AppleScript: The Definitive Guide

From Book News, Inc.
Rather than focusing on applications, this guide to AppleScript provides a systematic treatment of the language from the bottom up. Covering AppleScript 1.9.2 and the new Script Editor, it explains how the language works and demonstrates how it can be used in a variety of contexts--in everyday scripts, process automation, in Cocoa, in CGI, and in combination with Perl and Ruby. The book assumes no prior knowledge or previous programming experience, but nevertheless seeks to offer a complete treatment of the language's capabilities. Neuberg is a programmer and former editor of MacTech.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description
If you want to know all about AppleScript--the how, where, and why of using it--dig into AppleScript: The Definitive Guide. It doesn't make the mistake that other books do: it isn't about scripting this or that particular application, and it doesn't assume that learning AppleScript is easy or obvious. Instead, the book teaches and documents the language in a clear and rigorous manner, just as you'd expect with any programming or scripting language. AppleScript is a dynamic, object-oriented scripting system that allows Mac users--even novices who know nothing about programming--to directly control Macintosh applications, including the Mac OS itself. You can write scripts to automate repetitive tasks, customize applications, and even control complex workflows. AppleScript has always been useful, but with Mac OS X it's even more so. Nearly every application that comes with Mac OS X is scriptable. Even non-scriptable applications can often be driven with AppleScript, thanks to the new Accessibility API and GUI Scripting technologies. And now AppleScripters can put a true Aqua interface around their scripts! There's never been a more exciting time for AppleScript users. AppleScript: The Definitive Guide explores and teaches the language from the ground up. If you're a beginner and want to learn how to write your first script or just understand what the excitement is all about, you'll be able to do so after reading this book. Experienced AppleScripters will love having the most definitive, up-to-date AppleScript language reference available. AppleScript: The Definitive Guide is the quintessential guide to this important Mac tool. Regardless of their level of experience, AppleScripters everywhere will turn to this book again and again.


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Slashdot.org
I would recommend it to all Macintosh owners as the perfect way to unleash another powerful aspect of your system. For people who have no AppleScript or programming experience who want to be totally spoon fed this book is probably only a 5, for people with a little AppleScript experience, a fair amount of programming experience and a willingness to stick through to the end this book is probably a 9. It is certainly the best book on AppleScript I have seen.


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