Everyone has been super patient with me for the past year... well, more than that. It has been quite a year for me and the coming months continue to see the business factor climb. Lets see, I have been busy coding a bunch of new projects including two for Twitter, ASTwitterLibrary and TwitterScriptOSX. Besides those projects I have a new AppleScript for gathering lyrics and attaching them to your iTunes music called Lyricatcher. All of these, along with ASObject, have been taking up any of the time that I could have put towards the iScript Netcast. Now that they are in a maintenance stage I think I will be able to get back to the stuff that matters to you... episodes!
Hope to check back in soon... and you can now follow the iScript Netcast on Twitter at twitter.com/iscriptnetcast. This will keep you up-to-date on every episode as well as what is going on in-between episodes. Follow me up... you won't be disappointed!
Our friends at MacStories.net just posted the first of a couple of articles I have been writing on AppleScript. This hopefully will turn into a small tutorial for people looking to get started in AppleScript on their mac! I hope you enjoy reading it and that it helps you get a quick overview of what AppleScript is all about!
Oh, and don't forget to the iScript Netcast and MacStories.net up on Twitter!
ASTwitterLibrary has been released as OPEN SOURCE! GET IT HERE
After a few email requests for information on integrating the Twitter API into AppleScript I thought I would share my opinion on the matter. I have not undertaken any projects to write an AppleScript library for the Twitter API although such a task is not beyond the realm of possibility. In the meantime, I have found that the script, ASTwitterLibrary makes an excellent addition to any XCode application or simple AppleScript. The beautiful thing about this library is that it is written exactly like my AppleScript library, ASObject, so if you are already using that library you can begin using ASTwitterLibrary right now!
Enjoy!
In this episode of the iScript Netcast we preview a new script that I am working on which helps take the management of what a user wants to do with their DVDs and make it as simple as clicking a button. This is a very early preview but I thought you would all enjoy getting a peek at it and perhaps adding your own ideas into it. I hope you enjoy it!
And, as I said in the episode, don't forget to follow me on Twitter and perhaps we can meet up when I am in San Francisco attending WWDC.
Finally, here is this episode's script for you to download and play with yourself...
In episode 33 of the iScript Netcast we take a beginning view into the world of GUI scripting and AppleScript. We discuss how to begin using it and also are given a warning for when we should use it. Hopefully this will answer some of the questions which I have been receiving in regards to GUI scripting.
I know that there were many requests for this episode to be video and perhaps it should have been. However, this was all that time would allow me to do this week. Hopefully we will be getting some more video episodes in the near future!
And, as promised, to download the scripts used in this episode of the iScript Netcast, click here and "save target as..."!
Ok, if enough time hasn't passed and all of you are not completely bored with the 31 episodes of the iScript Netcast, I would like to announce that I have episode 32 uploaded and ready for your listening pleasure!
In this episode of the iScript Netcast we take a look at four handlers from the ASObject library that are especially good a manipulating strings. Some of these we may have covered before but I thought they were good enough to bring up again. Have fun manipulating strings in your AppleScript projects!
And, as promised, to download the scripts used in this episode of the iScript Netcast, click here and "save target as..."!
UPDATE: I think I have everything under control now... please let me know if anyone sees anything out of line... Thank you again for your patience and understanding with this issue.
To all the listeners and visitors,
It was recently brought to my attention that a phishing attack was begun against the iScript Netcast website (of course if you are trying to read this from the website you already may be aware of it). I am currently looking into the situation and hope to have it resolved soon. My apologies for the downtime and for the inappropriate link that the iScript Netcast redirected to.
Wow! I really didn't think I was ever going to get this episode done... but better late than never right? This time in the iScript Netcast we look at the concept of using considering and ignoring statements to trick AppleScript into believing things as they aren't or are. This was kind of a fun episode and I am sorry that the quality is not there. I hope to get back into creating and posting more episodes as the new year approaches.
Enjoy!
Just a friendly note to the listeners... I have completed recording episode 31 of the iScript Netcast and hope to have it ready sometime this week. Keep your eyes and ears open for it...
In this episode of the iScript Netcast we take a look into the try statement and creating custom errors for your scripts. Sorry that it has taken so long for me to get this episode out and rolling. I hope to be getting back to a more regular schedule in the coming weeks. Thank you all for your patience.
In this episode we take a step back to review some questions regarind AppleScript Libraries and their use. Of course, we use ASObject for all of our demonstrations. If you would like to follow along with this episode be sure to download the Modulus 10 script from JA Computing. And, if you are looking to begin using ASObject or any AppleScript library please download the documentation for ASObject... it may help you find your way.
Thanks again for all the questions which spawned this episode...
A quick note to all the listeners out there. A couple of things to say. I have finally gotten the comment system back up and running on the iScript Netcast's website. Thanks to everyone for your patience during its downtime. I look forward to all the new comments that I am sure will be posted in the coming future.
On another note... a new episode is on the way. I have simply been very busy again (imagine that) over at JA Computer as well as a number of other places and projects that I will not mention at this moment. However, the important thing to know is that a new episode is on the way... you just have to be patient.
In this episode of the iScript Netcast we discuss the importance of commenting in AppleScript (and in any programming language in general) as well as creating some standardization while coding your AppleScripts. While these subjects may not be the most fascinating they are important for every AppleScripter to know. Please take a listen and I hope you can gain a little something from this episode.
And yes, the comment system is still down and I am three days behind getting this episode posted.
Episode 27 of the iScript Netcast is finally uploaded! (Took me long enough between recording and uploading didn't it?) Anyway, in this episode we take a look into one of the rolls which AppleScript can play when coding Dashboard Widgets. We use a great script called QwikFolder to see just one of the ways osascript can be used to make AppleScript available when codnign in Dashcode. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did creating it!
And, I should have another episode ready to go this weekend... don't hold me to it but it is almost finished so look for it!
My Aplogies to all the listeners. I have a new episode recorded and it is in the process of being edited. Between moving, WWDC, a concert, and a sinus headache/migraine combination I have been keeping pretty busy. So, it has been a while but now that I am sort of settled in I hope to bring more content (a little more often.) My thanks to all of you who have been patiently waiting.
Just a quick note to all the iScript Netcast listeners. I just created an account on BlogTV and hope to begin using it for events just like WWDC. I put a quick video up and hope to do more before the week is out. So, check it out and let me know what you think!
Click Here to go straight to my page.
And hopefully I will be able to hook up with Justine from TastyBlogSnack tonight or tomorrow. She hasn't responded to me since my first email...
I am postponing this weeks episode of the iScript Netcast due to the fact that I will be in San Francisco for WWDC. If any of the listeners are going to be present at WWDC or live in the Bay area please catch up on my Twitter account to know what I am doing and where I am going to be. ( I will also be posting any events that I will be attending on my Pownce Account. And, of course, if you would like to ensure that we can hook up for drinks or lunch one day please send me an Email. I would love to spend some time hanging out with other AppleScript enthusiasts.
I should also (hopefully) be twittering during Steve's keynote on Monday (perhaps even sharing some pix or audio) so keep your eyes and ears open!
In episode 26 of the iScript Netcast we take a look at the three different types of variable scope as described by the AppleScript Language Guide. These three types of scope and lifetime are essential pieces of AppleScript to not only know but understand. I hope you all enjoy this episode as much as I did.
My apologizes for the quality on this episode, since I have been in the process of moving I did not have all of my normal audio equipment available for recording this episode. Bear with me and we will get the quality back on track next episode!
Episode 25 of the iScript Netcast is published and ready for download. In this episode we take a peek into Apple's own documentation for AppleScript and more specifically into variable data types and coercion between them. While I originally recorded this episode in Minneapolis I was not complete satisfied with the quality (hence the delay until now). I hope you all enjoy it.
And many thanks to listener Mark for the great idea of using concepts from the AppleScript Documentation website!
Due to the fact that I am in Minneapolis, episode 25 is taking a little bit longer to get together than I would have anticipated. I have one on the way but it may not be complete as quickly as I would like... Keep your RSS readers peeled as it should be on the way soon!
Thanks again to all the listeners who kept me up to date with all the transition bugs... I think we have them all hammered out!
After this morning's outage for a complete migration of the iScript Netcast from Velocity Technical Solutions to Netfirms, I am happy to say we are finally back online here at the iScript Netcast. Thus far all seems to have gone well (other than the fact that it took me nearly 4 hours to do what should have taken me 30 minutes). However, there still may be a few bugs lingering around the site so if you happen to spot one please let me know!
Besides a new host you can now also tell that we have a new URL... hope you all like it! Oh, and you can update your bookmarks as well!
In this episode we take a peek into the world of OnMyCommand, the wonderful little application for creating your own contextual menu items with AppleScript. This is one of my favorite programs and I have quickly become a contextual menu item programming fool. I hope that this video episode helps you with creating your own shortcuts and perhaps a brand new OnMyCommand user too!
And this episode is served direct from our new host NetFirms, so if you happen to have any issues downloading this episode please Email me!
A friendly note to all the listeners of the iScript Netcast. I have just completed a migration from our current host Velocity Technical Solutions to Netfirms. This new hosting package is not free (we had to pay for it at the moment) but in the long run they have a better infrastructure for supporting more listeners and larger (perhaps video) files. While we are sad to be leaving Velocity Tech we are looking forward to what the future holds for us at Netfirms.
At current only the podcast files will be hosted by Netfirms so if you happen to have any problems with the Netcast feed over the next few days please let me know!
Due to the recent spike in dev work on JA Computing I am delaying episode 24 of the iScript Netcast for a day or two. So, rather than getting a new episode today like you normally would have you will probably get it on Monday or Tuesday. Sorry to disappoint everyone but hey, at least you now know that a new episode is on the way!
For all of you who have been patienly waiting, episode 23 of the iScript Netcast is available for you to download via iTunes or your favorite Podcast catcher. In this episode of the iScript Netcast we look at integrating simple AppleScripts into Automator workflows for very easy and very powerful Automator Actions. Great for prototyping and more AppleScript and Automator make a great pair!
Enjoy!
My apologies to all. I am running a bit behind with episode 23 of the iScript Netcast. It is on its way and should be out sometime this weekend. In the upcoming episode I plant to be looking at the ability to integrate AppleScript into Automator for OS X. This is a really cool subject and I am having a blast creating it!
In the mean time, happy scripting!
I just completed the update from Joomla 1.0.13 to 1.0.15 for the iScript Netcast. Mostly this update consisted of security feature enhancements but I still would appreciate any bugs be reported to webmaster@jacomputing.net Thank you all in advance and I hope that we can get any issues that may be found resolved quickly.
UPDATE I have tracked down the root cause of the issue and am happy to report that I was able to fix the issue (hopefully for good). So, this means that you can now go directly to iTunes and get all of the past episodes downloaded directly to your computer!
I have recently received a number of complaints regarding the Podcast feed on iTunes not displaying all the available episodes in the RSS feed. I have looked into this issue and discovered it to be an error in the feed where the audio/video files are not getting attached to each xml item. I am currently looking into a way to resolve this issue and hopefully get all the content available once again via the Podcast feed.
Thank you all for your patience and feedback during this tedious troubleshooting process. Hopefully we can have this resolved soon without too much back-end trouble.
UPDATE: Sorry for the confusion. I did upload episode 22 on Sunday. However, my hosting company did a server migration and somewhere in the confusion my new content was lost... The issue has now been resolved!
In a much longer episode of the iScript Netcast I present an overview of the basics of AppleScript from its beginnings in 1993 to examples of what basic AppleScripts look like and how they function. The content for this episode is taken from an AppleScript presentation I recently gave for my employer, Cabela's Inc. They enjoyed it and I hope you do as well.
And, as always, feel free to leave comments or send me an Email... I love hearing feedback!
Due to the fact that I received over 3000 spam comments in the short break I took during the school year I have decided to increase the security of the commenting on the site. You will now have to pass a verification image when you comment or your comment will not be posted. Hopefully this will cut down on the amount of administration I have to do in order to keep the comments section clean!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this new comment system please do not hesitate to Email Me!
In Episode 21 of the iScript Netcast we take a peek at one of my favorite concepts in AppleScript... Libraries. Libraries are a great way to compile all of your best functions into a single external script that you can then use to add functionality to any script or XCode application you create. No need to re-invent the wheel for something... load your library up and you are good to go! And, if you need some inspiration check out my own AppleScript Library, ASObject, at my website.
Enjoy this episode and don't forget to take the poll (On the left) for the idea of doing a live Netcast! Happy Scripting!
Episode 20 of the iScript Netcast is finally here (I know, I know, it took me long enough didn't it). In any case, this episode of the iScript Netcast reviews three scripts from the wonderful AppleScript repository at Doug's Scrips. If you have never visited this site and are into AppleScript then you must be living under a rock because the scripts you can find here for iTunes are absolutely incredible!
So, have a fun listen with Episode 20 and keep your RSS feed refreshed for episode 21.
Due to a horrible cold that has held me up for four days and has all but stolen my voice, I have decided to postpone this weeks iScript Netcast. Hopefully I will get my voice back early this week and we can get things kicking once again. I have a wonderful lineup coming, including reviews of all kinds of wonderful AppleScripts for OS X.
UPDATE: It turns out that there was a slight issue with this episode having the wrong artwork size. I have corrected this issue so that it will not happen in the future. If you already have downloaded Episode 19 then please pull it again from iTunes or the link below for the full sized artwork!
If it hasn't been long enough for everyone I would like to say that I have a new episode of the iScript Netcast up and ready for your listening and scripting pleasure. In this episode we take a quick look into the world of the script object for AppleScript. While not a true object as in object oriented programming it is interesting none the less.
Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season!
A friendly note to everyone out there who has been patiently waiting for another episode of the iScript Netcast... the wait is nearly over. This week is Finals week for school and then I will be able to dedicate some more time to writing scripts and recording the netcast. Thank you all for your patience. I am looking forward to many new and exciting episodes.
UPDATE:Thank you all very much for the emails wondering when the next episode of the iScript Netcast will be... I am working on one and hope to have it done and recorded in the coming weeks. Right now, school, work, and now tutoring are taking up most of my time. I haven't forgotten anyone nor do I plan to...
My apologies to all the listeners out there but I will not be making an episode of the iScript Netcast this weekend. I have been given a number of assignments for school that are due this next week and need to spend some extra time working on them. So, in the mean time please enjoy an episode from the archives and I will be getting a new episode out as soon as possible.
Also, feedback on the most recent episode "osascript" are absolutely fantastic so it appears that there might be more video episodes of the iScript Netcast coming in the near future.
Another video version of the iScript Netcast is up and available to all who are willing to watch. This week we take a quick (an I mean quick) dive into the world of the command line utility 'osascript' and look at how it can be used to create very powerful scripts under the hood of OS X. Then, to round out the netcast I point us to Lingon, a wonderful (free) tool to help you get all of your AppleScript launchD tasks up and running.
And if you would like to know more about the particulars of running scripts via osascript please let me know. There is much more of this idea to cover and I would love to know what priority this episode should have!
Finally! Episode 17 of the iScript Netcast is done! This time I did not let Garageband 4 have any of the glory. All is well and we take a first step into the world of scripting dictionaries; how they are laid out and how one might make use of them to help build cleaner and more efficient code when working with applications under OS X.
So check out the new episode and let me know what you think... there is so much to cover in dictionaries I didn't even know where to begin!
Lucas has been busy yet again with episodes of the iScript Netcast, creating interactive scripts which, as you listen to the audio in iTunes, runs through the episode live on your computer! This time he has taken episode 11, "iTunes Script Review", and brought it to life! If you are interested in getting this script for yourself then click here!
And, as always, thanks a bunch to Lucas for taking the time to put these scripts together!
I am very sorry to report that there will be no Netcast for August 18th. Due to the fact that this coming Monday begins the fall semester for me and the fact that the audio for this episode became severely corrupted I have decided not to stress myself and come back in a week or two with a clear head and a fresh set of audio to work with. Sorry again and please enjoy an episode from the archive along with Lucas's scripts for an "enhanced" version of the iScript Netcast.
Thank you all for your understanding... technology has a way of making people love it one second and hate it another.
Listener Lucas, the creator of the "walkthrough" script for episode 10 is back! Just emailed to me yesterday, a new version of the script from episode 10 is once again available as well as a brand new script for episode 16 of the iScript Netcast. So now, it isn't just a matter of listening to the iScript Netcast but a matter of watching your computer show you exactly what is going on! These are wonderful scripts and I hope that Lucas can keep them coming.
To download both scripts for your listening and viewing pleasure click here!
Once again I have a brand new episode of the iScript Netcast ready for your listening/viewing pleasure. In this episode of the iScript Netcast we explore the script menu in OS X and how it might be used to make your life easier by keeping your scripts at your fingertips.
And if the quality of this episode is waning, please bear with me as I was using my mobile broadcasting station.
It has been a long day but finally episode 15 of the iScript Netcast is finished being edited and has been uploaded for you all to enjoy. This time we look at two different ways to sort lists in AppleScript. One is direct from Apple and another is a floating sort which I wrote originally in C++ and translated to AppleScript. Both of these work well and they are only two of the many ways you can sort lists... try them out for yourself and let me know what you think!
The following feedback was provided by Listener Michel and I thought it was good enough to publish here for you all to see... enjoy! (Thanks again for the feedback Michel!)
Rounding to nearest : will ALWAYS return the nearest integer for the real number given. However, if the decimal present is .5 (halfway between 2 consecutive integers) the resulting integer will be the nearest EVEN one. This behavior was introduced for accounting purposes to eliminate cumulative errors, simply consider the following script:
Wow! It is hard to believe that episode 14 is already here! It seems like yesterday I started recording the iScript Netcast, as nervous as a first time podcaster could be and now it feels like almost second nature. Anyway... enough of that. Episode 14 is all about rounding numbers and the many ways you can accomplish, well, one task. The commands are cool and I even get side tracked for a few seconds...
Enjoy!
Whew! Another episode of the iScript Netcast is ready to go and teach you more about the wonderful world of AppleScript. In this episode we take a look at the many ways to view the current date and time. These concepts may seem simple but are often very important pieces of a full featured script or application especially when checking for updates, timing an action, or even writing to a time-stamped log file for application or script debugging. Keep these commands close to you and you will never loose track of time again.
Debugging scripts is a vital part of their development which is why an episode 12 of the iScript Netcast is entirely devoted to logging debug information into the often forgotten "Event Log History" window in AppleScript and the "Run Time Log" window in XCode. Once discovered and used these can become extremely powerful tools in script development... and the best part about using the log command is that you don't have to worry about removing them once you are ready to send your script final as they won't be visible by the standard user!
In this episode of the iScript Netcast I review two scripts for iTunes that are extremely helpful for anyone wishing to manage their iTunes libraries better. I know that this episode is short but then again I have been extremely busy this past week with webmaster/webdesign stuff. I hope to have a full featured netcast ready for all the listeners next week... Keep your ears open...
Finally! Episode 10 of the iScript netcast is here! After much debate and a number of requests I have decided to dive into plists and AppleScript. This episode we only scratch the surface of what can be accomplished when manipulating plists with AppleScript. Using two simple handlers all kinds of preference reading and writing can be done in a manor which is super fast and right under the user's nose.
And if you would like to check out the files used in this episode feel free to download them by clicking here!
Another short but fun episode of the iScript Netcast is ready for your listening pleasure. In this episode we take a look at text item delimiters in AppleScript. This little command for manipulating strings is extremely powerful when used correctly and can make you life scripting with strings 100 time easier.