Creating Suite Definitions and Suite Terminology

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Creating Suite Definitions and Suite Terminologies

If a scriptable application is going to provide any scripting support beyond that defined by the Yellow Box frameworks or any other imported framework or loaded bundle, it must include a "suite definition" and, for each supported language, a "suite terminology."

A suite definition describes the scriptable objects of an application, framework, or bundle in terms of their attributes (properties), relationships (elements), and supported commands. A suite terminology describes the allowable AppleScript terms and phrases for each supported natural language. The attribute and relationship keys in the suite definition are mapped to the corresponding names in the suite terminology. The suite definition and the suite terminology also serve as the source of the summary information displayed by the Script Editor application.

Both sets of information are in files with distinct names and locations:

The information in suite definitions and suite terminologies must be in a structured textual format known as a "property list." For the current release you must build these property lists "by hand"--that is, by using a text editor.

A Primer on ASCII Property Lists

The Structure of a Suite Definition

Suite Definition Example

The Structure of a Suite Terminology

Example of Suite Terminology


Creating Suite Definitions and Suite Terminology

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