AppleScript: A Beginner's Guide (Beginners Guide)

Contents......Page 10
Acknowledgement......Page 20
Introduction......Page 22
Part I: Getting Started with AppleScript......Page 26
1 Grasping the Essentials of AppleScript......Page 28
Knowing What AppleScript Is and What You Can Do with It......Page 29
Understanding What Scripts Are......Page 30
Understanding Objects, Keywords, Commands, and Properties......Page 32
2 Up to Speed with AppleScript Editor......Page 36
Launching AppleScript Editor......Page 37
Meeting the AppleScript Editor Window......Page 38
Setting Up AppleScript Editor for Working Comfortably......Page 41
Putting the Script Menu on the Menu Bar in Leopard......Page 48
Running a Script from the Script Menu......Page 50
3 Creating Your First Script......Page 52
Opening AppleScript Editor......Page 53
Creating tell Statements......Page 54
Try This: Opening a Finder Window Showing the Documents Folder......Page 55
Try This: Saving Your Script......Page 56
Try This: Using a tell Block......Page 57
Adding Comments to Your Code......Page 59
Try This: Commenting Out a Line......Page 61
Recording Actions into a Script......Page 62
Try This: Recording Actions: Repositioning and Resizing the Finder Window......Page 63
Examining the Recorded Code......Page 64
Try This: Editing the Script......Page 66
Try This: Resolving an Error in Your Code......Page 68
Wrapping a Line of Code......Page 69
Try This: Breaking Lines of Code Manually......Page 70
Try This: Opening the Dictionary File for TextEdit......Page 71
Try This: Using the Dictionary File......Page 73
Turning a Script into an Application......Page 80
Try This: Making an Application from Your Script and Adding It to the Dock......Page 81
Part II: Learning Essential AppleScript Programming Techniques......Page 84
4 Working with Variables, Classes, Operators, and Coercions......Page 86
Working with Variables......Page 87
Try This: Using a Global Variable......Page 94
Using Script Properties to Store Data Permanently in the Script......Page 96
Try This: Using a Script Property......Page 98
Performing Operations with Operators......Page 99
Understanding Classes......Page 102
Converting Data with Coercions......Page 103
Try This: Creating a Variable and Applying a Coercion......Page 105
5 Working with Text, Numbers, and Dates......Page 106
Working with Text......Page 107
Try This: Using the Clipboard......Page 117
Working with Numbers......Page 118
Working with Dates......Page 119
Try This: Working with Dates and Times......Page 124
6 Working with the Finder, Files, and Folders......Page 126
Working with Finder Windows......Page 127
Try This: Using Special Folders......Page 132
Try This: Using Nested References, Path References, and Alias References......Page 135
Try This: Opening, Configuring, and Closing Finder Windows......Page 141
Working with Folders......Page 142
Try This: Creating, Renaming, and Moving a Folder......Page 145
Working with Files......Page 146
Renaming a File......Page 149
Mounting and Unmounting Volumes......Page 150
7 Making Decisions in Your Scripts......Page 154
Try This: Using an if… then Statement to Launch an Application If It’s Not Running......Page 156
Deciding Between Two Courses of Action with an if… then… else Statement......Page 157
Try This: Using an if… then… else Statement......Page 158
Choose Among Multiple Courses of Action with an if… then… else if… else Statement......Page 159
Try This: Using an if… then… else if… else Statement......Page 160
8 Using Dialog Boxes to Get User Input......Page 162
Using Dialog Boxes......Page 163
Try This: Adding a Custom Dialog Box to the Set Up Finder and TextEdit Script......Page 172
Try This: Returning Text from a Text-Entry Field......Page 175
Using Alerts......Page 176
Try This: Creating an Alert......Page 178
Choosing the Name Under Which to Save a File......Page 179
Letting the User Choose from a List of Items......Page 181
Try This: Creating a Choose From List Dialog Box......Page 185
Letting the User Choose Files, Folders, Applications, and URLs......Page 186
Try This: Letting the User Choose a File......Page 194
Try This: Using the Choose Application Dialog Box to Open a Document in a Particular Application......Page 199
9 Repeating Actions in Your Scripts......Page 204
Getting an Overview of the Types of Loops That AppleScript Provides......Page 205
Repeating Actions Until a Termination Condition Becomes True......Page 206
Try This: Using a repeat Loop to Close All Open Finder Windows Except One......Page 208
Repeating Actions a Set Number of Times......Page 209
Try This: Using a repeat… times Loop Controlled by a Dialog Box......Page 210
Repeating Actions Using a Loop Controlled by a Loop Variable......Page 211
Try This: Using a Loop Controlled by a Loop Variable......Page 213
Try This: Using a repeat with list Command to Close Some Finder Windows......Page 214
Repeating Actions as Long as a Condition Remains True......Page 215
Try This: Using a repeat while Loop......Page 216
Repeating Actions Until a Condition Becomes True......Page 217
Try This: Using a repeat until Loop......Page 218
10 Debugging and Handling Errors......Page 220
Understanding What Happens When an Error Occurs......Page 221
Try This: Causing Errors Deliberately......Page 222
Suppressing an Error with a Try Block......Page 223
Try This: Adding a Try Block to a Script......Page 224
Creating an Error Handler......Page 226
Finding Out Which Errors You Need......Page 229
Making Your Scripts Resistant to Errors......Page 234
Try This: Creating a Subroutine......Page 239
11 Running Scripts Automatically......Page 244
Running a Script Automatically Using a Droplet......Page 245
Try This: Creating and Running a Droplet......Page 249
Running a Script Automatically with a Folder Action......Page 250
Try This: Creating and Using a Folder Action Script......Page 265
Running a Script Repeatedly at Intervals......Page 268
Try This: Creating an Application That Uses an Idle Handler......Page 269
Running a Script Automatically at Specific Times......Page 270
Part III: Automating Major Applications with AppleScript......Page 272
12 Automating iTunes and iPhoto......Page 274
Working with iTunes......Page 275
Try This: Dealing with All the Songs That Have an Intermediate Rating......Page 283
Working with iPhoto......Page 288
Try This: Creating an Album and Adding Photos to It......Page 294
13 Automating Apple Mail......Page 296
Working with Mail Accounts......Page 297
Working with Mailboxes......Page 303
Try This: Finding the Number of New Messages for Only Some Accounts......Page 304
Creating and Sending Messages......Page 306
Dealing with Incoming Messages......Page 309
Working with Tasks......Page 312
14 Automating Microsoft Word......Page 316
Launching Word—and Quitting Word......Page 317
Understanding the Key Word Objects for AppleScript......Page 318
Working with Documents......Page 319
Try This: Creating, Saving, and Closing a Document......Page 329
Working with Windows and Views......Page 331
Working with Text......Page 335
Try This: Entering and Formatting Text in a Document......Page 347
Using Sections, Page Setup, and Headers and Footers......Page 350
Displaying Word’s Built-in Dialog Boxes......Page 354
Try This: Adding a Header, Adjusting Margins, and Displaying a Dialog Box......Page 356
Running Your Scripts from Word......Page 358
15 Automating Microsoft Excel......Page 362
Understanding Excel’s Main Objects......Page 363
Launching and Quitting Excel......Page 364
Working with Workbooks......Page 365
Protecting a Workbook Against Changes......Page 371
Try This: Creating, Saving, and Closing a Workbook......Page 373
Working with Worksheets and Other Sheets......Page 374
Try This: Opening a Workbook and Adding a Worksheet to It......Page 381
Creating and Using Ranges of Cells......Page 382
Try This: Adding Data to a Workbook......Page 386
Using Charts in Your Workbooks......Page 388
Try This: Creating a Chart......Page 393
Using Find and Replace in Your Scripts......Page 399
16 Automating Microsoft Entourage......Page 402
Creating Entourage Accounts......Page 403
Creating and Sending E-mail Messages......Page 412
Dealing with Incoming E-mail Messages......Page 420
Working with Contacts......Page 423
Working with Events......Page 430
Working with Tasks......Page 432
Working with Notes......Page 433
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