book

Learn AppleScript: The Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on Mac OS X, Third Edition

Name: Learn AppleScript: The Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on Mac OS X, Third Edition
ISBN: 9781430223610

by Hamish Sanderson, Hanaan Rosenthal

May 2010

Intermediate to advanced

1102 pages

28h 16m

English

Apress

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Copyright
Foreword
About the Authors
About the Technical Reviewer
Acknowledgments
Introduction
If You Have Never Scripted Before...If You Are Already an AppleScript User...If You Are an Experienced Programmer...ResourcesFormatting Conventions Used in This BookErrata
1. Welcome to AppleScript
1. Introducing AppleScript
1.1. Automating with AppleScript: From Small Tasks to Large1.1.1. Automating Small Tasks1.1.2. Automating Large Tasks1.1.3. When to Automate (or Not)?1.2. The Golden Triangle: Scriptable Applications, the AppleScript Language, and the Scripts You Write1.2.1. What Is a Scriptable Application?1.2.1.1. Introducing Objects1.2.1.2. Introducing Commands1.2.2. What Is the AppleScript Language?1.2.3. What Is a Script?1.3. Your First AppleScript: Hello World!1.4. Summary
2. AppleScript in Principle
2.1. The Four Key Concepts of Application Scripting2.1.1. How Applications Represent Information As Objects2.1.2. How Applications Manipulate Objects Using Commands2.1.3. How Applications Organize Their Objects into Object Models2.1.4. How Applications Describe Their Objects and Commands in Dictionaries2.2. The Four Key Concepts of the AppleScript Language2.2.1. How AppleScript Represents Information As Objects2.2.2. How AppleScript Manipulates Objects Using Commands, Operators, and Variables2.2.2.1. Using Commands2.2.2.2. Using Operators2.2.2.3. Using Variables2.2.3. How AppleScript Makes Decisions on What to Do and When to Do It2.2.4. How AppleScript Organizes Code Using Handlers and Script Objects2.3. Tying It All Together: What Makes AppleScript Special2.3.1. The English-like Syntax2.3.2. Built-in Application Scripting Support2.3.3. Attaching Scripts to Applications2.3.4. The AppleScript Community2.4. Summary
3. AppleScript in Practice
3.1. The Project: Tidy Desktop3.2. Planning the Script3.3. Writing the Script3.3.1. Creating the Folder Name3.3.1.1. Getting Today's Date As Text3.3.1.2. Putting the Name Together3.3.2. Interacting with the File System3.3.2.1. Addressing the Finder3.3.2.2. Creating the Archive Folder3.3.2.3. Moving the Files3.4. Final Thoughts3.4.1. Improving Reliability3.4.2. Adding Features3.4.3. Documenting Your Code3.5. Summary

2. Understanding AppleScript
4. Writing Scripts in AppleScript Editor
4.1. Working with Script Windows4.1.1. Compiling a Script4.1.2. Running and Stopping a Script4.1.3. Recording a Script4.1.4. Viewing the Result of Running a Script4.1.5. Viewing the Events Sent by a Running Script4.1.6. Adding a Description to a Script4.2. Viewing Application Dictionaries4.3. Other Useful AppleScript Editor Features4.3.1. Using the Library Window4.3.2. Navigating to a Handler in a Script4.3.3. Viewing the Event Log History4.3.4. Scripting the AppleScript Editor4.3.5. Using Context Menu Scripts4.3.6. Viewing the Bundle Contents Drawer4.3.7. Setting the Script Formatting Preferences4.4. Saving Scripts4.4.1. Text-Based Scripts4.4.2. Compiled Scripts4.4.2.1. Saving Scripts As Run Only4.4.2.2. Saving Scripts As Bundles4.4.3. Script-Based Applications (Applets)4.4.3.1. Droplets4.4.3.2. Stay-Open Applets4.4.3.3. Saving Applets As Run Only4.4.3.4. Customizing the Startup Screen4.5. Other Tools for Writing and Running AppleScripts4.5.1. The System-wide Script Menu4.5.1.1. Where Are the Menu Scripts Stored?4.5.1.2. Adding Your Own Scripts4.5.2. Third-Party AppleScript Editors4.5.2.1. Smile4.5.2.2. Script Debugger4.5.3. Developing GUI Applications4.5.4. Command-Line Tools4.6. Summary
5. Understanding How Application Scripting Works
5.1. A Quick Application Scripting Example5.2. Understanding Objects5.2.1. How Objects Are Categorized by Class5.2.2. Introducing Object Properties5.2.3. Introducing Object Elements5.3. Understanding Commands5.3.1. Introducing Command Names5.3.2. Introducing Command Parameters5.3.3. Commands Must Be Targeted at Objects5.3.4. Commands Can Return Results or Report Errors5.4. Understanding the Application Object Model5.4.1. How Objects Can Contain Other Objects5.4.2. How AppleScript Refers to Application Objects5.4.3. Exploring a Typical Object Model5.5. Understanding Application Dictionaries5.5.1. Introducing AppleScript Editor's Dictionary Viewer5.5.2. How Classes Are Documented5.5.2.1. Viewing the Properties and Elements Defined by a Class5.5.2.2. How Inheritance Describes Features Shared Between Classes5.5.2.3. Class Definitions Can Be Spread Across More than One Suite!5.5.2.4. Browsing the Containment Hierarchy5.5.3. How Commands Are Documented5.5.4. Application Dictionaries Don't Tell You Everything!5.6. More on application Objects5.6.1. Creating application Objects5.6.1.1. Identifying Applications by Name5.6.1.2. Identifying Applications by Path5.6.1.3. Identifying Applications by Bundle ID5.6.1.4. Identifying Applications by Remote URL5.6.2. The Standard Properties of application Objects5.6.3. How AppleScript Compiles tell application... Blocks5.7. More on Constructing References5.7.1. Referring to Properties5.7.2. Referring to Elements5.7.2.1. Identifying All Elements5.7.2.2. Identifying an Element by Its Index, or Position5.7.2.3. Identifying an Element by Its Name5.7.2.4. Identifying an Element by Its Unique ID5.7.2.5. Identifying an Element Before or After Another Element5.7.2.6. Identifying a Range of Elements5.7.2.7. Identifying Elements Using the whose Clause5.7.3. Referring to Insertion Locations5.8. Summary
6. Learning to Work with AppleScript Objects
6.1. How AppleScript Represents Information As Objects6.1.1. What Kinds of Objects Does AppleScript Provide?6.1.2. Creating New Objects6.1.3. Getting Information from Objects6.2. How AppleScript Works with Objects6.2.1. Manipulating Objects with Commands6.2.1.1. Introducing the Five Built-in Commands6.2.1.2. Introducing Scripting Addition Commands6.2.1.3. Introducing User-Defined Commands6.2.2. Manipulating Objects with Operators6.2.2.1. What Makes Operators Special?6.2.2.2. What Kinds of Operators Does AppleScript Provide?6.2.2.2.1. The Concatenation Operator6.2.2.2.2. Math Operators6.2.2.2.3. Comparison Operators6.2.2.2.4. Containment Operators6.2.2.2.5. Boolean Operators6.2.2.2.6. The Coercion Operator6.2.2.2.7. The a reference to Operator6.2.3. Coercing Objects6.2.4. Storing Objects in Variables6.2.4.1. How Are Identifiers Written?6.2.4.2. Where Can Variables Be Used?6.3. Working with Boolean Objects6.3.1. Boolean Operators6.3.1.1. The not Operator6.3.1.2. The and Operator6.3.1.3. The or Operator6.3.1.4. How Boolean Operators Are Evaluated6.3.2. Boolean-Related Coercions6.4. Summary
7. Working with Text
7.1. Introducing Text7.1.1. A Brief History of Text7.1.1.1. When Is Text Not Text?7.1.1.2. Understanding Character Sets7.1.1.3. The Problem with Character Sets7.1.1.4. Unicode to the Rescue!7.1.2. Introducing Text in AppleScript 2.07.2. How to Write Literal Strings in AppleScript7.3. The Properties of Text7.3.1. The class Property7.3.2. The length Property7.3.3. The quoted form Property7.3.4. The id Property7.4. The Elements of Text7.4.1. Characters7.4.2. Words7.4.3. Paragraphs7.4.4. Text Ranges7.5. Operators and Commands7.5.1. Joining Strings7.5.2. Comparing Strings7.5.3. Checking for Strings Within Strings7.5.4. Considering and Ignoring Attributes7.5.5. The count Command7.5.6. The offset Command7.5.7. Coercing to and from Text7.6. Working with Text Item Delimiters7.6.1. Splitting Strings with Text Item Delimiters7.6.2. Combining List Items into a Single String7.6.3. Finding and Replacing Text7.7. How AppleScript Text Works in Tiger7.7.1. The Many Different Classes of Text7.7.2. Working with the Various Text Classes7.7.3. The ASCII number and ASCII character Commands7.8. Example Projects7.8.1. Defining a Find-and-Replace Command7.8.2. Transferring Meeting Arrangements from Mail to iCal7.8.2.1. Getting the Message from Mail7.8.2.2. Parsing the Message Text7.8.2.3. Creating the Event in iCal7.9. Summary
8. Working with Numbers
8.1. Introducing Integers and Reals8.2. Operators and Commands8.2.1. Math Operations8.2.1.1. Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, and Dividing Numbers8.2.1.2. Negating Numbers8.2.1.3. Calculating the Integral and Remainder8.2.1.4. Using the Exponent Operator8.2.2. Comparison Operations8.2.2.1. Comparing Reals Can Be Trickier Than You Think8.2.2.2. Performing Multiple Comparisons8.2.3. Introducing Operator Precedence8.2.4. The round Command8.2.4.1. Rounding Up8.2.4.2. Rounding Down8.2.4.3. Rounding Toward Zero8.2.4.4. Rounding to Nearest8.2.4.5. Rounding As Taught in School8.2.5. The random number Command8.2.5.1. Random Number Result8.2.5.2. Parameters8.2.6. Coercing to and from Numbers8.3. Example Projects8.3.1. Defining a Round-to-Decimal-Places Command8.3.2. Blackjack!8.3.3. Kitchen Timer8.4. Summary
9. Working with Dates
9.1. Introducing Dates9.1.1. Understanding Date and Time Formats9.1.2. Forming Dates On-the-Fly9.1.3. Specifying a Time Relative to a Date9.2. The Properties of Dates9.2.1. The class Property9.2.2. The year Property9.2.3. The month Property9.2.4. The day Property9.2.5. The weekday Property9.2.6. The hours Property9.2.7. The minutes Property9.2.8. The seconds Property9.2.9. The time Property9.2.10. The date string Property9.2.11. The short date string Property9.2.12. The time string Property9.2.13. Setting Date Properties9.3. Operators and Commands9.3.1. Comparison Operators9.3.2. Math Operators9.3.2.1. Some Useful Constants9.3.2.2. Calculating Time Differences9.3.3. The current date Command9.3.4. The time to GMT Command9.4. Example Projects9.4.1. Deleting Old Files9.4.1.1. Creating the Script9.4.1.2. Adding the User Interaction Portion9.4.2. Alarm Clock9.5. Summary
10. Working with Lists and Records
10.1. Introducing Lists and Records10.1.1. What Is a List?10.1.2. What Is a Record?10.1.3. How Are Lists and Records Used in Scripts?10.2. Working with Lists10.2.1. The Properties of a List10.2.1.1. The class Property10.2.1.2. The length Property10.2.1.3. The rest Property10.2.1.4. The reverse Property10.2.2. The Elements of a List10.2.2.1. Getting Items10.2.2.2. Setting Items10.2.2.3. Adding Items10.2.2.4. "Removing" Items10.2.3. Operators and Commands10.2.3.1. Concatenating Lists10.2.3.2. Comparing Lists10.2.3.3. Checking for Sublists10.2.3.3.1. The starts with Operator10.2.3.3.2. The ends with Operator10.2.3.3.3. The contains Operator10.2.3.3.4. The is in Operator10.2.3.3.5. More Uses for Containment Operators10.2.3.4. Counting Lists10.2.3.5. Coercing to and from Lists10.2.4. Processing List Items with a Repeat Loop10.2.5. Sorting Items in a List10.3. Working with Records10.3.1. Getting and Setting the Properties of a Record10.3.2. Operators and Commands10.3.2.1. Concatenating Records10.3.2.2. Comparing Records10.3.2.3. Checking for Subrecords10.3.2.4. Coercing from Records10.3.2.5. Counting Records10.4. Example Project: Measuring Word Frequency in TextEdit10.4.1. Planning the Script10.4.2. Developing the Script10.4.3. Conclusion10.5. Summary
11. Storing Objects in Variables
11.1. Creating Variables11.1.1. Declaring Your Variables11.1.2. Choosing Your Variable Names11.1.2.1. When Keywords and Identifiers Conflict11.1.2.2. Tips for Avoiding Problems with Variable Names11.1.2.3. Follow Good Naming Practices11.1.2.4. Break All the Rules!11.2. Working with Local Variables11.2.1. Understanding Local Variable Scope11.2.2. Passing Values to and from User-Defined Handlers11.3. Working with Properties and Global Variables11.3.1. Understanding Property and Global Variable Scope11.3.2. How Properties (and Global Variables) Can Retain Values Between Runs11.3.3. When to Use Properties and Global Variables11.3.3.1. Managing User Preferences11.3.3.2. Enabling Debugging Code11.3.3.3. Clarifying the Meaning of Important Hard-Coded Values11.3.3.4. Importing Script Libraries11.4. Using AppleScript's Built-in Variables11.4.1. Variables Containing Predefined Values11.4.1.1. The return, linefeed, space, tab, and quote Variables11.4.1.2. The weeks, days, hours, and minutes Variables11.4.1.3. The pi Variable11.4.2. Variables Containing Objects of Special Interest11.4.2.1. The it Variable11.4.2.2. The me Variable11.4.2.3. The result Variable11.5. Summary
12. More on Commands
12.1. Understanding How and Where Commands Are Defined12.1.1. Application-Defined Commands12.1.2. Scripting Addition Commands12.1.3. AppleScript Commands12.1.4. User-Defined Commands12.2. Picking the Right Target for Your Commands12.3. The Five Standard AppleScript Commands12.3.1. The get Command12.3.2. The set Command12.3.3. The copy Command12.3.4. The count Command12.3.5. The run Command12.4. Commands That All Applications Understand12.4.1. The run Command12.4.2. The launch Command12.4.3. The open Command12.4.4. The activate Command12.4.5. The quit Command12.5. The Standard Suite of Application Commands12.5.1. The get Command12.5.2. The set Command12.5.3. The make Command12.5.4. The exists Command12.5.5. The count Command12.5.6. The move Command12.5.7. The duplicate Command12.5.8. The delete Command12.5.9. The print Command12.5.10. The save Command12.5.11. The close Command12.6. More on Working with get, set, and copy Commands12.6.1. When Do Implicit get Commands Occur?12.6.2. When Are Explicit get Commands Necessary?12.6.3. Telling the Difference Between AppleScript and Application set Commands12.6.4. Getting and Setting Multiple Values in a Single Statement12.6.5. Using copy As an Application Command12.7. Changing How Commands Are Handled12.7.1. Considering and Ignoring Application Responses12.7.2. Considering and Ignoring Other Attributes12.7.3. Controlling the Timeout Delay for Long-Running Commands12.8. Sending Commands to Remote Applications12.8.1. Enabling Remote Apple Events12.8.2. Talking to Remote Machines12.8.3. Authenticating Access to Remote Machines12.8.4. Compiling Scripts Offline12.8.5. Using the choose remote application Command12.8.6. Targeting Remote Applications by User and Process IDs12.8.7. Launching Remote Applications12.9. Summary
13. More on Operators and Coercions
13.1. Understanding the a reference to Operator13.2. Introducing Unit Type Conversions13.3. A Summary of AppleScript Coercions13.3.1. Coercing Class and Constant Names13.3.2. Coercing Numbers and Text13.3.3. Coercing File Objects13.3.4. Coercing Lists13.4. A Summary of AppleScript Operators13.4.1. Boolean Logic Operators13.4.2. The Concatenation Operator13.4.3. Math Operators13.4.4. Comparison Operators13.4.5. Containment Operators13.4.6. The Coercion Operator13.4.7. The a reference to Operator13.5. Operator Precedence in Detail13.5.1. Understanding Precedence13.5.2. Understanding Forms of Association13.5.3. Understanding when You Should Use Parentheses13.6. Summary
14. Making Decisions Using Conditionals and Loops
14.1. Choosing Your Course with Conditional Blocks14.1.1. Understanding the Basic Conditional Statement14.1.2. The Different Flavors of Conditional Statements14.1.3. Offering an Alternative Ending with the else Clause14.1.4. Offering Multiple Choices with else if Clauses14.1.5. Tips for Writing Conditional Statements14.1.5.1. Using a Condition in a Single Line14.1.5.2. Avoiding Unneeded Conditional Statements14.1.5.3. Is It True?14.1.5.4. Testing a Value Against Multiple Options14.2. Running an Assembly Line with Repeat Loops14.2.1. The Different Flavors of Repeat Loops14.2.2. Repeating Forever14.2.3. Repeating n Times14.2.4. Repeating with Numbers in a Range14.2.5. Repeating with Items in a List14.2.6. Repeating While/Until a Condition Is Met14.2.7. Tips for Writing Repeat Statements14.2.7.1. Using Loops to Avoid Repetition14.2.7.2. Naming Loop Variables14.2.7.3. Choosing the Right Loop for the Job14.2.7.4. Avoid Looping when Possible14.3. Summary
15. Making Decisions When Dealing with Errors
15.1. Understanding Compilation Errors15.1.1. Simple Typos15.1.2. Unbalanced Statements15.1.3. Unbalanced Parentheses and Unescaped Quotes15.1.4. Unrecognized Keywords15.1.5. Reserved Word Mishaps15.1.6. Invalid Date Literals15.2. Understanding Runtime Errors15.2.1. How Runtime Errors Work in AppleScript15.2.2. Understanding the Psychology of an Error15.2.3. Understanding the Anatomy of an Error15.2.4. Trapping Runtime Errors15.2.4.1. Using the try Block15.2.4.2. Using the Full try Statement15.2.4.3. Knowing What to Do in Case of an Error15.2.4.4. Putting Error Numbers to Use15.2.4.4.1. Testing For Multiple Error Numbers15.2.4.4.2. Nesting try Handlers15.2.5. Generating Runtime Errors15.2.6. Tips for Handling Runtime Errors15.2.6.1. Being Careful Not to Trap Too Much15.2.6.2. Providing More Detailed Error Messages15.2.6.3. Using a Scriptwide try Statement15.2.6.4. Logging Errors to a File15.3. Understanding Common Error Numbers15.3.1. Identifying Operating System Errors15.3.2. Identifying Apple Event Errors15.3.3. Identifying Application Scripting Errors15.3.4. Identifying AppleScript Language Errors15.4. Summary
16. Interacting with the User
16.1. Creating Basic Dialog Boxes and Gathering Text Input16.1.1. Introducing the display dialog Command16.1.1.1. From the Dictionary: display dialog16.1.1.2. From the Dictionary: dialog reply16.1.1.3. Using the Basic Form of the Command16.1.1.4. Dealing with the Erroneous Cancel Button16.1.1.5. Creating Custom Buttons16.1.1.6. Specifying a Default Button16.1.1.7. Specifying a Cancel Button16.1.1.8. Adding a Title16.1.1.9. Showing Icons in Dialog Boxes16.1.1.10. Using an Icon File in a Dialog Box16.1.1.11. Getting Text Input from the User16.1.1.12. Creating Password Dialog Boxes16.1.1.13. Dismissing Dialogs Automatically16.1.1.14. Validating User-Entered Text16.1.2. Introducing the display alert Command16.1.2.1. From the Dictionary: display alert16.1.2.2. Using the Basic Form of the Command16.1.2.3. Using the message Parameter16.1.2.4. Using the as Parameter16.1.2.5. Setting the Button Behavior16.1.3. Introducing the choose from list Command16.1.3.1. From the Dictionary: choose from list16.1.3.2. Getting the Results of the Command16.1.3.3. Using the Basic Command16.1.3.4. Creating a Custom Prompt16.1.3.5. Adding a Title16.1.3.6. Setting the Default Selection16.1.3.7. Restricting the Selection16.1.3.8. Customizing Buttons16.2. Choosing Files, Folders, and Disks16.2.1. Introducing the choose file Command16.2.1.1. From the Dictionary: choose file16.2.1.2. Getting the Results of the Command16.2.1.3. Figuring Out When to Use the Command16.2.1.4. Using the Basic Command16.2.1.5. Creating a Custom Prompt16.2.1.6. Restricting to Specific File Types16.2.1.7. Setting the Default Location16.2.1.8. Picking Invisibles16.2.1.9. Allowing Multiple Selections16.2.1.10. Showing Package Contents16.2.2. Introducing the choose file name Command16.2.2.1. From the Dictionary: choose file name16.2.2.2. choose file name vs. choose file16.2.2.3. Figuring Out When to Use the Command16.2.2.4. Getting the Results of the Command16.2.2.5. Using the Basic Command16.2.2.6. Creating a Custom Prompt16.2.2.7. Setting a Default Name and Location16.2.2.8. Replacing an Existing File16.2.2.9. Seeing an Example in Action16.2.3. Introducing the choose folder Command16.2.3.1. From the Dictionary: choose folder16.2.3.2. Using the Command16.2.3.3. Figuring Out When to Use the Command16.2.3.4. Setting the Parameters16.2.3.5. Choosing a Folder Once16.3. Choosing Other Types of Items16.3.1. Introducing the choose application Command16.3.1.1. From the Dictionary: choose application16.3.1.2. Using the Command16.3.2. Introducing the choose remote application Command16.3.2.1. From the Dictionary: choose remote application16.3.2.2. Using the Command16.3.3. Introducing the choose URL Command16.3.3.1. From the Dictionary: choose URL16.3.3.2. Using the Command16.3.4. Introducing the choose color Command16.3.4.1. From the Dictionary: choose color16.3.4.2. Getting the Results of the Command16.3.4.3. Figuring Out When to Use the Command16.3.4.4. Using the Basic Command and Using It with Parameters16.4. Summary
17. Working with Files
17.1. Identifying Files, Folders, and Disks17.1.1. Using Path Strings17.1.1.1. Let's start with an example of an HFS path: Understanding HFS Paths17.1.1.2. Understanding POSIX Paths17.1.2. Using File System Objects17.1.2.1. Understanding Alias Objects17.1.2.1.1. How Aliases Work17.1.2.1.2. Using Aliases to Keep Track of File System Items17.1.2.1.3. Converting to and from Alias Objects17.1.2.2. Understanding File "Objects"17.1.2.2.1. How Files (Really) Work17.1.2.2.2. Converting to and from File References17.1.2.3. Understanding POSIX File Objects17.1.2.3.1. How POSIX Files Work17.1.2.3.2. Converting to and from POSIX File Objects17.1.3. File URL Strings17.2. Reading and Writing Files17.2.1. Commands for Reading and Writing Files17.2.1.1. Reading Files17.2.1.1.1. From the Dictionary17.2.1.1.2. Using the read Command17.2.1.2. Opening and Closing Access to Files17.2.1.2.1. From the Dictionary17.2.1.2.2. Opening a File for Reading or Writing17.2.1.2.3. The open for access Result17.2.1.3. Read Command Parameters17.2.1.3.1. Reading Different Kinds of Data17.2.1.3.2. Using a Delimiter to Read Text into a List17.2.1.3.3. Reading a Specific Number of Bytes17.2.1.3.4. The from and to Parameters17.2.1.3.5. The before and until Parameters17.2.1.3.6. Using the open for access and read Commands Together17.2.1.4. Working with the End-of-File (EOF) Commands17.2.1.4.1. From the Dictionary17.2.1.4.2. Getting a File's EOF17.2.1.4.3. Setting a File's EOF17.2.1.5. Writing Files17.2.1.5.1. From the Dictionary17.2.1.5.2. Using the write Command17.2.1.5.3. How Much to Write and Where to Start17.2.1.5.4. Useful File Writing Handlers17.2.1.5.5. Using the write Command to Create a Script Log17.2.1.5.6. Saving and Loading AppleScript Lists and Records17.2.2. Dealing with Text File Encodings17.2.2.1. About ASCII, MacRoman, and Unicode Character Sets17.2.2.2. Reading and Writing Text Files in Different Encodings17.2.2.2.1. Reading and Writing UTF-8 Encoded Files17.2.2.2.2. Reading and Writing UTF-16 Encoded Files17.2.2.2.3. Reading and Writing Files in Other Encodings17.2.2.3. What Happens if the Wrong Encoding is Used?17.2.2.4. A Summary of Common Text File Encodings17.2.2.5. Further Reading on Text Encodings17.3. Summary
18. Organizing Your Code with Handlers
18.1. What Are User-Defined Handlers?18.2. Creating a Simple Handler18.3. Using Parameters18.4. What's the Result?18.4.1. Using the return Statement18.4.2. Working with Return Values18.4.3. Can a Handler Return More Than One Result?18.5. Specifying Handler Parameters18.5.1. Using Positional Parameters18.5.1.1. Definition for Positional Parameter Handlers18.5.1.2. Defining and Calling Positional Parameter Handlers18.5.1.3. Adding Parameters18.5.2. Using Labeled Parameters18.5.2.1. Definition for Positional Parameter Handlers18.5.2.2. Using Predefined Parameter Labels18.5.2.3. Making Up Your Own Labels18.5.2.4. Calling Handlers with Boolean Parameters18.6. Introducing Recursion18.7. Using the run Handler in Scripts18.7.1. I've Never Seen No run Handler!18.7.2. When Should You Make the run Handler Explicit?18.8. Working with Handlers in Applets18.8.1. Using the Standard Event Handlers18.8.1.1. The run Event Handler18.8.1.2. The open Event Handler18.8.1.3. The reopen Event Handler18.8.1.4. The quit Event Handler18.8.1.5. The idle Event Handler18.8.2. Using User-Defined Handlers from Other Scripts18.9. Tips for Designing and Using Handlers18.9.1. Organizing Code18.9.2. Reusing Code18.9.3. Thinking Ahead18.9.4. Thinking Small18.9.5. Reorganizing Existing Code18.10. Example Project: A Reusable Associative List18.10.1. Designing the Associative List18.10.2. Writing the Essential Handlers18.10.3. Writing the Extra Handlers18.10.4. Revising the Design18.10.5. Conclusion18.11. Summary
19. Organizing Your Code with Script Objects
19.1. Introducing Script Objects19.1.1. What Is a Script Library?19.1.2. What Is Object-Oriented Programming?19.2. Understanding Script Objects19.2.1. Defining a Script Object in a Script19.2.2. Loading and Storing Script Objects from Disk19.2.3. How Variable Scope Works in Script Objects19.3. Working with Script Libraries19.3.1. What Advantages Do Script Libraries Provide?19.3.2. Creating Your First Script Library19.3.3. Where Should You Save Your Library?19.3.4. What Are the Options for Loading Script Libraries?19.3.4.1. Using the load script Command19.3.4.2. Using AppleMods Loader19.4. Beginning Object-Oriented Programming19.4.1. Your First Object: A Better Associative List19.4.1.1. Planning the Conversion19.4.1.2. Converting the make_associative_list Handler19.4.1.3. Repackaging the Remaining Handlers19.4.1.4. Using the Object-Oriented Associative List19.4.2. Extending Objects Through Inheritance19.4.2.1. A Quick Reminder of General Inheritance Concepts19.4.2.2. How Inheritance Works with Script Objects19.4.2.3. Implementing Case-Insensitive and Case-Sensitive Associative Lists19.4.2.4. Testing the New Associative List Objects19.4.3. Creating Plug-and-Play Objects19.4.3.1. Planning the Logging System19.4.3.2. Designing the LogBase Object19.4.3.3. Defining the Concrete Log Objects19.4.3.4. Testing the Finished Logging System19.4.3.5. Conclusion19.5. Summary
3. Putting AppleScript to Work
20. Scripting the File System
20.1. How the Finder Represents the Mac OS X File System20.1.1. Understanding Containers20.1.2. Understanding Files20.1.3. Understanding Packages20.1.4. Understanding the computer-object Class20.2. How System Events Represents the Mac OS X File System20.2.1. Understanding Files20.2.2. Understanding Folders20.2.3. Understanding Disks20.2.4. Understanding System Events' alias Class20.2.5. Other Classes of Interest20.2.5.1. The user Class20.2.5.2. The domain Class20.2.5.3. The login item Class20.3. Working with Finder Items20.3.1. Opening and Closing Items20.3.2. Duplicating Files and Folders20.3.3. Deleting Files and Folders20.3.4. Moving Files and Folders20.3.5. Checking if Items Exist20.3.6. Making New Items20.3.7. Sorting Lists of Finder References20.3.8. Ejecting Disks20.3.9. Selecting Items in a Finder Window20.3.10. Converting Finder References to AppleScript Aliases20.4. More on Working with Folders20.4.1. Filtering the Content of Folders20.4.2. Getting the Entire Contents of a Folder20.5. Locating Important Files and Folders with Standard Additions20.5.1. Avoiding Hardcoded Paths to the Startup Disk and Home Folder20.5.2. Getting the Path to the Currently Running Script20.5.3. Getting Paths to Resources in an Application Bundle20.6. Mounting Volumes20.7. Summary
21. Scripting Apple Applications
21.1. Scripting iTunes21.1.1. Understanding the iTunes Object Model21.1.2. Working with Sources21.1.3. Working with Tracks and Playlists21.1.4. Example Project: My Themed Playlist21.1.4.1. Gathering the User Input21.1.4.2. Preparing the Playlist21.1.4.3. Adding the Tracks to the Playlist21.2. Scripting Mail21.2.1. Working with Mailboxes21.2.2. Working with Messages21.2.3. Creating Outgoing Messages21.2.4. Working with Mail Rules21.2.5. Example Project: Building a Monthly Message Archive21.2.5.1. Preparing to Write the Script21.2.5.2. Creating the Sub-Mailboxes21.2.5.3. Putting It All Together21.3. Scripting iCal21.3.1. Working with Calendars21.3.2. Working with Events21.4. Scripting Address Book21.4.1. Working with People21.4.2. Working with Groups21.4.3. Working with Rollovers21.4.4. Example Project: Looking Up Contact Information by Name21.5. Scripting Automator21.5.1. Using the Run AppleScript Action21.5.1.1. Understanding the Action's Input and Output21.5.1.2. Understanding the Action's Parameters21.5.1.3. Filtering Files with Run AppleScript21.5.2. Scripting the Automator Application21.6. Summary
22. Extending AppleScript with Scripting Additions
22.1. Introducing Scripting Additions and Scriptable Faceless Background Applications22.2. Scripting Additions in Detail22.2.1. Scripting Additions and the AppleScript Language22.2.2. Installing Scripting Additions22.2.3. Missing Additions and Garbled Scripts22.2.4. Distributing Scripting Additions with Your Scripts22.2.4.1. Embedding Scripting Additions Within a Script Application22.2.4.2. Using the Mac OS X Installer to Install Your Script and Scripting Additions22.2.5. Understanding Scripting Addition Compatibility Issues22.2.5.1. Caution: Mac OS 9 Scripting Additions Don't Work on Mac OS X22.2.5.2. Using PowerPC-Only Scripting Additions on Intel-Based Macs22.2.5.3. Using 32-Bit-Only Scripting Additions on 64-Bit Macs22.2.5.4. Working Around Scripting Addition Limitations22.3. Understanding Scriptable Faceless Background Applications22.3.1. Installing Scriptable FBAs22.3.2. Distributing Scriptable FBAs with Your Scripts22.4. Examples of AppleScript Extensions22.4.1. Built-in Extensions22.4.2. Third-Party Extensions22.5. Using the Standard Additions Scripting Addition22.5.1. Providing Audio Feedback22.5.1.1. The beep Command22.5.1.2. The say Command22.5.2. Pausing Your Scripts22.5.2.1. The delay Command22.5.3. Getting and Setting the System Volume22.5.3.1. The get volume settings Command22.5.3.2. The set volume Command22.5.4. Getting System Information22.5.4.1. The system attribute Command22.5.4.2. The system info Command22.5.5. Working with URLs22.5.5.1. The open location Command22.5.5.2. Coercing URLs22.6. Using the Image Events Faceless Background Application22.7. Processing Text with the Satimage Scripting Addition22.7.1. Downloading and Installing the Satimage Scripting Addition22.7.2. Performing Simple Find and Replace Tasks22.7.3. Counting Occurrences of a Substring in a String22.7.4. Finding and Replacing Substrings in a File22.7.5. Searching and Replacing Across Many Files22.7.6. Finding and Replacing Text with Regular Expressions22.7.6.1. A Brief Background on Regular Expressions22.7.6.2. Using Satimage Regular Expression Commands22.7.7. Batch-Changing File Names22.8. Summary
23. AppleScript Amenities
23.1. Using the Services Menu23.1.1. AppleScript Editor Services23.1.2. Creating Your Own Services23.2. Scheduling Scripts with iCal23.3. Triggering Scripts with Folder Actions23.3.1. Defining Event Handlers for Folder Actions23.3.2. Where Are Folder Action Scripts Stored?23.3.3. Managing Your Folder Actions23.3.3.1. Using the Folder Actions Setup Utility23.3.3.2. Using Scripts23.3.4. Creating Your First Folder Action23.3.4.1. Create Your Folder Action Script23.3.4.2. Save Your Script23.3.4.3. Create Your Hot Folder23.3.4.4. Activate the Folder Actions Setup Utility23.3.4.5. Attach the Folder Action Script to the Folder23.3.4.6. Test Your Folder Action23.4. Controlling Applications with GUI Scripting23.4.1. Enabling GUI Scripting23.4.2. The GUI Scripting Dictionary23.4.3. GUI Scripting Object Structure23.4.4. Basic GUI Scripting Examples23.4.5. Using GUI Scripting Commands23.4.5.1. The click Command23.4.5.2. The keystroke Command23.4.5.3. The key code Command23.4.6. Example Project: Searching in Preview23.4.6.1. Introducing PreFab UI Browser23.4.6.2. Beginning the Script23.4.6.3. Performing the Search23.4.6.4. Getting Data from the Search Table23.4.7. Understanding the Limitations of GUI Scripting23.5. Working with the Clipboard23.5.1. Getting Clipboard Data into AppleScript23.5.1.1. Understanding How the Mac Clipboard Works23.5.1.2. Finding Out What's on the Clipboard23.5.1.3. Getting Specific Types of Data from the Clipboard23.5.2. Setting the Clipboard Data23.5.2.1. Using the cut, copy, and paste Commands in Applications23.5.2.2. Using the set the clipboard to Command23.5.2.3. Using GUI Scripting23.5.3. Example Project: Creating PDF Cuttings from Selections in Preview23.6. Summary
24. Scripting iWork and Office
24.1. Scripting iWork24.1.1. Scripting Pages24.1.1.1. Creating a New Document24.1.1.2. Working with a Document's Paragraphs24.1.1.3. Adding Headers and Footers to a Document24.1.1.4. Drawing Shapes in Pages24.1.1.5. Adding Tables and Charts24.1.1.6. Tips for Scripting Pages24.1.2. Scripting Keynote24.1.2.1. Creating a Slideshow24.1.2.2. Choosing a Theme24.1.2.3. Filling Slides with Content24.1.2.4. Working with Transitions24.1.2.5. Scripting an Advanced Screen Reader24.1.2.6. Tips for Scripting Keynote24.1.3. Scripting Numbers24.1.3.1. Creating Sheets and Tables24.1.3.2. Working with Cells24.2. Scripting Microsoft Office24.2.1. Working with Microsoft Entourage24.2.1.1. Disable the Security Warning24.2.1.2. Creating Messages24.2.1.3. Some Shortcuts24.2.1.4. Working with Contacts24.2.1.4.1. Creating Contacts24.2.1.4.2. Selecting and Changing Multiple Contacts24.2.1.4.3. Setting Categories24.2.1.4.4. Creating Calendar Events24.2.1.4.5. Extracting Information from a Whole Lot of Messages in a Folder24.2.2. Working with Excel24.2.2.1. Creating Workbooks and Worksheets24.2.2.2. Working with Ranges24.2.2.3. Creating Charts24.2.3. Working with Word24.2.3.1. Creating a Word Document24.2.3.2. Working with Selected Text24.2.4. Where Next?24.3. Summary
25. Scripting Data and Databases
25.1. Automating FileMaker Pro with AppleScript25.1.1. The FileMaker Object Model and the Commands You Can Use25.1.1.1. The database Class25.1.1.2. The window Class25.1.1.3. The table Class25.1.1.4. The layout Class25.1.1.5. The record, field, and cell Classes25.1.2. Finding Data Quickly with the whose Clause25.1.2.1. Using the whose Clause to Retrieve Relational Data25.1.2.2. Using the find Command25.1.3. Running AppleScripts from Inside FileMaker Pro25.2. Scripting Runtime Labs' MacSQL25.2.1. Getting Connected25.2.2. Using a Simple select Command25.2.3. More on Result Sets25.2.4. Some Useful Handlers25.3. Database Events25.3.1. Database Events Classes and Commands25.3.2. Database Events Examples25.4. Summary
26. Scripting Adobe InDesign
26.1. Learning by Example26.2. Understanding the InDesign Object Model26.2.1. How InDesign Organizes Its Many Properties26.2.2. How InDesign Manages Units of Measurement26.2.3. How to Set Properties Safely when Making New Objects26.3. Working with Documents26.3.1. Working with Document Layers26.3.2. Understanding InDesign References26.4. Working with Text26.4.1. Working with Text Stories26.4.2. Working with References to Text26.5. Working with Graphics26.6. Drawing Lines26.7. Example Project: An InDesign Scripts Launcher26.8. Working with Tables26.8.1. Importing Table Text from a Spreadsheet26.8.2. Copying Formatting Between Cells26.9. Working with Selections26.9.1. Example Project: Captioning a Selected Graphic26.9.2. Example Project: Cleaning Up Selected Text26.10. Labeling Objects for Use in Workflow Scripts26.11. Taking Advantage of AppleScript-Specific Preferences26.12. Example Project: Replacing Tags with Images26.12.1. Preparing InDesign26.12.2. Processing the Tags26.12.3. Preparing the Image Files26.12.4. Placing the Graphics26.12.5. Testing the Script26.13. Using InDesign on a Server26.14. Summary
27. Interacting with the Unix Command Line
27.1. Why and When Are Shell Scripts Used in AppleScript?27.2. Understanding Unix Scripting Concepts27.2.1. The Unix Command Line and Mac Desktop Compared27.2.2. How the Unix Command Line Works27.2.2.1. The Shell27.2.2.2. Commands27.2.2.3. Pipes27.2.2.4. Other Redirections27.2.3. Getting Help27.2.3.1. Built-in Help27.2.3.2. Other Sources of Help27.2.4. Things to Watch Out For27.2.4.1. Data in Unix Is "Dumb"27.2.4.2. Unix Doesn't Know About Different Character Sets27.2.4.3. Unix Understands POSIX File Paths Only27.2.4.4. Watch Where You Use Spaces and Other Special Characters!27.2.4.5. Unix Assumes You Know What You're Doing27.2.5. Some Useful Unix Commands27.3. Running Shell Scripts from AppleScript27.3.1. Scripting the Terminal Application27.3.1.1. Understanding Terminal's Object Model27.3.1.2. Using the do script Command27.3.1.3. A Simple do script Example27.3.1.4. Limitations of the do script Command27.3.2. Using the do shell script Command27.3.2.1. From the Dictionary27.3.2.2. Understanding the do shell script Command's Parameters27.3.2.2.1. The Direct Parameter27.3.2.2.2. The as Parameter27.3.2.2.3. The administrator privileges Parameter27.3.2.2.4. The user name and password Parameters27.3.2.2.5. The altering line endings Parameter27.3.2.3. How do shell script Deals with Unicode27.3.2.4. A Simple do shell script Example27.3.2.5. Limitations of the do shell script Command27.3.2.5.1. No User Interaction27.3.2.5.2. Performance Overheads27.3.2.5.3. Can't Directly Supply Data to Standard Input27.3.3. Assembling Shell Script Strings27.3.3.1. Unix File Paths27.3.3.2. Quoting Arguments27.3.3.3. Absolute Paths, Relative Paths, and the Working Directory27.3.4. Passing Data to Standard Input27.3.4.1. Using echo27.3.4.2. Using Temporary Files27.3.4.2.1. Creating the Temporary File27.3.4.2.2. Writing the Temporary File27.3.4.2.3. Redirecting the Shell Script27.4. Running AppleScript from Shell Scripts27.4.1. Using the osascript Command27.4.2. Passing Parameters to the Script27.4.3. Other Related Commands27.5. Example Projects27.5.1. Simple Text Processing Handlers27.5.1.1. Encoding URLs27.5.1.2. Changing Case27.5.2. Changing File System Permissions27.5.3. Analyzing PDF Files27.6. Summary
28. Using Smile: The AppleScript Integrated Production Environment
28.1. Introducing Smile28.1.1. Introducing Smile's Integrated Engine Architecture28.1.2. About Smile's Terminal28.1.3. Why Should You Use Smile?28.2. Downloading Smile28.3. Using Smile28.3.1. Using the AppleScript Command-Line Environment28.3.2. Using Smile's Custom Dialog Boxes28.3.2.1. Creating the Interface28.3.2.2. Programming the Functionality28.3.3. Using Regular Expressions28.3.4. Using the Graphic Engine28.3.5. Using SmileLab28.4. Example Project: Adding Text to a PDF Document28.4.1. Preparing the PDF28.4.2. Rolling Up the Scripts into a Graphical Interface28.4.2.1. Building the Interface28.4.2.2. Programming the Dialog Box28.4.2.3. Handling User Clicks28.4.3. Further Exercises28.5. Summary
29. Tips and Techniques for Improving Your Scripts
29.1. Design, in a Nutshell29.1.1. Taking Your Scripting Skills to the Next Level29.1.2. How Much Design Do Your Scripts Need?29.1.3. Starting Out Is Hard (But Gets Easier with Practice)29.1.4. How the Design-Driven Approach Changes the Way You Think About Code29.2. Testing and Debugging Your Code29.2.1. General Testing Tips and Techniques29.2.1.1. Design Your Scripts for Easy Testing29.2.1.2. Test Your Code with Bad Data As Well As Good29.2.1.3. Test Your Code As You Go29.2.1.4. Why Testing Matters29.2.2. Debugging in AppleScript Editor29.2.2.1. Viewing Intermediate Results with return and error Statements29.2.2.2. Monitoring a Script's Progress Using Dialog Boxes29.2.2.3. Using the Event Log29.2.3. Debugging in Script Debugger29.2.3.1. Using the start log and stop log Commands29.2.3.2. Using the Script Window29.2.3.3. Using the Debugging Mode29.2.3.4. Stepping Through Scripts29.2.4. Keeping Track of Changes29.2.4.1. Comparing Scripts with FileMerge29.2.4.2. Managing Your Code with Source Control29.3. Improving the Performance of Your Code29.3.1. The Dos and Don'ts of Optimization29.3.1.1. When Should You Optimize?29.3.1.2. Where Should You Optimize?29.3.1.3. Profiling Your Code with Timing Commands29.3.2. Common AppleScript Optimizations29.3.2.1. Building Up Large Lists29.3.2.2. Building Up Large Strings29.3.2.3. Manipulating Multiple Application Objects with a Single Command29.3.2.4. Filtering Multiple Application Objects with whose Clause References29.3.3. Advanced Optimization Techniques29.3.3.1. Assessing Your Code's Efficiency with Big O Notation29.3.3.2. Improving the Efficiency of AppleScript Lists29.3.3.3. Linear Search vs. Binary Search29.3.3.4. Bubble Sort vs. Quicksort29.4. Summary
30. Creating Cocoa Applications with AppleScriptObjC
30.1. Example Project: HelloAppleScriptObjC30.1.1. Creating the Project in Xcode30.1.2. Adding the AppleScript Code in Xcode30.1.3. Constructing the Interface in Interface Builder30.1.3.1. Understanding Interface Builder's Interface30.1.3.1.1. The MainMenu Window30.1.3.1.2. The Application Window30.1.3.1.3. The MainMenu.xib – English Window30.1.3.1.4. The Library Palette30.1.3.2. Adding the GUI Objects30.1.3.3. Making Connections30.1.4. Building and Testing the Application30.2. Understanding How Cocoa Works30.2.1. Understanding Outlets30.2.2. Understanding Targets and Actions30.2.3. How AppleScript Interacts with Cocoa Objects30.3. Modifying HelloAppleScriptObjC to Set the Text Field30.3.1. Updating the Code and Testing the Changes30.3.2. What Is All That Code in the Default AppleScript File?30.4. Example Project: PlaySound30.4.1. Creating the Project and Adding the Code30.4.2. Constructing the Interface30.4.3. Building and Testing the Application30.4.4. Understanding How It Works30.5. Viewing the Cocoa Documentation in Xcode30.5.1. How Cocoa Classes Are Documented30.5.2. How Cocoa Methods Are Documented30.5.2.1. The Method Name30.5.2.2. Parameters30.5.2.3. Return Value30.5.2.4. Discussion, Availability, See Also, Related Sample Code, and Declared In30.6. Example Project: SnapShot30.6.1. Creating the Project and Starting the Code30.6.2. Constructing the Interface30.6.3. Completing the Code30.6.4. Understanding How It Works30.6.5. Preparing the Text Fields Using an awakeFromNib Handler30.6.6. Building and Testing the Application30.7. Modifying SnapShot to Use Cocoa Bindings30.7.1. Adjusting the Code for Bindings30.7.2. Setting Up Bindings in Interface Builder30.7.3. Building and Testing the Application30.8. Modifying PlaySound to Use Bundled Sound Files30.8.1. Adding the Sound File Resources to the Project30.8.2. Adding the Code30.8.3. Adding the Pop-Up Button30.8.4. Building and Testing the Application30.8.5. Understanding How It Works30.9. Example Project: KitchenTimer30.9.1. Creating the Project and Starting the Code30.9.2. Constructing the Interface30.9.3. Completing the Code30.10. Extra Exercises30.11. Where Next?30.12. Summary30.13. Conclusion

Overview

AppleScript is an English-like, easy-to-understand scripting language built into every Mac. AppleScript can automate hundreds of AppleScriptable applications, performing tasks both large and small, complex and simple.

Learn AppleScript: The Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on Mac OS X, Third Edition has been completely updated for Mac OS X Snow Leopard. It's all here, with an emphasis on practical information that will help you solve any automation problem—from the most mundane repetitive tasks to highly integrated workflows of complex systems.

Friendly enough for beginners, detailed enough for advanced AppleScripters
Includes major contributions from expert AppleScripters: Emmanuel Levy, Harald Monihart, Ian Piper, Shane Stanley, Barry Wainwright, Craig Williams, and foreword by AppleScript inventor, William Cook

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