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author | Jack Jansen <jack.jansen@cwi.nl> | 1997-08-19 14:00:56 (GMT) |
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committer | Jack Jansen <jack.jansen@cwi.nl> | 1997-08-19 14:00:56 (GMT) |
commit | f10786bacaa709886ac9ab44a28dac7c23bbaedc (patch) | |
tree | e070ff1f95cbdfdef3b7af727763097fbceadf86 | |
parent | 97de10cacff9892c17507086c35888879a1fc933 (diff) | |
download | cpython-f10786bacaa709886ac9ab44a28dac7c23bbaedc.zip cpython-f10786bacaa709886ac9ab44a28dac7c23bbaedc.tar.gz cpython-f10786bacaa709886ac9ab44a28dac7c23bbaedc.tar.bz2 |
Very sketchy preliminary docs on new applescripting functionality.
-rw-r--r-- | Mac/Demo/applescript.html | 85 |
1 files changed, 53 insertions, 32 deletions
diff --git a/Mac/Demo/applescript.html b/Mac/Demo/applescript.html index b4638d2..f527b52 100644 --- a/Mac/Demo/applescript.html +++ b/Mac/Demo/applescript.html @@ -31,21 +31,30 @@ will tell Eudora to send queued mail, retrieve mail or quit. <p> There is a tool in the standard distribution that looks through a file for an 'AETE' or 'AEUT' resource, the internal representation of the AppleScript dictionary. This tool is called -<CODE>gensuitemodule.py</CODE>, and lives in -<CODE>Mac:scripts</CODE>. When we start it, it asks us for an input -file and we point it to the Eudora Light executable. It starts parsing -the AETE resource, and for each AppleEvent suite it finds it prompts -us for the filename of the resulting python module. Remember to change -folders for the first module, you don't want to clutter up the Eudora -folder with your python interfaces. If you want to skip a suite you -press cancel and the process continues with the next suite. In the -case of Eudora, you do <EM>not</EM> want to generate the Required -suite, because it will be empty. AppleScript understands that an empty -suite means "incorporate the whole standard suite by this name", +<CODE>gensuitemodule.py</CODE>, and lives in <CODE>Mac:scripts</CODE>. +When we start it, it asks us for an input file and we point it to the +Eudora Light executable. It starts parsing the AETE resource, and for +each AppleEvent suite it finds it prompts us for the filename of the +resulting python module. Remember to change folders for the first +module, you don't want to clutter up the Eudora folder with your python +interfaces. If you want to skip a suite you press cancel and the process +continues with the next suite. In the case of Eudora, you do +<EM>not</EM> want to generate the Required and Standard suites, because +they are identical to the standard ones which are pregenerated (and +empty in the eudora binary). AppleScript understands that an empty suite +means "incorporate the whole standard suite by this name", gensuitemodule does not currently understand this. Creating the empty <CODE>Required_Suite.py</CODE> would hide the correct module of that name from our application. <p> +Gensuitemodule may ask you questions like "Where is enum 'xyz ' declared?". +For the first time, cancel out of this dialog after taking down the +enum (or class or prop) name. After you've created all the suites look +for these codes, in the suites generated here and in the standard suites. +If you've found them all run gensuitemodule again and point it to the right +file for each declaration. Gensuitemodule will generate the imports to make the +reference work. <p> + <BLOCKQUOTE> Time for a sidebar. If you want to re-create <CODE>Required_Suite.py</CODE> or one of the other standard modules @@ -61,19 +70,9 @@ Let's glance at the <A HREF="scripting/Eudora_Suite.py">Eudora_Suite.py</A> just created. You may want to open Script Editor alongside, and have a look at how it interprets the dictionary. EudoraSuite.py starts with some -boilerplate, then come some dictionaries implementing the OSA -Enumerations, then a big class definition with methods for each -AppleScript Verb and finally some comments. The Enumerations we will -skip, it suffices to know that whenever you have to pass an enumerator -to a method you can pass the english name and don't have to bother -with the 4-letter type code. So, you can say -<CODE><PRE> - eudora.notice(occurrence="mail_arrives") -</PRE></CODE> -instead of the rather more cryptic -<CODE><PRE> - eudora.notice(occurrence="wArv") -</PRE></CODE> +boilerplate, then a big class definition with methods for each +AppleScript Verb, then some small class definitions and then some dictionary +initializations. <p> The <CODE>Eudora_Suite</CODE> class is the bulk of the code generated. For each verb it contains a method. Each method knows what @@ -90,16 +89,38 @@ The other thing you notice is that each method calls to provide it by subclassing or multiple inheritance, as we shall see later. <p> -The module ends with some comments. Sadly, gensuitemodule is not yet -able to turn the Object Specifiers into reasonable Python code. For -now, if you need object specifiers, you will have to use the routines -defined in <CODE>aetools.py</CODE> (and <CODE>aetypes.py</CODE>, which -it incorporates). You use these in the form <CODE>aetools.Word(10, +After the big class we get a number of little class declarations. These +declarations are for the (appleevent) classes and properties in the suite. +They allow you to create object IDs, which can then be passed to the verbs. +For instance, to get the name of the sender of the first message in mailbox +inbox you would use <code>mailbox("inbox").message(1).sender</code>. It is +also possible to specify this as <code>sender(message(1, mailbox("inbox")))</code>, +which is sometimes needed because these classes don't inherit correctly +from baseclasses, so you may have to use a class or property from another suite. <p> + +<blockquote> +There are also some older object specifiers for standard objects in aetools. +You use these in the form <CODE>aetools.Word(10, aetools.Document(1))</CODE> where the corresponding AppleScript terminology would be <CODE>word 10 of the first document</CODE>. Examine the two modules mentioned above along with the comments at the end of your suite module if you need to create -more than the standard object specifiers. <p> +more than the standard object specifiers. +</blockquote> + +Next we get the enumeration dictionaries, which allow you to pass +english names as arguments to verbs, so you don't have to bother with the 4-letter +type code. So, you can say +<CODE><PRE> + eudora.notice(occurrence="mail_arrives") +</PRE></CODE> +instead of the rather more cryptic +<CODE><PRE> + eudora.notice(occurrence="wArv") +</PRE></CODE><p> + +Finally, we get the "table of contents" of the module, listing all classes and such +by code, which is used by gensuitemodule. <p> <H2>Using a Python suite module</H2> @@ -119,8 +140,8 @@ all, the heart of our program looks like this: <CODE><PRE> import Eudora_Suite, Required_Suite, aetools - class Eudora(aetools.TalkTo, Required_Suite.Required_Suite, \ - Eudora_Suite.Eudora_Suite): + class Eudora(Eudora_Suite.Eudora_Suite, Required_Suite.Required_Suite, \ + aetools.TalkTo): pass </PRE></CODE> |