dougscripts.com

January 2024

September 23 2009 - 10:33 am

Rosetta Redux

As you may know: to run AppleScripts that were compiled on a PowerPC machine on Intel machines (and therefore Snow Leopard) requires Rosetta—an optional install on your SL install disc. While Rosetta is a fairly small install, some people have expressed an interest in staying Rosetta-free. There are quite a few of these types of AppleScripts here on the site and I'm working on updating them to Universal Binary (although a good percentage of these in the Retro Scripts category probably won't be updated by virtue of being obsolete). Long-time visitors may also have some of these scripts in their collections.

While you could wait for me to update these kinds of scripts to UB—disclosure: one of these days I will get around to admitting that I am a notorious procrastinator—you can update these scripts yourself by doing what I would do: open the script in AppleScript Editor, noting whether it is a compiled Script (.scpt) or an Application (.app), and re-save it. It will be re-compiled for your machine type, and if it is an Intel machine, will run without Rosetta. The "Run Only" and "Startup Screen" checkboxes can be left unchecked. Script Applications that use idle handlers need to be checked "Stay Open".

During the Save, if AppleScript Editor informs you that the "Document Format is Read Only: This script application is in a format that is no longer supported...", the case for non-bundled applications compiled pre-SL, just click the "Save As" button, and proceed with the save. In Snow Leopard, single-file-type apps are no longer supported. The defacto Application type is a bundle.

The AppleScript Release Note: 10.6 Changes page at Apple has more on this.

September 23 2009 - 7:17 am

NEW: Dumb Down Genius Mix Playlist v1.0

Dumb Down Genius Mix Playlist will copy the tracks of a playing Genius Mix playlist to a new "dumb" (regular) playlist, which, for example, can be copied/sync'd to older iPods that do not accommodate Genius Mixes. You can subsequently copy the contents of additional Genius Mix playlists to the new playlist, refill it, or create more. (Each Genius Mix playlist only references about 70 tracks maximum, which is why you may have several, say, "Rock Mix" playlists.)

Thanks to Correspondent Pedro Espinosa for coming up with the basic work for this clever script.

September 22 2009 - 10:33 pm

Copy iTunes Store Tracks in Browse Mode

You may have been (prematurely) lamenting the inability to drag tracks from the iTunes Store to a playlist on your machine for later purchase because of the new format. Well, just put the store in Browse mode (Command-B). Tracks will be available the old-fashioned way, more or less:

September 22 2009 - 9:25 pm

USB-IF Responds Against Palm

John Paczkowski reports the USB Implementers Forum has decided that Apple is not hampering competition by blocking the Pre from syncing with iTunes. The USB-IF additionally suggests that it is Palm that may be in violation of the rules. Ruh-roh.

September 22 2009 - 8:55 pm

iTunes 9.0.1 Released

Apple has released an iTunes update and describes pretty explicitly (for Apple) what the fixes are, like the issue with the zoom button, unexpected quits, and unresponsiveness, the latter two of which I experienced a couple few times.

Tell you one thing. It installed a lot faster on Leopard than it did on Snow Leopard.

Now, did they fix the discrepancy with displayed track sizes versus displayed Finder file sizes under Snow Leopard (my pet radar report)? No:

September 22 2009 - 1:06 pm

UPDATED: PDF Adder v3.0

PDF Adder v3.0 is a collection of three AppleScripts that assist with adding PDF files to iTunes as "digital booklet" PDF tracks. Each provides a method for easily supplying Artist and Album tag data which is then applied to the newly-added PDF track:

  • Add as PDF to iTunes is a PDF Service workflow that, when installed, will be available in the PDF pop-up menu of the Print Dialog. It allows you to save the current document as a PDF file (from any application that uses the Print Dialog) and add it to iTunes.
  • PDF Adder is an applet that will let you choose an existing PDF file and add it to iTunes. It can be installed in iTunes' Scripts folder for easy access from iTunes Script menu.
  • PDF Dropper is a droplet that lets you add a PDF file to iTunes by drag-and-drop.

This latest incarnation has been updated for Leopard/Snow Leopard. The last update was in 2006.

September 21 2009 - 10:08 pm

Music Publishers vs Record Labels

Just so you know, there really is a difference between the music publishing industry and the music recording industry: Millions Owed by Labels to Publishers.

September 21 2009 - 5:40 pm

Visitors' Operating Systems

I've been keeping an eye on Google Analytics to track the operating systems of visitors to help me determine who I should be writing AppleScripts for. Looking at August 28 (SL's debut) thru September 20 (about 90k visits):

  • Intel 10.6 - 44.38%
  • Intel 10.5 - 43.91%
  • PPC 10.5 - 4.0%
  • Intel 10.4 - 3.04%
  • PPC 10.4 - 2.84%

To put a finer point on it, here are the stats for the week September 13 thru September 20 (about 25k visits):

  • Intel 10.6 - 52.24%
  • Intel 10.5 - 36.54%
  • PPC 10.5 - 3.83%
  • PPC 10.4 - 2.90%
  • Intel 10.4 - 2.72%

I think I can pretty much drop explicit support for Tiger and PPCs. Snow Leopard adoption appears to be somewhat brisk, which is fine by me because I've been writing stuff on two machines running Leopard and Snow Leopard respectively and it's making my brain hurt.

September 21 2009 - 12:28 pm

Grab Lyrics from iTunes LP? No.

If you are about to email me with something along these lines: Hey! Is it possible to get the lyrics from an iTunes LP and put them in the individual tracks' lyrics tag? That'd be great!

The lyrics you see displayed in an iTunes LP are .png image files and the lyrics cannot be scraped as text.

September 18 2009 - 5:32 pm

About That New Playlist Default Screen

Betalogue's post, iTunes 9: About that new ‘Playlist’ screen, may be a bit hypercritical but on target. Being an iTunes user since it was SoundJam I definitely find the In-Case-You're-A-Total-N00b aspect of it unnecessary. After seeing it, maybe, three times it's become just plain annoying. A preference to shut the thing off would be great.

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