I am trying to learn how to write scripts. I have apple scripts
editor but can't figure out how to use it. I get lost on the Help
menu. Is there an easier way to learn scripts. Is there a tutorial
out there for that or a web site to help with that. Not much on
reading books but will. Listen to audio tapes or Video.
This is a response from another newbie. The books I have tried are:
"Applescript The Missing Manual" by Adam Goldstein (O'Reilly). This
is useful in places but too thin and patchy to be much help as a
reference or tutorial book. I believe the author is quite young, and
he doesn't go into much depth.
Applescript A Comprehensive Guide by Hanaan Rosenthal (friends of
ED). This is the book I have at home myself. It's patchy in the sense
that he goes into immense detail on a set of particular projects, but
on the good side it's real-world projects so you get more of a sense
of where to start. Can be used as a tutorial, although I don't have
enough patience to go through everything systematically. The only
weakness I find in it is that sometimes the projects he's trying to
teach overshadow the more important parts of what you're trying to
pick up: if you look at the 'using files with Finder' chapter to look
up how to read and write text files, it's something like two pages on
how to use open for access/read/write -- and ten pages on a simple
project of how to change font colours in a RTF file.
Beginning Applescript, by Stephen Kochan (Wrox or whatever the hell
it calls itself now). Probably the best of the bunch for reference. I
only didn't buy this as it's usually in my local library (where there
isn't much fierce competition for Applescript books), and I found it
noticeably better than the other two books for 'how do I use this'.
It starts where the app dictionary leaves off, with simple examples.
Avoid at all costs:
Applescript in a Nutshell, by Matt Neuberg (O'Reilly). It's not that
it's not probably a very good book, but I've looked at the contents/
excerpts on the website, and it would have frightened me away when
starting out. I will probably get this eventually -- if I picked it
up now after mucking around with Applescript for over a year, I'd get
something out of it. When you're at the
on run
display dialog "hello world"
end run
stage, it's overkill.
Regards, Ruth
PS I'd quite like to know about the timed things as well -- want to
sort out renewing my library books automatically (or at least going
to the library website when they're due to remind me).
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