Download FAQ

Primary Directive

AppleScripts can ONLY be used on Macintosh computers. Some Windows solutions are listed here.

How to Download a Script

Once you have found a script that you'd like to use, click on the download button in its script entry:

Typical script entry. The download button likes to be clicked.

A .zip file will be downloaded to your browser's "Downloads" folder. (You know where that is, right?) A .zip file is a compressed file that, by virtue of its compressed size, transfers fast and easy over the internet.

The .zip files from this site have been encoded using the Mac OS Finder's "Create Archive" command. Most modern browsers will un-zip the file--that is, extract the archived file/folder it contains--automatically (Safari can even delete the .zip file after its contents have been un-archived). However, if this is not your case, do not use StuffIt to un-zip the file! You merely need to double-click the .zip file for it to un-archive. If StuffIt insists on trying to open it, here's what to do:

• Select the .zip file in the Finder.
• Press Command-I or choose "Get Info" from the Finder's File menu. This will open the file's "Get Info" window.
• Click the triangle next to the "Open with:" section of the "Get Info" window to reveal the options.
• Click the pop-up menu and choose "BOMArchiveHelper" from the list.
• If "BOMArchiveHelper" isn't in the list then click "Other...". Navigate to [startup disk]/System/Library/CoreServices/BOMArchivehelper and select it.
• Optionally, click the "Change All" button to ensure that the Finder opens future .zip files automatically using "BOMArchiveHelper".
• Close the "Get Info" window.

When the file is un-zipped, a .dmg file will be un-archived. [I am currently converting most of the downloads to this.zip/.dmg format. Until this process is completed, downloaded .zips will merely provide a plain folder containing the necessary files. Also, a few downloads contain additional files which must be manually installed to various places and so they will remain downloadable as plain folders.] A .dmg file is a Disk Image File. Some modern browsers will open this .dmg file automatically--otherwise, simply double-click the .dmg file. It will mount in the Finder, like a CD or external drive, and it will be listed in any Finder window's sidebar:

Mounted .dmg (Disk Image File) is displayed in the Finder's sidebar.

Depending on when the download package was prepared, the .zip file will contain one of the following:

1. A disc image with an "Installer" application

To install the files/folders, drag the items on the left side of the disc image window to the "Installer" application icon. The "Installer" thing is really an AppleScript droplet. It will copy whatever is dropped on to it to your [username]/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder; that is, the iTunes Scripts folder. If that folder doesn't exist then it will be created first and then the files will be copied to it.

The "Installer" droplet will also install a " Open Scripts Folder" AppleScript to your iTunes Scripts folder. This script will let you open the iTunes Scripts folder from iTunes' Script menu. Note that it is named with an initial space; this will enable it to be displayed very close to the top--if not the very top--of your iTunes' Script menu.

2. A disc image without an "Installer" application

To install the files/folders, drag the items in the disc image window to your [username]/Library/iTunes/Scripts/ folder. If there is no folder named "Scripts" there, create one and drag the files into it. AppleScripts placed in this folder will be listed in the iTunes Script menu. You do not have to install the .rtf/.rtfd documentation file in the "Scripts" folder, but it's as convenient a place as any.

You can now close the disk image window and unmount it (press the gray arrow button to the right of its name in the Finder's sidebar).

You can backup the .dmg file, if that's what you do with your downloads. Otherwise, you can Trash it.

3. A plain folder

To install the files/folders, drag the items in the folder to your [username]/Library/iTunes/Scripts/ folder. If there is no folder named "Scripts" there, create one and copy the files into it. AppleScripts placed in this folder will be listed in the iTunes Script menu. You do not have to install the .rtf/.rtfd documentation file in the "Scripts" folder, but it's as convenient a place as any.

Installed Files

Once the files have been installed, all of them will be available in your [username]/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder, a.k.a. the iTunes Scripts folder.

The AppleScripts will be accessible in iTunes' Script menu:

This menu item will appear if the iTunes Scripts folder contains at least one AppleScript.

The iTunes Script menu will only display AppleScripts which are in the top level of the iTunes Scripts folder or that are inside a folder inside the iTunes Scripts folder. (There is no ability to create sub-folder listings in the iTunes Script menu, such as can be done in the system-wide Script Menu. I have been asking for this for years; something to do with Apple's GUI Guidelines Police.) Text files and applications, if they happen to be in the iTunes Scripts folder, will not display in the iTunes Script menu.

Manual Installation

Some users may wish to install the AppleScripts and Read Me documentation in a place other than the [username]/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder. (Also, some scripts may need to be installed elsewhere. Be sure to look at the Read Me.)

For example, you may wish to install the Read Me in your "Documents" folder. Or, install the scripts so they are accessible in the system-wide Scripts Menu, or in the [startup drive]/Library/iTunes/Scripts folder so every user has access (you may have to change permissions on this folder in order to create a "Scripts" folder and copy files to it).

Versioning

Like most applications, AppleScripts need to be updated on occasion. This can be due to updates and changes to iTunes itself, or because the author has discovered bugs or a better way to write the routines. In any case, AppleScripts from this site are occasionally updated. You can find the version number for a script in several places:

• In the name of the downloaded .dmg file (or in the name of the downloaded "ƒ" folder used before I switched-over to .dmg deliveries).
• In the Description box of the actual script when opened in Script Editor
• In the title of the script's most current Read Me documentation

If you are upgrading an AppleScript, the "Installer" droplet will over-write your currently-installed version with the new version you have downloaded. If you are manually installing files via drag-and-drop, always select to "Replace" the files being copied. Presumably, a new version of a script should work better than the older version. But, on rare occasions, this may not be true; thus it might be a good idea to hold on to all the downloads so you can revert back to an older version if necessary.

Read Me Documentation

Not for nothin', but I put a lot of time into creating the Read Me document for each script--the accompanying .rtf or .rtfd document--so it is to your advantage to read it and keep it handy for future reference. I know how people feel about Reading the Freaking Manual (and I do try to make the scripts I write as intuitive to use as possible), but it's pretty silly not to.

• The Read Me is available to view as an online PDF in your browser. The link for the PDF is in the script's description entry. This will let you read details about the script before actually downloading it.
• Each script's Read Me is named using the name of the script so it will be easy to find in the iTunes Scripts folder after installing.
• The Read Me contains information on using the script and its version history. It also contains some embedded links to helpful information and my RSS feeds. Additionally, it also contains the URL to the script's entry at this site, should you wish to return to the entry to check for an update or to recommend the script to someone.

Problems?

I understand that I can't account for everyone's computer set-up. If you have any problems installing or using a script from this site, let me know. My contact info is in every Read Me. Otherwise, have fun!