Batch export .numbers to .csv

Old topic, but now (in El Capitan) pasting this into Script Editor and hitting "run" gives the following error:

Syntax Error

Expected class name but found identifier.

and the "CSV" part of export to file exportName as CSV is highlighted.

Any suggestions?

"This" is the second script offered:

settheFoldertochoose folder

tell application "Finder" to set theDocs to theFolder's items

repeat with aDoc in theDocs

set docName to aDoc's name as text

if docName ends with ".numbers" then

set exportName to (theFolderastext) & docName

set exportName to exportName's text 1 thru -9 & ".csv"

tell application "Numbers"

open aDoc

delay 0.6 -- may need to adjust this higher

tell front document

exporttofileexportNameasCSV

close

end tell

end tell

end if

end repeat

There's a bug in recent versions of the OS that affects many apps, including Numbers. Supposedly it will be corrected. Meanwhile, just add this line:

close access (open for accessexportName)

before this line:

exporttofileexportNameasCSV

SG

For exporting to Excel.

SG

set theFolder to choose folder

tell application "Finder" to set theDocs to theFolder's items

repeat with aDoc in theDocs

set docName to aDoc's name as text

if docName ends with ".numbers" then

set exportName to (theFolder as text) & docName

set exportName to exportName's text 1 thru -9 & ".xls"

tell application "Numbers"

open aDoc

delay 0.6 -- may need to adjust this higher

tell front document

close access (open for accessexportName)

exporttofileexportNameasMicrosoft Excel

close

end tell

end tell

end if

end repeat

I kept getting an error saying something to that effect every time I ran the script. Tried searching for it and found that response on the forum elsewhere. Just tried running it again so I could write the error in verbatim and it worked flawlessly. Weird.

Hi T2,

Don't know what's going on on your end. Here (in Sierra) the script is still working.

Perhaps try copy-pasting the script again into Script Editor.

Also quitting and relaunching Numbers sometimes clears up mysterious problems.

SG

This will export Numbers documents in the folder you choose to pdfs in that same folder.

Test it first on copies in a separate folder. You may need to increase the number afterdelay.

To use:

1. copy-paste the script into Script Editor (in your Applications > Utilities folder).
2. click the triangle 'run' botton
3. at the prompt choose the folder containing the Numbers documents.

SG

set theFolder to choose folder

tell application "Finder" to set theDocs to theFolder's items

repeat with aDoc in theDocs

set docName to aDoc's name as text

if docName ends with ".numbers" then

set exportName to (theFolder as text) & docName

set exportName to exportName's text 1 thru -9 & ".pdf"

tell application "Numbers"

open aDoc

delay 0.5 -- may need to adjust this higher

tell front document

exporttofileexportNameasPDF

close

end tell

end tell

end if

end repeat

Hi SG,

I think you made a mistake in choosing file format (csv not pdf).

Is it possible with AppleScript to export a file without opening a document of Numbers.app?

For csv the script would be as below. The result will be subfolders within the original folder, with each subfolder containing a .csv file for each table.

set theFolder to choose folder

tell application "Finder" to set theDocs to theFolder's items

repeat with aDoc in theDocs

set docName to aDoc's name as text

if docName ends with ".numbers" then

set exportName to (theFolder as text) & docName

set exportName to exportName's text 1 thru -9 & ".csv"

tell application "Numbers"

open aDoc

delay 0.6 -- may need to adjust this higher

tell front document

exporttofileexportNameasCSV

close

end tell

end tell

end if

end repeat

SG

T2YUKI wrote:

Is it possible with AppleScript to export a file without opening a document of Numbers.app?

I'm pretty sure a document has to be opened in Numbers before Numbers can export it. You might try experimenting to see if that is true.

Thanks for pointing out that .csv, not .pdf, was the desired output.

SG

Thanks for your reply, SG.

I've tried some AppleScript statements to save a document of Numbers.app without opening the file, but completely failed. You're right.

Hi J, I suppose the following web page would be helpful too.

AppleScript and Numbers: Exporting Documents

Hi SG,

I found following statements can delay running AppleScript until a document of Numbers.app has finished opening.

tell application "Numbers"

set theDoc to open aDoc

exporttheDoctofileexportNameasCSV

closetheDoc

end tell

T2

Hi SG,

I think there is a situation when the name of a document doesn't show its file extension. Also, if the document has only one table the export command seems not to add the ".csv" extension to the name of the document. So, how about the following AppleScript?

set FD1 to choose folder with prompt "Choose the folder cotaining documents of Numbers.app"

set FD2 to (choose folder with prompt "Choose the destination folder to save csv files" default location FD1) as text

tell application "Finder"

set theDocList to (files of folder FD1 whose name extension is "numbers") as alias list

end tell

tell application "Numbers"

repeat with theItem in theDocList

set theDoc to opentheItem

set theDocName to theDoc'sname

if theDocName contains ".numbers" then

set thePath to FD2 & text 1 thru -9 of theDocName

else

set thePath to FD2 & theDocName

end if

if (count tables of sheets of theDoc) is 1 then

set thePath to thePath & ".csv"

end if

exporttheDoctofilethePathasCSV

closetheDoc

end repeat

quit

end tell

T2

T2YUKI wrote:

Hi SG,

I think there is a situation when the name of a document doesn't show its file extension.

Hi T2YUKI,

I'm not sure what you mean by "name of a document doesn't show its file extension." My script intentionally tests for Numbers documents so that it won't ask Numbers to try to open a non-Numbers document that happens to be in the chosen folder. That works well here.

if the document has only one table the export command seems not to add the ".csv" extension to the name of the document.

I can't reproduce that problem here. For example, Test.numbers here has only table, yet the script has Numbers produce Test.csv as expected (it has an Excel icon on my machine because I happen to have Excel installed):

That particular .csv file is not placed in a subfolder as it's the only one associated with that document name.

My original script is working well here without modification. I like your introduction of the ability to save the results in another folder, though.

I wonder how pagebreak is faring with his project.🙂

SG