This section is devoted to the scripting of system-level Mac OS 9 programs, such as Apple System Profiler, Keychain Scripting, the Finder, Network Setup Scripting, and Sherlock 2. The scriptable control panels and extensions are covered in the next section, Part IV. The programs that are covered in this section for the most part have comprehensive AppleScript dictionaries and can be used to extend your computer’s capabilities (particularly with AppleScript!); however; they are not control panels or extensions. The exception to this scheme is Apple Guide, which is an extension but was included in this section so that the reader has access in a single chapter to a description of AppleScript and the help-related programs. Each chapter describes the purpose of the application, then describes each dictionary command and class in a reference-style form.
This chapter describes the dictionaries and includes scripting tips for Apple Guide, the traditional automated Apple-help program, and the newer browser-based Help Viewer tool.
Accessible from the Apple menu, Apple System Profiler displays a wealth of information about the hardware and software on your system. This chapter describes its commands and classes and includes numerous code examples.
These are two Apple-security tools. Keychain Scripting is used to encrypt files and passwords, and Apple Verifier can verify digitally-signed files. This chapter tells where to find these applications and describes their commands and classes in reference form.
Scripters can use Desktop Printer Manager, a program introduced with Mac OS 8.5, to create and manage desktop icons that can be used for printing or otherwise processing documents and files. This chapter describes the proper syntax for controlling this application with AppleScript and also includes a reference to its dictionary commands and classes.
The Finder is the Mac OS 9 application that controls the user’s visual interface to the computer: its desktop controls as well as hard disks, network volumes, printers, and other devices. A lot of fun and useful AppleScripts deal with automating Finder activities, such as reading from and writing to files. This chapter covers the Finder commands, like restart, shutdown, sleep, and make, with detailed references to each command and any of their parameters.
This chapter covers the Finder classes, which are all the objects or things you are likely to control when scripting the Finder (e.g., files, folders, disks, and running applications). Finder Classes provides a detailed reference to each object’s elements (if any) and properties.
As the Macintosh becomes a sophisticated client and server on TCP/IP networks, Network Setup Scripting shows how you can use the commands and classes of this program with Open Transport to script a machine’s various network configurations.
You can automate sophisticated searches of local networks and the Web with AppleScript and Sherlock 2. Scripting Sherlock 2 provides a description of this program and a reference, with code examples, to its commands (e.g., index containers, search) and classes.
URL Access Scripting describes the download and upload commands of this program, which can be used with the FTP and HTTP protocols to grab and save files off the Web.