I am trying to get applescript to read todays ical events and write them to a file. The code is as follows:
set out to ""
tell application "iCal"
set todaysDate to current date
set time of todaysDate to 0
set tomorrowsDate to todaysDate + (1 * days)
repeat with c in (every calendar)
set theEvents to (every event of c whose start date ≥ todaysDate and start date < tomorrowsDate)
repeat with current_event in theEvents
set out to out & summary of current_event & "
"
end repeat
end repeat
end tell
set the_file to (((path to documents folder) as string) & "DesktopImage:ical.txt")
try
open for access the_file with write permission
set eof of the_file to 0
write out to the_file
close access the_file
on error
try
close access the_file
end try
end try
return out
The ical items are getting returned correctly and the file ical.txt is created correctly in the folder Documents/DesktopImage, but the file is blank.
Even if I substitute
write out to the_file
with
write "Test string" to the_file
it still comes up blank
any ideas?
Ty
To fix something, you first need to find out what's wrong. You can get the error message when your error handler is invoked, then display it:
on error msg
display dialog "Error accessing " & (the_file as string) & ": " & msg
Once you do this, you quickly see the problem: the_file is a string, not a file, so all the file operations will fail. Define the_file as:
set the_file to alias (((path to documents folder) as string) & "DesktopImage:ical.txt")
Related
Thanks everyone for your help so far. And apologies I asked this in the 'answer' section of a previous question which I now understand I shouldn't have done ..... so I have started a new question here.
SO, I wanted to write a script to save the attachments in emails as they arrive - with a different folder for each email sender. I got a lot of help from people on this site.
It sort of works ..... for new incoming emails it works perfectly, but when I run it against my old emails in my mailbox it saves some attachments and not others.
I thought the problem was an error on finding a duplicate (which I thought would be unlikely as I have added the time stamp to the filename along with the data stamp of the email.) So I added the delFile delete process to check for a file of the same name and if it finds it to delete it.
When I execute the script it processes a few more attachments than before but not all by any means..... and interestingly nothing get put in the trash bin.
I am now stumped!! As a newcomer to AppleScript I don't know how to debug or handle errors yet.
Can anyone help please?
use scripting additions
using terms from application "Mail"
on perform mail action with messages messageList for rule aRule
set destinationPath to (POSIX file "/volumes/Data/Dropbox/WORK ITEMS/Email Attachments/") as string
tell application "Mail"
repeat with aMessage in messageList
repeat with anAttachment in mail attachments of aMessage
set senderName to (extract name from sender of aMessage)
set {year:y, month:m, day:d, hours:h, minutes:min} to date received of aMessage
set timeStamp to (d & "/" & (m as integer) & "/" & y & " " & h & "." & min) as string
set attachmentName to timeStamp & " - " & name of anAttachment
set doSave to true
set originalName to name of anAttachment
if originalName contains "jpg" then
set doSave to false
else if originalName contains "jpeg" then
set doSave to false
else if originalName contains "gif" then
set doSave to false
else if originalName contains "png" then
set doSave to false
else if originalName contains "html" then
set doSave to false
else if originalName contains "ics" then
set doSave to false
end if
if doSave is true then
tell application "System Events"
if not (exists folder (destinationPath & senderName)) then
make new folder at end of alias destinationPath with properties {name:senderName}
end if
end tell
end if
if doSave is true then
set delFile to destinationPath & senderName & ":" & attachmentName
tell application "System Events" to if (exists file delFile) then delete file delFile
end if
if doSave is true then save anAttachment in file (destinationPath & senderName & ":" & attachmentName) with replacing
end repeat
end repeat
end tell
end perform mail action with messages
end using terms from
Thanks
I'm not sure I can help with the precise reason for your script's failure, but I might be able to help you see where it's failing.
First of all, I would substitute a list of file extensions that you wish to exclude for the long if...else if block. Something like:
set ignore list to {".jpg", ".jpeg", ".gif", ".png", ".html", ".ics"} at the top of the script, with set fileExtension to rich text (offset of "." in originalName) thru end of originalName in the loop.
You can then test:
if fileExtension is not in ignoreList then
and wrap this around the saving code (you don't need to do the same test several times).
I think your delete file block is redundant, because it should be doing the same as the following save...with replacing (if the file's already there). (You may want to delete the file if it exists, in which case remove the with replacing later on.)
To start debugging, first of all remove the code up top that works with incoming messages and replace it with set messageList to selection. Try inserting some display dialog <varname> in places where you're not sure what's happening. For example, you know what anAttachment is but are you certain what destinationPath & senderName & ":" & attachmentName are?
Finally, note that I have NOT run this on YOUR data, so be sure to do a back-up. It shouldn't destroy anything, but better safe than sorry!
Please come back with any questions. Good luck!
EDIT:
I have added a function at the top (the on getExtension(fileName) block. This is called by the line set fileExtension to my getExtension(originalName)
This is to refine extension getting by reversing the name string, so that only the first '.' is found. Once got the extension is reversed.
Another crucial part is that this contains try ... on error ... end try. This is how AppleScript does error handling. If there is no '/' an error is thrown. This is caught by on error which returns 'skip'. (At this point this is not used in the main program, but could be used to funnel all the output to a catchall folder.)
The final change is that I have wrapped the saving part in If originalName does not contain "/" then ... end if. This is to catch those files that contain a '/' and to 'jump over' them without doing anything.
I have NOT needed to add a delay, so try without one to start with. It might have been a red herring!
set ignoreList to {".jpg", ".jpeg", ".gif", ".png", ".html", ".ics"}
set destinationPath to (POSIX file "/volumes/Data/Dropbox/WORK ITEMS/Email Attachments/") as string
on getExtension(fileName)
try
set fileName to (reverse of every character of fileName) as string
set extension to text 1 thru (offset of "." in fileName) of fileName
set extension to (reverse of every character of extension) as string
return extension
on error
return "skip"
end try
end getExtension
tell application "Mail"
set messageList to selection
repeat with aMessage in messageList
repeat with anAttachment in mail attachments of aMessage
set senderName to (extract name from sender of aMessage)
set {year:y, month:m, day:d, hours:h, minutes:min} to date received of aMessage
set timeStamp to (d & "/" & (m as integer) & "/" & y & " " & h & "." & min) as string
set attachmentName to timeStamp & " - " & name of anAttachment
set originalName to name of anAttachment
if originalName does not contain "/" then
set fileExtension to my getExtension(originalName)
if fileExtension is not in ignoreList then
tell application "System Events"
if not (exists folder (destinationPath & senderName)) then
make new folder at end of alias destinationPath with properties {name:senderName}
end if
end tell
save anAttachment in file (destinationPath & senderName & ":" & attachmentName) with replacing
end if
end if
end repeat
end repeat
end tell
For calling from a mail rule:
use scripting additions
set ignoreList to {".jpg", ".jpeg", ".gif", ".png", ".html", ".ics"}
set destinationPath to (POSIX file "/Users/bernardharte/test/") as string
on getExtension(fileName)
try
set fileName to (reverse of every character of fileName) as string
set extension to text 1 thru (offset of "." in fileName) of fileName
set extension to (reverse of every character of extension) as string
return extension
on error
return "skip"
end try
end getExtension
using terms from application "Mail"
on perform mail action with messages messageList for rule aRule
tell application "Mail"
repeat with aMessage in messageList
repeat with anAttachment in mail attachments of aMessage
set senderName to (extract name from sender of aMessage)
set {year:y, month:m, day:d, hours:h, minutes:min} to date received of aMessage
set timeStamp to (d & "/" & (m as integer) & "/" & y & " " & h & "." & min) as string
set attachmentName to timeStamp & " - " & name of anAttachment
set originalName to name of anAttachment
if originalName does not contain "/" then
set fileExtension to my getExtension(originalName)
if fileExtension is not in ignoreList then
tell application "System Events"
if not (exists folder (destinationPath & senderName)) then
make new folder at end of alias destinationPath with properties {name:senderName}
end if
end tell
save anAttachment in file (destinationPath & senderName & ":" & attachmentName) with replacing
end if
end if
end repeat
end repeat
end tell
end perform mail action with messages
end using terms from
I am writing an AppleScript to handle some MTS files. The script recursively iterates through the subfolders of the top-level folder "Volumes:G-Drive:video". The subfolders are arranged into year folders, starting with the folder named "2005" for the year 2005. The runtime error is occurring with the very first folder "2005" that the script tries to iterate. I suspected it is something to do with how I am handling aliases and text, but I am stumped at this point how to fix it. The error at runtime is this:
Can’t make {alias "G-DRIVE:video:", "2005:"} into type integer.
I don't know where in my code an integer type comes into play so as to get this error. Script Editor doesn't point me to the location of the runtime error in the code, so i don't know how to figure out which line is causing this either.
set folderName to "Volumes:G-Drive:video" as alias
my processFolder("", folderName)
on processFolder(root, folderNameToProcess)
tell application "Finder"
set theItems to every file of folder (root & folderNameToProcess)
repeat with theFile in theItems
set Nm to name of theFile as text
set Ex to name extension of theFile
if Nm does not contain "-c" and Ex is "MTS" then
set NmMinusExt to my remove_extension(Nm)
set logMsg to "Deleting " & Nm
my logThis(logMsg)
tell application "Finder" to delete theFile
end if
end repeat
set theItems to every file of folder (root & folderNameToProcess)
repeat with theFile in theItems
set Nm to name of theFile as text
set Ex to name extension of theFile
--tell (info for theFile) to set {Nm, Ex} to {name, name extension}
if Nm contains "-c" and Ex is "MTS" then
set NmMinusExt to my remove_extension(Nm)
set shortNm to my remove_lastTwoCharacters(NmMinusExt)
set name of theFile to shortNm & ".MTS" as text
set logMsg to "Renaming " & Nm
my logThis(logMsg)
--set lastTwoLetters to characters (((length of Nm) - 2) as number) thru (((length of Nm) - 0) as number) of (Nm as text)
--if lastTwoLetters is "-c" then
--display notification lastTwoLetters
--end if
end if
end repeat
set theFolders to name of folders of folder (root & folderNameToProcess)
repeat with theFolder in theFolders
copy theFolder as string to TheFolderName
display notification "found folder named: " & TheFolderName
set firstChar to (text 1 thru 1 of TheFolderName)
if firstChar is not "." then
--display dialog (folderNameToProcess & TheFolderName & ":")
try
my processFolder(folderNameToProcess, TheFolderName & ":")
on error errStr number errorNumber
display dialog errStr
end try
end if
end repeat
end tell
return
end processFolder
on remove_extension(this_name)
if this_name contains "." then
set this_name to ¬
(the reverse of every character of this_name) as string
set x to the offset of "." in this_name
set this_name to (text (x + 1) thru -1 of this_name)
set this_name to (the reverse of every character of this_name) as string
end if
return this_name
end remove_extension
on remove_lastTwoCharacters(this_name)
set this_name to ¬
(the reverse of every character of this_name) as string
set this_name to (text 3 thru -1 of this_name)
set this_name to (the reverse of every character of this_name) as string
return this_name
end remove_lastTwoCharacters
The Events pane of Script Editor produces the following trace:
tell application "Finder"
get every file of folder "G-DRIVE:video:"
get every file of folder "G-DRIVE:video:"
get name of every folder of folder "G-DRIVE:video:"
display notification "found folder named: 2005"
end tell
tell application "Script Editor"
display notification "found folder named: 2005"
end tell
tell application "Finder"
get every file of folder {alias "G-DRIVE:video:", "2005:"}
display dialog "Finder got an error: Can’t make {alias \"G-DRIVE:video:\", \"2005:\"} into type integer."
folderName is an alias. The attempt to concatenate an alias and a string creates a list which the error indicates.
The solution is to use only (HFS) string paths.
Replace
set folderName to "Volumes:G-Drive:video" as alias
with
set folderName to "G-Drive:video:"
The trailing colon is crucial to be able to add path components
I am trying to create a log of when my computer turns off and on. To do this I am writing a script to run at start up that will write to a text file however it is telling me that I don't have permission to write to the file.
Using print statements I have determined that the try block terminates after the first line.
writeTextToFile(getTimeInHoursAndMinutes(), "Users/labspecialist/Desktop/system_log")
on writeTextToFile(theText, theFile)
try
-- Convert the file to a string
set theFile to theFile as string
-- Open the file for writing
set theOpenedFile to (open for access file theFile with write permission)
-- Write the new content to the file
write theText to theOpenedFile starting at eof
-- Close the file
close access theOpenedFile
-- Return a boolean indicating that writing was successful
return true
-- Handle a write error
on error
-- Close the file
try
close access file theFile
end try
-- Return a boolean indicating that writing failed
return false
end try
end writeTextToFile
on getTimeInHoursAndMinutes()
-- Get the "hour"
set timeStr to time string of (current date)
set Pos to offset of ":" in timeStr
set theHour to characters 1 thru (Pos - 1) of timeStr as string
set timeStr to characters (Pos + 1) through end of timeStr as string
-- Get the "minute"
set Pos to offset of ":" in timeStr
set theMin to characters 1 thru (Pos - 1) of timeStr as string
set timeStr to characters (Pos + 1) through end of timeStr as string
--Get "AM or PM"
set Pos to offset of " " in timeStr
set theSfx to characters (Pos + 1) through end of timeStr as string
return (theHour & ":" & theMin & " " & theSfx) as string
end getTimeInHoursAndMinutes
I expect when I run this to get an output of true and for my file to contain a new line of the current time. However it currently returns false with nothing written to the file.
The problem is that your script is using a file specifier in the open for access line, where it should use a POSIX file specifier (because you're feeding the command a POSIX path). It should look like this:
writeTextToFile(getTimeInHoursAndMinutes(), "/Users/labspecialist/Desktop/system_log")
on writeTextToFile(theText, theFile)
try
-- Convert the file to a string
set theFile to theFile as string
-- Open the file for writing
set theOpenedFile to (open for access POSIX file theFile with write permission)
-- Write the new content to the file
write theText to theOpenedFile starting at eof
-- Close the file
close access theOpenedFile
-- Return a boolean indicating that writing was successful
return true
-- Handle a write error
on error errstr
display dialog errstr
-- Close the file
try
close access file theFile
end try
-- Return a boolean indicating that writing failed
return false
end try
end writeTextToFile
P.s. And yes, you really should use that opening slash in the file path, though it seems to work regardless...
I have a variable that contains {"THIS", "THAT"} that I am trying to write to a csv so that the csv formats as THIS,THAT. Current it just spits out as THISTHAT.
I think I need to repeat though the variable but I am not sure...
the code is as follows (check the ---> for the important bits):
tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
delete unused swatches of document 1
set _NotUSED to {"None", "Paper", "Black", "Registration", "Keyline", "ImageLabel", "C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=37", "C=0 M=100 Y=100 K=0", "Map this to white ->", "Dieline", "C=0 M=100 Y=0 K=0"} as string
try
---> Get the variables
set _UpDatedList to get (name of swatches of document 1 whose name is not in _NotUSED)
on error
display alert {"Your document has no spot colours"}
end try
end tell
set filePath to (path to desktop as text) & "Pantones.csv"
---> Set the theString to the variables
set theString to _UpDatedList as string
set theResult to writeTo(filePath, theString, text, false)
if not theResult then display dialog "There was an error writing the data!"
on writeTo(targetFile, theData)
try
set openFile to open for access file targetFile with write permission
---> write the variables to csv
write theData to openFile
close access openFile
return true
on error
try
close access file targetFile
end try
return false
end try
end writeTo
Try this, the easiest way to convert a list to CSV is to use text item delimiters.
The main problem is the coercion to string in the 3rd line. Delete as string.
tell application "Adobe InDesign CC 2014"
delete unused swatches of document 1
set _NotUSED to {"None", "Paper", "Black", "Registration", "Keyline", "ImageLabel", "C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=37", "C=0 M=100 Y=100 K=0", "Map this to white ->", "Dieline", "C=0 M=100 Y=0 K=0"}
try
set _UpDatedList to (get name of swatches of document 1 whose name is not in _NotUSED)
on error
display alert "Your document has no spot colours" buttons {"Cancel"}
return -- abort the script
end try
end tell
set filePath to (path to desktop as text) & "Pantones.csv"
set {TID, text item delimiters} to {text item delimiters, ","}
set csvString to _UpDatedList as text
set text item delimiters to TID
set theResult to writeTo(filePath, csvString)
if not theResult then display dialog "There was an error writing the data!"
on writeTo(targetFile, theData)
try
set openFile to open for access file targetFile with write permission
write theData to openFile
close access openFile
return true
on error
try
close access file targetFile
end try
return false
end try
end writeTo
Here is another option. Just modify your WriteTo handler as shown below to tell it to add a comma after every item in the list, except the last item.
-- Define theString and the target file
set theString to {"This", "That"}
set theFile to (path to desktop as text) & "Pantones.csv"
-- Execute the write handler
set theResult to writeTo (theFile, theString)
on writeTo(targetFile, theData)
set openFile to open for access file targetFile with write permission
set theCount to the count of items in theData
set n to 0
--write to the target file & add a comma after every item except the last
repeat theCount times
set n to n + 1
if n is not theCount then write item n of theData & "," to openFile as string
if n is theCount then write item n of theData to openFile as string
end repeat
close access openFile
end writeTo
In this example, the end result will be your file "Pantones.csv" with the following text:
This,That
Code snippet:
tell application "Finder" to set new_item to ¬
(container of this_item as string) & (name of this_item) & "s"
save this_image in new_item as typ
Its saving the file as filename.pngs I want it to save as filenames.png. Any ideas how to fix this?
Save this as an application, then you can drop things on it and it will copy them adding an s to the name. Or you can double-click it and it will ask you to choose a file to copy. NOTE: change the property appendText if you want to change the text (i.e. "s") that's added to the name.
Notice the handler getName_andExtension(f). That's what I use to get the name and extension from a file. I use that to calculate the new path when adding the s.
I hope that helps!
property appendText : "s"
on run
set f to choose file
duplicateInPlace_appendingText(f, appendText)
end run
on open the_items
repeat with f in the_items
duplicateInPlace_appendingText(f, appendText)
end repeat
end open
on duplicateInPlace_appendingText(f, textToAppend)
set f to f as text
set {nm, ex} to getName_andExtension(f)
tell application "Finder" to set theContainer to (container of item f) as text
if ex is "" then
set new_path to theContainer & nm & textToAppend
else
set new_path to theContainer & nm & textToAppend & "." & ex
end if
do shell script "cp -R " & quoted form of POSIX path of f & space & quoted form of POSIX path of new_path
end duplicateInPlace_appendingText
on getName_andExtension(f)
set f to f as text
set {name:nm, name extension:ex} to info for file f without size
if ex is missing value then set ex to ""
if ex is not "" then
set nm to text 1 thru ((count nm) - (count ex) - 1) of nm
end if
return {nm, ex}
end getName_andExtension
name of this_item gives the full name of the Finder item, including the file extension. You need to split it up. Unfortunately, this isn't as easy as it could be. You could do something like:
tell application "Finder"
get the selection
set {dispname, ext, exthidden} to {displayed name, name extension, extension hidden} of item 1 of the result
end tell
if exthidden then
dispname & "s." & ext
else
((characters 1 through -(2 + (count of ext)) of dispname) as string) & "s." & ext
end if
That just builds the modified name for the first item in the Finder selection, without doing anything with it.