I've been coding AppleScript and AppleEvents since what feels like the beginning of time, starting with AE in 1991 and OS7. Revisiting AppleScript has been one of those processes that in 1997 and now in 2004/5 I have dreaded and embraced for various reasons.The main reason I hate AS so much is the lack of consistency between application implementations of AppleScript support. I also dislike how over time implementations change making old scripts fairly worthless for relearning and aquanting. One of the other things I dislike most is the lack of a good basic introduction to the concepts and specifics of AppleScript. And finally the lack of a fairly all inclusive book or webpage about AS as a tool, AS the language, 3rd party AS tools that are currently supported and a set of generic educational sample scripts.
Now, Pogue Press along with O'reilly in their "Missing Manual Series" and a very bright high school debutant author named Adam Goldstein have put together what I consider to be the best book on AppleScript currently marketed. Thorough, modern and light reading. Adam Goldstein the wonderkid scripter that runs his own website has done us old time and newbie scripters alike a favor filling a much needed gap Apple left in their AS manuals. This 320+ page book was an easy evening read, consumed in less than 7 hours and 2 hours for reflection and revisiting sections of interest.
Some of the most enjoyable things I can mention about this book are... The consistent layout of the text, it is simply a joy to read and hold in my hands. Much like other O'reilly books, this one does not fail to serve well in hand and on desktop next to monitor. Goldstein covers a LOT of territory in 300+ pages, and I found the index useful after the first read for more in depth investigation and details about rather obscure AS topics. To me, a manual of any substance and value is as good as its index. These qualities are alone worth 1/2 the retail of the retail USD $24.95 retail price.
Another thing that impressed me was Goldstein's breadth of knowledge covering bridge technologies, going from AS to JScript, or RealBASIC to AS, or even JS to AS. Living in the web demands a programmer and designer to know many tools and use the best (or in some cases the only) for the right job. Adam is clear on what AS is good for, and offers a rather complete list of alternatives for various other needs. Adam is an honest writer, something politically not in vogue all the time with writers of technology. I appreciate him being a straight shooter regarding the limitations of AS, where it is most useful, now to maximize its power and leaving it behind for other tools more appropriate. To me these merit the other 1/2 of the retail price.
Covering many application AS interfacing like MS Word, or Adobe PS, the process flow scripter/coder is going to love this up and fast running series of 'Power User's Clinic' box hilites throughout the book. Inclusive are the Workaround sections for solving conflicts and problems with apps that behave or have naming conventions in their AS dictionaries that may result in odd behaviors. For those that want to explore the media aspects of AS programming, there are sections about coding iTunes, Web-Browsers, Commercial Graphic Apps and more.
At least two things lack in my opinion ranking this book high rather than perfectly fitting my personal needs. One is the lack of mentioning a few scripting technologies like FScript, and SenseTalk, both of which are extremely powerful and very complete. The first with true Cocoa objects, and the latter with an AS bridge call via the 'do AppleScript' command and the heart of the fully automated and scriptable testing system called Eggplant. Lastly the total lack of AppleScriptable IRC client control is a big oversite. Granted, few will upon utilizing AS spend time coding IRC clients, there is a deep pool of resources online and a webring dedicated to AS IRC scripting useful to the budding and new scripter.
As this book is a Missing Manual release, it is a great launching place for people that want to know the very basics about the tools available for AppleScript like the Script Editor and XCode. This book serves well those that want to get a feel for the tools out there to write more complicated scripts for automation, that of XCode. It does not touch in great detail the use of UI Browser or Smile, two very strong tools that are available fairly cheap to the AS coder. The very last thing that bothers me is the clear lack of commercial experience and focus for AS coding. There is a large market in Publishing for AS Hackers, and it is growing daily. Its apparent this book could use a section or two regarding integration of AS into a business model/work flow, and how to control data flow as part of a configuration management solution. AS is used as part of very complex media production, websites, newspapers, catalogs, libraries, online selling and stores. Yet nothing significant is mentioned about how AS is or could be used in such environments, and this is a sore point for me and this book, missing a great chance to explain how AS can help someone accomplish something useful other than getting iTunes to play folders of music.
- "Applescript book review, Page 1/2"
- "Applescript book review, Page 2/2"
