Language Guide

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P R E F A C E
About This Guide
The AppleScript Language Guide: English Dialect is a complete guide to the
English dialect of the AppleScript language. AppleScript allows you to create
sets of written instructions—known as scripts—to automate and customize
your applications.
Audience 0
This guide is for anyone who wants to write new scripts or modify
existing scripts.
Before using this guide, you should read Getting Started With AppleScript to
learn what hardware and software you need to use AppleScript; how to install
AppleScript; and how to run, record, and edit scripts.
To make best use of this guide, you should already be familiar with at least one
of the following:
■
another scripting language (such as HyperTalk, the scripting language for
HyperCard, or a scripting language for a specific application)
■
a computer programming language (such as BASIC, Pascal, or C)
■
a macro language (such as a language used to manipulate spreadsheets)
If you’re not already familiar with the basics of scripting and programming
(such as variables, subroutines, and conditional statements such as If-Then),
you may want additional information to help you get started. You can find a
variety of introductory books on scripting and programming—including books
specifically about AppleScript—in many bookstores.
Macintosh software developers who want to create scriptable and recordable
applications should refer to Inside Macintosh: Interapplication Communication.