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: Sparky <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:51:01 -0700
I believe that your reference to deadlines and how they tend warp
one's perspective is quite correct. I'm sure every reader of this
list is a programmer of one species or another. And not one of us got
a clean compile the first time on the first program we ever wrote.
Learning a language involves effort and persistence. And learning on
too tight a deadline certainly increases the chances of failure at
the very time when failure is not an option. And I'm open to the
possibility that the reason I'm walking away from this experience
with a sour taste is that I didn't show proper humility toward AS as
a programming language. When the actions that shipped with Automator
and those that I found available online didn't suit my needs, as an
experienced programmer I decided to write my own. In so doing I went
a layer deeper than Apple is actively promoting Automator users to go.
But let me compare this experience with some of the other
applications that are promoted to end users. I use spreadsheet
applications. And I have written some pretty complex formulas when
the need arises. I've even gone a layer deeper and written macros
when I need something beyond what can be done using formulas. I've
written extensive Mail rules to filter out junk mail. I use Photoshop
and other Adobe creative applications to mockup application
storyboards and such. I've successfully played around with iMovie and
GarageBand. In every one of these situations I feel that these well-
designed applications provide a constructive user experience that
enables me to accomplish what I need to do reasonably quickly given
the complexity of the task I'm trying to perform. Though I don't read
the manual as often as I should, I can figure out after a reasonable
amount of pecking around whether what I'm trying to do is beyond the
capabilities of the application. Just as importantly, I can usually
distinguish between when I'm doing something wrong and when when
there's an inconsistency in the application.
Not to beat a dead horse (I promise this will be my last posting on
this topic and that I'll let the AS pros in this group have the last
word), but my gut tells me that Automator may very well end up doing
more harm than good as far as Enabling users. Yes, Automator can be
used to rename your iPhoto pix. But the dark side of how easy it is
to do this is that this may lure users into a false sense of how
great Automator is. But when they try to go deeper they may discover,
as I did, that the Get Folder Contents action can't be effectively
used as input to Filter Finder Items. But when they can't figure out
why they may end up doubting themselves and their comfort around
Apple software instead of more appropriately questioning Automator
and its underpinnings. I can find at least one similar example as I
go through the list of actions associated with each of the Apple
applications that support Automator. As I indicated, over the years
I've heard Apple pitch Apple Events and Apple Script to end users. As
an experienced programmer and as somebody who has casually explored
the technology several times before I believe that something like
Apple Events, AppleScript and Automator COULD evolve into a power
user tool with "legs" like spreadsheets and other successful script-
based applications. But in order to provide that kind of tool Apple
can't just modify Automator (though this is certainly necessary).
They also need to clean up the age-old problems in the layers below.
Sorry to take up so much column space in this forum.
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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