• MacTech Network:
  • Tech Support
  • |
  • MacForge.net
  • |
  • Apple News
  • |
  • Register Domains
  • |
  • SSL Certificates
  • |
  • iPod Deals
  • |
  • Mac Deals
  • |
  • Mac Book Shelf

MAC TECH

  • Home
  • Magazine
    • About MacTech in Print
    • Issue Table of Contents
    • Subscribe
    • Risk Free Sample
    • Back Issues
    • MacTech DVD
  • Archives
    • MacTech Print Archives
    • MacMod
    • MacTutor
    • FrameWorks
    • develop
  • Forums
  • News
    • MacTech News
    • MacTech Blog
    • MacTech Reviews and KoolTools
    • Whitepapers, Screencasts, Videos and Books
    • News Scanner
    • Rumors Scanner
    • Documentation Scanner
    • Submit News or PR
    • MacTech News List
  • Store
  • Apple Expo
    • by Category
    • by Company
    • by Product
  • Job Board
  • Editorial
    • Submit News or PR
    • Writer's Kit
    • Editorial Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
  • Advertising
    • Benefits of MacTech
    • Mechanicals and Submission
    • Dates and Deadlines
    • Submit Apple Expo Entry
  • User
    • Register for Ongoing Raffles
    • Register new user
    • Edit User Settings
    • Logout
  • Contact
    • Customer Service
    • Webmaster Feedback
    • Submit News or PR
    • Suggest an article
  • Connect Tools
    • MacTech Live Podcast
    • RSS Feeds
    • Twitter

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

Introduction  |  Table of Contents

Page Prev and Page Next buttons at bottom of the page.

Would you like a hard copy
or PDF of this Guide?

You can get a hard copy sent to you
AND download a PDF now ($19.95)
, or

... just download a PDF ($9.95).

Either way, you get a complimentary
MacTech Magazine Subscription

courtesy of the
Microsoft Mac Business Unit


 

  Magazine Reg. Price:  $50.00 value  
  Guide Reg. Price:  $40.00 value  
  You Save:  over $80.00!  

April, 2007
Introduction


About this guide

 

This entire guide is online. Use the "page prev" and "page next" buttons at the bottom of the page to navigate. If you would prefer a PDF download option, click here. If you would prefer a printed copy (the April 2007 back issue has the entire book in print), click here.









Welcome!

Welcome to MacTech's Guide to Making the Transition from VBA to AppleScript.

In this guide, we'll show you how to get started with your transition, help you through some of the challenges, and speak to you from a "VBA" point of view. In other words, we'll help you to understand AppleScript, and help you to start writing AppleScript as fast as possible. We‘ll do this, in part, by keeping your VBA background uppermost in mind.

While moving from VBA to AppleScript may be a necessity for some, the good news is that there are some advantages as well. The primary difference? AppleScript is the scripting language across the Mac whereas VBA is limited to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. With AppleScript, many other applications, and the Mac itself, will become available to you.

This gives you two benefits. First, once you learn the AppleScript language, that knowledge will apply to many applications. You do need to learn the dictionary for each new application you want to script, but the standard suite, the syntax and the basics are the same throughout. Second, since this is the scripting language across the Mac, you‘ll be able to script many things: Mac OS X, the Finder, Microsoft Office (including Entourage), and FileMaker to name a few. This means that one script can talk to all of these applications, and that the applications can interchange information.

You‘ll also be able to take advantage of any AppleScript development environment, including not only Apple‘s Automator, but also third party tools. The bottom line is that while making any transition is work, there‘s some “goodness” that moving to AppleScript will bring you.

This guide will not only show you the basics of AppleScript, and about scripting Microsoft Office, but we'll also introduce you to the world of AppleScript. We‘ll give you an overview of the AppleScript universe. And, the guide includes a special bonus chapter on using AppleScript in Entourage (which does not have VBA at all). Finally, we‘ll introduce you to a number of other resources that will help you to understand what‘s available in the AppleScript community.

While any technical publication is complex to assemble, and requires a dedicated team, this one stands out as a Herculean effort because it draws on so many different types of expertise. As our “tour guide,” Paul Berkowitz has done an amazing job of bridging the gap here between VBA and AppleScript. And, our experts Jonathan West, John McGimpsey, and Steve Rindsberg have done a wonderful job with their deep VBA understanding and providing VBA examples to transition.

Also, I‘d like to thank our many reviewers around the globe who helped create a high quality document — one that the community can use to make this transition more smoothly and easily. Of course, thank you to Microsoft for their support during this project. Lastly, a big thank you to the MacTech team for all the editing, and production efforts to make this all happen.

Enjoy the guide, and let us know what you think!

 

Neil Ticktin

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

MacTech Magazine



Next Page>

 
MacTech Only Search:
Community Search:

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
  • SPREAD THE WORD:
  • Slashdot
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine
  • Generate a short URL for this page:



MacTech Magazine. www.mactech.com
Toll Free 877-MACTECH, Outside US/Canada: 805-494-9797
MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. Xplain, "The journal of Apple technology", Apple Expo, Explain It, MacDev, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional, Apple Expo, MacTech Central, MacTech Domains, MacNews, MacForge, and the MacTutorMan are trademarks or service marks of Xplain Corporation. Sprocket is a registered trademark of eSprocket Corporation. Other trademarks and copyrights appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their respective holders.
All contents are Copyright 1984-2010 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.
 
Nov. 20: Take Control of Syncing Data in Sow Leopard' released
Nov. 19: Cocktail 4.5 (Leopard Edition) released
Nov. 19: macProVideo offers new Cubase tutorials
Nov. 18: S Stardom anounces Safe Capsule, a companion piece for Apple's
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live
Nov. 17: Ableton releases Max for Live