RE: Applescript or bust ... ?
RE: Applescript or bust ... ?
- Subject: RE: Applescript or bust ... ?
- From: Joe Kelly <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 10:17:51 -0800
On *nix there's all kinds of automation options: shell scripts, php, perl,
jscript etc. None of these perform any compile time (if indeed any are
actually compiled) syntax / messaging (checking the terms you specify
against an Application's dictionary) resolution, however.
Of course on a unix system, scripts tend to string together much smaller and
succinct tools whose interfaces are well known command line parameters.
AppleScript is much higher level and interacts with running applications
through the back door of AppleEvents.
Window's has a jillion little scripting engines built into it, including
vbscript which in the hands of someone in the know can be pretty damned
powerful (e.g. Melissa virus). In theory windows could be very automated,
but in fact, for the average user its pretty darn inconceivable, and I know
few users who take advantage of any of it.
With its sometimes convoluted syntax, AppleScript might not be an end user
tool either. I was a little put off by AS, but when I scripted the software
build process for a previous company in one afternoon, I realized it had
great potential, plus it was loads of fun.
jk
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-----Original Message-----
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From: Eric Schult [mailto:email@hidden]
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Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 8:24 AM
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To: email@hidden
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Subject: Applescript or bust ... ?
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I'm writing an article on workflow automation for a trade
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journal in the
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desktop publishing world. In the interest of appearing
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"platform agnostic"
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(despite my admitted bias for Macs and AppleScript), I need
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to be able to
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compare the strengths and limitations of "comparable"
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scripting environments
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for other platforms.
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Visual Basic and REXX for the PC world come to mind. Java's another, I
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guess. I've recorded and tinkered with VB in Word and Excel,
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and I know VB
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has some facility for automating the Windows OS. I've edited
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and employed
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other people's REXX scripts. I've never done any Java
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scripting. (I want to,
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but now's not the time.)
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My article is going to offer some simple examples of AS and provide a
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tutorial to get desktop publishing executives in my industry
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more interested
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in using it to automate their workflow. To be as balanced as
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possible, I
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want to spell out wherever another scripting language for a non-Apple
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platform could handle the same task. I'd hate to suggest, for
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example, that
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you can't automate Quark, Photoshop, Illustrator, Explorer,
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or whatever on a
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PC and then find out that you can.
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Can anybody on this list care to exercise me of my ignorance,
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or steer me to
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a list where I can ask stupid questions about other
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automation solutions?
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WES
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