Script Debugger - 4.5.4b3

Having used Script debugger for both personal use and business use now since version 3 it simply amazes me that anyone can write scripts in any reasonable amount of time without this incredible piece of software. Clearly these guys understand the pain that Applescript can cause and the days and weeks of pulling hair that can be avoided. Every version adds more and more features and it just gets better every time.
At three times the price this would still be value so if you are considering writing more that a very basic script do yourself a favor and spend a few dollars to make better, faster scripts easily and BUY NOW.

This is a fantastic program for AppleScript development. It has increased my productivity with the language by an order or two of magnitude.

The dictionary browser is without peer and helps enormously to clarify application specific command context. Likewise, the debugger is powerful in that you can change variable values on the fly and see program status at numerous breakpoints. All this functionality is in one place, which means convenience and time savings as well as flexibility.

I empathiize with other reviewers who would like a cheaper product, but SD provides a very powerful development environment similar to that of other commercial programming solutions. Unfortunately, AppleScript appears to be a fairly specific development environment in that it is dependent on the dictionary of each application with which it communicates. I think it is unfair to expect this product to be an interface for Objective C or other languages such as Perl, Python and the like. Besides, SD's dedication to AppleScript is what makes it such a powerful environment

Even if your time is only worth $10 an hour, it won't take much development effort to justify the cost of this software.

This is hands down the best tool for developing in AppleScript. It has everything you need to write and test complex scripts, which can otherwise be a real pain with AppleScript. Everything about the app is very polished, and it's quite enjoyable to use.

Unfortunately, for a development app that can only be used for one language, I can't possibly justify paying $199. Like most people, I just want to write scripts to automate some repetitive tasks. I'm not setting up complicated workflows, and since the whole goal of scripting is to save time, I don't intend to write and debug scripts all the time. All I wanted is a better tool for the job, and this is clearly the best one, but the pricing is unreasonable for anyone who isn't writing scripts every day, so the tool remains inaccessible to what is probably the largest part of the AppleScript user base -- people who just want to automate their own processes.

The high price tag simply doesn't make sense. Although the text editor isn't the main purpose of it, it's a key part of any development environment, and (e.g.) TextMate runs circles around this aspect of the program, supports dozens of other languages -- and only costs €39. Okay, you might say "well, TextMate doesn't have a full breakpoint debugger". Fair enough. But XCode does, and -- although it's not an AppleScript debugger -- it is in fact a much more fully-featured debugger, and is *free*. My point being, similar tools of equal or greater capabilities cost a great deal less, and that's the problem here. For what this does, this is a $50 app at most. I might have paid $99, though I would have thought that was a lot higher than it should be. But I was absolutely stunned to see they're asking $199 for it.

In short, this is a great tool that I would love to use, but for what it does, and the value it offers me, simply isn't worth the overinflated price. For the very few people who spend enough time writing AppleScripts to justify the high price tag, I highly recommend this program. Everyone else, including myself, will have to look elsewhere.

Script debugger has always been powerful, but since migrating to OSX from OS9, it has felt a bit behind the times. This update to 4.0 adds a shiny new interface, and lots of great functionality. It is fabulous. Congrats and thank you Late Night Software. This is just great.

I am a better AppleScripter because of Script Debugger -- period.

I have used (and continue to use) the debugging feautures to fix my scripts, learn how AppleScript works and "see" how the scripts of others work.

I also use the "Explorer" feature of Script Debugger to improve my understanding of the dictionary -- in some cases, it's the quickest and easiest way to decipher an incoherent/ poorly written AppleScript dictionary.

As for the criticism that it's expensive -- it's saved me enough time over the years to more than pay for itself. If you are going do something well, get the best tool for the job.

In the case of AppleScript, the best tool is Script Debugger.

This is one of my "desert island" applications.