Book description
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. 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
-
AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
- Preface
- I. AppleScript Overview
-
II. The AppleScript Language
- 5. Introducing AppleScript
- 6. Syntactic Ground of Being
- 7. Variables
- 8. Handlers
- 9. Script Objects
- 10. Objects
- 11. References
- 12. Control
- 13. Datatypes
- 14. Coercions
- 15. Operators
- 16. Global Properties
-
17. Constants
- true, false
- yes, no, ask
- missing value
- null
- plain, bold, italic, outline, shadow, underline, superscript, subscript, strikethrough, small caps, all caps, all lowercase, condensed, expanded, hidden
- case, diacriticals, white space, hyphens, expansion, punctuation
- application responses
- current application
- Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
- January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
- 18. Commands
-
III. AppleScript In Action
- 19. Dictionaries
- 20. Scripting Additions
- 21. Scriptable Applications
- 22. Unscriptable Applications
- 23. Unix
- 24. Writing Applications
- IV. Appendixes
- Index
- Colophon
Product information
- Title: AppleScript: The Definitive Guide
- Author(s):
- Release date: November 2003
- Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
- ISBN: 9780596005573
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