I'm automating excel with python through the COM interface, with pywin32. I'd like to port my script to mac. Is there any chance of this happening? I realize that I can't use COM on a mac, and the xlutils python modules won't work (since I need to copy graphs, etc.). Is there anything else I can use?
2 Answers
Unfortunately development of appscript has been stopped,
I'm not aware the development of AppleScript has been stopped. What is your source on that?
As far as I can tell, AppleScript is still maintained and has a future and is working well.
Also there is a distinction between "AppleScript" the scripting language and the Inter-Application Communication Technology (IAC) called: "AppleEvents"
You can find the AppleScript Editor.app at the following location on your Mac:
/Applications/Utilities/AppleScript Editor.app
Open up the AppleScript Editor.app and then choose from the File menu: "Open Dictionary..."
Then select "Excel.app"
This will open the Apple Event dictionary for Excel. You will be able to see "Nouns" and "Verbs" and "Properties" that are supported in Excel for Apple Events.
AppleScript can be used to send commands to Excel via Apple Events, but so can other scripting languages such as Python.
If I were you, I would consider making an abstract class of Excel and two concrete subclasses, one that uses the Windows version of the code for Windows and anther that uses the Apple Event code that the Mac version of Excel might need.
See: the Wikipedia Article on Apple Events: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_events
It's really Apple Events -- not AppleScript that you may want to use, but you could look at the following article too:
See Also: the Wikipedia Article on AppleScript: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AppleScript
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I believe that the misconception that Apple is lessening its support of AppleScript comes from the fact that AppleScript Studio was discontinued, but it was replaced with something just as good or better. Now, you can use AppleScript to develop full-fledged Mac applications in XCode. In addition, AppleScript can also still be used in Automator workflows, in XCode to build Automator actions, and in the AppleScript Editor, all of which are delivered by Apple in the latest version of OS X (Mountain Lion 10.8.4) and in the latest version of XCode (version 4.6.2)
So AppleScript is still a viable option, though the OP was asking about a Python solution. Apple Events are available from Python.
Comments
Currently the only possible solution would be appscript, which is a module that allows to write AppleScript macros in python (and ruby). Unfortunately development of appscript has been stopped, but for now it keeps working well enough.
