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Mac Automation Scripting Guide

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Reading and Writing Files

Scripts are often designed to write data to files such as logs or backups. The Standard Additions scripting addition contains a number of commands that make it possible to read and write files.

Writing to a File

The handlers in Listing 16-1 and Listing 16-2 safely write data to disk, creating a new file if the targeted file doesn’t already exist. Provide the text to write, a target file path, and indicate whether to overwrite existing content. If you choose not to overwrite existing content, then the text provided is appended to any existing content.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-1AppleScript: Handler that writes text to a file
  1. on writeTextToFile(theText, theFile, overwriteExistingContent)
  2. try
  4. -- Convert the file to a string
  5. set theFile to theFile as string
  7. -- Open the file for writing
  8. set theOpenedFile to open for access file theFile with write permission
  10. -- Clear the file if content should be overwritten
  11. if overwriteExistingContent is true then set eof of theOpenedFile to 0
  13. -- Write the new content to the file
  14. write theText to theOpenedFile starting at eof
  16. -- Close the file
  17. close access theOpenedFile
  19. -- Return a boolean indicating that writing was successful
  20. return true
  22. -- Handle a write error
  23. on error
  25. -- Close the file
  26. try
  27. close access file theFile
  28. end try
  30. -- Return a boolean indicating that writing failed
  31. return false
  32. end try
  33. end writeTextToFile

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-2JavaScript: Function that writes text to a file
  1. var app = Application.currentApplication()
  2. app.includeStandardAdditions = true
  4. function writeTextToFile(text, file, overwriteExistingContent) {
  5. try {
  7. // Convert the file to a string
  8. var fileString = file.toString()
  10. // Open the file for writing
  11. var openedFile = app.openForAccess(Path(fileString), { writePermission: true })
  13. // Clear the file if content should be overwritten
  14. if (overwriteExistingContent) {
  15. app.setEof(openedFile, { to: 0 })
  16. }
  18. // Write the new content to the file
  19. app.write(text, { to: openedFile, startingAt: app.getEof(openedFile) })
  21. // Close the file
  22. app.closeAccess(openedFile)
  24. // Return a boolean indicating that writing was successful
  25. return true
  26. }
  27. catch(error) {
  29. try {
  30. // Close the file
  31. app.closeAccess(file)
  32. }
  33. catch(error) {
  34. // Report the error is closing failed
  35. console.log(`Couldn't close file: ${error}`)
  36. }
  38. // Return a boolean indicating that writing was successful
  39. return false
  40. }
  41. }

Listing 16-3 and Listing 16-4 show how to call the handlers in Listing 16-1 and Listing 16-2 to write text content to a file on the Desktop, replacing any existing content in the file.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-3AppleScript: Calling a handler to write text to a file
  1. set this_story to "Once upon a time in Silicon Valley..."
  2. set theFile to (((path to desktop folder) as string) & "MY STORY.txt")
  3. writeTextToFile(this_story, theFile, true)

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-4JavaScript: Calling a function to write text to a file
  1. var story = "Once upon a time in Silicon Valley..."
  2. var desktopString = app.pathTo("desktop").toString()
  3. var file = `${desktopString}/MY STORY.txt`
  4. writeTextToFile(story, file, true)

Listing 16-5 and Listing 16-6 show how Listing 16-1 and Listing 16-2 could be called to insert dated log entries into a log file.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-5AppleScript: Calling a handler to write an entry to a log file
  1. set theText to ((current date) as string) & space & "STATUS OK" & return
  2. set theFile to (((path to desktop folder) as string) & "MY LOG FILE.log")
  3. writeTextToFile(theText, theFile, false)

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-6JavaScript: Calling a function to write an entry to a log file
  1. var dateString = Date().toString()
  2. var desktopString = app.pathTo("desktop").toString()
  3. var text = `${dateString} STATUS OK\n\n`
  4. var file = `${desktopString}/MY LOG FILE.log`
  5. writeTextToFile(text, file, false)

In practice, this technique could be used to maintain a log when script errors occur. Listing 16-7 and Listing 16-8 are try statements, which can be wrapped around custom script code in order to log any script errors to a file in the ~/Library/Logs/ folder of the current user’s home directory.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-7AppleScript: Example of a try statement that writes an entry to a log file when an error occurs
  1. try
  2. -- Your custom script code goes here
  3. on error theErrorMessage number theErrorNumber
  4. set theError to "Error: " & theErrorNumber & ". " & theErrorMessage & return
  5. set theLogFile to ((path to library folder from user domain) as string) & "Logs:Script Error Log.log"
  6. my writeTextToFile(theError, theLogFile, false)
  7. end try

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-8JavaScript: Example of a try statement that writes an entry to a log file when an error occurs
  1. try {
  2. // Your custom script code goes here
  3. }
  4. catch (error) {
  5. var errorString = `Error: ${error.message}\n\n`
  6. var logFile = app.pathTo("library folder", { from: "user domain" }).toString() + "/Logs/Script Error Log.log"
  7. writeTextToFile(errorString, logFile, false)
  8. }

Reading a File

The handlers in Listing 16-9 and Listing 16-10 read the contents of a specified file.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-9AppleScript: Handler that reads the contents of a file
  1. on readFile(theFile)
  2. -- Convert the file to a string
  3. set theFile to theFile as string
  5. -- Read the file and return its contents
  6. return read file theFile
  7. end readFile

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-10JavaScript: Function that reads the contents of a file
  1. var app = Application.currentApplication()
  2. app.includeStandardAdditions = true
  4. function readFile(file) {
  5. // Convert the file to a string
  6. var fileString = file.toString()
  8. // Read the file and return its contents
  9. return app.read(Path(fileString))
  10. }

Listing 16-11 and Listing 16-12 show how to call the handlers in Listing 16-9 and Listing 16-10 to read a specified text file.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-11AppleScript: Calling a handler to read the contents of a file
  1. set theFile to choose file of type "txt" with prompt "Please select a text file to read:"
  2. readFile(theFile)
  3. --> Result: "Contents of the chosen file."

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-12JavaScript: Calling a function to read the contents of a file
  1. var file = app.chooseFile({
  2. ofType: "txt",
  3. withPrompt: "Please select a text file to read:"
  4. })
  6. readFile(file)
  7. // Result: "Contents of the chosen file."

Reading and Splitting a File

The handlers in Listing 16-13 and Listing 16-14 read the contents of a specified text file, using a delimiter to split it into a list.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-13AppleScript: Handler for reading and splitting the contents of a file based on a delimiter
  1. on readAndSplitFile(theFile, theDelimiter)
  2. -- Convert the file to a string
  3. set theFile to theFile as string
  5. -- Read the file using a specific delimiter and return the results
  6. return read file theFile using delimiter {theDelimiter}
  7. end readAndSplitFile

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-14JavaScript: Function for reading and splitting the contents of a file based on a delimiter
  1. var app = Application.currentApplication()
  2. app.includeStandardAdditions = true
  4. function readAndSplitFile(file, delimiter) {
  5. // Convert the file to a string
  6. var fileString = file.toString()
  8. // Read the file using a specific delimiter and return the results
  9. return app.read(Path(fileString), { usingDelimiter: delimiter })
  10. }

Listing 16-15 and Listing 16-16 shows how to call the handlers in Listing 16-13 and Listing 16-14 to read the paragraphs of a chosen log file.

APPLESCRIPT

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Listing 16-15AppleScript: Calling a handler to read and split the contents of a file based on a delimiter
  1. set theFile to choose file of type "log" with prompt "Please select a log file:"
  2. readAndSplitFile(theFile, return)
  3. --> Result: {"Log entry 1", "Log entry 2", ... }

JAVASCRIPT

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Listing 16-16JavaScript: Calling a function to read and split the contents of a file based on a delimiter
  1. var file = app.chooseFile({
  2. ofType: "log",
  3. withPrompt: "Please select a log file:"
  4. })
  5. readAndSplitFile(file, "\n")
  6. // Result: ["Log entry 1", "Log entry 2", ...]

Referencing Files and Folders

Processing Dropped Files and Folders

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