Calling Command-Line Tools
In AppleScript, the do shell script
command is used to execute command-line tools. This command is implemented by the Standard Additions scripting addition included with OS X.
Executing Commands
The direct parameter of the do shell script
command is a string containing the shell code you want to execute, as demonstrated in Listing 39-1, which simply lists a directory.
APPLESCRIPT
do shell script "ls /Applications/"
(*
--> Result:
"App Store.app
Automator.app
Calculator.app
Calendar.app
..."
*)
Since the direct parameter of do shell script
is a string, you can concatenate it with other strings at run time. Listing 39-2, for example, concatenates a shell command to a previously defined parameter value.
APPLESCRIPT
set theHostName to "www.apple.com"
do shell script "ping -c1 " & theHostName
Quoting Strings
The shell uses space characters to separate parameters and gives special meaning to certain punctuation marks, such as $
, (
, )
, and *
. To ensure that strings are treated as expected—for example, spaces aren’t seen as delimiters—it’s best to wrap strings in quotes. This process is known as quoting. If your string contains quotes, they must also be escaped (preceded by a /
character) so they are interpreted as part of the string. Listing 39-3 shows an example of an error occurring as a result of a parameter that contains a space.
APPLESCRIPT
set thePath to "/Library/Application Support/"
do shell script "ls " & thePath
--> Result: error "ls: /Library/Application: No such file or directory\rls: Support: No such file or directory" number 1
The easiest way to quote a string is to use the quoted form
property of the text class, as demonstrated in Listing 39-4. This property returns the string in a form that’s safe from further interpretation by the shell, regardless of its contents.
APPLESCRIPT
set thePath to quoted form of "/Library/Application Support/"
--> Result: "'/Library/Application Support/'"
do shell script "ls " & thePath
(*
--> Result:
"App Store
Apple
...
"
*)
More Information
For more information about the do shell script
command, see Commands Reference in AppleScript Language Guide and Technical Note TN2065.
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