RE: Preparing a lecture
RE: Preparing a lecture
- Subject: RE: Preparing a lecture
- From: email@hidden
- Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 00:04:09 EDT
Well, Doug,
First and foremost, you should consider whether there is
someone more qualified to give the lecture you are
considering, someone who embraces AppleScript on a regular
basis. Why? Because like all user-groups, there are users
of varying levels and inevitably someone will ask questions
that you simply can't answer (which causes you to lose
face). But, if you are trying to take a beginner's class
through the rudimentary start of AppleScript, start with
the same basics you would for any programming class, be it
C, Fortran, basic, etc:
1. Variable assignments - types/when/how
2. Simple Math - how to add two numbers, then how to add 2 variables
3. String variables - concatinating, displaying dialog boxes
4. Decisions - if/else, and use of flags
5. Loops - repeat while/repeat with/repeat etc
6. Advanced data forms - records, lists, lists of lists (i.e. - arrays)
7. I/O - how to save to a file, how to read from a file
8. User friendly helps - try/on error/end try, wait, idle
9. How to open application dictionaries, working with programs' scripting
abilities
10. Q&A period.
you can find some of this rudimentary stuff at one of my
web pages (although some of it is dated, some is plain
wrong, but 95% is right and straight forward -- it was
intended as a quick reference for myself):
http://www.cyberpoet.net/AS/applescript.html
Oh, and unless you know why someone in the class (a
beginner class at that) would need/want frontier, don't go
there... Perhaps you should contact Frontier's publisher
and ask if they have a rep in the area who would be happy
to talk about it's bells and whistles (or contact Apple and
ask if they have someone suitable to give the lecture).
Best Wishes
=-= Marc Glasgow
Doug Wrote:
>
In short, I want some suggestions.
>
>
I have been asked to give a talk to a special interest
>
group, the OS neXt SIG, of our local Macintosh User's
>
Group in Colorado Springs, subject: AppleScript
>
>
My problems are that:
[snip]
>
I am fundamentally biased in that I believe Applescript
>
syntax is a pain in the ass. Being accustomed to C,
>
assembler, and, long ago, FORTRAN I like well defined
>
reserved words without guessing. I also minimize my
>
AppleScript doing as much as I can with MPW and MacPerl
>
scripts.
>
>
My audience will be users, Most have zero programming
>
experience and will not understand MPW, C, or perl. I need
>
to teach them about tell blocks and scripting dictionaries.
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