1. Fundamentals

   1. Chapter 1 The Workspace

      1. The Project Window
      2. Editing Windows
      3. Adding Functionality
      4. How the Three Editors Relate
      5. Testing Without Building
      6. Online Help
      7. Shortcuts

   2. Chapter 2 The Basic Language

      1. Lines and Commands
      2. Variables and Constants
      3. Subroutines
      4. Regulating Flow
      5. Arrays
      6. Recursion
      7. Comments

   3. Chapter 3 Objects, Classes, and Instances

      1. Messages and Dot Notation
      2. Object Design Philosophy
      3. Classes and Instances
      4. Anatomy of a Class
      5. An Instance Is Born
      6. Referring to Instances
      7. The Truth About Controls
      8. Control Clones and Control Arrays
      9. Being Careful with Instance References
      10. Destruction of Instances

   4. Chapter 4 Class Relationships and Class Features

      1. New Classes and Inheritance
      2. Casting
      3. Overriding
      4. Class Interfaces
      5. Events and New Events
      6. The Class Hierarchy
      7. Global Members
      8. Advanced Class Features
      9. Example Classes

   5. Chapter 5 Datatypes

      1. Booleans
      2. Strings
      3. Numbers
      4. Variants
      5. Collections
      6. Dates
      7. Colors
      8. Memoryblocks
      9. Threads

   6. Chapter 6 Menus

      1. Menu Overview
      2. Editing Menus
      3. Special Menu Items
      4. The Menu-Enabling Moment
      5. Menu Item Functionality
      6. Dynamic Menus
      7. Menu Examples

   7. Chapter 7 The Architecture of an Application

      1. Three Pillars of Zen
      2. The Application Subclass
      3. Order of Events

   8. Chapter 8 Debugging and Building

      1. Compile Errors
      2. Exceptions
      3. The Debugger
      4. Building

2. User Interface

   1. Chapter 9 Windows

      1. Window Types
      2. Opening and Closing, Showing and Hiding
      3. Title, Position, and Size
      4. Events
      5. Drawing in a Window

   2. Chapter 10 Abstract Control Classes

      1. Lifetime Events
      2. Appearance
      3. Position and Size
      4. Mouse Movement Events
      5. Redrawing

   3. Chapter 11 Canvases

      1. Canvas Events, Properties, and Methods
      2. Picture Class
      3. Graphics Class
      4. Backdrop Property
      5. Fun With Graphics Properties
      6. Canvas Graphics Property
      7. Transparency and Icons
      8. Speed
      9. Interaction with Other Objects

   4. Chapter 12 Buttons and Static Texts

      1. PushButton
      2. BevelButton
      3. Placard
      4. LittleArrows
      5. CheckBox
      6. RadioButton and GroupBox
      7. DisclosureTriangle
      8. StaticText
      9. Custom Buttons

   5. Chapter 13 EditFields

      1. Types of EditField
      2. EditField Events, Properties, and Methods
      3. The Focus
      4. Manipulating Text and Styles
      5. Reacting to User Input
      6. Drawing Styled Text
      7. Miscellaneous Tips

   6. Chapter 14 ListBoxes

      1. ListBox Features
      2. ListBox Events, Properties, and Methods
      3. Basic ListBox Techniques
      4. Hierarchical ListBoxes
      5. Other ListBox Features

   7. Chapter 15 Progress Bars, Sliders, and Scrollbars

      1. ProgressBar
      2. Slider
      3. Scrollbar

   8. Chapter 16 Shapes and Decorations

      1. Line
      2. Shapes
      3. Separator
      4. ImageWell
      5. ChasingArrows
      6. PopupArrow

   9. Chapter 17 Menus in Windows

      1. PopupMenu
      2. BevelButton
      3. ContextualMenu
      4. Alternatives

   10. Chapter 18 TabPanels

       1. Preparation
       2. Properties and Events
       3. Usage

   11. Chapter 19 Keyboard

       1. Keyboard Communication
       2. Keyboard Object
       3. UserCancelled

   12. Chapter 20 Mouse and Cursor

       1. Mouse Communication
       2. Polling the Mouse
       3. Balloon Help
       4. Cursor

3. Reaching Out

   1. Chapter 21 Files

      1. Getting a FolderItem
      2. File Types
      3. File Properties and File Actions
      4. Arbitrary Data: Binary Streams
      5. Sequential Data: Text Streams
      6. Resources
      7. Predefined Data Formats

   2. Chapter 22 Databases

      1. Database Files and Classes
      2. Schemas
      3. Displaying Data
      4. Other Data Sources

   3. Chapter 23 Clipboard

      1. Clipboard Class
      2. Usage

   4. Chapter 24 Drag-and-Drop

      1. Beginning a Drag
      2. Receiving a Drop
      3. Finder Drop
      4. Internal Drag-and-Drop
      5. Limitations and Workarounds

   5. Chapter 25 Time

      1. Ticks and Microseconds
      2. Timers
      3. Yielding Time

   6. Chapter 26 Sound

      1. Beep
      2. Sound Object
      3. MIDI Notes

   7. Chapter 27 Movies

      1. Movie Class
      2. MoviePlayer
      3. Movie Usage
      4. Making Movies
      5. Analyzing Movies

   8. Chapter 28 Animation

      1. Configuring the SpriteSurface
      2. Basic Sprite Techniques
      3. Basic Background Techniques
      4. Improving the Classes
      5. Intelligent Sprite Behavior
      6. Responding to Keys
      7. Intelligent Collisions

   9. Chapter 29 Printing

      1. Page Setup
      2. Proceeding To Print
      3. Measurement Problems
      4. Printing Text

   10. Chapter 30 TCP/IP Communications

       1. Socket Properties, Methods, and Events
       2. Client
       3. Server

   11. Chapter 31 Interapplication Communications

       1. Sending Apple Events
       2. Receiving Apple Events
       3. Apple Event Classes, Properties, and Methods
       4. Apple Event Inadequacies
       5. AppleScripts
       6. Shell

   12. Chapter 32 Language Extensions

       1. Direct Toolbox Calls
       2. XCMDs
       3. Shared Libraries
       4. Plug-ins

1. Appendix A Growing an Application

   1. Principles of Approach

   2. An Example Project: Tic-Tac-Toe

   3. Exercises

2. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of REALbasic: The Definitive Guide is a greyhound. Greyhounds were first bred approximately 3,000 years ago in Egypt, making them one of the oldest breeds of domesticated dogs. Mummified greyhounds have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. They were bred as hunting dogs. They hunt by sight, not smell, and have the keenest eyesight of all dogs. Their hunting strategy is to outrun their prey, a task they easily accomplish. Greyhounds are the fastest breed of dog, reaching speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. In recent times, this speed has led to the sport of greyhound racing. Numerous societies promote the adoption of retired racing greyhounds.

The distinctive silhouettes formed by their graceful, virtually fat-free bodies, their even temperaments, and their power and speed have long made greyhounds favorites of royalty. At one time in England it was against the law for "commoners" to own greyhounds. Greyhounds have also made their mark in art and literature. There are references to greyhounds in the Bible and in classical literature from Homer to Shakespeare. Mary Brady was the production editor and Norma Emory was the proofreader for REALbasic: The Definitive Guide. Darren Kelly, Claire Cloutier, and Linley Dolby provided quality control. Kimo Carter provided production support. Matt Neuburg wrote the index.

Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is an original engraving from The Illustrated Natural History: Mammalia. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. The design was implemented by Neil Walls using tools created by Mike Sierra. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary.

Whenever possible, our books use a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds this binding's limit, perfect binding is used.