I've a windows file path which uses backslashes and I want to add to a variable but applescript will not treat the slash as a text character. I want to pass to the variable from the clipboard and replace with the forward slashes so I can use the go to folder in finder. The windows file path is not always the same, so I can't manually edit to a double backslash. thanks
Try using:
set the_string to the clipboard
set new_string to ""
repeat with this_char from 1 to (count the_string)
if item this_char of the_string is not "\\" then
set new_string to new_string & item this_char of the_string
else
set new_string to new_string & "/"
end if
end repeat
(59194)
Applescript strings use the backslash as an escape character (mostly for quotes, so that you can have a command like set bob to "he said\"Wow!\"" which includes the quote character. In most cases applescript will quote this for you, for instance if you copy a backslashed path onto the clipboard and use a command like set txt to the clipboard, applescript will get a properly escaped version of the string from the clipboard. about the only time you will ever see this backslash problem is when you manually type a backslash into an applescript string. just type \\ anywhere you would normally type \. or instance, to pass a window's string to the clipboard, use something like the following
set the clipboard to "C:\\user\\docs\\Letter.txt"
It looks a little odd, but you get used to it. đ
How would you make this work for a file or folder that starts with an r or n or 0?
example: "C:\\user\\docs\\raymond.txt"
when doing that it will interpret it as a \r and wil replace it with a newline :'(
actually, that example text will compile properly - the double slash keeps the \r from being recognized as a return.
<edited by host>
How would you do this with the following applescript code (which causes a syntax error: selection of {application "Finder", "\""} can't be transformed into text type):
tell application "Finder" & quote
set sel to the selection as text
set the clipboard toPOSIX path of sel
end tell
end tell
My goal is to create a automator workflow using applescript which copies the path of a finder object to the clipboard. In Yosemite.
tellapplication "Finder" & quote
Why the added & quote?
And in the future you should start your own thread rather then adding on to another especially one that t is over a year old.
regards
Sorry about posting in an old thread.
You're right, just leave out & quote. Then it works. Thanks
Glad that helped.
backslash in applescript variable
