Description
Fully revised and updated--and with more and better examples than ever--this new edition of the top-selling AppleScript: The Definitive Guide shows anyone how to use AppleScript to make your Mac time more efficient and more enjoyable by automating repetitive tasks, customizing applications, and even controlling complex workflows. It's perfect for novices, developers, and everyone in between who wants to know how, where, and why to use AppleScript.
Full Description
Table of Contents
-
AppleScript Overview
-
Chapter 1 Why to Use AppleScript
- The Nature and Purpose of AppleScript
- Is This Application Scriptable?
- Calculation and Repetition
- Reduction
- Customization
- Combining Specialties
-
Chapter 2 Where to Use AppleScript
- Script Editor
- Internally Scriptable Application
- Script Runner
- Automatic Location
- Application
- Unix
- Hyperlinks
- AutomatorworkflowAutomator Automator AppleScriptplaces for usingAutomator
-
Chapter 3 Basic Concepts
- Apple Events
- The Open Scripting Architecture
- Script
- Compiling and Decompiling
- Compiled Script Files
- Script Text File
- Applet and Droplet
- Scripting Addition
- Dictionary
- Missing External Referents
- Modes of Scriptability
-
-
The AppleScript Language
-
Chapter 4 Introducing the Language
- A Little Language
- Extensibility and Its Perils
- The "English-likeness" Monster
- Object-likeness
- LISP-likeness
- The Learning Curve
-
Chapter 5 Syntactic Ground of Being
- Lines
- Result
- Comments
- Abbreviations and Synonyms
- Blocks
- The
-
Chapter 6 A Map of the World
- Scope Blocks
- Levels and Nesting
- The Top Level
- Code and the Run Handler
- Variables
-
Chapter 7 Variables
- Assignment and Retrieval
- Declaration and Definition of Variables
- Variable Names
-
Chapter 8 Script Objects
- Script Object Definition
- Run Handler
- Script Properties
- Script Objects as Values
- Top-Level Entities
- Compiled Script Files as Script Objects
- Inheritance
-
Chapter 9 Handlers
- Handler Definition
- Returned Value
- Handlers as Values
- Parameters
- Pass by Reference
- Syntax of Defining and Calling a Handler
- Event Handlers
- The Run Handler
- Recursion
- Power Handler Tricks
-
Chapter 10 Scope
- Regions of Scope
- Kinds of Variable
- Scope of Top-Level Entities
- Scope of Locals
- Scope of Globals
- Scope of Undeclared Variables
- Declare Your Variables
- Free Variables
- Redeclaration of Variables
- Closures
-
Chapter 11 Objects
- Messages
- Attributes
- Class
- Target
- Get
- It
- Me
- Properties and Elements
- Element Specifiers
- Operations on Multiple References
- Assignment of Multiple Attributes
- Object String Specifier
-
Chapter 12 References
- Reference as Target
- Reference as Incantation
- Creating a Reference
- Identifying References
- Dereferencing a Reference
- Trouble with Contents
- Creating References to Variables
- Reference as Parameter
-
Chapter 13 Datatypes
- Application
- Machine
- Data
- Boolean
- Integer, Real, and Number
- Date
- String
- Unicode Text
- File and Alias
- List
- Record
-
Chapter 14 Coercions
- Implicit Coercion
- Explicit Coercion
- Boolean Coercions
- Number, String, and Date Coercions
- File Coercions
- List Coercions
- Unit Conversions
-
Chapter 15 Operators
- Implicit Coercion
- Arithmetic Operators
- Boolean Operators
- Comparison Operators
- Containment Operators
- Concatenation Operator
- Parentheses
- Who Performs an Operation
-
Chapter 16 Global Properties
- Strings
- Numbers
- Miscellaneous
-
Chapter 17 Constants
-
Chapter 18 Commands
- Application Commands
- Standard Commands
- Logging Commands
-
Chapter 19 Control
- Branching
- Looping
- Tell
- Using Terms From
- With
- Considering/Ignoring
- Errors
- Second-Level Evaluation
-
-
AppleScript In Action
-
Chapter 20 Dictionaries
- Resolution of Terminology
- Terminology Clash
- Nonsensical Apple Events
- Raw Four-Letter Codes
- Multiple-Word Terms
- What's in a Dictionary
- The 'aeutaeut ' Resource
- Inadequacies of the Dictionary
-
Chapter 21 Scripting Additions
- Pros and Cons of Scripting Additions
- Classic Scripting Additions
- Loading Scripting Additions
- Standard Scripting Addition Commands
-
Chapter 22 Speed
- Tools of the Trade
- Apple Events
- List Access
- Scripting Additions
- Context
-
Chapter 23 Scriptable Applications
- Targeting Scriptable Applications
- Some Scriptable Applications
-
Chapter 24 Unscriptable Applications
- Historical Perspective
- Getting Started with Accessibility
- GUI Scripting Examples
-
Chapter 25 Unix
- Do Shell Script
- Osascript
-
Chapter 26 Triggering Scripts Automatically
- Digital Hub Scripting
- Folder Actions
- CGI Application
- Timers, Hooks, Attachability, Observability
-
Chapter 27 Writing Applications
- Applets
- AppleScript Studio
- Cocoa Scripting
- AppleScript Studio Scriptability
-
-
Appendixes
-
Appendix A The AppleScript Experience
- The Problem
- A Day in the Life
- Conclusions, Lessons, and Advice
-
Appendix B Apple Events Without AppleScript
- Pure Raw Apple Events
- JavaScript
- UserTalk
- Perl
- Python
-
Appendix C Tools and Resources
- Scripting Software and Tools
- Scriptable Software
- AppleScript Documentation
- Writing a Scripting Addition
- Writing a Scriptable Application
- Portals, Instruction, and Repositories
- Mailing Lists
- Books
- Unix Scripting
-
-
Colophon
Product Details
- Title:
- AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition
- By:
- Matt Neuburg
- Publisher:
- O'Reilly Media
- Formats:
-
- Ebook
- Safari Books Online
- Print Release:
- January 2006
- Ebook Release:
- June 2009
- Pages:
- 592
- Print ISBN:
- 978-0-596-10211-1
- | ISBN 10:
- 0-596-10211-9
- Ebook ISBN:
- 978-0-596-15973-3
- | ISBN 10:
- 0-596-15973-0
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