A Better Proximity Applescript
A while ago I came across an application called Proximity. It let's you use your bluetooth phone to notify your computer if you are near or not. "Now how, Keith," you say, "how would I use this to keep me from experimenting some techmological differences?" Well, allow me to explicate. This particular piece of software executes an applescript of your choice when your computer detects your phone, and, you guessed it, when your computer can no longer detect your phone.
So, naturally, Proximity is quite versatile. I've seen a couple example applescripts here and there, but none quite did what I wanted. So, stealing (yes, stealing) bits and pieces from all of them (and with the addition of my own little special ingredient) I frankenstiened the mother of all Proximity AppleScripts together. Ok, technically there's two scripts.
"Enough with this popcockery!" You say, "Show me the scripts!"
Wait, wait, wait! The nerve you have. I haven't even told you what these scripts do. These scripts do the following when exiting the premises of your beloved macintosh.
- Activates JackSMS
This program will detect if you computer has been unplugged or picked up, and alert you by either text-message or e-mail (including a picture of the perp if you have a macbook/pro with iSight) or *Gasp* both.
- Activates DeskShade
Not exactly necessary, it could be accomplished with another (free) program, but this will place a cool transparent lock icon on top of your desktop background and not let anyone past without a password (which you can set to be different from you default user password). Also it can record and report attempted entries.
- Pauses iTunes
This is the sexy part. The problem with all of the other scripts that I came across was that they would pause iTunes, yeah, but if you came back to your computer and hadn't been playing iTunes, your music would start playing anyway. With this script, your music will only resume playing if it was paused by the script, meaning you don't have to worry about coming home late at night only to start blasting Britney Spears (I know you like it). Techmologically, this could still happen if you were blasting Britney Spears when you walked out, but you should know better. But wait, there's more! Instead of just pausing or playing, iTunes will fade in and out! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!
When you come back to your computer with your phone, the opposite of everything above will happen. Also, you don't have to have Deskshade or JackSMS running all the time, because the script opens the applications when you leave, and then closes them when you come back. So, without further Abu, Paste this into Script Editor and call it something like "Lock Script"
- global okflag
- set okflag to false
- set front_app to (path to frontmost application as Unicode text) -- So we can switch back to this after running the fade
- -- check if iTunes is running
- tell application "System Events"
- if process "iTunes" exists then
- set okflag to true --iTunes is running
- end if
- end tell
- if okflag is true then
- try
- tell application "iTunes"
- set currentvolume to the sound volume
- if (player state is playing) then
- repeat
- --Fade down
- repeat with i from currentvolume to 0 by -1 --try by -4 on slower Macs
- set the sound volume to i
- delay 0.01 -- Adjust this to change fadeout duration (delete this line on slower Macs)
- end repeat
- pause
- --Restore original volume
- set the sound volume to currentvolume
- exit repeat
- end repeat
- set comment of current track to "Proximity Paused"
- end if
- end tell
- tell application front_app
- activate
- end tell
- on error
- beep
- end try
- end if
- tell application "JackSMS" to set jack status to "on"
- delay 1
- tell application "DeskShade"
- lock
- end tell
- end run
And then do the same for this code, calling it something like "Unlock Script"
- tell application "ScreenSaverEngine" to quit
- tell application "DeskShade"
- unlock
- quit
- end tell
- tell application "JackSMS"
- quit
- end tell
- global okflag
- set okflag to false
- set front_app to (path to frontmost application as Unicode text) -- So we can switch back to this after running the fade
- -- check if iTunes is running
- tell application "System Events"
- if process "iTunes" exists then
- set okflag to true --iTunes is running
- end if
- end tell
- if okflag is true then
- try
- tell application "iTunes"
- set currentvolume to the sound volume
- if comment of current track is "Proximity Paused" then
- set comment of current track to ""
- play
- repeat with j from 0 to currentvolume by 2 --try by 4 on slower Macs
- set the sound volume to j
- end repeat
- end if
- end tell
- tell application front_app
- activate
- end tell
- on error
- beep
- end try
- end if
Jane B:
Oh! Perfect job!
Very good and actual post.
I add your interesting blog in my iGoogle page!
Keith:
Thanks!
James Stevenson:
Yes. This is cool. You've given me so many ideas Keith. Thanks!
Craig:
Thank you. nice work
Keith:
No problem, thank you!
Zoran:
Excellently written article, if only all bloggers offered the same content as you, the internet would be a much better place. Please keep it up! Cheers.
Keith:
Glad you like it, thanks!
soapydave:
This sounds close to what I'm looking for but maybe not exactly. I use the iPhone app Remote to listen to audiobooks on speakers in another room (Air Tunes) but if I want to limit the playback for 30 minutes I can't use the sleep timer on the iPhone, since that only shuts off the iPhone. I need something to also stop the audiobook in iTunes on the computer so that I don't lose my place.
Keith:
Hmm, the only way that I could find for you to do this is would be to use an app such as Keyboard Maestro Control that can run an AppleScript from your iPhone, but you'd have to install the companion app on your mac which costs $30. You might want to check out AirMote which imitates and Apple remote. Maybe you can get it to launch an AppleScript app that pauses iTunes after 30 minutes.
Another approach you could take would be to use a solution which launches AppleScripts when an e-mail is received, such as the one found here or here.
Keith:
Give this app a shot - it's a desktop app that provides a webapp for you iPhone - it can apparently run AppleScripts.
Chris:
You didn't mention this in you article, but I've been using an applescript to toggle the screensaver by turning password protection off and relaunching the screensaver process. Everything was hunky dory for about a year until Snow Leopard broke the script (I suspect it was a security hole). Anyway, have you come across a workaround for this or is lampshade the only alternative? Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks
Keith:
Well you could use DeskShade or Utility Lock. I haven't messed around with the screensaver lock but after looking around it does appear to be a problem with Snow Leopard. I'll keep an eye out for any fixes.
Willie:
I commented out the jack and deskshade stuff and replaced it with code that activates lock on screensaver and then starts the screensaver. then to unlock i have it hit enter, type my password, and hit enter again. works perfectly. there might be a better way where you access a saved keychain password, but that seems extra complicated...
and yeah snow leopard fixed the security hole where you coule applescript deactivate password requests... which is a good thing in my mind!
John Noble:
The hint at:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20091221173111783
explains a workaround for the SL "won't unlock with a script" issue. Search that page for "keychain scripting" and you'll find it.
Robert :
For some reason the jack status doesn't turn on. I have the script copied just like you have stated.
Keith:
hmm, can you test it out in a new Script Editor window with just the following line?
Let me know if that works or if Script Editor asks you where JackSMS is.
Phil Hudson:
(Why) Does okflag have to be global?
Keith:
Well, the way the script is written now there does have to be a global boolean variable, in this case okflag. It could just as easily be written as something like
if process "iTunes" exists then
try
tell application "iTunes"
set currentvolume to the sound volume
if comment of current track is "Proximity Paused" then
set comment of current track to ""
play
repeat with j from 0 to currentvolume by 2 --try by 4 on slower Macs
set the sound volume to j
end repeat
end if
end tell
tell application front_app
activate
end tell
on error
beep
end try
end if
end tell
This exact code doesn't work for me though. So i put okflag there as a global variable so that it can be accessed throughout the script and not redefined in different places.
http://macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?id=24475
Andy:
Thanks! This worked great... after some minor preference adjustments in JackSMS and DeskShade. Both were trying to lock the computer resulting in some confusion and extra password requests.
Keith:
Thank you! Glad you like it.
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