Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” is expected to ship April 29th. Tiger will offer more than 200 new features and innovations; including Spotlight, and Dashboard. No new news on Automator, however there is a nice movie to check out. 
And great news for AppleScript (from the Apple site):
New in Tiger
-
AppleScript Utility
Enable GUI scripting, manage folder actions and control the system Script menu from this new utility that manages AppleScript. -
Code Sense for AppleScript
Save time and effort when developing scripts with a code-completion feature that suggests complete named elements before you’ve finished typing them. -
Dictionary Viewer
Browse and search object hierarchies of scriptable applications for easier understanding of capabilities. -
Data Events Suite
Create and parse SQLite databases. -
XML Suite
Parse and edit XML data and files. -
Property List Suite
Parse and edit property list (plist) files. -
System Info Command
Get info about the operating system environment, including current IP address, user and more. -
Secure Display Dialog
Use secure input for display dialogs to ensure privacy. -
Improved Display Alert
New Display Alert command conforms to Aqua user interface.[/b]
I love community forums where the activity is nothing less than fabulous.
Thanks b.visser - you beat me to it man.
so is it me… or is Automator a gui interface for utilizing applescripts?
Hi Scott,
That is a great question.
Actually, yes and no. All actions are developed and compiled using Xcode. The positive of this is that while you can use just about any framework, you can can certainly build Automator Actions with Applescript [or, better said, Applescript Studio].
If you happened to notice the movie demo on Apple’s website, one of the things I thought was cool is that you can save your workflow and add that to Automator’s Contextual Menu.
While you would still see the Actions’ interface, this is happening without having to physically launch Automator. The potential for this is huge.
Also, think of Automator Actions as a handy substitute for Applescript Studio apps [or any app for that matter]. In those cases where it makes sense to do so, developers could potentially strip out all the GUI to their application, and simply use the hooks that Actions provide as their GUI glue. For small apps/widgets that do something very well, this provides an economy of scale which potentially will be a boon for developers.
What is going to be the hardest thing to grasp are that Automator Actions have to have a input and a output. For example, if a action has a output that renames files in the Finder, it won’t work with an ‘input’ that deals with images, and so on. As long as the inputs and outputs jive, then it will automatically ‘connect’, and therefore build up your workflow.
Hope that helps
:?:
I watched the video for Automator. It seems as though Apple is attempting to replace scripting with “workflow automation”. As you said, there will be conflicts arising from one limitation or another, so I don’t think this will replace AS just yet. Comments?
:x
There is no mention of AS in the Tiger ad site. Do you think Apple is trying to downplay its usefulness, or maybe even trying to phase it out for a cheesier, “userfriendly” Automator?
What will I do with my Sundays now?
SC
There appears to be some confusion in regard to Automator replacing Applescript. This isn’t true at all. What Apple is doing here is providing both users and developers more options, by allowing us to extend Applescript, certainly not replace it. The same concept also is available for other frameworks too.
From the users perspective, I think what Apple is trying to accomplish with Automator is to assuage those who have a genuine need for automation, but don’t know [or care to understand] Applescript, nor the learning curve for Applescript Studio. ie: “WorkFlow for the Masses”
As it turns out, Apple has hit this on the nose. Just from my own background in prepress, the potential for Automators use in the printing/prepress field is going to turn a lot of things around for ‘normal’ desktop people; not the geeks who have typically write the same thing in a script or studio app. I have not even thought of other venues where Automator could have benefit.
From the developers perspective, there is something to be said for economy of scale. For example, say you have a smallish Applescript Studio application you’ve written, which does one or two things real well. It utilizes all the bells and whistles that are unique to your app, all implemented via Xcode.
Take your same application you created with Applescript Studio, strip out all the GUI, and port your codebase to an Automator Action. The potential for this is huge, and I suspect that some developers who potentially could benefit haven’t considered this as an opportunity to extend their product offerings.
Of course, there will be whole farms of actions where developers build connectors, plus all kinds of other stuff we haven’t even thought of yet. This is very exciting for both mac users and developers alike. :shock:
Actually, there are some things. For reference, I have included these in the other thread above. That said, there is no question Apple needs to settle down with what they have in front of them, and get that rightous [aka Mac OS 9]. Getting the Finder as scriptable as is possible is certainly one of them.
Write Automator Actions? 
Keep right on scripting as you always have, as I will assure you Applescript isn’t going to go away any time soon. Learn Xcode and Applescript Studio, as this is the foundation and avenue to learning how to develop Automator Actions.