QuarkXPress can be scripted through AppleScript (a scripting language offered by Mac OS X). The Switch configurator for QuarkXPress allows executing a user-provided AppleScript script to perform custom steps. Combined with Switch's built-in capabilities this provides powerful control of QuarkXPress.
The QuarkXPress configurator defines the action to be executed by its corresponding application in the form of three consecutive stages:
Open the file and make it the currently active document.
Perform a command on the currently active document.
Save the currently active document and close it.
The desired action for each stage is defined independently, and can be selected from:
One of the built-in actions listed by name.
A user-provided script (which is specified by browsing to an AppleScript file).
Depending on the selected action a number of subordinate properties are shown to further configure the action. In other words, each choice has its own set of properties.
The properties for the "Use script" choice are described below; those for built-in choices are described with the QuarkXPress configurator.
The following set of properties is shown for an action stage if the "Use script" option is selected for the stage.
Property |
Description |
|---|---|
Script file |
The AppleScript to be executed for this stage; this can be a text file or a compiled script (see below) |
Argument 1 |
The first argument to be passed to the script (or empty) |
Argument 2 |
The second argument to be passed to the script (or empty) |
Argument 3 |
The third argument to be passed to the script (or empty) |
Argument 4 |
The fourth argument to be passed to the script (or empty) |
Argument 5 |
The fifth argument to be passed to the script (or empty) |
There are always five arguments because there is no mechanism to determine how many arguments are actually needed by the script.
For more information about scripting, refer to the documentation on the Enfocus website.