AppleScript: The Definitive Guide

If you want to know all about AppleScript--the how, where, and why of using it--dig into AppleScript: The Definitive Guide. It doesn't make the mistake that other books do: it isn't about scripting this or that particular application, and it doesn't assume that learning AppleScript is easy or obvious. Instead, the book teaches and documents the language in a clear and rigorous manner, just as you'd expect with any programming or scripting language. AppleScript is a dynamic, object-oriented scripting system that allows Mac users--even novices who know nothing about programming--to directly control Macintosh applications, including the Mac OS itself. You can write scripts to automate repetitive tasks, customize applications, and even control complex workflows. AppleScript has always been useful, but with Mac OS X it's even more so. Nearly every application that comes with Mac OS X is scriptable. Even non-scriptable applications can often be driven with AppleScript, thanks to the new Accessibility API and GUI Scripting technologies. And now AppleScripters can put a true Aqua interface around their scripts! There's never been a more exciting time for AppleScript users. AppleScript: The Definitive Guide 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. You'll also learn how to: interpret dictionary files debug and troubleshoot scripts use AppleScript and the new Script Editor, released as part of the new version of Mac OS X, 10.3 (Panther) Experienced AppleScripters will love having the most definitive, up-to-date AppleScript language reference available. AppleScript: The Definitive Guide is the quintessential guide to this important Mac tool. Regardless of their level of experience, AppleScripters everywhere will turn to this book again and again.

Table of Contents:
Preface Part I. AppleScript Overview 1. Ways to Use AppleScript The Nature and Purpose of AppleScript Is This Application Scriptable? Calculation and Repetition Reduction Customization Combining Specialties 2. Places to Use AppleScript Script Editor Scripting Environment Internally Scriptable Application Script Runner Automatic Location Application Unix 3. The AppleScript Experience The Problem A Day in the Life Conclusions, Lessons, and Advice 4. Basic Concepts Apple Event The Open Scripting Architecture Script Compiling and Decompiling Script Text File Applet and Droplet Scripting Addition Dictionary Scriptable, Recordable, Attachable Part II. The AppleScript Language 5. Introducing AppleScript A "Little Language" Extensibility and Its Perils The "English-likeness" Monster Object-likeness LISP-likeness The Learning Curve 6. Syntactic Ground of Being Lines Result Comments Abbreviations and Synonyms Blocks The 7. Variables Assignment and Retrieval Declaration and Definition of Variables Variable Names Scoping of Variables Script Properties Lifetime of Variables 8. Handlers Returned Value Parameters Syntax of Defining and Calling a Handler Pass By Reference Scoping of Handlers Handlers as Values 9. Script Objects Scoping of Script Objects Top-Level Entities Script Object's Run Handler Handler Calls Script Objects as Values Compiled Script Files as Script Objects Inheritance 10. Objects Class Target Get It Me Properties and Elements Element Specifiers Properties of Multiple References Object String Specifier 11. References References as Incantations Creating a Reference Identifying References Dereferencing a Reference Creating References to Local Variables Reference as Parameter 12. Control Branching Looping Tell Using Terms From With Considering/Ignoring Errors Second-Level Evaluation 13. Datatypes Boolean Integer, Real, and Number Date String Unicode Text Styled Text File Alias Application Machine Data List Record 14. Coercions Implicit Coercion Explicit Coercion Boolean Coercions String, Number and Date Coercions File Coercions List Coercions Unit Conversions 15. Operators Arithmetic Operators Boolean Operators Comparison Operators Containment Operators Concatenation Operator Parentheses Who Performs An Operation 16. Global Properties Strings Numbers Miscellaneous 17. Constants 18. Commands Application Commands Logging Commands Part III. AppleScript In Action 19. Dictionaries Resolution of Terminology Resolution Difficulties What's In a Dictionary The 'aeut' Resource Inadequacies of the Dictionary 20. Scripting Additions Pros and Cons of Scripting Additions Scripting Additions and Speed Classic Scripting Additions Loading Scripting Additions Standard Scripting Addition Commands 21. Scriptable Applications Targeting Scriptable Applications Some Scriptable Applications 22. Unscriptable Applications Getting Started With Accessibility GUI Scripting Examples 23. Unix Do Shell Script Osascript 24. Writing Applications Applets Digital Hub Scripting Fol

About the Author :
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 timesharing 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. He is also the author of Frontier: The Definitive Guide and REALbasic: The Definitive Guide. In August 1996 he became a freelancer, which means he has been looking for work ever since. He is the author of Frontier: The Definitive Guide and REALbasic: The Definitive Guide, both for O'Reilly & Associates.