From newspapers to NASA, Mac users around the world use AppleScript to automate their daily computing routines. Famed for its similarity to English and its ease of integration with other programs, AppleScript is the perfect programming language for time-squeezed Mac fans. As beginners quickly realize, however, AppleScript has one major shortcoming: it comes without a manual. No more. You don't need a degree in computer science, a fancy system administrator title, or even a pocket protector and pair of nerdy glasses to learn the Mac's most popular scripting language; you just need the proper guide at your side. AppleScript: The Missing Manual is that guide. Brilliantly compiled by author Adam Goldstein, AppleScript: The Missing Manual is brimming with useful examples. You'll learn how to clean up your Desktop with a single click, for example, and how to automatically optimize pictures for a website. Along the way, you ll learn the overall grammar of AppleScript, so you can write your own customized scripts when you feel the need. Naturally, AppleScript: The Missing Manual isn't merely for the uninitiated scripter. While its hands-on approach certainly keeps novices from feeling intimidated, this comprehensive guide is also suited for system administrators, web and graphics professionals, musicians, scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and others who need to learn the ins and outs of AppleScript for their daily work. Thanks to AppleScript: The Missing Manual, the path from consumer to seasoned script has never been clearer. Now you, too, can automate your Macintosh in no time.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 23 Ratings

Hard to follow - 2007-12-27
Reviewer Rating:
"AppleScript: The missing manual" is complete and will teach you the basic of AppleScript to the point where you can write your own script to accomplish all kinds of tasks.
The book is pleasently only 325 pages and can be assimilated rather quickly.
The book provides automation examples for a lot of standard Mac fonctionalities and also some third party applications.

I only gave it 3 stars for two reasons.

First I am not a big fan of the style of the author. When I want to learn something I favor an academic style, I find it easier to assimilate things that way. "AppleScript: The missing manual" is written like if it was an everyday conversation however with opinion and jokes.

Second and this is my main complaint, this is a book written mainly by example. There is no real description of syntax of the language at all not even the basic basics. So in order to get a feel for the language you need to read plenty of samples and try to undestand what the author is doing.

I would not recommend this book for any professional or advanced developper who are looking to learn what AppleScript is or how to use AppleScript. This book could however be a good addition for those that want to see example of how AppleScript can be use.

Thorough and Good for the programmer as well as the novice.... - 2007-08-24
Reviewer Rating:
This book is loaded with information from A-Z in AppleScript. I am a programmer. I read the other reviews by programmers who said the book "wasn't enough". This book is the best on the market for AppleScript and if you are starting out writing applications in AppleScript Studio. I couldn't hail it enough.

Don't beat yourself up if you are not writing code after reading this - 2009-06-15
Reviewer Rating:
I took this book out of the library three different times, hoping to write some small scripts to pave over some minor Mac peeves I had. I had believed the Apple marketing which had led me to thinking that if dogs had opposable thumbs, even they could be writing AppleScript code in no time.

Not so fast.

If I can prevent even one person from beating themselves up for not being able to write AppleScript after reading this book, I will be happy.

I was a professional programmer for 25 years, I have written code in around 25 languages, more than a thousand lines of code in at least 7 or 8 of them (including several OO languages.) AppleScript is one of the two or three hardest to learn/use languages I have ever come across. It was not until I got Matt Neuburg's "AppleScript: The Definitive Guide", that I found evidence that maybe all of my programming brain cells had NOT died overnight.

The best analogy I can give for AppleScript (and this book) is as follows: this book is like reading a home decorating magazine. In no way does that help you to learn how to build or even remodel a house. Even the most trivial remodeling requires some skill, whether it being able to replace a faucet fixture, or laying down carpet.

If you can use a script off-the-shelf out of this book, great, its worth getting. It turns out though, that %99 of programming involves a desire for more than that. It turns out that this book does not help here.

Almost every other programming language I've learned, I've learned through taking other folks code, seeing how they did it, and then either modifying it, or going off and writing fresh code, using the original code as a helper. AppleScript is one of the few languages where this technique will result in frustration. Neuburg explains why this is so. It turns out learning how to script one application (say iTunes) is of almost no value when you go over and try to script the Finder, or QuickTime. Its like learning a new language each time. They have all got their own quirks and implementation bugs, and reading the dictionary is not as much help as it should be.

I have not looked at the rest of the AppleScript books yet, but just remember, this Missing Manual book gives you examples of color schemes, it does not really tell you how to pick new colors that go together or how to paint.

Great introduction - 2008-06-03
Reviewer Rating:
I have not programming background, but I do like automating as many tasks on my computer as possibly can. So for the last year or so I've been playing around with AppleScript, mainly copying the scripts I found from different sources, but along the way I'm slowly beginning to understand how to put together scripts almost from scratch. This book has been very resourceful because it has the familiar Missing Manual style of breaking the essential features of a program so that almost anyone can understand. Some of the examples in this book are not very practical, but for those who want to learn AppleScript, you won't waste your money and time getting and reading this book.

Great beginner reference - 2008-04-29
Reviewer Rating:
Once again, the Missing Manual series comes to the rescue. Anyone wanting a comprehendible primer on Applescript should look no further. This book is well organized, advancing logically chapter by chapter. Like all Missing Manual books, it explains technical concepts in plain english.

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