MacScripter AppleScript Article > Getting Started with Handlers (Part 1)

Getting Started with Handlers (Part 1).

Welcome AppleScript developers! Some of you may be familiar with my regular AppleScript columns in X-Ray Magazine and MacTech Magazine. I am pleased to announce that, in addition to my columns in those fine publications, I will be writing regular AppleScript columns, presently on a monthly basis, for MacScripter. Be sure to check back on a weekly basis, though, for excellent AppleScript-related columns by many other great authors!

I have chosen to begin my column here at MacScripter by providing an introduction to handlers, a topic that will end up spanning three articles . My reason for choosing this topic is that shortly, I plan to start focusing on AppleScript Studio. Since AppleScript Studio development requires heavy use of handlers, and since every AppleScript developer should be making use of handlers on a regular basis anyway, it only seems fitting to begin with this topic. Let's get started. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Article > Getting Started with Handlers (Part 2)

Getting Started with Handlers (Part 2).

Last month's column focused on providing an introduction to handlers, discussed the benefits of using subroutine handlers, explored writing and calling subroutine handlers, and discussed handler parameter usage.

In this month's column, we will continue discussing handlers, in preparation for using AppleScript Studio to create interface-rich AppleScript solutions that have the same look and feel of any other Mac OS X application. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Article > Getting Started with Handlers (Part 3)

Getting Started with Handlers (Part 3).

This month's column serves as the last in a series of columns covering handler usage in AppleScript.

Part 1 of this series introduced handlers and discussed the benefits of writing and using subroutine handlers. It also looked at writing and calling subroutine handlers, as well as proper usage of handler parameters.

Part 2 of this series discussed the scope of variables with regard to handlers, explained how to return values from handlers, and demonstrated how to call handlers from within application tell statements.

So far, our handler discussions have been focused primarily around subroutine handlers, i.e. custom handlers that you write yourself and call throughout your script. In this month's column, we will discuss another type of hander: command handlers. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with AppleScript Studio

Getting Started with AppleScript Studio.

Over the past several months, we have been discussing command handlers and subroutine handlers in detail. This month, we will begin discussing a new topic ... AppleScript Studio. As we proceed, you will find that we will be using handlers regularly, especially command handlers, as AppleScript Studio makes heavy use of them. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started Using Tab Views in AppleScript Studio

Getting Started Using Tab Views in AppleScript Studio.

Creating AppleScript Studio applications complete with interfaces is a great way to make your scripts user friendly, and allow users to specify information that affects how your script will behave.  However, when lots of options are necessary, an interface can quickly become cumbersome.  This is where tab views can become very handy.  A tab view can allow you to organize your interface elements into structured groups of common elements, which can be navigated by a user selecting the appropriate tab. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 1)

Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 1).

Last month, we began discussing how to get started with using AppleScript Studio (click here for last month's column).  In the column, we covered creating an AppleScript Studio project in Xcode, designing a user interface, linking the interface to AppleScript code within the project, and building and running the completed project.

This month, we are going to continue to work with AppleScript Studio. Specifically, we will be focusing on interacting with buttons.

There are many different styles of buttons in AppleScript Studio, including push buttons, popup buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and more.  In addition to varying visually in appearance, the code you will write to interact with different buttons will vary too, depending on the button type.  We are going to begin by exploring two of the more commonly used styles of button -- push buttons and popup buttons. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 2)

Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 2).

When designing an interface in AppleScript Studio, you will find that different situations call for different types of buttons.  In last month's column, we focused on two specific types of buttons, push buttons and popup buttons (click here for last month's column).  This month, we're going to discuss two more specific types of buttons, checkboxes and radio buttons. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Displaying Progress in AppleScript Studio

Getting Started with Displaying Progress in AppleScript Studio.

One very common use for AppleScript is batch processing. Scripts of this nature will often loop through multiple items, performing some type of automated task for each item being processed. An example of this might be a script that loops through a folder of image files, converting each one to another format.

A script of this nature that is created with Script Editor, and then run, may work just fine. However, visually, it is less than spectacular. Other than a spinning cursor, and perhaps a dialog message displayed here or there during script execution, the user does not usually receive a very good visual representation of what is occurring.

This is where AppleScript Studio can come in handy. In this month's column, we will discuss adding progress bars and spinners to an AppleScript, in order to provide a visual representation of what is being processed, how much processing is complete, and how much processing remains during script execution. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Table Views

Getting Started with Table Views.

In this month's column, we're going to discuss a specific type of interface element that is often incorporated into AppleScript Studio projects' a table view. Table views consist of one or more cells (displayed using columns and rows), which may be used to display data. Think of a table view as being similar in layout to a worksheet in Excel. See figure 1 for an example of a 2-column table view in an AppleScript Studio project's interface. [Read more at MacScripter...]

MacScripter AppleScriptable Application Review > MultiAd Creator Professional

MultiAd Creator Professional.

For those of you who aren't familiar with MultiAd Creator, you're missing out on a good thing. MultiAd Creator may be a potentially very useful addition to your workflow.

MultiAd Creator, which has been around since 1989, is a cross-platform desktop publishing application, similar in many respects to QuarkXPress or Adobe InDesign. However, Creator has some unique standard features, which are not currently available in these other applications without the use of third-party plug-ins. [Read more at MacScripter.net...]