Finding & replacing text with Applescript

[Duncan Thorne]

I'm pretty clueless with Applescript so please bear with me. I want to copy text from a Safari table, paste it into a new BBEdit window and do some text manipulation, mostly finding and replacing.

I managed this with the old Tex-Edit Plus (not TextEdit) which is unfortunately 32-bit. With T-E+ I would paste the text from the clipboard with the commands make "new window", "paste", "select window 1" and then use a "replace window 1 looking for..." command.

When I try recording something in BBE I get the line

replace "[original text]" using "[replacement text]" searching in text 1 of text document "untitled text ##" ...

— i.e. a named doc as opposed to simply the front doc. Not a surprise, but what do I replace "untitled text ##" with?

[Christopher Stone]

On 05/24/2021, at 19:11, Duncan Thorne <dunc...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm pretty clueless with Applescript so please bear with me. I want to copy text from a Safari table, paste it into a new BBEdit window and do some text manipulation, mostly finding and replacing.

---

Hey Duncan,

This task is pretty simple if you know how, and a real head-scratcher if you don't.

It's great to be able to record AppleScript, but it often produces semi-useless results – unless you savvy AppleScript enough to be able to rewrite the recording and pick out the good bits.

I almost never use it, BUT it sometimes comes in really handy when I just can't figure out the syntax for something.

Appended is a script that will:

- Copy the selected text in Safari.

- Create a new BBEdit document with said text.

- Reset the size and position of the new document.

- Do one regex-based find/replace on the document.

    - You can add more replace statements as needed.

Enjoy.

--

Best Regards,

Chris

--------------------------------------------------------

# Auth: Christopher Stone

# dCre: 2021/05/24 21:24

# dMod: 2021/05/24 21:29

# Appl: BBEdit

# Task: Copy Safari Table to New BBEdit Document and Find-Replace.

# Libs: None

# Osax: None

# Tags: @Applescript, @Script, @BBEdit, @Table, @RegEx, @Massage, @Data

--------------------------------------------------------

set jsCmdStr to "

(() => {

return window.getSelection().toString()

})();

"

set tableContent to doJavaScriptInSafari(jsCmdStr)

tell application "BBEdit"

activate

make new text document with properties {text:tableContent}

# Resize and reposition the new document.

# {x1, y1, x2, y2} Upper-Left-Corner, Lower-Right-Corner.

set bounds of front window to {0, 45, 1314, 1196}

tell front text window's text

replace "Carbon|Helium" using "••••••" options {search mode:grep, case sensitive:false, starting at top:true}

end tell

end tell

--------------------------------------------------------

--» HANDLERS

--------------------------------------------------------

on doJavaScriptInSafari(jsCmdStr)

try

tell application "Safari" to do JavaScript jsCmdStr in front document

on error e

error "Error in handler doJavaScriptInSafari() of library NLb!" & return & return & e

end try

end doJavaScriptInSafari

--------------------------------------------------------

[Rich Siegel]

On 24 May 2021, at 22:37, Christopher Stone wrote:

> On 05/24/2021, at 19:11, Duncan Thorne <dunc...@gmail.com

> <mailto:dunc...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>> I'm pretty clueless with Applescript so please bear with me. I want
>> to copy text from a Safari table, paste it into a new BBEdit window
>> and do some text manipulation, mostly finding and replacing.
>
>

> Hey Duncan,
>
> This task is pretty simple if you know how, and a real head-scratcher
> if you don't.
>
> It's great to be able to record AppleScript, but it often produces
> semi-useless results – unless you savvy AppleScript enough to be
> able to rewrite the recording and pick out the good bits.
>
> I almost never use it, BUT it sometimes comes in really handy when I
> just can't figure out the syntax for something.
>
> Appended is a script that will:
>
> - Copy the selected text in Safari.
> - Create a new BBEdit document with said text.
> - Reset the size and position of the new document.
> - Do one regex-based find/replace on the document.
> - You can add more replace statements as needed.

This is a good script. Some feedback: as a matter of best practices and
future proofing, avoid targeting windows (or elements of them).

"make new text document" will return a reference to the document just
created.

The "text" property of a document provides access to the text without
going through the windowing system. It's also faster and avoids
complications that can arise when the 1:1 relationship between documents
and windows is not in effect (as has been the case since BBEdit started
supporting multiple documents per window, back whenever that was).

Thus:

set myDoc to make new text document with properties { text:
tableContent }

followed by

tell text of myDoc
-- do the replace in here
end tell

is recommended.

R.

--
Rich Siegel Bare Bones Software, Inc.
<sie...@barebones.com> <https://www.barebones.com/>

Someday I'll look back on all this and laugh... until they sedate me.

[Christopher Stone]

On 05/24/2021, at 21:44, Rich Siegel <sie...@barebones.com> wrote:

his is a good script. Some feedback: as a matter of best practices and future proofing, avoid targeting windows (or elements of them).

---

Hey Rich,

Thanks for the feedback.

Actually I often use this sort of construct:

---

tell application "BBEdit"

    activate

    set myDoc to make new text document with properties {text:"some text"}

    return myDoc

end tell

--> text document 1 of application "BBEdit"

---

What I don't like about it is the reference it creates – it will break if you change the window index in the script and then refer to the reference again.

---

Getting a reference to any document besides document 1 produces a more sturdy reference:

tell application "BBEdit"

    set docRef to document 2

end tell

--> project document "untitled project 45" of application "BBEdit"

---

If I need the reference to be more robust I have to do something like this:

tell application "BBEdit"

    activate

    set docID to ID of (make new document with properties {text:"some text"})

    

    tell document id docID

        set after its text to linefeed & "some more text" & linefeed

        select insertion point after its text

    end tell

    

end tell

Most of the time working with the front document is perfectly adequate – but not always.

---

--

Take Care,

Chris

[Duncan Thorne]

Thanks, Rich.

At first I thought, wow this is complicated. But you make it easy. I shall of course have fun when I push beyond simple find/replace, but you've given me a great start.

— D

[Duncan Thorne]

I'm not sure what I started but I certainly appreciate the help, Rich and Chris

- D

[Christopher Stone]

On 05/24/2021, at 21:44, Rich Siegel <sie...@barebones.com> wrote:

This is a good script. Some feedback: as a matter of best practices and future proofing, avoid targeting windows (or elements of them).

---

Hey Duncan,

Here's the script using Rich's suggested best practices.

I'm using the top table on this page as my test data:

https://material.angular.io/components/table/examples

--

Best Regards,

Chris

--------------------------------------------------------

# Auth: Christopher Stone <script...@thestoneforge.com>

# dCre: 2021/05/24 21:24

# dMod: 2021/05/25 17:04

# Appl: BBEdit

# Task: Copy Safari Table to New BBEdit Document and Find-Replace.

#     : (Following Best Practices)

# Libs: None

# Osax: None

# Tags: @Applescript, @Script, @BBEdit, @Table, @RegEx, @Massage, @Data

# Vers: 1.50

--------------------------------------------------------

set jsCmdStr to "

(() => {

    return window.getSelection().toString()

})();

"

set tableContent to doJavaScriptInSafari(jsCmdStr)

tell application "BBEdit"

    activate

    

    set newDoc to make new text document with properties {text:tableContent}

    

    # Resize and reposition the new document.

    # {x1, y1, x2, y2} Upper-Left-Corner, Lower-Right-Corner.

    set bounds of front window to {0, 45, 1314, 1196}

    

    tell newDoc

        replace "Carbon|Helium" using "••••••" options {search mode:grep, case sensitive:false, starting at top:true}

    end tell

    

end tell

--------------------------------------------------------