Merry Christmas Martin!   That was fun, thanks.

Hey, is anyone interested in hearing something about this Christmas tree 3 months after Christmas, in March? I can wait 9 months, if no one responds.

Improved:
Changed folder names to "  " with different amounts of the zero-width-space character, so that they all look the same when lit.  Also, close the Finder window to stop the script (in less then 20 seconds).  Also new 'settings' property and repeat clauses (instead of repeating code) make script more customizable.
Color and illufunction settings have been changed to show how to change probability; time delay settings are the same.
Enable the large comment block to convert old folders to new ones with icons.  You just need a "Applescript Christmas Tree:src:folder" folder with an icon.  You can get the new folder here (already converted):
act.dmg (Link may change; someone tell me how to host this on MacScripter.)
When is Easter?

Applescript:

-- author: Martin Michel; eMail: martin@joyofscripting.com
-- modified by Sean Zhu; http://sihongzhu.googlepages.com
-- created: 06.02.2008
-- last modified: 03.24.2008

property mytitle : "AppleScript Christmas Tree"
property myversion : "0.1b modified"

--Changes:
--    closing the window eventually exits the program
--    got rid of ANY repeating code in favor of a repeat clause
--    made it more customizable
--    changed variable treefolder to rootfolder to make it more generic
--Help: Settings:
--    info: display info dialogs.
--    colours: Turn colours on/off and adjust probability.
--        colors 0-7: {None, R, O, Y, G, B, V, Gray}.
--    illumination: Turn illumination schemes on/off and adjust probability
--        illumination 1-3: {my randomillumination, my rowillumination, my edgeillumination}.
--    delay:
--        <element>delay<on/off>: delay after <element> is turned <on/off>.

property settings : ¬
   {defaultfolder:"AppleScript Christmas Tree:" as Unicode text ¬
       , info:(false) ¬
       , colours:{1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6} ¬
       , illumination:{1, 1, 2, 3} ¬
       , random:{lightsdelayon:0.1, lightsdelayoff:0.1, alldelayon:1.5, alldelayoff:1.0, countlightfolders:15} ¬
       , row:{lightsdelayon:0.0, lightsdelayoff:0.0, rowsdelayon:0.4, rowsdelayoff:0.1} ¬
       , edge:{delayon:0.1, delayoff:0.1}}

on run
   global rootfolder
   set rootfolder to missing value
   tell application "Finder"
       set my rootfolder to (container of (path to me)) as Unicode text
       try -- for running withing Script Editor (applets don't have a scriptable name, hence the try statement)
           if my name = "Script Editor" then ¬
               set my rootfolder to defaultfolder of my settings
       end try
       my main()
   end tell
end run

on open {item1} -- If a folder is dragged to the applet, the applet works with that folder.
   global rootfolder
   set rootfolder to item1 as Unicode text
end open

on main() -- I am the main routine controlling the script
   my clear(my rootfolder)
   if info of my settings then
       tell application "Finder"
           activate
           display dialog "Christmas Tree is initializing..." buttons {"Quit", "OK"} cancel button 1 default button 2 giving up after 1
       end tell
   end if
   global lights
   set lights to {}
   repeat with i from 1 to 72
       set s to ""
       repeat i times
           set s to s & («data utxt200B» as Unicode text)
           -- Unicode character 200B is a zero-width space.
       end repeat
       set lights to lights & {(" " & s)}
   end repeat
   (*    -- NOTE: Enable the following to change old folders to new folders. Must have src folder in rootdir.
   my waitforfinder()
   repeat with i from 1 to 72
       set s to ""
       repeat i times
           set s to s & ((«data utxt200B» as Unicode text))
       end repeat
       if i ≤ 70 then set sp to " "
       if i > 70 then set sp to ""
       -- next line renames folders from number style to space style
       --tell application "Finder" to set name of alias (((my rootfolder as alias) as string) & i as string) to (sp & s)
       -- next 2 lines set icons
       do shell script "cp '" & POSIX path of ((characters 1 thru -2 of my rootfolder) as Unicode text) & "/src/folder/Icon" & («data utxt000D» as Unicode text) & "' " & quoted form of POSIX path of (((my rootfolder as alias) as string) & (sp & s))
       do shell script "/Developer/Tools/SetFile -a C " & quoted form of POSIX path of (((my rootfolder as alias) as string) & (sp & s))
       -- When the icons are set, click the folders to update the icons.
   end repeat
   return
   *)
   global lightrows -- Item 1 must be made into a list because ususally it will be a string.
   set lightrows to {item 1 of lights as list, ¬
       items 2 thru 4 of lights, ¬
       items 5 thru 9 of lights, ¬
       items 10 thru 12 of lights, ¬
       items 13 thru 19 of lights, ¬
       items 20 thru 28 of lights, ¬
       items 29 thru 35 of lights, ¬
       items 36 thru 46 of lights, ¬
       items 47 thru 59 of lights, ¬
       items 60 thru 70 of lights}
   -- let's start the illumination
   my waitforfinder()
   repeat while not my windowclosed()
       global illufunction
       set illufunction to item (some item of illumination of my settings) of ¬
           [my randomillumination, my rowillumination, my edgeillumination]
       illufunction(my rootfolder)
   end repeat
   my clear(my rootfolder)
end main

on randomillumination(rootfolder) -- I am illuminating random lights on the christmas tree
   my infodialog("Random Illumination")
   tell application "Finder"
       set lightfoldernames to {}
       repeat with i from 1 to 2
           repeat with foldernum from 1 to (countlightfolders of random of my settings)
               if i = 1 then
                   repeat
                       set randomnum to random number from 2 to 70
                       set lightfoldername to (item randomnum of my lights)
                       if not (my isin(lightfoldername, lightfoldernames)) then
                           set lightfoldernames to lightfoldernames & {lightfoldername}
                           exit repeat
                       end if
                   end repeat
               else
                   set lightfoldername to (item foldernum of lightfoldernames)
               end if
               set thecolour to 0
               if i = 1 then set thecolour to my colour()
               set label index of folder (rootfolder & lightfoldername) to thecolour
               if i = 1 then
                   delay lightsdelayon of random of my settings --time between ons
               else
                   delay lightsdelayoff of random of my settings --time between offs
               end if
               if my windowclosed() then exit repeat
           end repeat
           if i = 1 then
               set lightfoldername to (reverse of lightfoldernames)
               delay alldelayon of random of my settings --time between ons
           else
               delay alldelayoff of random of my settings --time between offs
           end if
       end repeat
   end tell
end randomillumination

on rowillumination(rootfolder) -- I am illuminating horizontal rows of light folders
   my infodialog("Row Illumination")
   tell application "Finder"
       if (some item of [true, false]) then -- true:down ; false:up
           set lightrowswithdirections to my lightrows
       else
           set lightrowswithdirections to (reverse of my lightrows)
       end if
       repeat with lightrow in lightrowswithdirections
           repeat with i from 1 to 2
               set thecolour to 0
               repeat with lightfoldername in lightrow
                   if i = 1 then set thecolour to my colour()
                   set label index of folder (rootfolder & lightfoldername) to thecolour
                   if i = 1 then
                       delay lightsdelayon of row of my settings --time between light ons
                   else
                       delay lightsdelayoff of row of my settings --time between light offs
                   end if
                   
               end repeat
               if i = 1 then
                   delay rowsdelayon of row of my settings --time of row light
               else
                   delay rowsdelayoff of row of my settings --time of complete darkness
               end if
               if my windowclosed() then exit repeat
           end repeat
       end repeat
   end tell
end rowillumination

on edgeillumination(rootfolder) -- I am illuminating the light folders on the edge of the tree
   my infodialog("Edge Illumination")
   tell application "Finder"
       if (some item of [true, false]) then -- true:down ; false:up
           set lightrowswithdirections to my lightrows
       else
           set lightrowswithdirections to reverse of my lightrows
       end if
       repeat with lightrow in lightrowswithdirections
           repeat with i from 1 to 2
               set thecolour to 0
               repeat with lightfoldername in {first item of lightrow, last item of lightrow}
                   if i = 1 then set thecolour to my colour()
                   set label index of folder (rootfolder & lightfoldername) to thecolour
               end repeat
               if i = 1 then
                   delay delayon of edge of my settings --time between ons
               else
                   delay delayoff of edge of my settings --time between offs
               end if
               if my windowclosed() then exit repeat
           end repeat
       end repeat
   end tell
end edgeillumination

on windowclosed() -- I can tell if the tree folder is open (returns false) or closed (returns true)
   -- usage in repeat loop:        if my windowclosed() then exit repeat
   -- usage in handler or main:    if my windowclosed() then return
   -- usage anywhere (don't use):    if my windowclosed() then quit
   -- DO NOT use the last one, "quit", because if it will quit Script Editor if you are running the script from it.
   tell application "Finder"
       repeat with w from 1 to count Finder windows
           try
               if ((target of Finder window w) as alias) = (my rootfolder as alias) then return false
           end try
       end repeat
       return true
   end tell
end windowclosed

on waitforfinder() -- I wait for the Finder to finish displaying a dialog.
   repeat
       try
           delay 1
           tell application "Finder" to get name
           exit repeat
       end try
   end repeat
end waitforfinder

on isin(i, l) -- I can tell apart folders with different numbers of zero-width spaces in them.
   repeat with i2 in l
       if i as string = i2 as string then return true
   end repeat
   return false
end isin

on colour() -- I choose a label index colour.
   return some item of colours of my settings
end colour

on clear(rootfolder) -- I turn off all the lights.
   tell application "Finder" to set label index of every item in folder (my rootfolder) to 0
end clear

on infodialog(msg)
   if info of my settings then
       activate
       display dialog msg giving up after 1 buttons {"Stop", "OK"} default button 2 cancel button 1
   end if
end infodialog

Last edited by Sean Zhu (2009-03-28 02:03:31 am)