Apple Remote Desktop 3.1 User Manual

Page 164

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164

Chapter 9

Automating Tasks

Using the Remote Desktop AppleScript Dictionary

Each scriptable application contains an AppleScript dictionary—the list of objects and
messages that an application can understand. For example, in Remote Desktop’s
dictionary there is an object named “computer list” that has this entry:

A “computer list” is an object which contains other objects (“computers” in this case)
and has properties like its “id” and its “name.” When queried, this object can return the
values for the properties (in Unicode text as indicated), but you can’t change “id” from
within the script (it’s labeled r/o for read-only). This object can be acted upon by the
“verbs,” or messages, in a script.

The dictionary also contains “verbs,” or messages. These verbs are commands that act
on the objects in the dictionary. For example, in Remote Desktop’s dictionary there is a
verb named “add,” and this is its entry:

This entry tells you what the verb can act on and how. This entry says that Remote
Desktop can add a specified computer to a computer list. The objects “computer” and
“computer list” are being acted upon by “add.”

To access the full AppleScript dictionary for Remote Desktop:

1

Launch Script Editor in the /Applications/AppleScript/ folder.

2

Select File > Open Dictionary.

3

Choose Remote Desktop.

4

Click Open.

The AppleScript Dictionary for Remote Desktop is also available in Appendix C,
“AppleScript Remote Desktop Suite.”

computer list n [inh. item] : A list which holds computers.
ELEMENTS
contains computers; contained by application.
PROPERTIES
id (Unicode text, r/o) : The unique identifier (UUID) of the computer list.
name (Unicode text) : The name of the computer list.

add v : Add a computer to a task.
add computer : The computer.

to computer list : The computer list (or task) to add the computer to.

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