UserTalk Everywhere

Frontier implements the Open Scripting Architecture, making it easy for scripting clients to hook up to the Frontier system.

The Open Scripting Architecture, or OSA, makes all kinds of combinations possible. As we've seen, it makes it possible for Frontier to fully host AppleScript script writing and running. As other OSA languages become available, it will be possible to use Frontier to develop and run scripts in those languages.

But there's another side to Frontier's support for OSA. Since UserTalk is itself an OSA-compatible language, when you're using an OSA-compatible script editor you can select UserTalk from a popup menu or dialog. Any script editor becomes a script editor for UserTalk.

Writing UserTalk scripts with Apple's Script Editor

A simple editor, called Script Editor, comes with AppleScript. It is OSA-compatible. If you launch it and create a new script window, you'll see a popup menu that looks a lot like Frontier's. Be sure Frontier is running. Choose UserTalk from the popup menu, and enter the following script:

Click on the Run button. You'll see:

Therefore, if Apple's Script Editor is your favorite editor, you can use all the power of UserTalk from the comfort and safety of Apple's editor.

Other scripting environments are becoming OSA-compatible. For example, HyperCard is an OSA host. So if you want to program in the UserTalk scripting language within HyperCard 2.2, that's now possible. You'll even be able to intermix UserTalk with HyperTalk and AppleScript, in the same stack, using each language to solve the problems each is uniquely suited to solve.

UserLand is committed to supporting OSA; all our tools will be open to all scripting environments and languages. OSA breaks down the walls that separate scripting environments and applications. With OSA-compatibility, you can use the best scripting environment for the job, and still retain your choice of scripting languages and verb sets.

OSA is a big win for script writers.

Pointers

• Working with AppleScript -- The other side of OSA, running AppleScripts within the Frontier environment.

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