Editing AppleScript (section)

== Open Scripting Architecture ==
Apple provides the '''Open Scripting Architecture''' (OSA) for other scripting languages and third-party scripting/automation products (such as QuicKeys and [[UserLand Software|UserLand]] Frontier) to function on an equal status with AppleScript. AppleScript is implemented as a component of [[Component Manager]], and the basic specs for interfacing such components to the OSA are public, allowing other developers to add their own scripting components to the system. Public client [[Application programming interface|API]]s for loading, saving and compiling scripts work the same for all such components, which means that applets and droplets can hold scripts in any of those scripting languages.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptX/Concepts/osa.html |title=AppleScript Overview: Open Scripting Architecture |website=developer.apple.com |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref>

One feature of the OSA is [[#Scripting Additions|scripting additions]], or OSAX for ''Open Scripting Architecture eXtension'',<ref name="OSAX"/> which were inspired by [[HyperCard]]'s External Commands. Scripting additions are [[Library (software)|libraries]] that allow programmers to extend the function of AppleScript. Commands included as scripting additions are available system-wide, and are not dependent on an application (see also {{section link||AppleScript Libraries}}). The AppleScript Editor is also able to directly edit and run some of the OSA languages.

===JavaScript for Automation===
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{{Expand section|with=comparison of JXA and AppleScript scripting|date=May 2017}}
Under [[OS X Yosemite]] and later versions of macOS, the '''JavaScript for Automation''' ('''JXA''') component remains the only serious OSA language alternative to AppleScript,<ref name="Siracusa JXA">{{cite web |last=Siracusa |first=John |date=October 16, 2014 |title=OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The Ars Technica Review: JavaScript automation |url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/os-x-10-10/24/#javascript-automation |website=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref> though the Macintosh versions of [[Perl]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]], and [[Tcl]] all support native means of working with Apple events without being OSA components.<ref name="Neuburg"/>{{rp|516}}

JXA also provides an [[Objective-C]] (and C language) foreign language interface.<ref name="Siracusa JXA"/> Being an environment based on WebKit's JavaScriptCore engine, the JavaScript feature set is in sync with the system Safari browser engine. JXA provides a JavaScript module system and it is also possible to use [[CommonJS]] modules via browserify.<ref>{{cite web |title=Importing Scripts |url=https://github.com/JXA-Cookbook/JXA-Cookbook/wiki/Importing-Scripts |website=GitHub |publisher=JXA-Cookbook |access-date=December 9, 2019 |date=December 6, 2019}}</ref>