Glossary

AERecord:
A single descriptor within an AppleEvent which contains a list of descriptors specified by keywords. Can contain nested AERecords.

Alias:
A reference to a file sent as part of an AppleEvent.

AppleEvent:
1. A message sent between two applications running under System 7 or from an application to itself either requesting information or telling it to do something.
2. The data structure used to represent an AppleEvent message, which consists of a list of data items (“descriptors”).

Container:
An object which contains other objects; part of an object specifier. Example: in ‘word 1 of document named “Sample”’, the container is ‘document named “sample”’. Containers can be nested many levels deep.

Descriptor:
A single piece of data within an AppleEvent or AERecord, identified by a 4-character key.

Descriptor List:
A single descriptor within an AppleEvent or AERecord which consists of several items of the same type, refered to by position rather than by keyword.

Direct Object:
The AppleEvent parameter identified by the 4-character key “----”. In many AppleEvents, this will be the only parameter.

IAC:
Apple Computer's Interapplication Communication, a method which allows different applications on the same machine or across the network to communicate with each other.

Keyword:
A 4-character identifier used to specify a particular descriptor in an AppleEvent or AERecord.

Object Specifier:
An AppleEvent parameter which tells the application which piece of data the command applies to, such as ‘the first word of the second paragraph of the document named “gone with the wind”’.

OSA:
Open Scripting Architecture. Apple’s scripting standard introduced with AppleScript®. Provides a common method to execute scripts written in any compatible language, including QuicKeys™ 3.0 and later versions of UserLand Frontier™.

Parameter:
A single piece of data contained in an AppleEvent.

PPC Browser:
Program-to-Program Communication (part of the Macintosh® Operating System) Browser. This is the standard user interface for selecting a program to link to or receive AppleEvents.

Script:
A series of executable commands which take advantage of the host application's environment.

Signature:
A unique four-character code which identifies a particular application.

Tick:
One sixtieth (1/60th) of one second.

Time-Out:
(n.) The period of time within which some expected action, event, or result must be initiated, finished, or occur.
(v.) To cause a wait-period limit error to occur.