You can open an application’s dictionary window in several different ways, depending on what you’re doing and what’s convenient. The most common way is:

• Choose from the File > Open Dictionary menu.

And there are many other ways:

• If an application is running, you can open its dictionary window directly.
• If you’re working in an application, you can choose Open XXX Dictionary (where “XXX” is the frontmost application) from Script Debugger’s Dock menu.
• If you’ve already worked with an application, Script Debugger remembers this fact, and you can open the dictionary window from a list of previously used applications.
• If you’re editing a script that targets an application, you can open that application’s dictionary window directly.
• If the dictionary you want to open is a scripting addition dictionary, you can open its dictionary window directly.
• There are various general ways to open any application or scripting addition’s dictionary window.

Also, you can switch to the frontmost dictionary window at any time (e.g., while working in a script window) by choosing Window > Dictionary. If there is no open dictionary window, an empty dictionary window is created.

When you open a dictionary window, it normally reuses the frontmost dictionary window if there is one, and you can switch among applications (and dictionaries) within that dictionary window. However, you can also open multiple dictionary windows, in order to see dictionary information for two different applications simultaneously, or work with an application in two simultaneous modes (for example, a dictionary and an explorer), and so on. To do so:

• Bring a dictionary window to the front, and choose File > Open XXX Dictionary in New Window (where XXX is the application currently being viewed in this dictionary window).

• In a dictionary window, Control-click an application’s name in the dictionaries list and choose Open XXX Dictionary in New Window.

• Hold the Shift key and choose Window > New Dictionary Window.

• Hold Option while opening a dictionary window. For example, hold Option while choosing File > Open Dictionary. Or, hold Option while pressing the Dictionary button in a script window’s dictionaries inspector or tell context inspector.

In some cases, opening an application’s dictionary will require the application to be running. If this is the case, and the application is not running, then when you ask to open the application’s dictionary, Script Debugger will launch the application, which may cause a delay. However, once Script Debugger has opened an application’s dictionary, it caches the dictionary (provided you have not unchecked “Cache generated dictionaries” in the Dictionary preferences). Thus, having opened such an application’s dictionary, you can now close the application and its dictionary and later open its dictionary again and this time Script Debugger will not have to launch the application.

NOTE: If you target scriptable applications with a plug-in architecture, such as QuarkXPress or InDesign, read the discussion on this page about regenerating the dictionary cache.