AppleScript: A Beginner's Guide

by Hart-Davis, Guy

• ISBN13: 9780071639545
• ISBN10: 0071639543
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-31
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

Essential Skills--Made Easy!Learn to program in AppleScript, the versatile scripting language built right into Mac OS X and supported by most major applications.AppleScript: A Beginner's Guideshows you how to write powerful scripts with the AppleScript Editor to automate tasks, save time and effort, and automatically generate documents, spreadsheets, and e-mail messages. Debugging and error handling are also covered in this fast-paced tutorial.Designed for Easy Learning Key Skills & Concepts--Chapter-opening lists of specific skills covered in the chapter Ask the Expert--Q&A sections filled with bonus information and helpful tips Try This--Hands-on exercises that show you how to apply your skills Notes--Extra information related to the topic being covered Tips--Helpful reminders or alternative ways of doing things Cautions--Errors and pitfalls to avoid Annotated Syntax--Example code with commentary that describes the programming techniques being illustratedReady-to-use code at www.mhprofessional.com/computingdownloadGuy Hart-Davisis the author ofMac OS X Leopard QuickSteps, How to Do Everything iPod, iPhone, & iTunes, Fifth Edition, HTML, XHTML & CSS QuickSteps,and several other computer books.

Author Biography

Guy Hart-Davis is the author of more than 45 computer books, including Mac OS X Leopard QuickSteps and Word 2007 Macros & VBA Made Easy.

Table of Contents

Part I: Getting Started with AppleScript; Chapter 1. Grasping the Essentials of AppleScript; Chapter 2. Up to Speed with AppleScript Editor; Chapter 3. Creating Your First Script;Part II: Learning Essential AppleScript Programming Techniques; Chapter 4. Working with Variables, Classes, Operators, and Coercions; Chapter 5. Working with Text, Numbers, and Dates; Chapter 6. Working with Finder, Files, and Folders; Chapter 7. Making Decisions in Your Scripts; Chapter 8. Using Dialog Boxes to Get User Input; Chapter 9. Repeating Actions in Your Scripts; Chapter 10. Running Scripts Automatically; Part III: Automating Major Applications with AppleScript; Chapter 12. Automating iTunes and iPhoto; Chapter 13. Automating Apple Mail; Chapter 14. Automating Microsoft Word; Chapter 15. Automating Microsoft Excel; Chapter 16. Automating Microsoft Entourage; Index