Mac OS X Leopard - ARCAism

AppleScript
CHAPTER 23 MAC OS X AUTOMATION WITH AUTOMATOR AND APPLESCRIPT 413
AppleScript is a simple programming language for controlling applications. Although Apple-
Script and Automator are different around the edges, it’s not a bad metaphor to think of
AppleScript as writing Automator workflows in longhand.
To demonstrate that point, here is our Keyword Screensaver application written entirely in
AppleScript:
-- Remove any existing images
tell application "Finder"
set _imageFolder to path to pictures folder
set _imageFolder to folder "Keyword Screensaver" of folder _imageFolder
delete every file in _imageFolder
end tell
-- Ask for Text
display dialog "What keyword shall I search for?" default answer ""
set _keyword to text returned of result
set _queryURL to "http://images.google.com/images?q=" & _keyword
-- Query Google
tell application "Safari"
open location _queryURL
set _timeoutInSeconds to 20
delay 2
repeat with _waitInSeconds from 1 to _timeoutInSeconds
if (do JavaScript "document.readyState" in document 1) is "complete" then
exit repeat
else if _waitInSeconds is _timeoutInSeconds then
number -128
else
delay 1
end if
end repeat
set _searchResults to source of document 1
end tell
-- Extract image URLs from page source, then download them
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to "\",\""
set _rawResults to text items in _searchResults
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
repeat with _text in _rawResults
if _text starts with "http://" and _text does not end with "/images" then
do shell script "cd ~/Pictures/Keyword\\ Screensaver;
curl -sO " & quoted form of (_text as string)
end if
end repeat
-- Activate screen saver
tell application "ScreenSaverEngine"
activate
end tell
To use this script, open the Script Editor application in /Applications/AppleScript. The
Script Editor is extremely simple. AppleScript goes in the main window, with runtime logging
occurring below. The Run button in the toolbar parses, formats, corrects, compiles, and runs the
script.
Even its biggest fans have to admit that AppleScript is a quirky language. Its English-like
syntax makes it friendly to look at but tricky to write. Unlike C, which is rigid in its syntax,