I am working on an Applescript to paste what was last copied to any current field. It is to be used with VoiceOver and the key code way (only way I know how) does not work all of the time.
tell application "System Events" to key code 9 using command down
say "paste"
I use keystroke:
tell application "System Events" to keystroke "v" using command down
I'm not aware of an error you should get, so you'll have to share.
There is a direct way to access the clipboard via the the clipboard keyword:
tell application "System Events" to keystroke (the clipboard as text)
Reference:
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/reference/ASLR_cmds.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40000983-CH216-SW28
tell application "myApp" to activate
tell application "System Events" to tell application process "myApp"
click menu item "Paste" of menu "Edit" of menu bar item "Edit" of menu bar 1
end tell
Obviously, replace myApp with the name of your app.
Advantages:
Only targets a specific app (safer!)
Will work even if the user set a custom keyboard shortcut for Paste
Text is pasted instantly (unlike using keystroke).
Related
I'm experimenting with Applescript for the first time, and am trying to build a script to setup my default layout of applications for developing at work. This involves placing applications across multiple Mission Control spaces. My problem at hand is simply moving about the spaces. I found in many posts similar to this that such action could be achieved with
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Finder"
keystroke "1" using control down
end tell
end tell
if the appropriate key binding was in place. I made the Preferences change so I could use control+1 to move to the first MC space. However, running the script doesn't do anything. This is the event log output:
tell application "System Events"
keystroke "1" using control down
end tell
No errors that I can see, but again: new to Applescript. I've tried many variations of this command including wrapping control down in curly braces and wrapping the call to "System Events" inside a call to "Finder" like this
tell application "Finder"
tell application "System Events"
keystroke "1" using control down
end tell
end tell
but the output is exactly the same with no shift in view. I think I'm missing something here...
According to this question's responses, I tried adding in a delay to make sure I wasn't stepping on my own feet with running the script with CMD-r but nothing happens. I hear the sound effect when you try to click out of an important focus window (if that makes any sense), it's a short beep. Am I talking to the applications improperly?
EDIT
Ok I got something working, but I'm a little confused why this is the case.
tell application "Finder"
activate
delay 0.2
tell application "System Events" to keystroke "a" using control down
end tell
This accomplishes what I need, but I have to change the key binding to a letter. I can replicate the error tone by pressing control+1 when Applescript Editor is active. I guess there's a shortcut for AE that uses the key combo. But why is that running when Finder is supposed to be active?
To answer your question, in your working code the difference is that you activate the Finder before you issue the keystroke command. Keystroke commands are always sent to the frontmost application so you must always make sure to activate an application first as you have done.
If control-1 didn't work then I suspect either some Finder command uses that combo or some other application uses that in a global context meaning it intercepts that command no matter which application is frontmost. Otherwise it should work for you.
Finally, I would remove your system events line of code from the Finder tell block of code. There's no reason the tell the Finder to tell system events to perform a command. Just put that line on its own after the "end tell" line.
Good luck.
I've just been working with this - I don't want to activate finder before triggering what should be a global shortcut. Keystroke was not working, however I tried key code and that indeed works:
on run {}
tell application "System Events"
key code {18} using {command down}
end tell
return "success"
end run
There is a list of key codes at this question: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/36943/how-do-i-automate-a-key-press-in-applescript
This should work:
tell application "Finder"
activate
end tell
delay 0.2
tell application "System Events"
key code 18 using {control down}
end tell
I found this tool to be a good alternative that does not have that issue.
Installation is as simple as:
brew install socsieng/tap/sendkeys
Usage:
sendkeys send --initial-delay 0 --delay 0.001 --characters 'Hello'
https://github.com/socsieng/sendkeys
In PCSX, (ps1 emulator), i'm trying to automate the steps to play an iso. So, i'm doing this:
set thepath to path to me
set thesecondpath to POSIX path of thepath
set thethirdpath to "Contents/PSX/ROMS/img.bin"
set thefourthpath to "/Contents/PSX/PCSX.app"
set thefifthpath to thesecondpath & thefourthpath
set theultimatepath to thesecondpath & thethirdpath
tell application thefifthpath
activate
tell application "System Events"
keystroke "i" using {command down}
keystroke theultimatepath
delay 1.0
tell process "PCSX"
click button "Go"
end tell
key code 53
end tell
end tell
Running from the AppleScript Editor won't work. I made it to work running from the App it creates. PCSX and the img.bin are inside the Generated Package.
after pressing command+i, it opens a "Go to the folder" dialog, and i need to click Go and then Open
But doing this way, it won't find the dialog box. What am i doing wrong?
If Go and Open are the default buttons, try:
tell application "System Events"
keystroke return
delay 2
keystroke return
end tell
Although I don't have PCX installed here is an example of how to click the Go button from Finder's Go to Folder command.
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Finder"
click button "Go" of window "Go to Folder"
end tell
end tell
The reason your script won’t work from AppleScript Editor is that the “me” in “path to me” is the application that ran the AppleScript. When you are running the AppleScript in AppleScript Editor, that means AppleScript Editor itself. When you saved your AppleScript as a script application and ran it, the path to me pointed to your script application, because it was running its own AppleScript.
Also, this is incorrect:
tell process "Finder"
click button "Go" of window "Go to Folder"
end tell
The “Go” button is not on the window “Go to Folder.” It’s on a sheet which is attached to a Finder window which has the name of whatever folder is currently being viewed. So you have to describe the button as being on sheet 1 of window 1:
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Finder"
click button "Go" of sheet 1 of window 1
end tell
end tell
… but keep in mind that in another app, a similar looking button on a sheet may be on sheet 1 of group 1 of group 2 of window 3. UI Scripting is complicated.
I've read here around but I didn't find any fix for this stupid problem.
BBEdit, the most famous Mac text editor, should be widely scriptable and actually so it is. But,.. using Applescript I was trying to execute a menu command and there is no way at all. Or better, if I alternatively try:
tell application "System Events"
tell process "BBEdit"
tell menu bar 1
tell menu bar item "Markup"
tell menu "Markup"
tell menu item "CSS"
tell menu "CSS"
click menu item "Format"
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
end tell
Or also:
tell application "System Events" to keystroke "+" using {command down, shift down}
They works both running the Script from the Editor, but they don't work once I save the script and I choose it from BBEdit's AS Menu. Any idea ? Thanks.
Check how your script is saved: BBEdit's Script menu only runs compiled Applescripts (.scpt files), not text Applescripts (.applescript).
BTW, instead of the 7-way nested tell in the first snippet, just one nest suffices:
tell application "System Events"
tell process "BBEdit"'s menu bar 1's menu bar item "Markup"'s menu "Markup"'s ¬
menu item "CSS"'s menu "CSS" to click menu item "Format"
end tell
I have opened 2 "Finder" window A & B, A is in the front while B underneath, the following snippet brings B to the front the topmost:
tell application "Finder"
activate
activate window 2
end tell
But for applications that do not support scripting, the code just mentioned won't help.
Any ideas for activating a window of non-scripting application.
You can usually turn to system events in these cases. System events knows about the windows of running processes and you can usually manipulate those windows. Something like this will show you some of the things you can do. Just play around with the code and see if you can do what you want.
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Whatever"
properties of windows
end tell
end tell
EDIT: One of the properties of a window is its "title". So you might be able to use that. This approach uses the fact that many applications have a "Window" menu and under that menu many times the name of the windows are listed and you can switch windows by clicking the approprite menu item. So something like this might work... my example uses TextEdit.
tell application "TextEdit" to activate
tell application "System Events"
tell process "TextEdit"
set windowTitle to title of window 2
click menu item windowTitle of menu 1 of menu bar item "Window" of menu bar 1
end tell
end tell
What is your definition of non-scriptable? Just about everything is scriptable to some degree, but for the sake of an example lets use, does not contain an AppleScript dictionary, e.g. AppName.sdef within its application bundle.
For example, the macOS included Stickies application does not contain the Stickies.sdef file, and when trying to add it to the Library in Script Editor is says, "Unable to add the item because it is not scriptable."
In a case such as this, then System Events is needed to talk to the application process, e.g.:
Example AppleScript code:
if running of application "Stickies" then
tell application "System Events"
tell application process "Stickies"
set frontmost to true
if exists window 2 then ¬
perform action "AXRaise" of window 2
end tell
end tell
end if
Notes:
I've included error handling in the example AppleScript code, which can be removed if you prefer.
I am trying to open a file in a not so scriptable area of an application.
I got halfway there by using UI scripting to select the proper menu item, but this opens a standard file dialog.
How can I set the destination of the file dialog with Applescript?
ahh ok this should get you going on the right path
tell application "Safari"
activate
-- do menu select gui script first
set posixpath to "/path/to/a/folder/that/exists"
tell window 1
tell application "System Events"
keystroke "g" using {shift down, command down}
keystroke posixpath
delay 1
keystroke return
end tell
end tell
end tell