How To Use Script Editor Mac



  1. How To Use Script Editor
  2. How To Open Script Editor Mac
  3. How To Use Script Editor Mac Gratis
  4. Jjsploit How To Use Scripts
  5. Best Code Editor For Mac
  6. How To Use Script Editor Mac Software
  7. How To Delete Script Editor Mac

Automating the User Interface

After you create and test a script, you can save it as an app and run it just like any other app. How to save a script as an app To explore the Script Editor User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field. After you create and test a script, you can save it as an app and run it just like any other app. How to save a script as an app To explore the Script Editor User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field. Just record a series of actions you want to repeat and use Script Editor to save what you recorded as a script. If you save your script as an application (by choosing Format → Application in the Save sheet), you can run that script by double-clicking its icon.

Unfortunately, not every Mac app has scripting support, and those that do may not always have scripting support for every task you want to automate. You can often work around such limitations, however, by writing a user interface script, commonly called a UI or GUI script. A user interface script simulates user interaction, such as mouse clicks and keystrokes, allowing the script to select menu items, push buttons, enter text into text fields, and more.

Enabling User Interface Scripting

User interface scripting relies upon the OS X accessibility frameworks that provide alternative methods of querying and controlling the interfaces of apps and the system. By default, accessibility control of apps is disabled. For security and privacy reasons, the user must manually enable it on an app-by-app (including script apps) basis.

  1. Launch System Preferences and click Security & Privacy.

  2. Click Accessibility.

  3. Choose an app and click Open.

When running an app that requires accessibility control for the first time, the system prompts you to enable it. See Figure 37-1.

Attempting to run an app that has not been given permission to use accessibility features results in an error. See Figure 37-2.

Note

To run a user interface script in Script Editor, you must enable accessibility for Script Editor.

Admin credentials are required to perform enable user interface scripting.

Targeting an App

User interface scripting terminology is found in the Processes Suite of the System Events scripting dictionary. This suite includes terminology for interacting with most types of user interface elements, including windows, buttons, checkboxes, menus, radio buttons, text fields, and more. In System Events, the process class represents a running app. Listing 37-1 shows how to target an app using this class.

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-1AppleScript: Targeting an app for user interface scripting
  1. tell application 'System Events'
  2. tell process 'Safari'
  3. -- Perform user interface scripting tasks
  4. end tell
  5. end tell

To control the user interface of an app, you must first inspect the app and determine its element hierarchy. This can be done by querying the app. For example, Listing 37-2 asks Safari for a list of menus in the menu bar.

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-2AppleScript: Querying an app for user interface element information
  1. tell application 'System Events'
  2. tell process 'Safari'
  3. name of every menu of menu bar 1
  4. end tell
  5. end tell
  6. --> Result: {'Apple', 'Safari', 'File', 'Edit', 'View', 'History', 'Bookmarks', 'Develop', 'Window', 'Help'}

Accessibility Inspector (Figure 37-3) makes it even easier to identify user interface element information. This app is included with Xcode. To use it, open Xcode and select Xcode > Open Developer Tool > Accessibility Inspector.

Once you know how an element fits into an interface, you target it within that hierarchy. For example, button X of window Y of process Z.

Clicking a Button

Use the click command to click a button. Listing 37-3 clicks a button in the Safari toolbar to toggle the sidebar between open and closed.

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-3AppleScript: Clicking a button
  1. tell application 'System Events'
  2. tell process 'Safari'
  3. tell toolbar of window 1
  4. click (first button where its accessibility description = 'Sidebar')
  5. end tell
  6. end tell
  7. end tell
  8. --> Result: {button 1 of toolbar 1 of window 'AppleScript: Graphic User Interface (GUI) Scripting' of application process 'Safari' of application 'System Events'}

Choosing a Menu Item

Menu items can have a fairly deep hierarchy within the interface of an app. A menu item generally resides within a menu, which resides within a menu bar. In scripting, they must be addressed as such. Listing 37-4 selects the Pin Tab menu item in the Window menu of Safari.

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-4AppleScript: Choosing a menu item
  1. tell application 'System Events'
  2. tell process 'Safari'
  3. set frontmost to true
  4. click menu item 'Pin Tab' of menu 'Window' of menu bar 1
  5. end tell
  6. end tell
  7. --> Result: menu item 'Pin Tab' of menu 'Window' of menu bar item 'Window' of menu bar 1 of application process 'Safari' of application 'System Events'

Note

Scripting the user interface of an app can be tedious and repetitious. To streamline the process, consider creating handlers to perform common functions. For example, Listing 37-5 shows a handler that can be used to choose any menu item of any menu in any running app.

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-5AppleScript: A handler that chooses a menu item
  1. on chooseMenuItem(theAppName, theMenuName, theMenuItemName)
  2. try
  3. -- Bring the target app to the front
  4. tell application theAppName
  5. activate
  6. end tell
  7. -- Target the app
  8. tell application 'System Events'
  9. tell process theAppName
  10. -- Target the menu bar
  11. tell menu bar 1
  12. -- Target the menu by name
  13. tell menu bar item theMenuName
  14. tell menu theMenuName
  15. -- Click the menu item
  16. click menu item theMenuItemName
  17. end tell
  18. end tell
  19. end tell
  20. end tell
  21. end tell
  22. return true
  23. on error
  24. return false
  25. end try
  26. end chooseMenuItem

How To Use Script Editor

Listing 37-6 calls the handler in Listing 37-5 to select the Pin Tab menu item in the Window menu of Safari.

How To Use Script Editor Mac

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-6AppleScript: Calling a handler to choose a menu item

Choosing a Submenu Item

Some menus contain other menus. In these cases, it may be necessary to select a menu item in a submenu of a menu. Listing 37-7 demonstrates how this would be done by selecting a submenu item in Safari.

APPLESCRIPT

Listing 37-7AppleScript: Selecting a submenu item
  1. tell application 'System Events'
  2. tell process 'Safari'
  3. set frontmost to true
  4. click menu item 'Email This Page' of menu of menu item 'Share' of menu 'File' of menu bar 1
  5. end tell
  6. end tell
  7. --> Result: {menu item 'Email This Page' of menu 'Share' of menu item 'Share' of menu 'File' of menu bar item 'File' of menu bar 1 of application process 'Safari' of application 'System Events'}

How To Open Script Editor Mac

Copyright © 2018 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Updated: 2016-06-13 How to get post it notes on desktop windows 7.

You can automatically shut down your Mac using AppleScript. The following AppleScript snippet shows the simplest method:

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The above AppleScript asks the Finder to begin the shut down process. Sadly this short and simple method is not perfect.

  • The AppleScript requires a user to be logged into the computer.
  • The Finder's shut down can be stopped by running application asking questions.
  • The AppleScript provides no warning to the active user.

Power Manager supports AppleScript and provides a robust shut down action. We will use this action to ensure the Mac is shut down.

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To be nice to anyone using our Mac, we want to provide a little notification before shutting down. Let's create an event that will shut down your Mac in ten minutes time. To do this, we can use AppleScript to create a scheduled shut down event.

Our event will:

  • Provide a warning to any active users.
  • Allow administrators to cancel the shut down.
  • Shut down even if no-one is logged in.
  • Shut down even if an application attempts to block the process.
  • Wake up a sleeping Mac when the shut down is due.

How to Create a Shut Down Event in Power Manager

Editor
  1. Launch AppleScript Editor: Applications > Utilities > Script Editor.
  2. Copy and paste the AppleScript that follows these steps into a new document.
  3. Save the script: File > Save.
  4. Run the script: Script > Run.

The AppleScript to copy and paste into Script Editor.app:

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The AppleScript works by creating a new Power Manager event in the workshop. Two actions are added to the event; a warn action and a shut down action.

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The warn action provides a final warning to anyone looking at the Mac as the event is being performed. The warning provides observers with a visual hint that the shut down is planned and is not a problem.

The shut down action begins Power Manager's shut down process; this process is slightly different from the Finder's equivalent. Power Manager performs extra steps to ensure nothing stops the shut down from occurring.

To complete the event a once trigger is added. Easy genogram maker. The once trigger will trigger the event once on a specific time and date. In this case, the current date plus ten minutes is used.

Finally, the finished event is deployed from the workshop to Power Manager for scheduling.

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When run the script will cause Power Manager to show a notification to active users, and a separate notification on the login window to warn prospective users. The notification counts down until it is time to shut down.

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Just before shutting down a large shut down image is displayed and moments later the shut down begins. Within a few seconds of the event being triggered, your Mac will have shut down. All this is achieved with a short AppleScript.