Scripting?
I have a half dozen AppleScripts in DL2 that I use for all sorts of things like locating books in BookMooch or the SF Public Library. It seems DL3 regresses over DL2 by not offering support for scripts, at least there is no mention of them in the online help. What gives?
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AppleScript is not enabled in 3.0; most of the code is there but we haven't tested it thoroughly (or even briefly), and didn't want to hold up the release for it.
From the feedback we got, AppleScript never gained much traction with DL2, and honestly we wanted to see what the reaction would be to shipping DL3 without it. In other words, post here if you use it!
We definitely like the power of programmatically accessing your collection. Stay tuned! -
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Like Fazal, I have several scripts I use extensively with DL2. Losing access to those is a non-starter for me to migrate to DL3.
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Programmatic doesn't have to be AppleScript, I would much prefer something like Python, JavaScript or Lua if available. My use cases are the following:
1- I have a script that copies the shelf name into the "Location" field. I have more books and CDs than I can keep on my physical bookshelves, so I store them in Rubbermaid containers in the garage, one "shelf" in DL for each container. The process of inventory for container contents is easy: create a new shelf for a container, highlight it, and scan the books as I put them in the container. If I need to fetch a book, I look up its location field in DL then find the container. In other words, I use DL as a map of my physical book storage, much like card catalogues in olden days.
2- somewhat similar, I have a script that highlights the shelves containing a specific book. This could probably be added to the contextual menu for an item. Implementing (2) would obviate the need for (1)
3- DL allows you to look up a book in Amazon, but I also need to look them up in other places: BookMooch (for books I want to dispose of), the SF Public Library (to see if they already have it or not), and Open Library.
4- Some uses that are essentially reports on the underlying DL database, and could be handled by exporting to Excel and processing there, but that would be clunky. I suppose I could just access DL3's underlying SQLite database, but Core Data-generated SQLite schemas are a pain to deal with.-
You can always use AppleScript's 'do shell script' command to execute any shell commands (including python, etc.).
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+1 for scripting support... I have several AppleScripts I use in my DL2 library. The one I use most frequently strips out the Amazon format additions like [Blu-ray] and [DVD]. Now, at a glance, it looks like DL3 does this automatically so maybe my actual scripting use will be fairly minor... but I did find it very useful in DL2.
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I bought DL3 (I'm a first time DL owner) with the expectation that I would be able to use some sort of script to get Library of Congress numbers. I'm disappointed that Applescript isn't included so that I can do this.
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I'd use this too, myself. Thinking about it, also wonder whether scripting might be a universal functional requirement for any app that uses a super-minimal ui approach - it makes a lot of sense to me that you supported it before. Wil I'd be interested in your thoughts.
My use case at the moment is for batch changes to item metadata to make them more findable/ correct. But I can see that at this stage, one would need scripting of some kind for most nonstandard tasks that needed doing in DL. Equally happy with as/js/python.
As a general point I think that a minimal ui that makes common things easy (as DM traditionally does) and ignores everything else is a great design choice for DL with many benefits, only one of which is avoiding bloatware and a festival of unwanted choices. One rilly bad side effect being that it removes all possible satisfactory solutions for many edge cases, even common ones.
So I wonder whether the minimal ui-route kinda *requires* scriptability in order to be functional: even if scripting is inaccessible for many users, comprehensive scripting mops up all the edge cases for the set of users who *really need* something, and need it enough to resource/learn to write a script-based solution. Step 2, making the scripting easier to access, with shareable snippets, community support, modules, then extends that possiblity to a larger set of users - the ones whose needs are less intense, urgent, whatevs.
If this process is visible to the designer-developers, it can reveal new insights, user demand for new functionality that the developers hadn't anticipated. It may warrant core design and development of new features, making the most valid solutions available to all users over time, on the basis of evidence. This may unlock market growth, revenue, user happiness, unexpected declarations of love, chocolate, etc. In fact I'd say that a good response to you not knowing about how much scripting is being used may be to start a low-rent monster scriptorium, and see if people come.
This has been helpful for my thinking about my own product, so thanks for that :) For DL, I would ask that you consider prioritising comprehensive scripting, and maybe follow up with some easy to use technical and social scripting sugar after that. -
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I'm a first time user as well, and am disappointed that DL 3 doesn't go that extra little bit and provide scripting.
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Nowadays I don't get the decisions of so many commercial software developers.
One of the most important things about DL was its scripting feature.
People wrote scripts to export to SQL e.g. By this DL could play an important role in a whole chain of warehouse management.
It's like the software companies start cannibalizing their own products, if it's Adobe with their Flash/Flex strategy or Delicious in completely re-designing DL for worse.
True, better slaughter your cashcow, before your competitors do, but why slaughter it, when there is no competition at all and it is your only milk-cow?
Once people used to say, never change a winning horse. -
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+1 for Scripting Support. I use the DL2 script to fetch my Library of Congress Numbers. I won’t upgrade unless I have that capability.
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Just got an email notifying me that DL3 was updated. I rely on my Peeron-Integration plugin (http://sfgp.cemetech.net/?page=peeron) for management of my Lego inventory as well as my book collection, and I absolutely will not upgrade as long as scripting is disabled.
DL2 basically already does everything that I need, but I would have considered upgrading anyway if this basic functionality wasn't disabled. -
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I'm very, very surprised that DL3 doesn't support scripting. I just upgraded from DL2 and wouldn't have bought it if I had know that :(
Any timeframe on when scripting will be supported??? -
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Hi Andrew,
We don't have immediate plans to re-add it. If we hear a lot of requests for it then we'll consider adding it.- view 1 more comment
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Hi Allison. This is a regression that makes the new version of little value to me. It should be documented so other people don't make the same mistake.
Could you please tell me how I can get a refund? Thanks. -
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No Applescript yet (and maybe not ever). What a shame.
Put the Applescript back in so we can use DL3 the way we want (and to make it easier to get the info into DL that we need).
Put another way: putting Applescript back allows features to be added without you guys having to add them.
Thanks in advance, and congratulations on a amazing update to DL -
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I just want to reiterate, 6 months later: I am still refusing to upgrade as long as Delicious Library 3 is un-scriptable. The current state of affairs is particular disappointing given that Jonathan's initial post stated that scripting infrastructure was essentially present (but disabled) and a feature that you were fond of.
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I too would like to re-iterate that I rely on scripting to have DL2 look up the Library of Congress numbers for me. I print book labels and shelve 1000’s of books by Library of Congress Number. Without the LOC # the software is much less useful to me. I will not (can not) "upgrade" and have less capability. I will hold up OS upgrades if necessary to avoid spending money and losing capability.
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I'd really like to see AppleScript implemented in DL3. I downloaded and paid for DL3 with the expectation that I could import my movie library and then run a script to select a random movie from my library. I own many many DVDs and Blu-rays and I haven't watched them all. I thought DL3 and scripting would be a cool way to get to all of them and find out which I should hold on to and which I could get rid of.
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I purchased Delicious Library 3 hoping to be able to use this feature, and I'm incredibly disappointed that it's not around. Why are you not adding it back??
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Same here. I was so excited about DL3 until I found out there was no scripting support. Luckily I still have an old MacBook with Snow Leopard and could still download DL2. But it's disappointing I can't use DL3, iPhone and such.
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I too upgraded from DL 2 and it was a mistake. The whole point of DL for me is to be able to sort my overwhelming collection of academic books by topic (i.e. LOC) and have them ordered in the way they would look IRL.
DL 3 is quite simply useless to me without the ability to import LOC or DD or the like. I want to uninstall it and will not use it again.
Shame on me for not checking that this function would remain in DL 3, but I will leave feedback on the App Store to warn others. -
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I need the ability in DL3 to access LOC #s and print labels. Without this, DL3 is a pretty piece of software that is pretty much useless to me.
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I agree with you.
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Bump. Seriously - you're using Core Data, so presumably you're already KVC compliant. How much time will it take to expose your model with an .sdef? There seem to be a number of potential customers in this thread, and at $25 / head, it won't take that many of us to pay off the time investment.
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Another bump. Glad I noticed this lack in the downloadable demo version of DL3 before paying to "up"grade to it!
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I, too, would love to upgrade to Delicious Library 3, but I use AppleScript to look up the Library of Congress numbers for books. I am holding off upgrading until scripting support is reinstated, although it seems I may be waiting forever.
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The lack of innovation, the reduction in usability and the removal of AppleScript made Delicious Library 3 (DL3) a costly upgrade for me. I have gone back to DL2. DL2 will eventually become incompatible with the Mac OS. DL is an end-of-life product for me for this and other reasons.
I need to ensure the longevity of my catalogue and I need my catalogue to be inter-operable with other processes. I just realized (after three versions) that DL is a poor product for my needs. Other products either also do not meet my needs, are overly expensive or are overly limiting. I am now creating my own solution to meet my needs.
To the folks at Delicious Monster Software, you had a once promising product. I do not expect you to come up with a solution that meets my needs because DL needs a good re-think before I will consider it again. -
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How is DL still not scriptable?? Please enable this. It's been three years!
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Sigh... major book cataloging project underway for my private collection. Two key features are needed:
1. Essential -- Scripting, e.g., with AppleScript. (Is there another way to do bulk changes of a data value in a selected set of records, e.g., location?)
2. Highly desirable -- Addition to barcode scanning to OCR a printed ISBN as a text string (for books printed before barcoding became de rigueur. -
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In Delicious Library 2 you can add a book by hand using a title or ISBN number — is that what you needed as feature 2? Surely this can still do this with DL3 (right?.. I never upgraded because I need scripting)
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Delicious Library 3 seems like quite the downgrade from version 2 in a lot of ways. I'm just thankful that the old version continues to run on Sierra, albeit with a few graphical glitches. Love the AppleScript support in DL2.
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Yes, this is very frustrating. I used scripting in DL2 all the time to look up LOC numbers. It didn't work 100%, but even the 50% made it worthwhile. I'm not sure I would have used DL without it. For some reason I upgraded to DL3 and now I don't have this feature. Very frustrating.
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Lack of scripting support is the number one reason I haven't bought and won't buy DL3. Hugely important feature to me.
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Bump. Adding a verb such as "add ISBN 123456" would basically open up any new scanning type device
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Someone with less motivation to get the project working would have just given up.
Regardless, based on the responses from DM, it does not appear we are going to see anything in the way of scripting support for DL3, which is a shame since it could open the door for solutions to many of the shortcomings in the product.
But well in essence I agree, it probably not going to happen, but hey at least the idea is there.