Re: [Caml-list] Re: Feeding the OCaml GUI troll

[Doug Kirk <dbkirk@gmail.com>]

> But in fact there is some works do to the same with GUI.  
> AppleScript is one such thing. You can do
> script that send commands to apps and so you can automate some  
> task. The problem is that the application
> must be AppleScript aware, and that you have to know what it exports.
>

Actually, the application doesn't have to AppleScript (AS) aware. The  
only reason you augment an app with an AS dictionary is so that AS  
itself can correctly parse the syntax for the messages to the app at  
development time.

Remember that AS is really an interface to an underlying  
technology...the Apple Event mechanism. So, if you can speak low- 
level Apple Events, you don't  need AS at all.

See <http://developer.apple.com/documentation/mac/IAC/IAC-94.html>  
for instance.
Or <http://www.google.com/search?q=site:developer.apple.com+%22Apple 
+Events%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8>

The point being, of course, that all of the visual UI re/actions are  
simply side-effects of the underlying event mechanism, which allows  
automation. I'd think you'd want that type of mechanism forming the  
basis of the GUI.

--doug