Script Editor preferences allows you to configure a variety of aspects of scripting behavior.

General Preferences

In the General pane of Script Editor preferences (Figure 9-1), you can configure settings such as the following.

Figure 9-1General pane of Script Editor preferences

Default Language—The default scripting language when you create new Script Editor documents.

Show “tell” application menu—This setting can be enabled to add a tell application menu to the navigation bar. Selecting an app in this menu allows you to direct script execution to the chosen app. In Figure 9-2, the tell application menu is set to the Finder. As a result, the script itself doesn’t need to include a tell application "Finder" statement. It automatically understands the Finder’s terminology and sends events to the Finder.

Figure 9-2The tell application menu in a Script Editor document

In addition, the current application object—which refers to the application currently executing the script—reflects the selected application, rather than Script Editor. See Listing 9-1 and Listing 9-2.

APPLESCRIPT

Open in Script Editor

JAVASCRIPT

Open in Script Editor

Show inherited items—This setting can be enabled to display inherited object properties in the dictionary viewer. For example, in the Finder, a file object inherits the attributes of an item object. Without this setting enabled, the dictionary entry for file simply provide a a pointer to the item entry to view the item attributes. See Figure 9-3. With this option enabled, the file entry in the Finder’s scripting dictionary includes the attributes of an item. See Figure 9-4.

Figure 9-3Dictionary entry without inherited items

Figure 9-4Dictionary entry with inherited items

Script Menu—These settings allow you to enable and configure a systemwide script menu (Figure 9-5). This menu can be used to organize your scripts and provide access to them in any app.

Figure 9-5The systemwide script menu

Editing Preferences

In the Editing pane of Script Editor preferences, shown in Figure 9-6, you can configure settings such as the following.

Figure 9-6Editing pane of Script Editor preferences

Code completion—When this option is enabled, Script Editor suggest code completions as you type a script (Figure 9-7).

Figure 9-7Code completion in Script Editor

To accept and insert a code completion suggestion, press the F5 key or the Esc (Escape) key. If multiple code completion choices are available, a code completion dialog appears, allowing you to select a suggestion (see Figure 9-8).

Figure 9-8The code completion dialog in Script Editor

Tab width and line wrapping—Adjust how indentation and line wrapping occurs in the editor pane of Script Editor documents.

Escape tabs and line breaks in strings—This setting only affects AppleScripts. When this option is disabled, tabs and line breaks appear normally in a text string, as shown in Figure 9-9.

Figure 9-9A string containing normal tabs and line breaks

When this option is enabled, tabs and line breaks are replaced with escaped character equivalents—/t for a tab, and /r for a line break. See Figure 9-10.

Figure 9-10A string containing escaped tabs and line breaks

Formatting Preferences

In the Formatting pane of Script Editor window (Figure 9-11), you can configure the style—font, point size, and color—of various script attributes, including new text, language keywords, comments, and variables. Formatting options are language-specific. Select a language from the Language popup menu to view that language’s formatting settings.

Figure 9-11Formatting pane of Script Editor preferences

History Preferences

In the History pane of Script Editor preferences (Figure 9-12), you can enable or disable the log history, adjust the quantity of log history entries, and enable logging only when the log is visible.

Figure 9-12History pane of Script Editor preferences

Plug-ins Preferences

The Plug-ins pane of Script Editor preferences (Figure 9-13) lists any installed Script Editor plug-ins.

Figure 9-13Plug-ins pane of Script Editor preferences