Feature Comparison

The following tables list the features offered in Script Debugger 7, the free Script Debugger Lite, and by the previous version of Script Debugger.

Editing

Feature7.07.0
Lite
6.0
Tabbed document windows
Multiple windows on the same script
Restore open scripts on launch
Script templates
Code folding
Split-pane editing
Regular Expression find and replace
Auto-Indentation
Auto-pairing of delimiters ({[« »]})
Auto-close AppleScript blocks
Auto-generate tell blocks (by dragging applications from dictionary or using Paste Tell command)
   Generate tell blocks using application IDs
Auto-generate object specifiers (by dragging from explorers or using the Paste Tell command)
Auto-generate variable references (by dragging from Variables tab)
Auto-generate file references (by dragging from the Finder)
Option-click to lookup ASObjC references in Dash
AppleScript block and delimiter balancing
AppleScript block highlighting (when mouse hovers in gutter)
Line number display
Line wrapping
Invisible and control character display
Table of contents menu
Text substitution (with clipping placeholder support)
Tell block builder
Open Quickly (discontiguous Spotlight script searches)
Manifest
Status bar
External editing of scripts (using BBEdit or another ODBEditorSuite compatible editor)
Code completion of AppleScriptObjC terminology
AppleScriptObjC refactoring
Shift/Indent lines
Entab and Detab
Implicit parent script
Implicit tell target
Dropped file handling (create tell block, paste HFS/Posix/Finder file reference, contents)
Clippings menu and clippings inspector (with clipping placeholder support)
Clippings placeholders
   Dates, times, usernames, paired and unpaired names
   Application picker
   Library picker
   ASObjC placeholders
Tell Context inspector
Dictionary inspector
Recording
   AppleScript recording
   Recording explorer actions

Files

Feature7.07.0
Lite
6.0
Open and save all AppleScript file formats
Browse past document versions
   View/Restore past versions
   Execute past versions without restoring
   Debug past versions without restoring
Code Signing (requires Developer ID code signing certificates from Apple)
   Always-on code signing on save
   Code signing on export Run-Only
Bundle editing
   Bundle attributes (bundleID, copyright, version, build number)
   Auto-increment build number on save
   Minimum OS version
   Application Transport Security control
   Create background only applets
   Droplet file filtering by Uniform Type Identifiers
   Droplet file filtering by filename extensions
   Bundle contents (script libraries, resources, etc.)
Auto-Save and recovery
Recover damaged scripts
Export Run-Only
   Convert bundled scripts to Run-Only
   Embed used libraries
   Code signing
Create enhanced applets and droplets
Prevent dependant application launches when opening scripts
User created script templates

Execution

Feature7.07.0
Lite
6.0
Run script and see result
Debugging
   Single step execution
   Tracing
   Breakpoints
   Break on AppleScript exceptions
   Expressions
   Code coverage
   Call stack displaying associated local variables
   Floating mini debugger window
   External debugging (debug scripts running within other applications)
Script timer
Display properties and global variables (when script finishes)
Display properties and global variables (while paused when debugging)
Variable deletion (while paused when debugging)
Drag & drop manipulation of variable values
Drag & drop manipulation of list, records and script objects
Event simulation (open, run, idle, quit, Folder Actions, Digital Hub)
Implicit tell target
Display arbitrary expressions
Expression tooltips
Leaked resources detection (e.g. unclosed file references)
Event logging
   Always-on event logging
   Filter by target application
   Filter by content
   Event logging window (separate from script window)
   Event result explorer
   Show source line for event log entry (when debugging)

Dictionary Viewer

Feature7.07.0
Lite
6.0
Running, recent, favourite and known applications list
Dictionary searching
Cross dictionary searching
Launch and quit applications
Object model hierarchy display
Object model inheritance display
Expanded dictionary documentation
Explorer outlining of objects
   AppleScript lists and records
   “Best” date display
   “Best” file display with Reveal In Finder and QuickLook
   “Best” HTML string display
   “Best” image display
   AppleScript Objective-C scalar display (NSString, NSDate, NSNumber, etc.)
   AppleScript Objective-C collection display (NSArray, NSSet, NSDictionary)
   Exploration of running applications
      View elements and properties
      Edit property values
      Delete object instances
      Move object instances (Drag & Drop)
      Duplicate object instances (Drag & Drop)
   Outliner reloading and scope bar
   Explorer windows (separate from script window)

Miscellaneous

Feature7.07.0
Lite
6.0
Respond to applescript:// URLs
Act as default editor for .scpt, .scprd and .applescript files
Raw Apple Event code display (script, dictionary, outliner, explorer AEPrint view)
Scripting interface
   Document handling (open, close, save, compile, execute)
   Document introspection (get variable and handler meta-data)
   Document view settings
   Dictionary handling (open, close)
   Dictionary view settings
Keyboard shortcut customization
Free maintenance updates

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