1.2. The Golden Triangle: Scriptable Applications, the AppleScript Language, and the Scripts You Write

Have you ever traveled to a foreign country where you don't speak the local language and are unfamiliar with local customs? Until you find your way around the place, it's easy to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all, perhaps even intimidated. If this is your first trip into the world of AppleScript, or scripting in general, you will probably start getting this feeling very shortly.

What you need is a map; one that provides a general overview of the entire territory, shows you where the important landmarks lie, and points you toward some of the safer, simpler, and/or more interesting paths that you can go on to explore for yourself. This chapter is...not that map. In fact, this chapter is more of a map to the real map, which you'll meet in the next chapter. For now, I want to introduce you to three basic concepts in the AppleScript world: scriptable applications, the AppleScript language, and the scripts you write.