Re: [MacPerl] Getting started with Applescript & Perl

[Matthias Ulrich Neeracher <neeri@iis.ee.ethz.ch>]

schinder@pjstoaster.pg.md.us (Paul Schinder) writes:
>charles@jolt.mpx.com.au (Charles Cave) writes:
>} Maybe I should buy a book on Applescript. What books do you
>} recommend? I've seen a book titled "The Tao of Applescript"?
>
>Your best bet, IMHO, is the "AppleScript Language Guide English
>Dialect", ISBN 0-201-40735-3, published by Addison-Wesley, which is the
>authoritative book.  Tao is fine, but you'll want something more
>comprehensive if you stick with Applescript.

I have the AppleScript Language Guide, Tao of AppleScript, and Danny Goodman's
AppleScript book, and I thought that Goodman's book was by far the best of the
three (however, new editions of both Tao and Goodman's book have since then
appeared). The first edition of Tao was sort of an "AppleScript for Dummies"
wrapped in eastern mysticism; I did not particularly like it, but for
non-programmers, it might have been ok.

>My advice is to avoid Applescript whenever possible, though. I find
>Applescript a horrible language to write complicated scripts in, and
>only use it for the simplest tasks.  It's only real advantage is that
>it's always there if you have System 7.5.x.  If you really have a
>complex task to do that needs to be done with Mac applications, check
>into Frontier (you can find the way from www.scriptweb.com).

Agreed!

Matthias

-----
Matthias Neeracher   <neeri@iis.ee.ethz.ch>   http://www.iis.ee.ethz.ch/~neeri
   "I'm set free to find a new illusion" -- Velvet Underground