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JavaScript_for_Automation

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Using JavaScript for Automation (JXA) with Keyboard Maestro

Executing JavaScript from KM – which action ?

JavaScript, once a language which ran only in web browsers, can now be used in a variety of environments. From Keyboard Maestro you can:

  1. Run it in Chrome or Safari web pages ('browser JavaScript'), or
  2. (in OS X Yosemite onwards) run it in Apple's osascript environment, for automating applications. ('JavaScript for Automation', or JXA, sometimes JSA in Apple's documentation).

JavaScript for Automation (JXA) is a more flexible alternative to AppleScript, with a richer set of default libraries for some basics like regexes and URL handling. Its equivalent of AppleScript 'records' is more forgiving and much easier to use. JXA is the same fast JavaScript Core language that Safari uses, but it is running in an osascript context:

  1. With access to the functions and constants of an Automation object, and
  2. with additional access to a lot of low-level Apple system functions through the ObjC object.

The first script to try in JXA consists of just one word:

this

the result will be a listing of all the pre-defined names in JXA's osascript environment.

We can either run this directly from from one of KM's 'Execute a JavaScript for Automation' actions, or use an osascript command in an Execute Shell Script action.

Later on, you may find it interesting to scan this output list for useful functions, but for the moment, it's enough to simply notice that the JXA JavaScript environment is very different from the set of web page (window and document) references that you find in the Browser JavaScript environments of Chrome and Safari.

Keyboard Maestro's 'Execute a JavaScript in Safari' and 'Execute a JavaScript in Google Chrome' actions are for interacting with web pages, whereas JXA is for automating OS X and OS X Applications.

The basics – AppleScript and JavaScript for Automation side by side

Evaluating simple expressions

The simplest scripts evaluate an expression and return its value.

NB KM Maestro can only make use of values returned as (or converted to) a string – a KM variable is always a string of some kind. This means that:

  • If the result of an evaluation is not a string (or something simple like a number, that can automatically be converted to a string), the action may puzzle you by appearing to produce no result.
  • It's a good idea to test your action code first in (El Capitan or Yosemite) Script Editor, which shows all results, whatever their type, including error messages.

The following all return the same number to KM (in string format, and at a slightly higher level of precision – more decimal points – from JavaScript).

AppleScript JXA
((sqrt 5) + 1) / 2    
(Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2    

Differences to notice: sqrt 5 vs Math.sqrt(5)

JavaScript's Math object provides a number of numeric functions and constants, in the format Math.functionName([argument, …]).

In the common JavaScript patterns:

  • ObjectName.functionName([argument, …])
  • ObjectName.propertyName

The dot corresponds to Applescript's of, reversing the sequence of object name and property name.

AppleScript JXA
count of documents of application "TextEdit"    
Application("TextEdit").documents.length    

Assigning names to values and expressions:

If we often need to calculate the Golden Ratio, we can attach a name to its computation, and reuse it by that name. Nameable computations are called 'handlers' in AppleScript, and 'functions' in JavaScript.

Named 'handlers' and functions

AppleScript JXA
on goldenRatio()
    return ((5 ^ 0.5) + 1) / 2
end goldenRatio
 
class of goldenRatio        
function goldenRatio () {
    return (Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2;
}
 
typeof goldenRatio        

In both languages, we can call/run/apply a handler/function (that is, get an evaluation of it), by adding a pair of parentheses to its name. (If the function has an input argument, the argument goes between the parentheses).

AppleScript JXA
on goldenRatio()
    return ((5 ^ 0.5) + 1) / 2
end goldenRatio
 
goldenRatio()    
function goldenRatio () {
    return (Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2;
}
 
goldenRatio()

Differences to notice: 1. Separating expressions – AppleScript newline vs JavaScript semicolon

JavaScript is more flexible with white space than AppleScript – a JS expression can be broken up over several lines, if that makes its structure clearer, while a new line is interpreted as the end of an AppleScript expression.

In JavaScript, a semicolon means 'end of expression'.

Differences to notice: 2. Returning a value from a handler / function

In AppleScript, the word return in the handler is optional – if you omit it, the value of the last expression to be evaluated inside the handler will still be returned.

In JavaScript, however, a function only returns what you ask it to. If you don't use the return keyword, the function evaluates to the special value undefined, and your Keyboard Maestro action will just get an empty string. Always include a return line.

Parameters / arguments for name functions

If you are building a well-proportioned temple or table, you will probably want to multiply the Golden Ratio by something else, so a named computation with a variable 'parameter' or 'argument' might make sense.

AppleScript JXA
on goldenRatio(n)
 
    return (((5 ^ 0.5) + 1) / 2) * n
 
end goldenRatio
 
 
-- For a square of side 8
goldenRatio(8)
 
-- --> 12.944271909999
function goldenRatio (n) {
    // n is optional here – defaults to 1
    n = n || 1;
 
    return ((Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2) * n;
}
 
// For a square of side 8
goldenRatio(8);
 
// --> 12.94427190999916
Differences to notice: 1. Comments

Both languages allow us to include explanatory comments. AS prefixes comments with two dashes, JS with two forward slashes.

Differences to notice: 2. Arguments can be optional in JavaScript

JavaScript is relaxed about whether we supply an argument or not. If we don't, the name n will have the special value undefined, which takes on the value false in a logical expression. Above we are using the JavaScript logical operator OR ( || ) to attach the name n to the value 1 if no argument has been supplied.

Named results – 'variables' which hold values

In addition to reusable names for particular computations and their arguments, we can also give names to the results of computations. Once a result is stored in a named variable, we can reuse it without having to recalculate it.

AppleScript JXA
on run {}
    set phi to (((5 ^ 0.5) + 1) / 2)
    set phi18 to phi * 18
    set phi7 to phi * 7
 
    return phi18 + phi7
end run
 
--> 40.450849718747
function run() {
    var phi = (Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2,
        phi18 = phi * 18,
        phi7 = phi * 7;
 
    return phi18 + phi7;
}
 
// --> 40.45084971874737
Things to notice – 1. We gave the name 'run' to a computation, and it 'ran' without being called …

In osascript (AppleScript or JXA), run is a special name. A handler or function with that name is called automatically – you don't have to append parentheses to call it, like we did with the goldenRatio computation.

In fact, when we don't assign any names to computations (don't create any AS handlers or JS functions), osascript automatically wraps our our script in a computation which it names run, and immediately calls it.

Things to notice - 2. We are attach names here to some results of computations

The following names are all given to the result of a computation, rather than to a computation or argument:

  • phi
  • phi18
  • phi7
Differences to notice: AS and JS use different patterns for naming results

Where AS uses the pattern: set name to resultingValue (and reserves = for testing equality),

JS uses one or more variable declaration statements (and tests equality with ===)

In JS we can either:

  • group several variable declarations together (separated by commas, finishing with a semicolon – example above),
  • use a separate variable declaration statement for each variable, or
  • make our lives more complex by using the names without a var declaration
Good and simple JXA – temporary local names Messy and complex JXA – persistent global names
    var phi = (Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2,
        phi18 = phi * 18,
        phi7 = phi * 7;
// or
    var phi = (Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2;
    var phi18 = phi * 18;
    var phi7 = phi * 7;
    phi = (Math.sqrt(5) + 1) / 2;
    phi18 = phi * 18;
    phi7 = phi * 7;

JavaScript gives us a lot of freedom, sometimes more than is helpful. Misspelled variable names, and accidental uses of the same globally visible name in different parts of a script are rich sources of puzzling bugs and wasted time. To use a less liberal but more helpful set of JavaScript rules, we can add the line 'use strict'; at the start of a function. When we do this, JavaScript checks that all of our variables are declared (and therefore 'local' – visible only to their containing functions, and also temporary – vanishing when the evaluation of a function is completed). If an undeclared variable name is detected when the 'use strict'; statement has been added, we are given a helpful warning:

Indexing by number: AS lists ⇄ JS arrays

Length of AppleScript 'list' JavaScript 'array' length
length of ¬
	{"alpha", "beta", "gamma"}
-- 3
['alpha', 'beta', 'gamma'].length
 
// 3
Nested AppleScript list Nested JS array
length of ¬
	{{"alpha", "beta"}, {"gamma", "delta"}}
-- 2
[['alpha', 'beta'], ["gamma", "delta"]]
.length
// 2  (JS ignores white space and new lines)
AppleScript lists are 1-based JavaScript arrays are 0-based
items 1 thru 3 of ¬
	{"alpha", "beta", "gamma", "delta"}
-- {"alpha", "beta", "gamma"}
["alpha", "beta", "gamma", "delta"]
.slice(0, 3)
// ["alpha", "beta", "gamma"]
-1 is the index of the last item in both AS and JS
items -3 thru -1 of ¬
	{"alpha", "beta", "gamma", "delta"}
-- {"beta", "gamma", "delta"}
["alpha", "beta", "gamma", "delta"]
.slice(-3)
// ["beta", "gamma", "delta"]
AppleScript concatenation JavaScript concatenation
{"alpha", "beta"} & {"gamma", "delta"}
 
-- {"alpha", "beta", "gamma", "delta"}
["alpha", "beta"]
.concat(["gamma", "delta"])
// ["alpha", "beta", "gamma", "delta"]
AppleScript join() (user-defined) JavaScript join() (built in)
join(" -> ", {"Sun", "Mon", "Tue"})
 
-- "Sun -> Mon -> Tue"  
 
-- Text -> [Text] -> Text 
on join(strText, lstText)
    set {dlm, my text item delimiters} to ¬
        {my text item delimiters, strText}
    set strJoined to lstText as text
    set my text item delimiters to dlm
    return strJoined
end join
['Sun', 'Mon', 'Tue'].join(' -> ')   
 
// "Sun -> Mon -> Tue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
// .join() is a built-in method
//  of JavaScript arrays

Indexing by name – AS records and JS objects

to follow …

Structuring computations – branching, repetition, and nested composition

to follow …

JSON for persistence – saving things between macro runs, and reading them straight back in

to follow …

The Automation interface

Using the Standard Additions library

to follow …

Interacting with scriptable applications

to follow …

Using the Safari JSContexts Debugger (El Capitan onwards)

to follow …

The ObjC interface

to follow …

Basic file functions

to follow …

Clipboard functions

to follow …

Reading the documentation for simple ObjC functions

to follow …

JavaScript_for_Automation.1456159979.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/02/22 11:52 by ComplexPoint