In this update of the 2003 edition, the author of other O'Reilly "definitive guides" and a former editor of MacTech Magazine introduces the rationale, concepts, and appropriate use of AppleScript to new users. Covering Mac OS X Tiger, he also shares tips with system administrators, publishing professionals, and other power users. Appendices include an example of developing AppleScript code, information on constructing and sending Apple events without AppleScript, tools and resources. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Mac users everywhere--even those who know nothing about programming--are discovering the value of the latest version of AppleScript, Apple's vastly improved scripting language for Mac OS X Tiger. And with this new edition of the top-selling AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, anyone, regardless of your level of experience, can learn to use AppleScript to make your Mac time more efficient and more enjoyable by automating repetitive tasks, customizing applications, and even controlling complex workflows.
Fully revised and updated--and with more and better examples than ever--AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition explores AppleScript 1.10 from the ground up. You will learn how AppleScript works and how to use it in a variety of contexts: in everyday scripts to process automation, in CGI scripts for developing applications in Cocoa, or in combination with other scripting languages like Perl and Ruby.
AppleScript has shipped with every Mac since System 7 in 1991, and its ease of use and English-friendly dialect are highly appealing to most Mac fans. Novices, developers, and everyone in between who wants to know how, where, and why to use AppleScript will find AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition to be the most complete source on the subject available. It's as perfect for beginners who want to write their first script as it is for experienced users who need a definitive reference close at hand.
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition begins with a relevant and useful AppleScript overview and then gets quickly to the language itself; when you have a good handle on that, you get to see AppleScript in action, and learn how to put it into action for you. An entirely new chapter shows developers how to make your Mac applications scriptable, and how to give them that Mac OS X look and feel with AppleScript Studio. Thorough appendixes deliver additional tools and resources you won't find anywhere else. Reviewed and approved by Apple, this indispensable guide carries the ADC (Apple Developer Connection) logo.
| Preface |
|
xiii | |
|
Part I. AppleScript Overview |
|
|
|
|
|
3 | (11) |
|
The Nature and Purpose of AppleScript |
|
|
3 | (2) |
|
Is This Application Scriptable? |
|
|
5 | (2) |
|
Calculation and Repetition |
|
|
7 | (1) |
|
|
|
8 | (1) |
|
|
|
9 | (2) |
|
|
|
11 | (3) |
|
|
|
14 | (20) |
|
|
|
14 | (4) |
|
Internally Scriptable Application |
|
|
18 | (4) |
|
|
|
22 | (3) |
|
|
|
25 | (1) |
|
|
|
26 | (4) |
|
|
|
30 | (1) |
|
|
|
30 | (2) |
|
|
|
32 | (2) |
|
|
|
34 | (41) |
|
|
|
34 | (9) |
|
The Open Scripting Architecture |
|
|
43 | (6) |
|
|
|
49 | (3) |
|
Compiling and Decompiling |
|
|
52 | (3) |
|
|
|
55 | (3) |
|
|
|
58 | (1) |
|
|
|
59 | (1) |
|
|
|
60 | (1) |
|
|
|
61 | (3) |
|
Missing External Referents |
|
|
64 | (5) |
|
|
|
69 | (6) |
|
Part II. The AppleScript Language |
|
|
|
|
|
75 | (8) |
|
|
|
76 | (1) |
|
Extensibility and Its Perils |
|
|
77 | (1) |
|
The ``English-likeness'' Monster |
|
|
78 | (2) |
|
|
|
80 | (1) |
|
|
|
80 | (1) |
|
|
|
81 | (2) |
|
Syntactic Ground of Being |
|
|
83 | (10) |
|
|
|
83 | (3) |
|
|
|
86 | (2) |
|
|
|
88 | (2) |
|
Abbreviations and Synonyms |
|
|
90 | (1) |
|
|
|
91 | (1) |
|
|
|
92 | (1) |
|
|
|
93 | (8) |
|
|
|
93 | (2) |
|
|
|
95 | (1) |
|
|
|
96 | (1) |
|
|
|
97 | (3) |
|
|
|
100 | (1) |
|
|
|
101 | (8) |
|
|
|
101 | (2) |
|
Declaration and Definition of Variables |
|
|
103 | (2) |
|
|
|
105 | (4) |
|
|
|
109 | (25) |
|
|
|
109 | (1) |
|
|
|
110 | (1) |
|
|
|
111 | (1) |
|
|
|
111 | (2) |
|
|
|
113 | (5) |
|
Compiled Script Files as Script Objects |
|
|
118 | (5) |
|
|
|
123 | (11) |
|
|
|
134 | (22) |
|
|
|
134 | (1) |
|
|
|
135 | (3) |
|
|
|
138 | (1) |
|
|
|
139 | (1) |
|
|
|
140 | (1) |
|
Syntax of Defining and Calling a Handler |
|
|
141 | (5) |
|
|
|
146 | (2) |
|
|
|
148 | (1) |
|
|
|
149 | (2) |
|
|
|
151 | (5) |
|
|
|
156 | (24) |
|
|
|
156 | (1) |
|
|
|
157 | (1) |
|
Scope of Top-Level Entities |
|
|
158 | (3) |
|
|
|
161 | (2) |
|
|
|
163 | (4) |
|
Scope of Undeclared Variables |
|
|
167 | (2) |
|
|
|
169 | (2) |
|
|
|
171 | (1) |
|
Redeclaration of Variables |
|
|
172 | (3) |
|
|
|
175 | (5) |
|
|
|
180 | (28) |
|
|
|
180 | (2) |
|
|
|
182 | (1) |
|
|
|
182 | (1) |
|
|
|
183 | (7) |
|
|
|
190 | (1) |
|
|
|
191 | (2) |
|
|
|
193 | (2) |
|
|
|
195 | (2) |
|
|
|
197 | (7) |
|
Operations on Multiple References |
|
|
204 | (2) |
|
Assignment of Multiple Attributes |
|
|
206 | (1) |
|
|
|
206 | (2) |
|
|
|
208 | (12) |
|
|
|
208 | (1) |
|
|
|
209 | (2) |
|
|
|
211 | (1) |
|
|
|
212 | (1) |
|
Dereferencing a Reference |
|
|
213 | (3) |
|
|
|
216 | (1) |
|
Creating References to Variables |
|
|
217 | (1) |
|
|
|
218 | (2) |
|
|
|
220 | (24) |
|
|
|
220 | (1) |
|
|
|
220 | (1) |
|
|
|
221 | (1) |
|
|
|
221 | (1) |
|
Integer, Real, and Number |
|
|
221 | (1) |
|
|
|
222 | (3) |
|
|
|
225 | (3) |
|
|
|
228 | (3) |
|
|
|
231 | (5) |
|
|
|
236 | (3) |
|
|
|
239 | (5) |
|
|
|
244 | (12) |
|
|
|
244 | (2) |
|
|
|
246 | (2) |
|
|
|
248 | (1) |
|
Number, String, and Date Coercions |
|
|
249 | (2) |
|
|
|
251 | (1) |
|
|
|
252 | (3) |
|
|
|
255 | (1) |
|
|
|
256 | (15) |
|
|
|
256 | (1) |
|
|
|
257 | (2) |
|
|
|
259 | (1) |
|
|
|
260 | (2) |
|
|
|
262 | (3) |
|
|
|
265 | (2) |
|
|
|
267 | (1) |
|
Who Performs an Operation |
|
|
268 | (3) |
|
|
|
271 | (4) |
|
|
|
272 | (1) |
|
|
|
273 | (1) |
|
|
|
274 | (1) |
|
|
|
275 | (3) |
|
|
|
278 | (3) |
|
|
|
278 | (1) |
|
|
|
279 | (1) |
|
|
|
280 | (1) |
|
|
|
281 | (30) |
|
|
|
281 | (2) |
|
|
|
283 | (8) |
|
|
|
291 | (1) |
|
|
|
292 | (3) |
|
|
|
295 | (3) |
|
|
|
298 | (2) |
|
|
|
300 | (7) |
|
|
|
307 | (4) |
|
Part III. AppleScript In Action |
|
|
|
|
|
311 | (48) |
|
Resolution of Terminology |
|
|
312 | (3) |
|
|
|
315 | (8) |
|
|
|
323 | (2) |
|
|
|
325 | (3) |
|
|
|
328 | (1) |
|
|
|
329 | (14) |
|
|
|
343 | (1) |
|
Inadequacies of the Dictionary |
|
|
344 | (15) |
|
|
|
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) |
|
|
|
378 | (8) |
|
|
|
379 | (1) |
|
|
|
379 | (3) |
|
|
|
382 | (1) |
|
|
|
383 | (1) |
|
|
|
384 | (2) |
|
|
|
386 | (15) |
|
Targeting Scriptable Applications |
|
|
386 | (9) |
|
Some Scriptable Applications |
|
|
395 | (6) |
|
Unscriptable Applications |
|
|
401 | (6) |
|
|
|
401 | (2) |
|
Getting Started with Accessibility |
|
|
403 | (2) |
|
|
|
405 | (2) |
|
|
|
407 | (11) |
|
|
|
407 | (4) |
|
|
|
411 | (7) |
|
Triggering Scripts Automatically |
|
|
418 | (12) |
|
|
|
419 | (1) |
|
|
|
420 | (3) |
|
|
|
423 | (3) |
|
Timers, Hooks, Attachability, Observability |
|
|
426 | (4) |
|
|
|
430 | (95) |
|
|
|
430 | (7) |
|
|
|
437 | (22) |
|
|
|
459 | (13) |
|
AppleScript Studio Scriptability |
|
|
472 | (11) |
|
|
|
|
A. The AppleScript Experience |
|
|
483 | (25) |
|
B. Apple Events Without AppleScript |
|
|
508 | (8) |
|
|
|
516 | (9) |
| Index |
|
525 | |
Matt Neuburg started programming computers in 1968, when he was 14 years old, as a member of a literally underground high school club, which met once a week to do time-sharing on a bank of PDP-10s by way of primitive Teletype machines. He also occasionally used Princeton University's IBM-360/67, but gave it up in frustration when one day he dropped his punch cards. He majored in Greek at Swarthmore College and received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1981, writing his doctoral dissertation (about Aeschylus) on a mainframe. He proceeded to teach classical languages, literature, and culture at many well-known institutions of higher learning, most of which now disavow knowledge of his existence, and to publish numerous scholarly articles unlikely to interest anyone. Meanwhile he obtained an Apple IIc and became hopelessly hooked on computers again, migrating to a Macintosh in 1990. He wrote some educational and utility freeware, became an early regular contributor to the online journal TidBITS, and in 1995 left academe to edit MacTech Magazine. In August 1996 he became a freelancer, which means he has been looking for work ever since. He is the author of AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, REALbasic: The Definitive Guide, and Frontier: The Definitive Guide, all from O'Reilly Media, Inc..
