Hi,
I know this has been asked before but I wanted to “bump” the question. Will Script Debugger ever be updated to a full-fledged Cocoa app? If so, is there any timeline? I like the application a bunch and use it daily to write scripts that are in use by 50+ graphics production operators every day. The debugging is indispensable.
The reason I ask is a minor one (and maybe there is a work around): I was used to Script Editor; one of the features it has is that you can bring up the “Search” dialog and search for a string multiple times. I mean the dialog does not disappear when your hit “Next”. This is particularly useful for search and replace. In script Debugger I have to hit cmd-F each time. I believe this is the type of thing that might be addressed if SD were to be come a Cocoa app. The again, I could be wrong.
Anyway, great product; awaiting any update with baited breath!
Script Debugger 4 is more or less a total rewrite using Apple’s Cocoa application framework. It has a full Cocoa style Aqua UI. The new Script Debugger has beed modernized throughout and is now up-to-date with AppleScript on Mac OS X. The project started out as a simple port to Cocoa, and became a re-write to take full advantage of Cocoa and a number of other Mac OS X technologies (XSLT, Safari’s WekKit, Aqua, The Dock, etc.).
I have promised Script Debugger delivery dates in the past which I’ve not been able to keep, so I’m not going to give a timeline. I can report that I am very close to going Alpha (feature complete). Once we reach alpha, we’ll be able to provide more accurate estimates of when the product will ship. However, as with our previous releases, it will ship when its ready, not before.
Now that we own FaceSpan (AppleScript UI Builder), we will be improving the intergration between the two products, but that will begin to happen after Script Debugger 4 ships.
Current Script Debugger 4 builds have a floating Find panel. I’m still working with this to make sure its an improvement over SD3’s modal design.
Wow, these look great! I look forward to the day I can completely forget about Script Editor!
Glad to hear this! I saw the announcement of the acquisition and was hoping SD 4 would not be held up by it.
Just one more little suggestion: It would be nice to have access to Clippings in a contextual menu. This functionality would be similar to Script Editor’s ability to access (and paste/wrap selections into a script) the contents of /Library/Scripts/Script Editor Scripts/. Palettes are good but contextual menus would rock!
As a Script Debugger wannabe, I’ve tried the Demo of SD3 and really liked it (to the extent that the demo works, anyway). With SD4 in the wings, however, I’m reluctant to buy and then have to pay again to upgrade having missed the free if “bought after” date by a month or more when the product took a bit longer to appear than I had guessed it might.
Just like Script Debugger 3, we have a Clippings menu in the main menu that mirrors the contents of the Clippings palette. The difference in Script Debugger 4 is that we have introduced a simple markup language for controlling selections within a clipping after it has been inserted. This takes the place of many of the Wrap With… scripts found in Script Debugger 3.
Since Script Debugger 4 is not yet elpha, its going to be several months before it is released. We will, of course, offer upgrade discounts for existing Script Debugger 3 owners (~50% off). I guess the question you have to answer is if having Script Debugger 3 for a couple of months before the release of Script Debugger 4 is going to save you ~$100 worth of your time - I’m confident that it will in the first month.
I haven’t regretted my purchase of Script Debugger 3 at all. Part of the reason that I have been able to make as much progress as I have in AppleScript is due to the features that you get in Script Debugger 3. (The other is to have an AppleScript mentor. Thankfully, I have one of the best. And no, I will not share.)
If you are still on the fence, I suggest that you read (or re-read) the manual that comes with SD3 – especially chapter 2 on creating and editing scripts and chapter 3 on debugging scripts. I keep finding little things in there that improve my ability to complete a script in less time, which makes AS a hell of a lot less frustrating.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck,
Tom McKenna
