Can applescript search one file for non-matches in another file?

set f1 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select smaller file to compare:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

set f2 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select larger file to compare:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

do shell script "comm -2 -3" & space & f1 & space & f2 & space & "> ~/Desktop/diff.txt"

No charge 😉

Just remembered that the above will only work if both files are sorted.

This will sort the flles into temporary files "sorted1.txt" and "sorted1.txt" in ~/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/ and then delete the temp files after comparison.

The result will be output to your Desktop as "diff.txt"

set f1 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select smaller file to compare:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

set f2 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select larger file to compare:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

set t1 to (POSIX path of (path to "temp" from user domain)) & "sorted1.txt"

set t2 to (POSIX path of (path to "temp" from user domain)) & "sorted2.txt"

do shell script "sort" & space & f1 & space & ">" & space & t1

do shell script "sort" & space & f2 & space & ">" & space & t2

do shell script "comm -2 -3" & space & t1 & space & t2 & space & "> ~/Desktop/diff.txt"

do shell script "rm" & space & t1 & space & t2

What's in the text files besides the URLs? What is the format of the text files. Does every line in each file have a URL on it or are there lines that are just text?

Include a few line sample from each file.

So you are just interested in the URL's, not in any of the other text. And the output is just the URLs' not the surrounding text or anything else?

What I seeas one possible solution is to first go through each file and strip out the URL's into two separate files and then use those files to generate the list but this will only work if you are not interested in the context the URL's are in.

Are you familiar with Terminal and the command line? If so try runing this command on one of the files:

# grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' file

It should print just the URLs in file.

If you're not use to the terminal I can package that in a script but I just wanted to get confirmation that it will wotrk on your files before going forward.

OK really quick and dirty and will need work to make it a final script but this

(*

The patteren file is the smaller file with the URLs that we will look for in the URL file

*)

set file1 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select patteren file:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

set file2 to POSIX path of (choose filewith prompt "Select URL file:" default locationalias (the path todesktop folderastext))

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & file1 & " > ~/patternFile"

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & file2 & " > ~/urlFile"

do shell script "grep -v -f ~/patternFile ~/urlFile > ~/missingUrlFile"

I do believe will do what you want.

The first prompt will ask for the patteren file, that is the file that has the URLs that should be in the second file.

The second prompt will ask for the URL file, that is the file that has all the URLs

The output will be a file in your home directory call missingUrlFile and should have the URLs that are in the pattern file but not in the URL file.

As I said needs work, no error checking and the tempoary files are left behind so that if it doesn't work I can see what was going on.

Give it a shot and see what happens.

regards

Hard to read the screenshot. next time cut and paste the test into the reply. Also select Replies as the display for the window in Applescript.

The error you get, the no such file or directory are you sure that the file exists? Looks like the file is called List and it is in your desktop?

Just tried it here and it is working OK

Here is another copy just in case something got messed up in the first one:

(*

The patteren file is the smaller file with the URLs that we will lok for in the URL file

*)

set file1 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select patteren file:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

set file2 to POSIX path of (choose filewith prompt "Select URL file:" default locationalias (the path todesktop folderastext))

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & file1 & " > ~/patternFile"

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & file2 & " > ~/urlFile"

do shell script "grep -v -f ~/patternFile ~/urlFile > ~/missingUrlFile"

--- stop copying above this line

Just so you can see what the output in the Replies window of Applescript will look like:

tell current application

path todesktopastext

--> "Mac OS Lion:Users:frank:Desktop:"

end tell

tell application "AppleScript Editor"

choose file with prompt "Select patteren file:" default location alias "Mac OS Lion:Users:frank:Desktop:"

--> alias "Mac OS Lion:Users:frank:Desktop:f1"

end tell

tell current application

path todesktopastext

--> "Mac OS Lion:Users:frank:Desktop:"

end tell

tell application "AppleScript Editor"

choose file with prompt "Select URL file:" default location alias "Mac OS Lion:Users:frank:Desktop:"

--> alias "Mac OS Lion:Users:frank:Desktop:f2"

end tell

tell current application

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' /Users/frank/Desktop/f1 > ~/patternFile"

--> ""

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' /Users/frank/Desktop/f2 > ~/urlFile"

--> ""

do shell script "grep -v -f ~/patternFile ~/urlFile > ~/missingUrlFile"

--> ""

end tell

Result:

""

Message was edited by: Frank Caggiano - See Tony's post below

The error is due to spaces in the filename

Just add quoted form of

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & quoted form of file1 & " > ~/patternFile"

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & quoted form of file2 & " > ~/urlFile"

That's probably it but do you see spaces in the filename he input?

I took the liberty of adding your changes into the script to make it easier for the OP, thanks.

Revised script with quoted form of added in

(*

The patteren file is the smaller file with the URLs that we will lok for in the URL file

*)

set file1 to POSIX path of (choose file with prompt "Select patteren file:" default location alias (the path to desktop folder as text))

set file2 to POSIX path of (choose filewith prompt "Select URL file:" default locationalias (the path todesktop folderastext))

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & quoted form of file1 & " > ~/patternFile"

do shell script "grep -o -E '(https?|ftp|file)://.+' " & quoted form of file2 & " > ~/urlFile"

do shell script "grep -v -f ~/patternFile ~/urlFile > ~/missingUrlFile"

Message was edited by: Frank Caggiano

Frank Caggiano wrote:

That's probably it but do you see spaces in the filename he input?

I was able to see it in the Applescript error window he posted.

The file he selected was: List of links to correct.txt

(grep gave an error on each word, thinking it was a file)