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May 09, 2025 00:17
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AppleScript Cheatsheet: Scripting Mac Automation

Unlock the power of macOS automation with this comprehensive AppleScript cheatsheet covering basic syntax, application scripting, file system operations, UI scripting, and essential tips.

AppleScript Basics & Syntax

Core Syntax Elements

-- or #

Single-line comments.

(* ... *)

Multi-line comments.

set variableName to value

Variable assignment.

display dialog "Hello!"

Show a dialog box.

say "Hello World" using "Alex"

Make the computer speak.

the result

Get the result of the last command or block.

return value

Return a value from a script or handler.

run

Explicitly run the main handler of a script.

Data Types

string

"Hello, world!"

integer

123

real

3.14

boolean

true, false

list

{"apple", "banana", "cherry"}

record

{name:"Alice", age:30}

date

(current date)

alias

alias "Macintosh HD:Users:YourUser:file.txt"

file

file "path/to/file.txt" (POSIX path)

Control Structures

Conditional Statements:

if condition then
    -- Code to execute if condition is true
else if anotherCondition then
    -- Code to execute if anotherCondition is true
else
    -- Code to execute otherwise
end if

Repeat Loops (basic):

repeat number of times
    -- Code to repeat
end repeat

repeat until condition
    -- Code to repeat until condition is true
end repeat

repeat while condition
    -- Code to repeat while condition is true
end repeat

Repeat Loop (iterating over list):

set myList to {"a", "b", "c"}
repeat with item from myList
    display dialog item
end repeat

Repeat Loop (with counter):

repeat with i from 1 to 10
    display dialog "Count: " & i
end repeat

Exiting Loops:

repeat
    -- Code
    if condition then exit repeat
end repeat

Error Handling:

try
    -- Code that might cause an error
on error errorMessage number errorNumber
    display dialog "Error: " & errorMessage & " (" & errorNumber & ")"
end try

Scripting Applications

Targeting Applications

The tell block is used to send commands to a specific application.

tell application "Finder"
    -- Commands for Finder go here
end tell

tell application id "com.apple.finder" -- Using bundle ID
    -- Commands for Finder go here
end tell

To see available commands for an application, open it in the Script Editor, go to File > Open Dictionary…, and select the application.

Accessing properties within a tell block:

tell application "Finder"
    set desktopItems to items of desktop
    display dialog "Number of items on desktop: " & (count desktopItems)
end tell

Using whose or where clauses to filter items:

tell application "Finder"
    set largeFiles to (files of desktop where size is greater than 1000000) -- size is in bytes
    display dialog "Large files: " & (count largeFiles)
end tell

Referring to the current script:

tell me
    -- Commands for the current script itself
end tell

Referring to the current application (the one running the script, e.g., Script Editor):

tell current application
    -- Commands for the host application
end tell

Common Finder Commands

activate

Brings the application to the front.

open item

Opens a file or folder.

duplicate item to location

Duplicates an item.

move item to location

Moves an item.

delete item

Deletes an item (moves to Trash).

make new folder at location with properties {name:"New Folder"}

Creates a new folder.

get properties of item

Gets a record of an item’s properties.

set name of item to "newName.txt"

Renames an item.

exists item

Checks if an item exists.

Working with Paths

Colon-delimited path

"Macintosh HD:Users:YourUser:Documents:myfile.txt" (Old HFS path - still used by alias)

Slash-delimited path

"/Users/YourUser/Documents/myfile.txt" (POSIX path)

path to folder

Get standard folder paths (e.g., path to desktop folder as alias)

alias "path:"

Reference an item by its HFS path.

(POSIX file "path") as alias

Convert POSIX path to alias.

(the alias as POSIX path)

Convert alias to POSIX path.

quoted form of POSIX path

Escape spaces and special characters for use in shell scripts.

UI Scripting & System Events

System Events Application

System Events is the main application for interacting with the macOS UI and internal processes.

tell application "System Events"
    -- Commands for UI scripting or system processes
end tell

Enable ‘Enable access for assistive devices’ or grant permissions under Security & Privacy > Accessibility in System Settings for UI scripting to work.

Inspecting UI Elements: Use the ‘Accessibility Inspector’ developer tool (or third-party tools like UI Browser) to find names/IDs of UI elements (windows, buttons, text fields, etc.).

Example: Click a button in a specific window:

tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Finder"
        tell window "Downloads"
            click button "Close"
        end tell
    end tell
end tell

Example: Set value of a text field:

tell application "System Events"
    tell process "TextEdit"
        tell window 1
            tell text area 1 of scroll area 1
                set value to "This is some text."
            end tell
        end tell
    end tell
end tell

Example: Get list of running processes:

tell application "System Events"
    set runningProcesses to name of every process whose background only is false
    display dialog (runningProcesses as string)
end tell

Keyboard Interaction

keystroke "string"

Types the specified string.

key code number

Sends a key press by its key code.

keystroke "a" using {command down}

Sends a keystroke with modifier keys (command, shift, option, control).

key code 36 using {command down, option down}

Sends key code with multiple modifiers (e.g., Command+Option+Return)

Common Key Codes

Return: 36, Tab: 48, Space: 49, Escape: 53, Left Arrow: 123, Right Arrow: 124, Down Arrow: 125, Up Arrow: 126

Running Shell Scripts

Execute shell commands directly.

set shellScript to "ls -l ~/Documents"
set scriptResult to do shell script shellScript
display dialog scriptResult

Running with administrator privileges:

set shellScript to "rm -rf /some/sensitive/path"
display dialog "Execute command?" buttons {"Cancel", "OK"} default button "OK"
if the button returned of the result is "OK" then
    try
        do shell script shellScript with administrator privileges password "YourPasswordHere" -- Not recommended to hardcode password!
    on error errMsg
        display dialog "Shell script failed: " & errMsg
    end try
end if

Note: Hardcoding passwords is a security risk. Consider using with administrator privileges and letting the system prompt the user.

Handling paths and special characters in shell scripts requires careful quoting. Use quoted form of POSIX path.

set myFile to path to desktop as string
set myFilePOSIX to POSIX path of myFile
set quotedFile to quoted form of myFilePOSIX
set shellScript to "open " & quotedFile
do shell script shellScript

Advanced Topics & Tips

Handlers (Functions/Subroutines)

Define reusable blocks of code.

on sayHello(userName)
    display dialog "Hello, " & userName & "!"
end sayHello

-- Calling the handler
sayHello("Alice")

Handlers with multiple parameters:

on addNumbers(num1, num2)
    return num1 + num2
end addNumbers

set sumResult to addNumbers(5, 7)
display dialog "Sum is: " & sumResult

Handlers with labeled parameters:

on greet name userName andAge userAge
    display dialog "Hello " & userName & ", you are " & userAge & " years old."
end greet

-- Calling with labels
greet name "Bob" andAge 25

Working with Lists & Records

Accessing list items

set myList to {"a", "b", "c"}
set firstItem to item 1 of myList
set lastItem to last item of myList
set middleItem to item 2 of myList

Counting items

set itemCount to count myList

Adding items

set myList to myList & {"d"}

Converting list to string

set listString to myList as string

Accessing record properties

set myRecord to {name:"Charlie", city:"London"}
set userName to name of myRecord
set userCity to myRecord's city

Checking if record has property

if myRecord contains {city:missing value} then ...

Useful Commands & Tips

delay seconds

Pause script execution (e.g., delay 1.5). Useful for UI scripting.

clipboard info

Get information about the clipboard content.

the clipboard as datatype

Get clipboard content as text, alias list, etc. (e.g., the clipboard as text)

set the clipboard to value

Set clipboard content.

quoted form of string

Escapes special characters in a string for shell scripts.

text item delimiters

Change the delimiter used by text items (e.g., set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ", "). Remember to reset!

Best Practice: Save as Application

Saving a script as an application (.app) allows it to be run directly or via keyboard shortcuts (using Automator) or login items.

Best Practice: Stay in Scope

Use nested tell blocks to keep commands specific to their target application/element.

Tip: Debugging

Use display dialog to show variable values or script progress during execution. The ‘Result’ pane in Script Editor shows the last returned value.