Applescript dialog button that opens a folder

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Level 1

5 points

Applescript dialog button that opens a folder

Hi, I'm struggling with a script I am trying to write in the applescript editor. I am trying to write a script that backs up my USB stick when I mount it on my mac which works in conjunction with DoSomeThingWhen, a technique I found online. I am a total beginner to the applescript editor and this is the first script I am writing. Here is what I have so far:

do shell script ¬

"rsync -rt /Volumes/'USB DRIVE'/ ~/'USB Backup'"

display dialog "USB DRIVE has been backed up" buttons {"Dismiss", "Open"} default button "Dismiss"

if "Open" then open location "/Volumes/'USB DRIVE'/"

The script is working in that it backs up the drive when I mount it however I wanted to change the default buttons from "ok" and "cancel" to "dismiss" (replacing "ok") and "open" which opens the drive in finder. It is this "open" button which I am having trouble with and i would appreciate any help.

Thanks, Adam

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Feb 24, 2013 4:41 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 24, 2013 5:21 AM in response to adamk71

You need to do somehting like this:

if the button returned of result = "Open" then

open location "/Volumes/'USB DRIVE'/"

end

the display dialog command returns a few different bits of information one of which is the name of the button that was pressed. You need to check for that explicitly

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Answer 2

adamk71 Author

Level 1

5 points

Feb 24, 2013 5:35 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

Thanks for the help but still won't open the folder. When i compile the script it places "if" at the end. Is there something else necessary?

Also have I inserted your lines correctly:

do shell script ¬

"rsync -rt /Volumes/'USB DRIVE'/ ~/'USB Backup'"

display dialog "USB DRIVE has been backed up" buttons {"Dismiss", "Open"} default button "Dismiss"

if the button returned of result = "Open" then

open location "/Volumes/'USBDRIVE'/"

end if

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Answer 3

Feb 24, 2013 5:46 AM in response to adamk71

Not opening the folder is a different issue.

In your first example you weren't even checking if the display dialog returned the 'open' button correctly.

As for opening a location do you mean having a Finder window open on the folder? If so something like

display dialog "USB DRIVE has been backed up" buttons {"Dismiss", "Open"} default button "Dismiss"

if the button returned of result = "Open" then

tell application "Finder"

open ""/Volumes/'USBDRIVE'/" as alias

end tell

end if

should do it. You need to direct the open comand to the application that will perform the task. To Applescript open means to open a file not display it in a Finder window.

regards

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Answer 4

adamk71 Author

Level 1

5 points

Feb 24, 2013 6:11 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

Sorry about that and thanks, this is almost there. However when i run the script there is an error saying "File /Volumes/'USB DRIVE'/ wasn’t found.". Do you know what could be causing this.

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Answer 5

Feb 24, 2013 6:15 AM in response to adamk71

You've referred to the Volume as both USB DRIVE (with a space) and USBDRIVE (no space).

In my example I have the no space (USBDRIVE) variant. Which is it? If it has a space in the name then ad it in to the open line. If that's not it post back and cut and paste (or screen shoot) the exact error message and also your code.

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Answer 6

adamk71 Author

Level 1

5 points

Feb 24, 2013 6:27 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

The volume has a space and this space appears everwhere in my code:

do shell script ¬

"rsync -rt /Volumes/'USB DRIVE'/ ~/'USB Backup'"

display dialog "USB DRIVE has been backed up" buttons {"Dismiss", "Open"} default button "Dismiss"

if the button returned of result = "Open" then

tell application "Finder"

open "/Volumes/USB DRIVE/" as alias

end tell

end if

And here is the error message:

AppleScript Error

File /Volumes/USB DRIVE/ wasn’t found.

I should note that even if i change the folder or file to open to anything else such as my documents folder or a specific document I get the same error message.

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Answer 7

Feb 24, 2013 6:55 AM in response to adamk71

Sorry ran into Applescripts somtimes annoying way it handles paths and files.

Try this

open ((path to startup disk) as text) & "Volumes:USB DRIVE"

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Answer 8

adamk71 Author

Level 1

5 points

Feb 24, 2013 6:58 AM in response to Frank Caggiano

That worked! Thanks for your help Frank 🙂

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Answer 9

Feb 24, 2013 7:13 AM in response to adamk71

Glad we got it finally!

If you had gotten someone who actually knew Applescript they would have nailed it on the first post 😀

Actually after all that this should also work:

open "USB DRIVE"

😊 😊

And with that I'm going to have another cup of coffee and sit quietly in a corner.

Message was edited by: Frank Caggiano

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Answer 10

Camelot

Level 9

58,581 points

Feb 24, 2013 10:17 AM in response to adamk71

Just for clarification, the actual problem with the original script is the use of the 'open location' command.

Open location requires a URL. You didn't provide a URL, just a text string that looks somewhat like a UNIX path.

The revised/working script uses the 'open' command, which is completely different. 'open' can open almost anything it recognizes as long as it's a recognizable path. The trick here is in properly identifying the item to open, which is compounded by AppleScript's sometime-love of UNIX (/-delimited) and Mac (colon-delimited) paths.

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