Airplay automation

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
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#1

I am trying to automate playback to appletv via airplay. I need it to be able to open video files passed from terminal and then send it (using quicktime player) to appletv. Right now i have the following script:

To AirplayStream(aFile)
	tell application "QuickTime Player"
		activate
		try
			set frontDoc to front document
			close front document
		on error err number errNum
			if errNum is -1719 then
				-- There is no open document
			else if errNum is -10000 then
				-- Front doc exists, but does not really...
			else
				log err
			end if
		end try
		open aFile
		tell application "System Events" to tell process "QuickTime Player"
			tell window 1
				click button 4
				delay 1
				pick menu item "AppleTV" of menu 1 of button 4
			end tell
		end tell
		play front document
	end tell
end AirplayStream

on run 
	set unixFile to "path/to/file"
	set macFile to POSIX file unixFile
	set fileRef to macFile as alias
	my AirplayStream(fileRef)
end run

When i run it i get to a point, where the airplay button is clicked and then i get an error “Can’t get menu 1 of button 4 of window 1 of process “QuickTime Player”. Invalid index”. I tried many combinations of indexing and none seem to work.

I am on MacOS 12.

#2

I’m using 10.12 so it’s possible that things have changed — conceivably even with quicktime player.

That said, button 4 for me is ‘fast forward’. The airplay button is button 5.

If I get the ‘name’ of the buttons, the following are returned with ‘show external playback menu’ being the airplay button.

accessibility description of buttons
{"full volume", "mute", "rewind", "fast forward", ¬
				"show external playback menu", "share"}

I don’t have any airplay devices handy so I can’t test anything beyond that.

FWIW, I have no idea where the pick command comes from. It is not in System Events’ dictionary on my system. It is however, formatted like a command (ie in bold type).

#3

On Ventura here so possibly not applicable, but with multiple airplay destinations.

tell application "QuickTime Player"
	activate
end tell
tell application "System Events" to tell process "QuickTime Player"
	tell button 5 of window 1--This is the airplay button under MacOS 13 Ventura
		perform action "AXPress" 
		delay 1
		--Selection menu with multiple AirPlay destinations appears. These are checkboxes in a scroll area.
		--There the trail ends. I can find no access to this window.
	end tell
end tell