Requirements

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
List Price US$	free	199	189	199	free
Street Price US$	free	179	189	179	free
Version available	1.4.3	2.0.2	2.0.1	3.5	1.7.2
Version compared here	1.4.3	2.0.2 demo	2.0.	3.0.1	1.7.2
68k supported	Yes	Yes	No (v1.0.5 = Yes)	Yes	No
PowerPC Native	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Preferred memory default	1.5 MB	3.5 MB	5 MB	2.5 MB	3.7 MB
Mac OS minimum	7.0.1?	7.0.1	8.0 (7.0.1 for v1.0.5)	7.0.1	7.5.3
System folder files required if Mac OS before 8.0	.	.	.	Appearance, Contextual Menu, SOMobjects	Navigation Services, Appearance
System folder files installed.	.	Main Event folder containing Application Bar sets	.	FaceSpan Extension	"Smile Help" in the Help folder
Scripting Additions installed	.	Script Base	None	None?	AppleScript Formatting, Satimage
Limits of demo	none	no save, print, copy, drag outside, 75 lines. Expires.	no save or print. Expires after 30 days.	no save, more?	none

Compiling and Debugging

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
>32kB scripts	No	No	Yes	?	Yes
Handlers index	No	Yes	Yes. Pop-up menu.	Yes. Pop-up menu.	Yes. Pop-up menu.
log of target application events	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No. ("Open Event Log" acts differently)
Log options	events, results	events, steps, results, append, errors	events, results, append, format records/lists	events, results?	events, results?
Can log raw Apple Events	No	Yes	Yes	No	No?
step trace debugger	No	Yes	Yes	No	No, but has line by line execution.
Debugger fails for	.	Handler1( Handler2() )	if... then return, on one line	.	if, repeat or other construct over multiple lines
Can step when called (eg idle or CGI)	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Drop file on script window calls open	No	Drop on Scripter icon.	Yes (or paste path or contents)	No?	Can be enabled
Debug can continue after error or halt	No	Yes	No	No	No
Debugging environment available to other OSA editors and run as applet	No	No	Yes	No	No

Variables and Results

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
>32kB results	No	No	Yes	?	Yes
Truncates too long error messages to fit.	No	No?	Yes	No?	Yes
Result/variables display formats	text	text	text, picture, QuickTime	text	text
variable viewer outside handler (global and properties)	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes, drag to output window.
variable viewer in handler (local variables)	No	Yes	Yes, but must be declared as local.	No	No
Auto discovery of variables	No	No	Yes	No	No
Variable change highlighting	No	No	Yes	No	No
Step when variable changes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
set variables during debug	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes, during line by line execution.

Text Editing

Features to edit text, not specific to script text.

	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
Find	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Find Again	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Find Selection	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Find backwards	No	No	Yes	No	No
Find wrap to beginning	No	Yes	Yes	No?	Yes
Find in multiple files	No	No	No (yes via script?)	No (yes via script?)	Yes
Replace	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
option arrow over word	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Drag & drop text	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Drag & drop file contents into window	No	Yes	Yes (or path or invoke open)	Yes	Yes
Compare documents (scripts)	No	No?	No (could be scripted)	No (could be scripted)	Yes
Count chars, words, paragraphs	No	?	No (could be scripted)	No	Yes
Count occurrences of given string	No	?	No (could be scripted)	No	Yes
Line wrapping	No	No?	Yes, optional	Yes	Yes, optional.
Multiple views (eg split pane)	No	No?	Yes, split panes.	No	No?
Windows menu	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Script Editing

Features to help edit text specific to scripts.

	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
Comment, uncomment	No	Yes, via palette buttons	Yes	No?	No?
Indent, deindent	No	?	Yes	No?	Yes
Enclose selected text in:	No	try, "" using buttons. Customize others in "Wraps" window.	{}, (), TID, timeout, try	No?	(), ""
Balance (extend selection to include matched):	No		{ }, ( ), [ ], if, repeat, try, etc	No?	No? "Balance" menu item instead builds event syntax.
Evaluation of selection	No	No?	Yes, shown in tooltips.	No	No? for script, yes in text window
Convert to raw AppleEvents	No	Yes?	Yes?	No?	Yes, using “Copy Translate”

Dictionary and Object Browsing

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
Recognizes Scripting Additions folder in System Folder root	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Open dictionary of alias	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Find in dictionary	No	No	Yes	No?	Yes
Dictionary index	Scrolling pane	Scrolling pane, 2 level	Pane & hierarchy	Pop up menus of object & events	Pop up menu. Option click to sort.
Sort/ filter dictionary terms by	Suite	Suite, Alpha. Event in Command Builder. Class in Object Specifier.	Suite, Alpha?, Class, Event	Suite, Alpha?, Class, Event	Suite, Alpha?, Class, Event
View object model hierarchy	No	Yes, all branches by Control clicking in Apps menu or palette.	Yes, all branches using dictionary's Object Model view.	Yes, pop up sub menus	No
View values of properties of object	No	Type reference in Observe window	View all using dictionary's Explorer view.	No	No
Edit values of properties of object	No	No?	Yes, using dictionary's Explorer view.	No	No
List and record builder	No	Yes. Option click button to edit selected list.	Yes	No	No, could be scripted.
View Apple Event syntax (eg << >>)	No	?	Yes	No	Yes
Builds event templates	No	Yes	Yes, using "Copy Event Template" menu item.	No	Yes, using "Balance" menu item.
Builds handler templates	No	?	Yes, using "Copy Handler Template" menu item.	Yes, from pop-up menu.	?
Unified Scripting Additions dictionary window	No	Yes?	Yes	No	No?

Integration with others

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
Can be FaceSpan's editor (Alias "External Script Editor" and option click)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Can be an external script editor for UserLand's Frontier	No	Yes?	Yes	Yes?	Yes?
Navigation Services (Open/Save Dialog)	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Pop up window title to access file path.	Yes	?	Yes	No	Yes
Integrated Library Management	No	No?	Yes	Yes	No
Open standard compiled script file	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Save standard compiled script file	Yes	Yes, save as "Library compatible Scripts"	Yes	No	Yes
Save compiled run only script.	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Save as text	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Supports source code control	No	supports Apple's Projector?	supports Apple's Projector	?	?
Extra features (beyond script editing)		Script Base - stores data and media elements to share between scripts		Extensive user interface builder.	Thorough scriptable text editor. Pictures in text and info panes. User interface builder.

AppleScript support of self

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
AppleScriptable	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Script menu	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Custom palettes/ dialogs	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Factored. Attach scripts to and customize existing elements.	No	No	Yes	No?	Yes
Recordable	No	No	Yes	No?	Yes
path to me gives script	No	Yes	Yes	No?	Yes

Help and Documentation

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	Script Editor	Scripter	Script Debugger	FaceSpan	Smile
Balloon Help	Yes for menus and prefs, not windows	No	Yes	No	No
Tutorial	No	Yes, download Scripter Lessons or Scripter demo and lessons or view on web.	User Guide (PDF) is tutorial based (and included with demo). Also on-line walkthrough.	Book and web.	Yes. text/PICT (included with Smile download) or take the Smile Tour.
On-line help format	Apple Help Viewer (HTML)	?	PDF User Manual	PDF User Manual	Apple Help Viewer (HTML)
Dedicated mail list	No	Yes, support and discussion, only for registered users.	No	Yes	Yes
Hard copy manual available	No	Yes	Yes?	Yes	No