| | |  | Software Engineering | Home » » » Learn AppleScript: The Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on Mac OS X (Learn (Apress)) | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | AppleScript is an English-like, easy-to-understand scripting language built into every Mac. AppleScript can automate hundreds of AppleScript-able 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
What you’ll learn - See how AppleScript represents information as objects—including numbers, strings, lists, and records.
- Learn how to manipulate these objects using commands and operators, and how to store them in variables.
- Organize your code using handlers and script objects.
- Understand how applications describe their objects and commands in dictionaries and how to interpret that information when learning to script applications.
- Manipulate the Mac OS X file system.
- Automate iTunes, Mail, iCal, and other popular lifestyle applications in Mac OS X.
- Discover sophisticated text processing techniques using regular expressions.
- Script professional productivity applications—Apple iWork, Microsoft Office, FileMaker Pro, and Adobe InDesign.
- Harness the power of the Unix command line in Mac OS X.
- Create your own Cocoa applications with the new AppleScriptObjC bridge.
Who this book is for - First-time scripters who want to automate tasks on their Macs
- Existing AppleScripters looking to develop proficient, professional, or guru-level knowledge and skills
- Professional Mac OS X developers wishing to understand this powerful and pervasive technology
Table of Contents - Introducing AppleScript
- AppleScript in Principle
- AppleScript in Practice
- Writing Scripts in AppleScript Editor
- Understanding How Application Scripting Works
- Learning to Work with AppleScript Objects
- Working with Text
- Working with Numbers
- Working with Dates
- Working with Lists and Records
- Storing Objects in Variables
- More on Commands
- More on Operators and Coercions
- Making Decisions Using Conditionals and Loops
- Making Decisions When Dealing with Errors
- Interacting with the User
- Working with Files
- Organizing Your Code with Handlers
- Organizing Your Code with Script Objects
- Scripting the File System
- Scripting Apple Applications
- Extending AppleScript with Scripting Additions
- AppleScript Amenities
- Scripting iWork and Office
- Scripting Data and Databases
- Scripting Adobe InDesign
- Interacting with the Unix Command Line
- Using Smile: The AppleScript Integrated Production Environment
- Tips and Techniques for Improving Your Scripts
- Creating Cocoa Applications with AppleScriptObjC
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Hamish Sanderson | | Paperback:
| 1104 pages | | Publisher:
| Apress | | Publication Date:
| May 05, 2010 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1430223618 | | Product Length:
| 9.24 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.64 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.17 inches | | Product Weight:
| 3.35 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 3.45 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 4 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 4 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 No exercises?Sep 08, 2010
By BakariC
On only about the 5th chapter, and I just thought I'd report that so far this book has only had one complete exercise in I think chapter 3.
Most of the book seems descriptive. He explains all aspects of AppleScript, but you read for pages and pages and he never really seems to connect what he's describing to creating actual practical scripts. He could have put exercises at the end of chapters so that readers could merge theory with practice. It's clear the author knows his subject, but I think the First Head writers would do a better job at making a book like this one of practical use. I really find it annoying when authors explain complex definitions and then sum by saying, "now that you understand so and so." It's like why do you think that just because you have explained something, your readers are supposed to understand it? That's not how learning works. Learning comes through practice, and trail and error. When for example he defines and talks about class and properties, he should have readers do an exercise that helps them understand what he just spent five pages talking about.
Anyway, I'm going to keep reading; if it gets any better, I'll come back and update my review.
If you don't have an prior experience with AppleScript and you're ready to jump into actually doing so, this book is not the best one to begin with. If you do have experience, this might make good reference book.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Amazing comprehensive book on AppleScriptJun 24, 2010
By M. Steiner
Wow! Leonard Rosenthal and Hamish Sanderson have written what has to be the definitive book on AppleScript. I almost do not where to begin with this review; The book covers literally everything about AppleScript in an easy to understand manner, with a plethora of examples. It does not get bogged down in theory, although it covers theory more than adequately.
I've been writing applescripts since the language first came out, and if I could have only one reference and tutorial for the language, this would be it.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
wish i'd read this 3 years ago;-)Aug 09, 2010
By airdrummer
would've saved me a lot of trial&error;-) exactly the kind of example-laden text i was looking for, excellently written.
Learn AppleScriptOct 19, 2011
By Rich
Without any doubt, this is the most up-to-date and complete guide to AppleScript. Covering AppleScript 2 and the Mac OSX, the text is complete without being too lenthy and boring. The explanations are complete, and yet succinct, a rarety in programming texts, and well suited to both the beginner and the experienced user of earlier versions of AppleScript. Loaded with many easy to follow, yet highly informative examples of useable scripts, as well as the most complete covering of controlling AppleScript unfriendly applications via GUI scripting I have seen to date. The primary focus is in AppleScripting OS X v6, with relevant info about v5.
All that, with the incredibly low prices available, this is a terrific value to anyone interested in programming the Mac OSX.
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