AppleScript

How to get started with the Script Editor on Mac

Sandy Writtenhouse / February 18, 2021

If you’re learning to write AppleScript or JavaScript for Automation, then you’ll also want to learn about the Script Editor on Mac.

This built-in tool lets you create, edit, and view scripts for workflows, tools, and apps. Once you create a script, you can easily debug it and compile it. You can also open the scripting dictionary for apps to view the vocabulary and additions.

Here, we’ll walk through the basics for the Script Editor on Mac. From the toolbar and navigation to preferences and options, here’s how to get started.

New to Mac? Here’s all the tools in the Mac Utilities folder

Sandy Writtenhouse / November 17, 2020

If you’ve just purchased your first Mac, and especially if you’re coming from Windows, you might be wondering about the Utilities folder. You may see the folder but have yet to open it or you might be looking for a specific tool and don’t realize it’s in that folder.

Whatever the case, we’re here with another in our New to Mac series to help you out! We’ll explain what’s in the Utilities folder and what each tool is for.

Former AppleScript lead Sal Soghoian writes about automation for MacStories

Christian Zibreg / January 11, 2017

After Apple terminated his position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies for “business reasons,” Automator and AppleScript evangelist Sal Soghoian is now guest blogging about these technologies over at MacStories.

In his first post for the publication, Soghoian shares his thoughts on Automator, AppleScript and similar services versus app extensions. Soghoian spent almost 20 years leading AppleScript, Automator and related technologies at 1 Infinite Loop.

Pro tip: make an applet that quits all opened Mac apps instantly

Anthony Bouchard / June 27, 2016

Those of you with Macs know that you can't just click on the Close button to exit out of most apps. Instead, you have to physically quit those apps after you're done using them.

On the other hand, if you just can't be asked to take the time to do that, we're going to show you a really easy way to make an applet that can be used to quit all of your Mac's running apps at once.

How to quickly switch between Mavericks and Yosemite beta

Timothy Reavis / April 17, 2018

Following Apple's release of a public beta of OS X Yosemite, iDB reader Antony Verros sent us some code he wrote in AppleScript, which allows users to quickly restart a computer and automatically boot up in the installed OS of choice. For anyone who installed the OS X Yosemite beta on a separate partition, this is an easy solution for booting up into Yosemite or Mavericks without having to hold down the Option key on boot to select the desired partition. The script can even be tweaked to work with BootCamp.

While it's mostly a matter of time-saving convenience, this method can prove to be quite advantageous over time, particularly for users who find themselves frequently switching between OSs, whether it be a Yosemite beta, Mavericks, or Windows 7. Having an easily accessible application for booting into another OS while making a sandwich or refilling a cup of coffee, versus having to wait around to hold down Option, can be highly useful...