PATHMac OS 8 and 9 Developer Documentation > Interapplication Communication > AppleScript for Scripters >

AppleScript Language Guide

   

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Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Overview of AppleScript

• Conventions Used in This Guide
• What Is AppleScript?
• What Makes AppleScript Special?
• Who Runs Scripts and Who Writes Them?
• What Applications Are Scriptable?
• What Can You Do With Scripts?
• Automating Activities
• Integrating Applications
• Customizing Applications and Automating Workflows
• How AppleScript Works
• Statements
• Commands and Objects
• Dictionaries
• Values and Constants
• Expressions
• Operations
• Variables
• Script Objects
• Scripting Additions
• Dialects
• Other Features and Language Elements
• Continuation Characters
• Comments
• Identifiers
• Case Sensitivity
• Abbreviations
• Compiling Scripts With the Script Editor
• Debugging Scripts

Chapter 3 Values and Constants

• Using Value Class Definitions
• Literal Expressions
• Properties
• Elements
• Operators
• Commands Handled
• Reference Forms
• Coercions Supported
• Common Value Class Definitions
• Boolean
• Class
• Constant
• Data
• Date
• Integer
• List
• Number
• Real
• Record
• Reference
• String
• Styled Text
• Text
• Unicode Text and International Text
• Unit Type Value Classes
• AppleScript Unit Types by Category
• Working With Unit Type Value Classes
• Other Value Classes
• File Specification
• RGB Color
• Styled Clipboard Text
• Coercing Values
• Constants
• Arithmetic Constants
• Boolean Constants
• Considering and Ignoring Attributes
• Date and Time Constants
• Miscellaneous Script Constants
• Save Option Constants
• String Constants
• Text Style Constants
• Version Constant

Chapter 4 Commands

• Types of Commands
• Application Commands
• AppleScript Commands
• Scripting Addition Commands
• Target
• Name Conflicts
• User-Defined Commands
• Using Command Definitions
• Syntax
• Parameters
• Result
• Examples
• Errors
• Using Parameters
• Coercion of Parameters
• Parameters That Specify Locations
• Raw Data in Parameters
• Using Results
• Viewing a Result in the Script Editor's Result Window
• Using the Predefined Result Variable
• Double Angle Brackets in Results and Scripts
• When a Dictionary Is Not Available
• When AppleScript Displays Data in Raw Format
• Entering Script Information in Raw Format
• Sending Raw Apple Events From a Script
• Command Definitions
• Close
• Copy
• Count
• Delete
• Duplicate
• Exists
• Get
• Launch
• Make
• Move
• Open
• Print
• Quit
• Reopen
• Run
• Save
• Set

Chapter 5 Objects and References

• Object Class Definitions
• Properties
• Element Classes
• Default Value Class Returned
• References
• Containers
• Complete and Partial References
• Reference Forms
• Arbitrary Element
• Every Element
• Filter
• ID
• Index
• Middle Element
• Name
• Property
• Range
• Relative
• Using the Filter Reference Form
• References to Files and Applications
• References to Files
• Specifying a File by Name or Pathname
• Specifying a File by Reference
• Specifying a File by Alias
• Differences Between Files and Aliases
• Specifying a File by File Specification
• References to Applications
• References to Local Applications
• References to Remote Applications

Chapter 6 Expressions

• Results of Expressions
• Variables
• Creating Variables
• Using Variables
• The A Reference To Operator
• Data Sharing
• Scope of Variables
• Predefined Variables
• Script Properties
• Defining Script Properties
• Using Script Properties
• Scope of Script Properties
• AppleScript Properties
• Reference Expressions
• Operations
• Operators That Handle Operands of Various Classes
• Equal, Is Not Equal To
• Greater Than, Less Than
• Starts With, Ends With
• Contains, Is Contained By
• Concatenation
• Operator Precedence
• Date-Time Arithmetic
• Working With Dates at Century Boundaries

Chapter 7 Control Statements

• Characteristics of Control Statements
• Debugging Control Statements
• Tell Statements
• Nested Tell Statements
• Using it. me. and my in Tell Statements
• Tell (Simple Statement)
• Tell (Compound Statement)
• If Statements
• If (Simple Statement)
• If (Compound Statement)
• Repeat Statements
• Repeat (forever)
• Repeat (number) Times
• Repeat While
• Repeat Until
• Repeat With (loopVariable) From (startValue) To (stopValue)
• Repeat With (loopVariable) In (list)
• Exit
• Try Statements
• Kinds of Errors
• How Errors Are Handled
• Writing a Try Statement
• Try
• Signaling Errors in Scripts
• Error
• Considering and Ignoring Statements
• Considering/Ignoring
• With Timeout Statements
• With Timeout
• With Transaction Statements
• With Transaction

Chapter 8 Handlers

• Script Applications
• About Subroutines
• The Return Statement
• A Sample Subroutine
• Types of Subroutines
• Scope of Subroutine Calls in Tell Statements
• Checking the Classes of Subroutine Parameters
• Recursive Subroutines
• Saving and Loading Libraries of Subroutines
• Defining and Calling Subroutines
• Subroutines With Labeled Parameters
• Defining a Subroutine With Labeled Parameters
• Calling a Subroutine With Labeled Parameters
• Examples of Subroutines With Labeled Parameters
• Subroutines With Positional Parameters
• Defining a Subroutine With Positional Parameters
• Calling a Subroutine With Positional Parameters
• Examples of Subroutines With Positional Parameters
• Command Handlers
• Command Handler Syntax
• Command Handlers for Application Objects
• Command Handlers for Script Applications
• Run Handlers
• Open Handlers
• Handlers for Stay-Open Script Applications
• Idle Handlers 307
• Quit Handlers 308
• Interrupting a Script Application's Handlers 309
• Calling a Script Application From a Script
• Scope of Script Variables and Properties
• Declaring Variables and Properties
• Scope of Properties and Variables Declared at the Top Level of a Script
• Scope of Properties and Variables Declared in a Script Object
• Scope of Variables Declared in a Handler

Chapter 9 Script Objects

• About Script Objects
• Defining Script Objects
• Sending Commands to Script Objects
• Initializing Script Objects
• Inheritance and Delegation
• Defining Inheritance
• How Inheritance Works
• The Continue Statement
• Using Continue Statements to Pass Commands to Applications
• The Parent Property and the Current Application
• Using the Copy and Set Commands With Script Objects

Appendix A The Language at a Glance

• Common Scripting Tasks
• Constants
• Predefined Variables
• Commands
• Coercions
• References
• Operators
• Control Statements
• Handlers
• Script Objects
• Variable and Property Assignments and Declarations
• Placeholders
• Error Numbers and Error Messages
• Operating System Errors
• Apple Event Errors
• Application Scripting Errors
• AppleScript Errors

Appendix B Document Revision History

Glossary