OSXFAQ Reader Tips 

Jaguar - AppleScript and UNIX.

OSXFAQ Reader Tip By Jim Williamson

Here's a very customizable and easy time-saving tip for reaching in and using those powerful UNIX tools without having to remember lengthy strings of commands.

The tip involves wrapping AppleScript around Terminal commands, so you'll need to know a little AppleScript and a little UNIX. Here's how:

1) Install Apple's Script Menu

2) Locate the Scripts folder (/Library/Scripts) and make a folder inside the Scripts folder to hold your customized scripts. This folder will now be available as a choice in the Script Menu pull-down choices.

3) Open the Terminal and run a command. Once you see that the command runs properly and returns what you are seeking, copy that command to the clipboard.

4) Create a new script in Script Editor. Paste the copied command inside the following AppleScript:

try
activate
tell application "Terminal"
activate
do script with command "PASTE-TERMINAL-COMMAND-HERE"
end tell
on error error_message
beep
display dialog error_message buttons {"OK} default button 1
end try

5) Save the AppleScript as a compiled script inside your customized folder. In order to run it, simply select the script from the Script Menu pull-down menu.

So, for example, I might wish to view my various networking ports, so I run:

try
activate
tell application "Terminal"
activate
do script with command "ifconfig -au"
end tell
on error error_message
beep
display dialog error_message buttons {"OK} default button 1
end try

You can also use this trick to create scripts for a variety of non-Terminal tasks: I've created AppleScripts to check to see if Classic is running; to open oft-used but buried folders (like the Script folder!); to open a group of related applications with a single bound (e.g., Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and BBEdit for web work) etc.

Enjoy!

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