How to select columns in numbers using applescript

Here's a short script that illustrates all the operations you describe:

To see how the operations work experiment on a Table 1 in Sheet 1 that has a least 8 columns and 7 rows with some values in column 2.

set {sh, ta, co} to {"Sheet 1", "Table 1", "B"}

tell application "Numbers"

tell document 1

tell sheet sh's table ta

# select a column

set the selection range to its column co

# copy values from selected range

activate

tell application "System Events" to keystroke "c" using {command down}

# paste values into a new range

set the selection range to column "C"'s first cell

activate

tell application "System Events" to keystroke "v" using {command down}

# format a range

set column "A"'s format to checkbox-- or number, date and time, currency, etc

# add a column

add column aftercolumn 2

# delete rows

delete (rows 6 thru 7)

# delete columns

delete (columns 7 thru 8)

end tell

end tell

end tell

SG

There is a website that is linked from an apple site for scripting numbers (iWork in general), the answer is on there under column header on the left

https://iworkautomation.com/numbers/column-add.html

and for formatting the cells

https://iworkautomation.com/numbers/cell-styling.html

and finally a duckduckgo search for applescipt numbers (using duckduckgo ensures you see the same results I did)

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=AppleScript+numbers&t=hj&ia=web

Jason

same website has how to remove rows and columns:

https://iworkautomation.com/numbers/row-remove.html

something like this will work:

set thisRangeName to "D:F"
removecolumnthisRangeName

setthisRangeNameto "D:F"=

I write automation in Excel vba for a living and usually we don't copy/paste, but write the value(s) to a variable and then set the new cells to that value. this gives us the ability to modify or change the values before writing them back out.

Sometimes we use the below type thing, setting the value of one cell to the value of another directly

set value of cell 2 of row 2 to value of cell 1 of row 1

Jason

Sorry, the remove columns code didn't come through in the editor, after playing with it, I found this works really well. Do a repeat from the right hand column to the left hand column (by -1) and remove them in reverse order.

repeat with i from 6 to 4 by -1

removecolumni

end repeat

I haven't found a way to have AppleScript control the decimals or separator when setting data format to 'number' or to tell Numbers to hide the time part of a date-time string.

One could perhaps gui-script the Data Format section of Format > Cell in the panel at the right, but it's probably easier just to make adjustments there manually.

SG

SG,

I just figured out the delete (columns 4 thru 6) while playing around trying to answer this better.

thanks for catching that for me.

Jason