A pro version of Dialog Studio, a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) GUI (graphical user interface) is coming soon. A lite version is available now from MacScripter.net.
Dialog Studio creates Dialog Director scripting additions using the familiar drag and drop interface with a complement of tools to help in dialog creation. Dialog Director is one of the most popular scripting additions made, but some people have shied away from using it because of its steep learning curve in creating dialogs with it. However, with Dialog Studio users can create dialogs containing push buttons, text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, gauges, boxes and more, all without typing a single character of AppleScript code.
“We hope Dialog Studio will fill the gap for building stuff with Dialog Director,” Ray Barber told MacCentral.
Other features include: saving native Dialog Studio files for later editing and adjustment; four options of export: copy to clipboard, save as script, open compile and run in your favorite script editor; and a script preview. Snap to grid, nudge buttons, and step and repeat are also features. Finally, an included utility, DS Icon Imbedder, is designed to facilitate the embedding of custom icons in your script.
“We would love to thank the cool dudes at IconFactory for their gracious support for DS Icon Imbedder and Macscripter.net,” Barber said.
Dialog Studio Lite is available for download now at the Digital Studio site. The pro version is due in about nine days.
“I’ve looked at the product, and it does take the drudgery out of hand coding dialog boxes with Dialog Director,” said AppleScript guru Bill Briggs. “It would be a welcome addition to the kit of any scripter.”