Re: How do you add a track not currently in iTunes to iTunes playlist using applescript
Re: How do you add a track not currently in iTunes to iTunes playlist using applescript
- Subject: Re: How do you add a track not currently in iTunes to iTunes playlist using applescript
- From: has <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:05:07 +0000
On 11 Jan 2008, at 15:47, Gary (Lists) wrote:
[1] According to iTunes' dictionary, its 'add' command actually
requires a list of alias objects. However, iTunes is smart enough
that
if you pass it a POSIX file object, it will automatically coerce it
to
the right type for you.
Hmm.
Calling that "smart", without any quotes or other decipherable
sarcasm,
suggests that you approve of AS hiding something from the user. ;)
iTunes' behaviour here is completely in keeping with good scripting
interface design guidelines.
When unpacking a command's parameters, it's correct practice for the
application to tell the Apple Event Manager what type of value it
requires; it's then up to the AEM to check the supplied value's type
and, if it's different, coerce it to the desired type if possible.
Also, the great majority of applications already follow this rule.
It's the applications that do all their own type-checking of command
parameters and complain if you don't pass them _exactly_ the right
type that are the exception, and an annoyance to work with.
Now, you can argue the virtues and vices of weak-vs-strong typing till
the cows come home, but that's really a separate debate. As far as
application scripting is concerned, the decision has already been made
and it's up to applications to abide by it since that's what users
expect.
One complain you certainly can make, however, is that the
documentation describing the supported coercions could be a bit more
obvious. Last I recall, it was buried down in some appendix of the
ASLG and somewhat out of date. Then again, 'needs better
documentation' is a criticism that can be levelled at various aspects
of AppleScript and pretty much all application scripting in general. :p
has
--
http://appscript.sourceforge.net
http://rb-appscript.rubyforge.org
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