You could be saving yourself time and money right now using tools you probably didn't even know you had. AppleScript, a powerful and free scripting tool included on every Macintosh, enables individuals, professionals, and businesses to save time and money by automating time-consuming, repetitive tasks. Hallmark, for example, used AppleScript to reduce the number of color proofs needed to create a greeting card from a range of 5 to 25 expensive proofs per card down to just two. The best part? You don't need a degree in engineering to create powerful, results-driven scripts.

In AppleScript 1-2-3 Apple's AppleScript product manager, Sal Soghoian, teaches beginners how to address nearly any automation task on the Macintosh. Broken down into three parts, the book starts by explaining AppleScript fundamentals through a series of hands-on how-tos designed to teach you how to write functional scripts. The second section expands on the knowledge gained in the first section with an in-depth examination of useful AppleScript tools and techniques, and the third section uses sample scripts to demonstrate how to automate Apple and third-party applications. If you're looking to work more productively by automating your workflow, you'll want this primer written by the leading expert in the field-no one knows more about AppleScript than Sal.