Josh VH's Profile

Features

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  Interactive execution of AppleScript commands
  
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  Handles multi-line commands (e.g. 'tell') by going into a mode - current mode is
  indicated by the prompt
  
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  Subroutines (starting with "on" or "to")
  and script objects (starting with "script") are persistent
  and thus are available for use in any subsequent interactive command
  
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  Can be used as the "
  shebang" interpreter for stand-alone scripts that run non-interactively.
  The "shebang" line for such scripts would be: #!/usr/bin/env ash
  
  (assuming that the 'ash' script is in your PATH)
  
  You can also execute files of AppleScript commands by supplying the filenames
  on the command-line when you invoke 'ash'.
  
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  The "-source" command can be used to execute the commands in a file
  (like the 'source' command in 'tcsh' and 'bash')
  This is especially useful for bringing in subroutine definitions.
  
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  The "-echo" command can be used to output the values of AppleScript
  expressions - this is especially useful for debugging. For example:
  

      tell application "Finder"
          set theSelection to selection
          set n to number of items in theSelection
          -echo "number of items selected: " & n
          repeat with i from 1 to n
              -echo "item " & i & " is " & (item i of theSelection as alias)
          end repeat
      end tell
  

  
  
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  The "-abbrev" command allows creation of abbreviations for commonly
  used phrases
  
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  The "-show" command displays the current AppleScript
  
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  The "-editor" command sends the current AppleScript to Apple's "Script Editor"
  
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  The "-rerun" command reruns the most recently executed AppleScript
  
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  The "-batch" command allows a bunch of AppleScript commands to be batched
  up for later execution
  
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  The "-read" command can be used to read from the keyboard into an AppleScript
  variable.
  
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  The "-cd", "-pwd", "-ls" commands operate like the standard shell commands.
  
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  The "-!" escape can be used to run an arbitrary Unix command.
  
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  The "-createMan" command generates a 'man page' file for 'ash'.
  
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  You can use the "-oneoff" command-line option to have 'ash' automatically exit
  after running one (interactively supplied) AppleScript command.
  
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  You can enable a "trace facility" for the execution of your AppleScripts via
  the "-trace" option. In trace mode, the execution pauses after each AppleScript
  statement and displays the result from the previously executed statement.
  
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  More detailed usage information is available via the "-help" command.