

GUI Scripting Examples

405

(2)

Unix

407

(11)

Do Shell Script

407

(4)

Osascript

411

(7)

Triggering Scripts Automatically

418

(12)

Digital Hub Scripting

419

(1)

Folder Actions

420

(3)

CGI Application

423

(3)

Timers, Hooks, Attachability, Observability

426

(4)

Writing Applications

430

(95)

Applets

430

(7)

AppleScript Studio

437

(22)

Cocoa Scripting

459

(13)

AppleScript Studio Scriptability

472

(11)

Part IV. Appendixes

A. The AppleScript Experience

483

(25)

B. Apple Events Without AppleScript

508

(8)

C. Tools and Resources

516

(9)

Index

525

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials