Language Guide

CHAPTER 1

AppleScript, Scripts, and Scriptable Applications

What Applications Are Scriptable? 11

What Applications Are Scriptable? 1

Applications that understand one or more AppleScript commands are called

scriptable applications. Not all applications are scriptable. The advertising

and packaging for an application usually mention if it is scriptable. The

documentation for a scriptable application typically lists the AppleScript words

that the application understands.

Some scriptable applications are also recordable. For every signiﬁcant action

you can perform in a recordable application, the Script Editor can record a

series of corresponding instructions in the AppleScript language. With

recordable applications, you can create a script simply by performing actions

in the application.

Finally, some scriptable applications are also attachable. An attachable applica-

tion is one that can be customized by attaching scripts to speciﬁc objects in the

application, such as buttons and menu items. These scripts are triggered by

speciﬁc user actions, such as choosing a menu item or clicking a button.