Beginning Mac OS® X Programming

12.3. Summary

AppleScript is in a category all its own because it is the only scripting language that allows you to directly interact with Mac OS X applications while they are running. For this reason, it fills an important role in Mac OS X programming. Even if your applications are written in languages other than AppleScript, there will often be tasks better left to an AppleScript script. Some knowledge of the language is thus a decided advantage for any Mac OS X developer.

In this chapter you learned

• How to write AppleScripts with Script Editor, and how to find out about the classes and commands of an application via its dictionary

• The basics of the AppleScript language, including data types and variables; how to use flow control statements; how to write and call handlers; and how to write and interact with script objects

• The differences between properties and elements, and the different ways you can specify a particular element

• How to script applications such as iTunes, iPhoto, Finder, and QuickTime

• The provisions in Xcode and Interface Builder for writing fully functional Cocoa applications with AppleScript Studio

• How you use the AppleScript-Cocoa bridge to work with Cocoa objects in AppleScript scripts

In the next chapter, you learn how to utilize Bash scripts in Cocoa applications written with Objective-C. Before proceeding, however, try the exercises that follow to test your understanding of the material covered in this chapter. You can find the solutions to these exercises ...