I’m relative new to Applescript but want to lean it primarily to automate my administration and accounts using Microsoft Excel and Word. I’m hoping to automate quite complicated data manipulation in Excel - not just open a document and reference some data. I know you could do this easily with Visual Basic but that’s been taken out of the new version of Office for the Mac.
I’m horrified to find out that there is no book or tutorial or virtually anything other than the odd script showing you how to open a document and reference a cell or range on the web. The only document that seems to exist is Microsofts Applescript reference that, for example, has about 20 pages dedicated to showing you how to applescript the ballon help thing - apart from a reference it’s not that helpful.
Am I trying to do something that no one else does? I’m worried that if no one else uses it (Applescript for Office that is), I’m going to put lots of work into trying to lean it only to find it’s really bugy or it simply hasn’t been refined enough to actually do what you want it to do. Anyone any thoughts or advice?
Hi,
in the Excel2004AppleScriptRef p. 14 - 19 explains how to
create a new workbook and reference a cell or range
Thanks Stefan but my problem is there is very little documentation other than this!!! I’ve worked out how to create a new document and reference a cell but how about importing raw bank statement data, matching it to existing bank records, checking for duplicates, merging the new records, calculating checksums and summaries, writing results to summary spreadsheet, formating the results and printing a report. This is all quite simple stuff I know but will take quite a bit of time to work out for myself using just Microsoft’s reference manual. It’s also only a very tiny part of what I want to do. So my question is, is Applescript up to automating this type of stuff? If it is, does anyone know of any material that I can use to help me learn it - specifically Applescripting Office?
This is certainly not quite simple stuff .
I regard the AppleScript Reference as a comprehensive guide to the Excel dictionary.
All commands and functions are included and described.
I guess, you won’t find anywhere a better one
I meant ‘quite simple’ in terms of what I want to do - not necessarily simple in terms of how to Applescript it - I should have been clearer on that.
Interestingly, I know Lotus 123’s macro language (that’s now long gone) and this was would have been quite simple to code using that (although no one, including me, would have been able to read the code afterwards). Any ‘progress’ in IT always seems to me to be 3 steps forward and 2 steps back!
There is a good reference that can be downloaded at
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/developers/default.mspx?CTT=PageView&clr=99-21-0&target=4acff5ca-5863-4bb6-9a3b-09d2bc0d1dc71033&srcid=e1dbbe49-e45b-4606-bc00-dc5d3bd2d4601033&ep=7
MS’s imlplimentation of AppleScript is very similar to VBA. One thing that took me a long time to find out, its “Get Offset” rather than Offset. Similarly Get Address, Get Resize and a bunch of other properties.