Re: This AppleScript stuff is harder than I thought
Re: This AppleScript stuff is harder than I thought
- Subject: Re: This AppleScript stuff is harder than I thought
- From: "Gary (Lists)" <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 15:10:25 -0400
"Sparky" wrote:
>> Hats off to those that stick around long enough to figure out how to
>> coerce the technology into something useful.
"Paul Berkowitz" wrote:
> It would only take you a few weeks, you know, if you decided to actually
> learn it instead of walking away every time...
Sparky,
When we are faced with a problem-task, especially when that problem-task
takes on urgent qualities because of our own circumstance, then it is
difficult to step through a logical progression of learning -- anything, not
just a new programming language.
Personalities and learning styles aside, the most long-lasting learning
takes place in an environment of comfort and where failures can be set aside
or examined closely as needed. Failure must be planned for and encouraged.
During the "crunch" of various pressures, whether real or perceived, we most
often flail about looking for something to hold tight to, as if we were new
swimmers in the deep end of the pool -- left alone to sink or float.
Paul's advice is good advice, and since you've solved the problem at hand,
_now_ is the time to pick up some structured resources, to play without fear
of deadline and to explore in sequence.
The book noted below is a good one, and it really does a great job of
providing at once a flood-light illumination of AppleScript and a laser-like
focus on major structures. It's also witty in places and clearly
acknowledges eccentricities in the language.
Granted, Apple has not helped the problem over the years, and it appears
that Apple exhibits symptoms of Corporate ADD (perhaps a personality leak
from their co-founder and CEO?) If it were not for people outside of Apple,
AppleScript may very well be a cosmic joke by now (it's not). (Not there
are not people at Apple who appear to at least like AppleScript, but even
they have moved on to other replacement systems instead of focusing on the
real issues of AS programming. Sad.)
"David Crowe" wrote:
> It's this kind of thing that makes AppleScript programming so
> difficult for a newbie. Without this group to answer questions like
> this (especially when I don't have a workaround) I don't know what
> I'd do!
This group is great (present writer excluded) but even better is a book --
so go and buy "AppleScript: The Definitive Guide" by Matt Neuberg.
And, despite its age and professionally embarrassing lack of updates, the
AppleScript Language Guide is still the only real language-overview resource
from Apple, and it's worth the read.
Picking up fragments of code from here or there is not the way to learn any
programming language, so take a few weeks and get a good book, and then
spend 2 or 3 hours per day working through the language and you'll feel much
more confident (even when you're wrong!)
I should know. ;)
--
Gary
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