AppleScript- A Short Report for a Very Long Book

I must admit that, at first glance, “AppleScript 1-2-3” by Sal Soghoian and Bill Cheeseman was a daunting experience. In today’s world, a printed volume that weighs nearly four pounds, and has 880 pages can be an unusual and intimidating document.

Yet, upon sitting down with the book and my MAC along side, and going through the numerous examples of the first chapter, I realized that, “Hey! This book is READABLE!”

Now, I won’t pretend that I’ve read the rest of the book in any great detail, but from what I’ve gleaned so far, the authors continue their hands-on, example-driven approach throughout- making the learning of AppleScript a very doable undertaking.

To those who are unfamiliar with AppleScript, let’s just say that it is an unbelievably powerful object-oriented language, built into every MAC from the beginning. It allows the user to manipulate the MAC applications in ways which add tremendous utility to the original programs.

For instance, my project involves taking a “whole boatload” of very old Microsoft Word files for MAC, and converting them into files that can be read by a modern WINDOWS PC- a daunting task if it were not for the MACRO capabilities of AppleScript.

AppleScript uses high-level, English language sentence structure and compiles it into a program that the machine understands. A built-in AppleScript Editor makes programming easy. An example of a command might be:

tell application “Finder” to open the startup disk

Nothing very cryptic there…

If you need your computer to do something different, or something not originally designed into a “Standard” application, you may want to give AppleScript a try. The book has a list price of $49.99. If you want to see if AppleScript is right for you before you make a commitment, look for a copy at your local public library.

Published by Peachpit Press
Copyright 2009
ISBN13:978-0-321-14931-2
ISBN-10:6-321-14931-9
mm
Ron K

December 2009 Meeting

December 19 , 2009

Tips & Tricks for everyone by Mark Bazrod

Bring TV to your MAC for Free by Ben Romney

Fill Your Wish List for the New Year with Dale's goodies

Free Photoshop Alternatives

Check this out!!!!
Three websites for 25+ Photoshop alternatives

==================================================================

11 Free Adobe Photoshop Alternatives (Softwares) | Tools
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/11-free-alternatives-softwares-to-adobe-photoshop/


Photoshop Alternatives: Another 14 Free Image Manipulation Tools | Tools
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/photoshop-alternatives-another-14-free-image-manipulation-tools/


One more site to check out for Mac based (non free) Image editors
Top 5 Alternatives to Photoshop For Mac Users | Psdtuts+
http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/top-5-alternatives-to-photoshop-for-mac-users/

Links for September Tips

Here are the URLs for the Mac tips from the September 19, 2009 meeting. This is my first post to the blog so who knows how it will turn out.

BOOTABLE FLASH DRIVE http://www.mlmug.org/BMSep.html

TEN THUMBS TYPING TUTOR ($26) http://www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com

TYPING SHORTHANDS

1. SPELL CATCHER ($30) http://www.rainmakerinc.com/
2. TYPEIT4ME ($27) http://ettoresoftware.com/EttoreSoftware/About_TypeIt4Me.html
3. TEXT EXPANDER ($30) http://www.smileonmymac.com/TextExpander/

DWIGHT SILVERMAN'S BLOG http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/

The MACBUNDLES.COM http://www.themacbundles.com/

EASYFIND (free) http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/freeware/

TROUBLESHOOTING SITES -

1. GOOGLE http://www.google.com/mac/
2. APPLE http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa
3. MACOSHINTS.COM http://macoshints.com/
4. OSX FAQ http://www.osxfaq.com/
5. OSXGUIDE http://www.osxguide.com/
6. MACFIXITFORUMS.COM http://forums.cnet.com/?tag=hdr;snav

SPEEDDOWNLOAD ($25) http://yazsoft.com/

Mark Bazrod

The AppCast for great tutorials

iPhone apps video podcasts
http://theapppodcast.com/
The App Podcast is a video review website of popular and upcoming iPhone & iPod Touch Applications. We hold one of the top technology podcast positions in iTunes with over 6500 subscribers and growing. Get the reviews for free in iTunes to watch on your computer, iPhone, Touch or AppleTV.

The Applist

Applist - lists of the essential and best iphone apps
http://appadvice.com/reviews
When you just can't find the right set of apps going to the AppStore will strike pay dirt. Don't know which apps you need on your iPhone? Check out our AppLists to find handpicked bundles of apps that fit your unique style. Whether you are looking to use your phone for a particular purpose, or just want to have more fun on the go, AppLists transform your iPhone to your very own myPhone.

September's Meeting

Freeware-Shareware and Open Source

This month we will feature as many applications, tips and tricks, and tools that are available to the macintosh platform free of charge or for a nominal fee.
Come join us and share your expertise or have your question answered.

iPhone/Touch Identity Screen

I wanted to display my name, phone number, and email address to the finder of my iPod Touch if it were lost and some good Samaritan managed to turn it on. My IPod Touch is Passcode protected. Some of the identity apps, like My info, need to be actually run, in order to make the information visible. That means someone has to get passed the Passcode for the information to be seen.

Other applications, like If Found set the iPhone/Touch wallpaper to display the data. This is displayed on the Passcode screen.

If you want to start from scratch, to create a unique wallpaper poster, check out:

iPhone/Touch Wallpaper

Other suggestions include:
The EasyShot App
And PhotoForge

I created a JPEG with my contact information at the top of a photo using
Paint.net on my computer and downloaded it to the Touch using iTunes. I then
selected it as wallpaper, and it shows up on the initial screen above the
Passcode keyboard.

Ron K

IPhone/Touch File Sharing

One of my most frequently used operating system attributes of my networked desktop and laptop computers is the ability to file share between machines.

While in "the olden days", a file might be transferred between machines on a floppy disk or Flash drive, using network file sharing is much more convenient, and opening a channel through Ethernet or WiFi is really automatic, once the sharing mechanism is in place.

Sharing files on an iPhone/Touch is a bit more complicated. Apple wants everything to go through iTunes using USB and the available applications in the iTunes Store.

There are, however, several APPS, which in effect, circumvent some of these limitations. Several methods are employed. Some provide an external (cloud) server. Send the file to the cloud on one computer and receive it on the other, all through the Internet. Another approach is to open a local channel between computers either through USB or WiFi and transfer the file that way. Of course, it is necessary for the iPhone/Touch to have an application to handle the received file. Check out Mover and ActivePrint

Two popular file sharing programs available are: Air Sharing and FileAid I chose FileAid. The WiFi version of FileAid can be used for free. One item to watch out for when setting up FileAid is to make sure when inserting the iPhone/Touch FTP address use a colon (:) rather than a dot before the last set of digits ftp://192.1.168.17:2121 The 2121 is the port number.

Using FileAid it was easy to download, for instance, Michael Rubin's $35 bio of George Lucas and Lucasfilm, Droidmaker now available for FREE, into my desktop as three pdf docs and transfer them to my iPod Touch for later reading when not hooked into WiFi.

Check it Out!

Ron K

Oxford Valley Mall Offers Free WiFi to Customers

This was the first time I visited The Oxford Valley Mall with my new iPod Touch in hand. To my pleasant surprise, I found that the mall now offers a WiFi connection for the convenience of the shoppers. I very happily sat down at a bench and passed the time surfing the Web, as my wife enjoyed her shopping trip. The WiFi works well in the big open areas, but is not present in the satellite department stores.

I still can't get over the fact that at the public libraries and such, others are pinned down to their desktops and laptops, while I can walk around, or sit in a comfortable chair, and view the same web pages and movies on the little 'Touch.

Anyone know of other malls in the area with free public WiFi?
Ron