AppleScript: The Missing Manual

Appendix A. AppleScript Support in Common Programs

If you’re like most AppleScript fans, you’ll want to have as many scriptable programs on your hard drive as possible. That way, if you want to do some complex task—say, laying out a book—you can use AppleScript to automate the process.

Of course, not every program supports AppleScript. And even among those that do, each supports a different amount of AppleScript automation. If you had to navigate the maze of AppleScript-supporting programs by yourself, you’d quickly go insane.

Don’t worry, though. With this appendix at your side, you can easily check whether a common Mac OS X program supports AppleScript—and, if it doesn’t, which competing programs support AppleScript better.

Databases

Program	Price	Web site	AppleScript support
AppleWorks	$80 (but included for free on iBooks and iMacs)	http://www.apple.com/appleworks/	Decent. Although AppleWorks is great as an all-around text and graphics suite, its AppleScript support is not its strongest suit—especially for the AppleWorks database module. For example, AppleWorks lacks a scripting command for inserting pictures into a database.
FileMaker Pro	$300	http://filemaker.com/products/fm_home.html	Very Good. FileMaker excels at letting everyday users automate their databases with AppleScript. You can incorporate pictures, text, and files into your databases quite easily with FileMaker Pro.

Best choice for AppleScript: FileMaker Pro. If nothing else, FileMaker is simply a newer, more polished ...