UserLand Software
Scripting Links

Scripting Tutorial

About This Tutorial

What Does Frontier Do?

Keywords, Handlers, Verbs, and Calls

Loops, Variables, Parameters, and Conditionals

The Handler Rule

Returns, Addresses, and Dereferencing

Scope and With

Strings and Files

Outlines and Tables

Running, Debugging, and Getting Help

Datatypes

A Real-Life Problem

String Parsing and Substitution

Manipulating Files and Folders

Final Touches


Serious First Steps In UserTalk Scripting

By Matt Neuburg, matt@tidbits.com

Programming in Frontier

This tutorial introduces the programming component of Frontier. It will get you writing scripts in Frontier's language, UserTalk, so that you can put Frontier's power to work for you, solving problems you want to solve, doing jobs you want done.

This tutorial is a hands-on exercise.

First we'll write and refine some simple scripts, for practice. Then, we'll write a userful, powerful Frontier script from the ground up: we'll start by stating what we want to accomplish on the computer, we'll plan how to do it, and we'll put the plan into action with Frontier.

When we're done we'll have a bells-and-whistles Frontier script that you can use to impress folks with your programming prowess, and that also does something darned useful if you happen to be a Web site manager.

At that point, you'll know enough about UserTalk, and enough about how to find out more, to be able to go on independently to develop programs of your own.

Table of Contents

About This Tutorial
 
Squash the learning curve and start writing your own UserTalk programs.

What Does Frontier Do?
 
A brief reminder of Frontier's various powers.

Keywords, Handlers, Verbs, and Calls
 
We learn to count from 1 to 10.

Loops, Variables, Parameters, and Conditionals
 
We count from 1 to 10 more cleverly, and then we count from anything to anything.

The Handler Rule
 
Pushing the Run button and calling one script from another do different things.

Returns, Addresses, and Dereferencing
 
When a script calls a verb, an answer comes back - sometimes more than one answer.

Scope and With
 
Precisely which "x" are we talking about here?

Strings and Files
 
We begin fearlessly messing with your hard disk.

Outlines and Tables
 
Driving Frontier to build an outline from scratch.

Running, Debugging, and Getting Help
 
General techniques for developing and working with scripts.

Datatypes
 
The kinds of objects UserTalk can work with.

A Real-Life Problem
 
Introducing the AmelioWeb demo, as seen in Los Angeles.

String Parsing and Substitution
 
Part 1 of creating the AmelioWeb demo for ourselves.

Manipulating Files and Folders
 
Part 2 of creating the AmelioWeb demo for ourselves.

Final Touches
 
Part 3 of creating the AmelioWeb demo for ourselves.

Download

You can download this tutorial for off-line reading:

http://www.scripting.com/downloads/scriptingTutorial.sit.hqx


This page was built on a Macintosh running Frontier. Last modified 6/22/97; 12:39:52 AM. © Copyright 1997, Userland Software, Inc. Written by Matt Neuburg, matt@tidbits.com.