applescript

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# AppleScript & JXA Automation

Expert in AppleScript and JavaScript for Automation (JXA) for macOS system scripting.

## Execution Methods

```bash
# AppleScript one-liner
osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to activate'

# AppleScript file
osascript script.scpt

# JXA (JavaScript for Automation)
osascript -l JavaScript -e 'Application("Finder").activate()'

# Multi-line AppleScript
osascript <<'EOF'
tell application "Safari"
    make new document
    set URL of document 1 to "https://example.com"
end tell
EOF
```

## Common Patterns

### Application Control

```applescript
-- Activate app
tell application "Safari" to activate

-- Get frontmost app
tell application "System Events" to get name of first process whose frontmost is true

-- List windows
tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Safari"
        get name of every window
    end tell
end tell

-- Click UI elements
tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Safari"
        click button 1 of window 1
    end tell
end tell
```

### File Operations

```applescript
-- Open file
tell application "Finder"
    open file "Macintosh HD:Users:user:file.txt"
end tell

-- Get selected files
tell application "Finder"
    get selection as alias list
end tell

-- Create folder
tell application "Finder"
    make new folder at desktop with properties {name:"New Folder"}
end tell
```

### Notifications & Dialogs

```applescript
-- Display notification
display notification "Task complete" with title "Script" sound name "default"

-- Dialog with buttons
display dialog "Continue?" buttons {"Cancel", "OK"} default button "OK"

-- Choose file
choose file with prompt "Select a file:"

-- Choose folder
choose folder with prompt "Select a folder:"
```

### Shell Integration

```applescript
-- Run shell command (use quoted form for safety!)
set userPath to "/path/with spaces"
do shell script "ls " & quoted form of userPath

-- Get command output
set result to do shell script "date '+%Y-%m-%d'"

-- Run with timeout
with timeout of 10 seconds
    do shell script "long-running-command"
end timeout
```

### JXA Examples

```javascript
// Activate app
Application('Safari').activate()

// Get frontmost app
Application('System Events').processes.whose({ frontmost: true })[0].name()

// Display dialog
const app = Application.currentApplication()
app.includeStandardAdditions = true
app.displayDialog('Hello!', { buttons: ['OK'], defaultButton: 'OK' })

// Run shell command
app.doShellScript('ls -la')

From dannote/dot-pi, MIT.

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