Modding Mac OS X

Final Thoughts

Application scripting can be both rewarding and frustrating for an aspiring application modder. On the one hand, there’s power—lots of it, with geekitude to spare. With the right script, you can make an application sit up and beg. On the other hand, there’s frustration—lots of it. Caffeine, chicken entrails, and chocolate may play little or no role in your results (or lack thereof). Here are a few final thoughts as you leave this chapter:

Google is your friend.

Leverage the work that other people have already done by searching for scripts that might solve your problem.

Always expect application scripting to take a lot longer than you think it should.

Regardless of how careful you are when building your scripts, you’re bound to go through a trial-and-error period to get your script to work exactly as you want it to.

Scripting can cause stress.

Be prepared to yell loudly and make comments on the ancestry of the application developers whose product you’re attempting to control. While this doesn’t accomplish much, it sure beats banging your head on the desk.

Trust your feelings, Luke.

When in doubt, script the interface instead of the application. UI Scripting is reliable, and with the right utilities, it’s relatively easy to do. It just takes some practice to get the hang of things.

When all else fails…

If AppleScript just isn’t your thing, consider using a third-party macro package such as iKey or QuicKeys to automate your applications. They cost a little more, but they may get ...