OSX cocoa app - Get safari tab info - macos

Question

I'm wondering if it's possible to get any tab/window info from safari programmatically?
Is there a library to do it?
I'd prefer not applescript, as I've found that - I'd like to know if, and how it's possible in the Cocoa framework.

Answer 1

You can do this with Scripting Bridge, which is like AppleScript translated into Objective-C, or with accessibility objects, which you can inspect with Developer Tool Accessibility Inspector. Both technogies have their quirks and aren't documented very well.
Edit:
Scripting Bridge example:
SafariApplication *SafariApp = [SBApplication applicationWithBundleIdentifier:#"com.apple.Safari"];
for (SafariWindow *window in SafariApp.windows)
{
for (SafariTab *tab in window.tabs)
NSLog(#"%#", tab.name);
}
The hierarchy of accessibility objects in Safari is
AXApplication
AXWindow
AXTabGroup
AXRadioButton
Example (doesn't win a prize in a beauty contest):
static NSArray *getAXUIElements(AXUIElementRef theContainer, CFStringRef theRole)
{
// get children of theContainer
AXError error;
NSMutableArray *array = [NSMutableArray array];
CFTypeRef children;
error = AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue(theContainer, kAXChildrenAttribute, &children);
if (error != kAXErrorSuccess)
return nil;
// filter children whose role is theRole
for (CFIndex i = 0; i < CFArrayGetCount(children); i++)
{
AXUIElementRef child = CFArrayGetValueAtIndex(children, i);
CFTypeRef role;
error = AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue(child, kAXRoleAttribute, &role);
if (error == kAXErrorSuccess)
{
if (CFStringCompare(role, theRole, 0) == kCFCompareEqualTo)
[array addObject:(__bridge id)child];
CFRelease(role);
}
}
CFRelease(children);
return [NSArray arrayWithArray:array];
}
static void logTabs()
{
// get the title of every tab of every window of Safari
NSArray *appArray = [NSRunningApplication runningApplicationsWithBundleIdentifier:#"com.apple.Safari"];
AXUIElementRef SafariApp = AXUIElementCreateApplication([[appArray objectAtIndex:0] processIdentifier]);
if (SafariApp)
{
NSArray *windowArray = getAXUIElements(SafariApp, kAXWindowRole);
for (id window in windowArray)
{
NSArray *tabGroupArray = getAXUIElements((__bridge AXUIElementRef)(window), kAXTabGroupRole);
for (id tabGroup in tabGroupArray)
{
NSArray *radioButtonArray = getAXUIElements((__bridge AXUIElementRef)(tabGroup), kAXRadioButtonRole);
for (id radioButton in radioButtonArray)
{
CFTypeRef title = NULL;
AXError error = AXUIElementCopyAttributeValue((__bridge AXUIElementRef)radioButton, kAXTitleAttribute, &title);
if (error == kAXErrorSuccess)
{
NSLog(#"%#", title);
CFRelease(title);
}
}
}
}
CFRelease(SafariApp);
}
}