[Gvsig_english] question for Mac users: Applescript support?

[Mijail]

Hi everybody.

As you might know, gvSIG offers scripting.
But on the Mac OS, we have had for a long time Applescript, which is  
unique in a number of ways (deceptively hard, deceptively powerful).  
It has been called the secret weapon of the Mac OS; the problem is,  
it keeps being almost a (unwilling?) secret.

So, do you mac users use Applescript? Would you be interested in  
seeing it supported by gvSIG? Which kind of support would you have an  
use for?

There is a range of possibilities of Applescript support, as  
exemplified by some well-known applications:

--Applications with its own scripting language usually offer a "do  
script" verb, which simply allows an Applescript to execute a native  
script inside the application; sometimes even without allowing access  
to the output (which severely limits its usefulness, but might be in  
some cases enough).
Examples: Matlab allows to run scripts and control the windows;  
Terminal.app can run command lines and return the results; Microsoft  
Word (!) offers pretty comprehensive Applescript support AND a "do  
visual basic" verb; Photoshop offers again comprehensive support AND  
a "do javascript"; Safari the same.

--Applications might offer a degree of control similar to that of the  
Graphical User Interface. In Word or AppleWorks, you can start the  
app, create a document, use spellchecking, print it to some printer  
(a fax?), and close the app again without ever touching the GUI.

--Applications might offer some very basic support to use some of  
their unique abilities. Firefox offers a "get URL", for example.

--Some applications let you record your actions as Applescript  
scripts; very useful to learn how to drive them with Applescript, for  
example, or to quickly prepare a skeleton for a complex script. I can  
only think of the Finder as an example.

--The most recent  (OS X  10.4 and later)  "kind of"  
Applescriptability is Automator support. A great idea with a somewhat  
weak implementation, we'll see how it evolves. Basically,  
applications give coarser and easier control than that provided by  
real Applescript, by providing some blocks of common actions that can  
be put together graphically: programming for non-programmers. Most of  
Apple's applications offer this (and some mac-classic apps like those  
by Omni Group).

--And, just for completeness, there is the GUI scripting option, so  
one could drive any non-Applescript-aware application; though that is  
a primitive and error-prone fallback.

So, again: which kind of Applescript support would you have an use  
for in gvSIG?

Cheers!