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Controlling Operation

July 31 2023 - 3:12 pm

NEW: Play Previous Play Next Playlist v1.0

Two scripts, "Play Previous Playlist" and "Play Next Playlist", will select and start playing the respective playlist. Works optimally when each is assigned a keyboard shortcut. Be sure to see the read-me .rtfd doc for more info and minor caveats.

Latest version:

  • Initial release

More information for Play Previous Play Next Playlist v1.0 and download link is here.

July 3 2023 - 1:48 pm

UPDATED: A Space Between v3.3

This applet will play each track in the selected playlist and will wait (one might say insert but that's technically incorrect) a user-set number of seconds between each. Play can commence at the "top" of the playlist or from a selected track.

Latest version:

  • Corrects UI Scripting issue that may have prevented operation
  • Tested with macOS Sonoma 14

More information for A Space Between v3.3 and download link is here.

June 30 2023 - 12:20 pm

NEW: Audition Segues v1.0

Play a set number of seconds from the end of each track in a playlist thru a set number of seconds into the next track in order to evaluate how the tracks segue.

Latest version:

  • Initial release

More information for Audition Segues v1.0 and download link is here.

January 10 2023 - 1:17 pm

UPDATED: Skip Back or Ahead v4.2

Floating panel allows you to skip backward or forward in the currently playing track by a user-entered number of seconds (0-120). Useful for 'scoping through tracks, making transcriptions, and so on.

Latest version:

  • Fixed issue with errant Play/Pause button behavior
  • Maintenance and minor performance fixes
  • Accommodations for macOS 13 Ventura

More information for Skip Back or Ahead v4.2 and download link is here.

October 9 2021 - 11:28 am

NEW: Big Buttons v1.0

For macOS 11 and later only. This script applet is a controller for the Music app. Up to eight "Chambers" can each be assigned with a track and the Big Button in each Chamber will trigger the assigned track or its source playlist to play in the Music app. Additionally, commensurately large versions of standard (and supernumerary) transport controls are available in a Toolbar.

Latest version:

  • Initial release

More information for Big Buttons v1.0 and download link is here.

September 17 2021 - 3:57 pm

UPDATED: Block Party! v5.0

For macOS 11 and later only. Create a "Block Party!" playlist containing random Artists and a specific number of their randomly selected songs arranged in a row ("two-fers", "three-fers", and so on). You can restrict the size of the "Block Party!" playlist by Number of Artists or Duration in hours. Additionally, you can choose to use a particular Playlist as the source of tracks and include/exclude specific Genres.

Latest version:

  • Accommodations for macOS 12 Monterey

More information for Block Party! v5.0 and download link is here.

August 29 2021 - 12:21 pm

UPDATED: A Space Between v3.1

For macOS 10.15 and later only. This applet will play each track in the selected playlist and will wait (one might say insert but that's technically incorrect) a user-set number of seconds between each. Play can commence at the "top" of the playlist or from a selected track.

Latest version:

  • Accommodations for macOS 12 Monterey

More information for A Space Between v3.1 and download link is here.

August 7 2021 - 10:26 am

UPDATED: Skip Back or Ahead v4.0

For macOS 11 and later only. Floating panel allows you to skip backward or forward in the currently playing track by a user-entered number of seconds (0-120). Useful for 'scoping through tracks, making transcriptions, and so on.

Latest version:

  • Initial accommodations for macOS 12 Monterey

More information for Skip Back or Ahead v4.0 and download link is here.

April 19 2021 - 8:55 pm

Can't Believe I'm Posting About GUI Scripting

It is a fact universally acknowledged—in my house—that GUI Scripting stinks. But the flip side of that is that sometimes it can be the only way to automate something with AppleScript. Especially so if the developers of the app you are 'scripting have long been ignoring your suggestions. Again, my house.

GUI Scripting is a way to write AppleScript that works by simulating mouse clicks, selections, key presses and other "touches" of the GUI elements of an app in order to get the app to do what those clicks and presses do. For instance, you can simulate a mouseclick on a menu item in a menu and whatever happens when you usually click that menu item will happen. GUI Scripting is clunky to work with for a number of reasons, but the two most discouraging are that it's tough to know what and how and where to click and press for the Thing you want to do; and that if the developer changes an app's layout in the future the scripts could break because something isn't where it was before.

Despite all that, I've been playing with GUI Scripting lately. It's what I use to change playlist views in Playlist Manager and how Needle Drop clicks the "Clear" button in the Playing Next panel. If you've used those scripts, you've had to give permission in "Accessibility" to allow those scripts to use the "System Events" app. System Events is what enables AppleScript to target GUI elements.

Here's a little scripting project that uses some GUI Scripting to do three things that I like to do somewhat regularly in the Music app: open the selected playlist in its own window; change the playlist View to "as Songs"; reposition the playlist window to a standard place, rather than BANG right over the main browser window. (Note that I could only get it to work on the latest version of Big Sur with the latest version of Music, which bears out my thoughts above about clunkiness.)

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November 28 2020 - 5:53 pm

UPDATED: Play Random Album v4.1

For macOS 10.15 and later only. This script scans your library, creates a playlist of a complete single album chosen at random and begins playback of the playlist created. Works great when assigned a keyboard shortcut

Latest version:

  • Accommodations for macOS 11 Big Sur
  • Performance, UI and security enhancements

More information for Play Random Album v4.1 and download link is here.

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