AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Internally Scriptable Application

Some applications implement automation not through AppleScript but by means of some other language (possibly one unique to that application) that effectively operates entirely within that application. Such an application is internally scriptable . But even though such an application does not use AppleScript for its internal scripting, the developers might still wish it to be able to communicate with other applications. That means Apple events, and AppleScript is a convenient way (convenient both for the developers and for the end user) to construct and send Apple events. The internal scripting language can most likely operate on text, so a typical approach is to give

Figure 2-3. Script Debugger in action

Figure 2-4. Explorer view in Script Debugger

it the ability to treat text as AppleScript code (by compiling and running it). Even though you can use AppleScript code in an internally scriptable application, you wouldn't want to develop it there, as there is no provision for editing and testing your code, displaying a target application's dictionary, and so forth. Thus you'll usually develop your code in a script editor application and then copy it into the internally scriptable application.

A good example is the database application FileMaker Pro . It has ...