Applescript Studio Programming For The Absolute Beginner,9781598633030

Applescript Studio Programming For The Absolute Beginner

by
Edition: 1st
ISBN13: 9781598633030
ISBN10: 1598633031
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2006-10-27
Publisher(s): Cengage Learning PTR
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Summary

This book focuses on teaching the reader how to program using AppleScript, the language that controls and automates applications on Mac OS X. Unlike other books on AppleScript, AppleScript Studio Programming for the Absolute Beginner focuses on AppleScript's role in supporting the development of AppleScript Studio applications. AppleScript Studio comes free with Mac OS X and provides the framework and integrated development environment for creating applications that include fully functional graphical user interfaces. Throughout the book, users will learn the key functionality of both the AppleScript language and the AppleScript Studio application development framework by developing graphical game-based applications that are actually fun to create. Topics covered include values, variables, classes, conditional logic, loop building, strings, lists, records, handlers, and much more. Although intended for readers new to programming, there is also additional coverage of more advanced topics; users will learn to work with drives, files and folders, how to control applications, and how to debug programs and handle errors. The companion CD-ROM includes all of the source code from the book.

Table of Contents

Introduction xii
Why AppleScript Studio? xiii
Who Should Read This Book? xiv
What You Need to Begin xv
How This Book Is Organized xvi
Conventions Used in This Book xix
Part I INTRODUCING APPLESCRIPT STUDIO
1(106)
AppleScript Studio Basics
3(28)
Project Preview: The Knock-Knock Application
4(2)
Introducing AppleScript Studio
6(2)
A Little AppleScript Studio History
6(1)
A Quick Overview of AppleScript Studio Components
6(2)
A Few Words About Object-Oriented Programming
8(1)
AppleScript: AppleScript Studio's Programming Language
9(8)
When to Write AppleScript
11(1)
When to Develop AppleScript Studio Applications
11(1)
Working with the Script Editor
12(3)
Accessing Application Dictionaries
15(2)
Back to the Knock-Knock Application
17(13)
Designing the Game
18(1)
Step 1: Creating a New AppleScript Studio Application
19(2)
Step 2: Creating a Graphical User Interface
21(4)
Step 3: Modifying Control Attributes and Attaching Controls to Event Handlers
25(3)
Step 4: Editing Your AppleScript
28(2)
Step 5: Building and Running Your Mac OS X Application
30(1)
Summary
30(1)
The AppleScript Studio Application Development Environment
31(28)
Project Preview: The AppleScript Studio Fortune Teller Game
32(1)
Project Templates
33(3)
Setting Xcode Preferences
36(1)
Working with the Xcode Project Window
37(11)
The Project Window Toolbar
38(1)
Groups & Files
38(2)
The Project Windows Detail View
40(1)
The Editor Window
41(5)
The Info Window
46(2)
Integration with the Interface Builder
48(1)
The Terminology Browser
48(1)
Debugging Capabilities
49(1)
The Apple Developer Reference Library
50(1)
Back to the AppleScript Studio Fortune Teller Game
51(7)
Designing the AppleScript Studio Fortune Teller Game
51(1)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
52(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
52(3)
Step 3: Attaching Controls to Event Handlers
55(1)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
56(1)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the AppleScript Studio Fortune Teller Application
57(1)
Summary
58(1)
Building a Graphical User Interface
59(48)
Project Preview: The Typo-Matic Typing Test Game
60(3)
Create Graphical User Interfaces
63(5)
Cocoa Controls
65(2)
MainMenu.nib
67(1)
MainMenu.nib -- MainMenu
67(1)
Window
68(1)
Cocoa Interface Elements
68(27)
Cocoa Menus
68(6)
Cocoa Controls and Indicators
74(6)
Cocoa Text Controls
80(3)
Cocoa Windows
83(10)
Cocoa Data Views
93(1)
Cocoa Container Views
94(1)
Back to the Typo-Matic Typing Test Game
95(10)
Designing the Game
95(1)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
96(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
96(1)
Step 3: Customizing Menus and Control Attributes, and Associating Controls with Event Handlers
97(3)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
100(4)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Typo-matic Typing Test Game Application
104(1)
Summary
105(2)
Part II LEARNING HOW TO WRITE APPLESCRIPTS
107(116)
Working with Values, Variables, and Classes
109(36)
Project Preview: The Star Trek Trivia Game
109(3)
AppleScript--The Technology
112(1)
AppleScript--The Scripting Language
112(4)
Language Extensibility
112(1)
Language Features
113(3)
Managing Data Using Variables
116(2)
Storing Values in Variables
116(1)
Retrieving Variable Values
117(1)
Naming Variables
118(3)
Case Sensitivity
119(1)
Undefined Variables
120(1)
Working with Different Variable Classes
121(3)
The String Class
121(1)
The Real Class
121(1)
The Integer Class
121(1)
The Date Class
122(2)
The Boolean Class
124(1)
Back to the Star Trek Trivia Game
124(18)
Designing the Game
124(1)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
125(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
125(3)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
128(1)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
129(9)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Star Trek Trivia Game
138(1)
Application Code Review
139(3)
Summary
142(3)
Applying Conditional Logic and Building Loops
145(28)
Project Preview: The Guess a Number Game
146(3)
Implementing Conditional Logic
149(4)
The if Statement
149(1)
The if...else Statement
150(1)
The if...else if Statement
151(1)
Nested if Statements
152(1)
Different Types of Comparisons
153(1)
Building Compound Tests
154(1)
Iterative Processing
155(5)
Creating an Endless Loop
156(1)
Iterating a Set Number of Times
157(1)
Looping While a Condition Proves true
157(1)
Looping Until a Condition Proves false
158(1)
Controlling Loop Execution with a Counter
159(1)
Processing List Contents
159(1)
Back to the Guess a Number Game
160(11)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
160(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
161(2)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
163(2)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
165(6)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Guess a Number Game
171(1)
Summary
171(2)
Working with Strings, Lists, and Records
173(24)
Project Preview: Alexander's Tall Tale
174(2)
Manipulating Strings
176(5)
Assigning Strings to Variables
176(1)
Getting Information About a String
176(1)
Concatenating Strings
177(1)
Controlling String Format
177(1)
Advanced Comparisons
178(2)
Working with Characters, Words, and Paragraphs
180(1)
Defining and Accessing Lists
181(3)
Working with Lists
181(1)
Retrieving Elements from a List
182(1)
Making Changes to Lists
183(1)
Storing and Retrieving Data Using Records
184(2)
Creating and Accessing Records
184(1)
Modifying Record Property Values
185(1)
Working with a List of Records
185(1)
Back to Alexander's Tall Tale
186(9)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
187(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
187(1)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
188(3)
Step 4: Adding a Little Program Code
191(4)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of Alexander's Tall Tale Game
195(1)
Summary
195(2)
Organizing Scripts with Handlers
197(26)
Project Preview: The Rock, Paper, Scissors Game
198(2)
Working with Event Handlers
200(5)
Creating Custom Event Handlers
201(1)
Defining and Calling Handlers
201(1)
Passing Arguments to Handlers
202(2)
Returning a Result from an Event Handler
204(1)
Understanding Scope
205(3)
Local Scope
205(1)
Global Scope
206(2)
Back to the Rock, Paper, Scissors Game
208(13)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
209(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
209(2)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
211(1)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
212(8)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Game
220(1)
Summary
221(2)
Part III ADVANCED TOPICS
223(100)
Working with Files and Folders
225(30)
Project Preview: The Slot Machine Game
225(3)
Mac and POSIX Paths
228(2)
Full and Relative Paths
230(1)
Establishing a File Reference
231(2)
Working with Text Files
233(5)
Accessing Files and Folders
233(1)
Reading from and Writing to Files
234(4)
Creating Small Database Files
238(4)
Creating and Saving the Database File
238(1)
Retrieving and Accessing Database Records
239(3)
Back to the Slot Machine Game
242(11)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
243(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
243(1)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
244(1)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
245(8)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Slot Machine Game
253(1)
Summary
253(2)
Controlling Other Applications
255(30)
Project Preview: The Tic-Tac-Toe Game
256(2)
Automating Mac OS X Applications
258(1)
Accessing Application Terminology
258(3)
Application Dictionaries
259(2)
Using tell to Direct Messages to Application Targets
261(1)
Automating Mac OS X Applications
261(7)
TextEdit
261(2)
Finder
263(1)
iTunes
263(1)
Terminal
264(1)
DVD
264(1)
Address Book
265(1)
Safari
265(1)
Mail
266(1)
System Events
266(1)
Help Viewer
267(1)
Back to the Tic-Tac-Toe Game
268(15)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
268(1)
Step 2: Creating the User Interface
268(1)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
269(4)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
273(10)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Tic-Tac-Toe Game
283(1)
Summary
283(2)
Debugging and Error Handling
285(38)
Project Preview: The Poker Dice Game
286(3)
Finding Ways of Handling Errors
289(1)
Different Types of Errors
290(2)
Syntax Errors
290(1)
Logical Errors
291(1)
Runtime Errors
291(1)
Handling Errors
292(4)
Using the try Statement to Catch Errors
292(3)
Catching Specific Types of Errors
295(1)
Keeping a Watchful Eye on Your AppleScript Studio Applications
296(4)
Writing Output to the Log
296(1)
Displaying Useful Information in Popup Dialogs
297(1)
Using Sound to Indicate When Key Events Occur
298(1)
Reviewing Error Messages
298(2)
Debugging Your AppleScript Studio Applications
300(4)
Running Your AppleScript Studio Applications in the Debugger
300(2)
Setting Breakpoints
302(1)
Controlling Statement Execution
303(1)
Back to the Poker Dice Game
304(17)
Step 1: Creating a New Project
304(1)
Step 2: Creating the Game's Windows
304(3)
Step 3: Customizing Control Properties
307(4)
Step 4: Adding a Little Programming Logic
311(10)
Step 5: Testing the Execution of the Poker Dice Game
321(1)
Summary
321(2)
Part IV APPENDICES
323(2)
Appendix A What's on the Companion Website?
325(2)
The Book's Source Code
326(1)
Appendix B What Next?
327(14)
Recommended Reading
327(2)
Locating AppleScript Studio Resources Online
329(4)
Apple's AppleScript Studio Web Pages
329(1)
Apple's AppleScript Web Pages
330(1)
MacScripter.net
331(1)
Cocoa Dev Central
332(1)
AppleScript Studio Mailing Lists
333(8)
Apple's Applescript-Studio Mailing List
333(1)
Apple's Applescript-implementors Mailing List
334(1)
Apple's Applescript-users Mailing List
335(1)
MacScripter's AppleScript Studio and Xcode Mailing List
336(1)
Yahoo! Groups: AppleScript Mailing List
337(1)
The AppleScript Studio -- How to Mailing List
338(3)
Glossary 341(10)
Index 351

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