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User profile for user: crozer
crozer Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Import Video's into iTunes with apple script an set video kind

I'm working on an apple script that you can drop files on and it will open Quicktime, save the file(s) as a self contained .mov and then add the new .mov file(s) to iTunes.

The part I'm not able to get working is setting the video kind after adding the file.

How to you select the track(video) you just imported into itunes and define meta data?


Here is the main part of the code:

tell application "QuickTime Player"
run
open the_mov
if (can export front document as QuickTime movie) then
repeat
if ((get load state of front document) = complete) then
try
save self contained front document in (new_file & ".mov")
close document 1
tell application "iTunes"
if media_type is "Movie" then set media_type to movie
if media_type is "Music Video" then set media_type to music video
if media_type is "TV Show" then set media_type to TV show
launch
add (new_file & ".mov")
set sel to selection
set video kind of sel to media_type
end tell
exit repeat
on error the_error
if the_error is "A file by that name already exists." then
set new_file to (new_file & " - 1") as string
else
activate
display dialog the_error giving up after 30
exit repeat
end if
end try
end if
end repeat
else
display dialog "QuickTime is not able to convert this file: " & (get name of (info for thisItem without size)) buttons "Ok" default button 1 with icon caution
end if
end tell

Mac OS X (10.5.4), Applescript iTunes

Posted on Aug 13, 2009 11:39 AM

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Question marked as Best reply
User profile for user: Camelot
Camelot
User level: Level 9
54,333 points

Posted on Aug 13, 2009 12:20 PM

The most obvious problem is the line:

set video kind of sel to media_type


where:

set sel to selection


In iTunes (as in many apps), 'selection' will return a list. That's because you may have more than one item selected. Even if there is only one item selected, you still get a list - just a list containing one item.

You cannot set 'video kind' of a list. You might be able to set the video kind of items within the list, but that's not what you're asking iTunes to do. That would look something like:

set sel to selection
repeat with eachTrack in sel
set video kind of of eachTrack to media_type
end repeat


That will iterate through the selected items which will get you closer.

At the end of the day, though, even that approach isn't the right solution to your question since you're relying on something unstable like 'selection. The real solution is to take the reference returned by the add command:

...
set newTrack to add (new_file & ".mov")
set video type of newTrack to media_type


This works because add returns a reference to the newly-added item and this can be used to target that object. There is no guarantee that 'selection' will point to the item you think it is.
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2 replies
Question marked as Best reply
User profile for user: Camelot
Camelot
User level: Level 9
54,333 points

Aug 13, 2009 12:20 PM in response to crozer

The most obvious problem is the line:

set video kind of sel to media_type


where:

set sel to selection


In iTunes (as in many apps), 'selection' will return a list. That's because you may have more than one item selected. Even if there is only one item selected, you still get a list - just a list containing one item.

You cannot set 'video kind' of a list. You might be able to set the video kind of items within the list, but that's not what you're asking iTunes to do. That would look something like:

set sel to selection
repeat with eachTrack in sel
set video kind of of eachTrack to media_type
end repeat


That will iterate through the selected items which will get you closer.

At the end of the day, though, even that approach isn't the right solution to your question since you're relying on something unstable like 'selection. The real solution is to take the reference returned by the add command:

...
set newTrack to add (new_file & ".mov")
set video type of newTrack to media_type


This works because add returns a reference to the newly-added item and this can be used to target that object. There is no guarantee that 'selection' will point to the item you think it is.
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Import Video's into iTunes with apple script an set video kind

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