Moving from Microsoft Office VBA to AppleScript:
MacTech's Guide to Making the Transition

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April, 2007
Page 67

          set input title to ""

          set error title to "Invalid Entry!"

          set input message to "Enter an integer > 0"

          set error message to "The entry MUST be a positive integer."

          set show input to true

          set show error to true

     end tell

end tell

Formatting Cells

Formatting cells via code can be done via code in a very straightforward way.

NumberFormat

John McGimpsey tells us:

"The NumberFormat property sets the cell‘s number format similarly to the GUI by assigning a string with a valid format. (Check About custom number formats in the Excel Help.) Number formats have four parts, separated by semicolons. By default, the first is applied to positive numbers, the second to negative numbers, the third to zero, and the fourth to text. To assign a text format use the string "@":

   ActiveSheet.Range("A1").NumberFormat = "+0;-0;0;@"

becomes in AppleScript:

set number format of range "A1" of active sheet to "+0;-0;0;@"

"You can also modify the application of the sections, and assign one of the eight custom font colors. For instance, this format sets numbers less than negative 100 to red within parentheses, values between -100 and +100 (inclusive) to green, and values greater than 100 to red. The non-parenthesis formats have a space the width of a parenthesis added to the right side to make sure the numbers align: "

   ActiveSheet.Range("A1:A100").NumberFormat = _

   "[Red][<-100](0);[Green][<=100]0_);[Red]0_);@_)"

becomes in AppleScript:

set number format of range "A1:A100" of active sheet to ¬

     "[Red][<-100](0);[Green][<=100]0_);[Red]0_);@_)"

Alignment, Wrap Text

Alignment (namely left, center, right for horizontal alignment) is set using the horizontal alignment and vertical alignment properties in AppleScript. Whether to wrap text is set using the wrap text property. So:

With ActiveSheet.Range("A1:J10")

   .HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter

   .VerticalAlignment = xlCenter

   .WrapText = True

End with

becomes in AppleScript:

tell application "Microsoft Excel"

     tell range "A1:J10" of active sheet

          set horizontal alignment to horizontal align center

          set vertical alignment to vertical alignment center

          set wrap text to true

     end tell

end tell

Note that the enumeration for the horizontal and vertical alignment parameters differ, for no good reason: horizontal align center and vertical alignment center.