AppleScript Q & A

• Stephen Swift

  

  • Total Posts: 882
  • Member Since: 2001-06-17
  • Send Message

  • [ Ignore ]

  Posted: 04 February 2002 02:17 PM

  Hi Folks!  I recieved this e-mail from an observer and decided to post it here.  I’d like to create an AS Q & A thread in the Coder’s Corner to help people out with their scripting dreams.  You can either post your question here or send me an email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

  Question:
  I’m using Mac OS X, v 10.1.2.  What I want to do is rename the files in a folder. Renaming them anything would
  do, but let’s say I want to prefix “temp ” to the name, so “file1name” becomes “temp file1name” and “file2name” becomes “temp file2name” etc. Here’s what I’ve tried:

  on run
    set myFolder to choose folder
    addprefix(item 1 of myFolder as alias)
end run

on addprefix(myFolder)
    tell application "Finder"
        repeat with x in every file of myFolder
            set name of x to ("temp " & name of x)
        end repeat
    end tell
end addprefix 

  Why doesn’t it work?
  -Will

  Answer:
  Great question Will! Here’s my solution:

  > on run
  >  set myFolder to choose folder
  >  addprefix(item 1 of myFolder as alias)

  Your problem is that last line.  “item 1 of myFolder” is a specific command for the Finder.  It needs to be enclosed in tell “Finder end tell lines.  Like this:

  on run
    set myFolder to choose folder
    tell application “Finder”
        item 1 of myFolder
    end tell
  end run

  However, this will only return the value of the *first* item in that folder.  As I understand it you want to add the prefix “temp” to *all* files in that folder.
  >
  > on addprefix(myFolder)
  >  tell application “Finder”
  >    repeat with x in every file of myFolder
  >        set name of x to (“temp ” & name of x)
  >    end repeat
  >  end tell
  > end addprefix

  This script is using a technique called a subroutine—where a bunch of commands can be called up many times from within a script by typing one command.  In this case addprefix() calls up the on addprefix() commands.  I’ll be covering this in a future AppleScript article.  However, you don’t need to use a subroutine because the script is small.  You can use the script that I created:

  set myFolder to choose folder
tell application "Finder"
    activate
    set theFiles to every file of myFolder
    repeat with x in theFiles
        set name of x to ("temp " & displayed name of x)
    end repeat
end tell 

  To point out of few things:
  1) Note that I had to convert every file of myFolder into a variable (theFiles) first.  Mac OS X’s finder requires that the files & folders need to be put into a variable first.
  2) I use displayed name because if I just used name, Mac OS X might add the .xxx file extention after my rename command.

  I learn something new everyday! 

  You’ll be running on OS X, so there’s no need to worry about the 31 character limit, so that script should run without any errors.  I hope this helps!

  
  _________________
  Stephen Swift - The Burnum Man
  AppleScript Guru - The Mac Observer
  Helping Scripters All Over the Web!

  <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Burnum on 2002-02-04 20:16 ]</font>