Scripting the Net

Mailing Lists

• Netscape Mac API. The Mac API (Application Programmer's Interface) is of course Apple events, scriptable from AppleScript, Frontier, etc. "Feature requests, examples, bug reports are welcome."
• The FileMaker Pro CGI list is for discussion of more advanced scripting techniques and the integration of Filemaker Pro with World Wide Web servers. The list is unofficial, and not sponsored or endorsed by Claris Corp.
• See the main ScriptWeb page for the MACSCRPT and Frontier-talk mailing lists. An Apple-sponsored list is buried in the Every Known Scripting Link page.

Utilities, Helper Apps

• Eudora for e-mail
• Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer for Web surfing
• Anarchie or Fetch ftp client (or the TCP/IP addition or TCP UCMD??)
• clip2gif for converting images to GIF (or JPEGView?)
• TCP/IP Scripting Addition for talking directly to the Net (including ftp, mail, etc.)
• ConfigPPP or FreePPP for initiating and monitoring a connection (superceded by the TCP/IP addition or TCP UCMD??)
• Internet Config, a single place to store settings
• Clay Basket outliner for creating web sites and editing Netscape bookmark files

Apple Event Suite Documentation

• Netscape Suite, also known as the Macintosh Netscape Remote Control Documentation. Derived from the Spyglass Web browser specification.
• URL Suite, an FTP site for the "URL Standard Apple Event Suite" specification, i.e. the "geturl" and "fetchurl" Apple events, by Peter Lewis et al., edited by John Norstad.
• Spyglass, Inc's Web Browser Suite. "This document describes a cross-platform API which can be used to extend the capabilities of Web browsers by integrating them with other applications."

Embedding scripts in Web pages

• Eric Iverson's Flypaper will only run scripts that are already on your machine in a special folder, increasing both security and speed compared to his earlier WebRunner.
• Information on Frontier's approach can be found on the Embedding Scripts page of the Aretha site.

Automated Web Publishing

• Frontier 4 now has many of Clay Basket's features built in (e.g. glossary, macros), plus many new features.
• Frontier 4 and BBEdit 4 make an excellent combination.
• Clay Basket is a scriptable, outline-based "integrated development environment for websites". It can also edit Netscape bookmark files and record all the URLs you visit using Netscape. Clay Basket supercedes AutoWeb, The Newsroom System for the Worldwide Web.
• Clay Basket already has a mailing list, and MacWeek did short review in January.
• In development: The Stage Three system (used to build this site), including No-Tags Markup for converting text to HTML and WebDepot for processing InfoDepot documents.

Document Conversion

• BeyondPress from AstroByte allows QuarkXPress users to publish their documents on the World Wide Web. Version 2.0 adds support for the latest HTML features, plus advanced image controls and automated conversion using Apple Events scripts.
• Dave is an AppleScript script that works with PageMaker 5.0 to extract articles and convert them to HTML. They say "Dave is free. Use it, love it, hack it."

Cool Tools

• Quoting an e-mail from Dave Winer: "Want to see what a web-based object distribution system looks like? Check it out. LTODBS. It's not a demo."

Web Servers

• The most common Macintosh Web server is WebSTAR (formerly MacHTTP). Check out the StarNine site (now a division of QuarterDeck), or the original MacHTTP site. It supports CGI scripts written in AppleScript or Frontier. Another good general-purpose site is WebEdge.
• To create an interactive website, look at the UserLand BBS, a set of Frontier scripts that maintain threaded discussion areas with WebSTAR 1.1.
• Chong-Yee Khoo in the UK offers an Applescript/Frontier CGI Tour through his CGI scripts.
• One of many tools pages I've seen is The Macintosh WWW Tools Compendium by Ian Andrew Bell.
• This page has character: Felipe's Applescript CGI Examples
• For FileMaker work, see MacWeb.
• Though not focussed on scripting, there are some server-related scripting gems on Carl de Cordova's Web Development Pointers page.
• You can actually buy a book on the subject, WebMaster Macintosh, or see what is free on their web site.

Other Internet Server Software

• FingerToys by Acme Technologies is a Finger daemon for the Macintosh, designed to use CGI-like applications written in AppleScript, Frontier or C/C++.
• MIND, the MacInternet Name Daemon. The new version will be a full RFC-compliant DNS server with remote administrative capabilities.

Scripting Utilities

This site built and maintained using Stage Three, a set of custom Frontier scripts.