Re: SystemStatusBar question
Re: SystemStatusBar question
- Subject: Re: SystemStatusBar question
- From: Bill Cheeseman <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2005 15:56:28 -0500
on 2005-03-09 10:06 AM, Finlay Dobbie at email@hidden wrote:
> And I think you just admitted that GUi scripting is a hack that you
> should use as a last resort. ;-)
There's no need to put words like "admitted" and "hack" in my mouth. I said
what I said, and I stand by it. :-)
All jesting aside, I'm no latecomer to this point of view. I have said
openly and repeatedly (for example, in the documentation I wrote for UI
Browser and UI Actions) that you should almost always use an application's
built-in AppleScript support, if it has any and if it does what you want.
Built-in AppleScript support is almost always closer to the metal. It's
faster, and it fits more closely into the application's way of handling
data.
I've been preaching this ever since GUI Scripting became available (in beta)
in Mac OS X 10.2.3, and I feel strongly about it. The AppleScript engineers
at Apple are on record as saying the same thing, including the people who
devised GUI Scripting. The message to developers is this: don't think you
can leave out AppleScript support just because GUI Scripting is available --
built-in AppleScript support is far better, and you ought to implement it in
your applications.
At the same time, I don't see anything hackish about GUI Scripting. It is
built on an official, public Apple API, the accessibility API. UI Browser
and UI Actions are built on the accessibility API, too. The techniques are
mainstream. And the tool is extremely useful in those situations where GUI
Scripting is the only way to get the job done.
As far as I can tell, you and I are in complete agreement on substance. But
I don't see any point in belittling a secondary tool just because it's
secondary. Every tool has its place in my toolkit; the art is in knowing
which tool to use and when.
--
Bill Cheeseman - email@hidden
Quechee Software, Quechee, Vermont, USA
http://www.quecheesoftware.com
PreFab Software - http://www.prefab.com/scripting.html
The AppleScript Sourcebook - http://www.AppleScriptSourcebook.com
Vermont Recipes - http://www.stepwise.com/Articles/VermontRecipes
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