18.4. AppleScripting iDVD As any power user can tell you, AppleScript is one of the best features of the Mac operating system. It's a built-in, relatively easy programming language that lets you control your programs by writing little software recipes known as scripts and lets your programs control each other by issuing invisible commands. (Not all programs respond to AppleScript commands, but, happily, iDVD does.) As it turns out, you don't have to compose your own AppleScript programs to capitalize on iDVD's AppleScript-friendliness. Apple has created a series of useful scripts that you can download and install right now, for free, and use without having to type up a single line of code. You'll find them on Apple's iDVD scripting page. Visit www.apple.com/applescript/idvd to read about them and download them.
Tip: Once you've downloaded these AppleScripts, you'll want to drag them into your Home  Library Scripts folder, so that you can trigger them by choosing their names from the Script menu. (If there isnt already a tiny black scroll icon on your menu barthe Script menuhere's how to put it there. In Mac OS X 10.3, open your Applications AppleScript folder and double-click Install Script Menu. In Mac OS X 10.4, use the AppleScript Utility program to add the menulet instead.)In any case, choosing an AppleScripts name from this menu is a very convenient and quick way to run it.In the following list, only the items identified as droplets or applications don't belong in your Scripts menu.
Here are some of the canned Apple scripts for iDVD: -
iDVD Companion. This is an actual application (not a script) that endows iDVD with the floating palette shown in Figure 18-5. This palette offers a number of useful controls that aren't available in iDVD alone, like one that snaps your menu buttons into horizontal or vertical alignment ( buttons that you've dragged freely , for example). iDVD Companion also offers a menu of all your menu screens, so that you can jump directly to any portion of your menu system; a list that lets you jump to any slideshow in a certain DVD project; a quick menu command that lets you turn the automatic button grid on or off; and more.  | Figure 18-5. This free program from Apple isn't actually an AppleScript, but it uses AppleScript to add new features to iDVDlike the ability to align buttons that you've dragged by hand. | |
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Create DVD From Folder. This script is a droplet a little application icon that does its work when you drag-and-drop something onto it. In this case, when you drag a folder of files onto this droplet, it opens iDVD and creates a new project automatically, based on the folder's contents and hierarchy. Complete instructions and examples come with the download. -
Photoshop to iDVD. This script automatically converts whatever document is currently open in Photoshop into a background image for the current menu screen in iDVD. It can be a real timesaver if you like to create your own DVD backgrounds. -
iTunes to iDVD. You know from Chapter 17 how to turn an iTunes song into the background music for a menu screen. But if you're already in iTunes, you can use this script to turn a selected track into the audio background for the current menu. -
Sequential Movie. This droplet creates a series of iDVD menu screens that guide your audience through a sequence of movies. It results in a well-structured and well-ordered movie sequence that's ideal for how-to projects (letting your viewers follow the steps in order), video treasure hunts (keeping your viewers from skipping ahead to clues before they're ready), educational videos (increasing the complexity of your instruction gradually as the lessons proceed), and so on. |
