Is there a way to check if the screen saver is running using AppleScript?
Currently I'm using the following AppleScript to start the screen saver:
tell application "System Events"
start current screen saver
end tell
I found this script but I don't know if that's correct or how to write that into my script.
What I want is something like this:
tell application "System Events"
if screen saver is not activated then
start current screen saver
end if
end tell
I know it's a bit late now but for others trying similar things.
I used the following recently in a shell script linked to a cronjob.
# check if screen saver is running
saverActive=$(osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\"" -e "get running of screen saver preferences" -e "end tell")
if [ "$saverActive" = "true" ]; then
echo "Screen saver is running"
osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to stop current screen saver"
osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to start current screen saver"
else
echo "Screen saver is not running"
fi
This script was used in the context of periodically changing the screensaver.
Try this...
tell application "System Events"
if not (running of screen saver preferences) then start current screen saver
end tell
Related
So I am writing a script that would set up my working environment by opening and then getting several apps in fullscreen via a single command line. I am having trouble with the "getting the apps in fullscreen" part, and the script execution is very confusing to me.
My hardware is a MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017) running on macOS Catalina 10.15.7.
Here is the part of the script that behaves erraticaly when executed:
script1.scpt:
tell application "Sublime Text"
activate
tell application "System Events"
tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)
set value of attribute "AXFullScreen" to true
end tell
key code 123 using {control down}
end tell
end tell
When executed while the app (here, Sublime Text) is not in fullscreen via the command osascript script1.scpt, the app is activated and goes fullscreen, but key code 123 using {control down} does not work, without producing any error message or sound.
When executed while the app is already in fullscreen via the command osascript script1.scpt, the app is activated, stays in fullscreen as intended but I get this error message:
execution error: System Events got an error: Can't get window 1 of process 1 whose frontmost = true. Invalid index. (-1719)
Also, key code 123 using {control down} does not work either.
When executed via a shell script calling script1.scpt while the app is not in fullscreen, the app behaves exactly as in case 1.
When executed via a shell script calling script1.scpt while the app is already in fullscreen, the app behaves exactly as it should and everything seems fine. But if I lengthen the script to get 2 apps in fullscreen in a row as in script2.scpt (see below), the 2nd app does stricly nothing, and I get the error message of case 2 again.
script2.scpt:
tell application "Sublime Text"
activate
tell application "System Events"
tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)
set value of attribute "AXFullScreen" to true
end tell
key code 123 using {control down}
end tell
end tell
tell application "Skim"
activate
tell application "System Events"
tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)
set value of attribute "AXFullScreen" to true
end tell
key code 123 using {control down}
end tell
end tell
I have been spending hours trying to understand what is going on without success, so any help or clue would be very welcome.
The only way I found to get things working is to separate the code in separate steps with 0.5sec pauses in-between them, like in the following shell script code block. But I would like to find a faster and "cleaner" solution to my problem.
osascript -e "tell application \"Sublime Text\" to activate" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\"" -e "tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)" -e "set value of attribute \"AXFullScreen\" to true" -e "end tell" -e "end tell" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"Skim\" to activate" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\"" -e "tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)" -e "set value of attribute \"AXFullScreen\" to true" -e "end tell" -e "end tell" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"Finder\" to activate" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\"" -e "tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)" -e "set value of attribute \"AXFullScreen\" to true" -e "end tell" -e "end tell" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"Terminal\" to activate" ;
sleep 0.5 ;
osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\"" -e "tell front window of (first process whose frontmost is true)" -e "set value of attribute \"AXFullScreen\" to true" -e "end tell" -e "end tell"'
EDIT: For the moment being, I managed to get my script doing what I wanted it to do pretty reliably. Not completely satisfied though, because I still have to rely on fixed delays and this makes the execution a bit slow. This is what the code looks like:
in .bash_profile:
cd ~/<path>/ ;
osascript workspace_on.scpt
workspace_on.scpt:
tell app "System Events" to tell process "Terminal" to set the value of attribute "AXFullScreen" of window 1 to true
delay 0.6
tell app "Sublime Text" to activate
delay 0.6
tell app "System Events" to tell process "Sublime Text" to set the value of attribute "AXFullScreen" of window 1 to true
delay 0.6
do shell script "open -a skim ~/<path>/main.pdf"
delay 1
tell app "Skim" to set interaction mode of document 1 to full screen mode
delay 0.6
do shell script "open ~/<path>"
delay 1
tell app "System Events" to tell process "Finder" to set the value of attribute "AXFullScreen" of window "latex-template" to true
Just to copy-and-paste my most recent comment from above:
“Like you, I've spent a bit too much time figuring out this problem. It's quite a frustrating situation because I had a few light bulb moments of inspiration that, in theory, ought to have worked, and worked well, but ultimately didn't work at all. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ But in the process, I've at least written out a naive implementation that incorporates conditional checks and operates on each app one-by-one. It's not what I had aimed for in my head, but it works. See below.”
set Apps to {"TextEdit", "ManOpen", "Usenapp", "QuickTime Player"}
tell application id "com.apple.SystemEvents"
set dock to list 1 in the process named "Dock"
repeat with A in the Apps
tell my application named A to activate
set _P to (a reference to the process named A)
set _W to (a reference to _P's front window)
set _B to (a reference to the value of _W's ¬
attribute "AXFullScreenButton")
set _M to (a reference to (_P's menu bar 1's ¬
menu bar items's menu 1's menu items ¬
whose name = "Enter Full Screen"))
tell (a reference to (the dock's ¬
first UI element whose ¬
name = A)) to if ¬
exists then click
tell _W to repeat 60 times -- 60 x 0.5 = 30 seconds
delay 0.5
if it exists then
click _B
if (the value of attribute ¬
"AXFullScreen") ¬
then exit repeat
end if
end repeat
end repeat
end tell
System information:
AppleScript version: 2.8 system version: 12.6 ("Monterey")
I use code in mac shell,but it make my computer become black screen:
open -a ScreenSaverEngine.app; sleep 5; osascript -e 'tell application "ScreenSaverEngine" to quit'
Quitting the Screen Saver is easy, but loginning back will require the user password. You have to grant 2 permissions to Terminal.app as well, when first running the osacript bellow. 1) Permissions to control the System.Events.app, 2) permissions to control computer (that is, to be able to send keystrokes):
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events"
tell screen saver preferences
start
delay 5
stop
end tell
delay 1
keystroke "YourUserPasswordHere" & return
end tell'
Other way is: uncheck Require password after sleep or screen saver begins in the General tab of Security&Ptivacy pane of System Preferences. Then you don't need login back.
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events"
tell screen saver preferences
start
delay 10
stop
end tell
end tell'
Note: you can retain iCloud keychain in the pop up dialog.
I wrote a program that I want to execute in 30 terminal tabs.
So I have this shell program:
for i in {1..29}
do
osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal" to activate' -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell process "Terminal" to keystroke "t" using command down'
done
And for every terminal windows just opened I want to do something like:
cd "Folder {i}"
python3 script.py
How can I achieve this?
As you are opening a new tab this becomes the front window, so just tell the front window to execute a script, changing the folder as necessary.
for i in {1..29}; do
osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal" to activate' -e 'tell application "System Events" to tell process "Terminal" to keystroke "t" using command down' -e "tell application \"Terminal\" to do script \"cd folder$i ; script.py\" in window 1"
; done
Hope this helps
I want to be able to type at command prompt
it2 myMachine and have a new session pop up with defaults for that profile in Iterm2.
The following used to work until upgrades, where $1 is the profile name...
osascript <<ENDSCRIPT
on run argv
tell application "iTerm"
activate
tell the first terminal
launch session "$1"
end tell
end tell
end run
ENDSCRIPT
71:79: syntax error: Expected class name but found identifier. (-2741)
I also am looking at straight osascript in bash. But new tab does not get command.
osascript -e "tell application \"Terminal\""
-e "tell application \"System Events\" to keystroke \"t\" using {command down}"
-e "do script \"cd $pwd; clear\" in front window"
-e "end tell"
I found all on iterm2 help pages... tell application "iTerm2" tell current window create tab with default profile end tell end tell There are many standard Applescript functions (e.g., to get the window's size and position) that are not documented here. create tab with default profile create tab with profile "name"
I am using max msp to run shell commands, I have been prototyping code in applescript and need them to run in osascript for example -
tell application "Google Chrome" to close tab 1 of window 1
converts to
osascript -e 'tell application \"Google Chrome\" to close tab 1 of window 1'
I have converted around 10 commands, but am stuck on the very last one which is
tell application "Google Chrome" to activate
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Google Chrome"
do shell script "/usr/local/bin/cliclick/ c:360,550"
end tell
end tell
which I think goes to
osascript -e 'tell application \"Google Chrome\" to activate' -e 'tell application \"System Events\" to tell process \"Google Chrome\" to do shell script \"/usr/local/bin/cliclick c:360, 550\"'
cliclick lets you use the mouse through shell. http://www.bluem.net/en/mac/cliclick/. The c is the command identifier for clicking, so at x360 y550
is my syntax correct? it works when I dont include the c identifier.
Thanks
I tried this and it gave me this error message:
99:151: execution error: System Events got an error: Invalid argument “360,” to command “c”: Expected two coordinates, separated by a comma. Example: “c:123,456” (1)
Solution: you have an extra space before the number 550 (c:360, 550) and the second value gets lost. Remove the space character and it should work (c:360,550)…
Here is a version where I also changed the quoting:
osascript -e "tell application \"Safari\" to activate" -e "tell application \"System Events\" to tell process \"Safari\" to do shell script \"/usr/local/bin/cliclick c:360,550\""