Hello & please be gentle! 
Below is a script I wrote to put the lyrics of the currently playing track in iTunes onto your desktop using GeekTool. http://homepage.mac.com/bonkers/macnn/ss-lyrics.jpg
I’d appreciate any feedback/suggestion/critiques.
Thanks, Chris
(* this is to get the script to automatically run when iTunes is open & write the currently playing track's lyrics to a file *)
(* to randomize the track list *)
on unsortList(lst)
try
if lst's class is not list then error "Not a list." number -1704
script k
property l : lst's items
end script
set len to count k's l
set lastNum to random number from 1 to 9.999999999971E+12 -- calling osax only once improves overall performance approx 40%
repeat with idx1 from 1 to len
set lastNum to (lastNum * 67128023) mod 9.999999999971E+12
set idx2 to (lastNum mod len) + 1
set tmp to k's l's item idx1
set k's l's item idx1 to (get k's l's item idx2)
set k's l's item idx2 to tmp
end repeat
return k's l
on error eMsg number eNum
error "Can't unsortList: " & eMsg number eNum
end try
end unsortList
--
(* This subroutine gets the lyrics from iTunes of the current track and writes them to a text file. *)
on lyrinfo()
tell application "iTunes"
set ct to current track
set {nom, lyr, art} to {"", "", ""}
tell ct
try
if artist is "" then
set art to (" by " & "unknown artist")
else
set art to (" by " & artist)
end if
if lyrics is "" then
set lyr to return & return & "missing lyrics" -- this adds two line returns after song title & artist
else
set lyr to return & return & lyrics -- this adds two line returns after song title & artist
end if
if name is missing value then
set nom to "unknown track title"
else
set nom to name
end if
end try
end tell
-- basic info (feel free to format your own message!)
set the clipboard to ("\"" & nom & "\"" & art & lyr)
end tell
-- let's create a log file that is constantly updated with the current track's lyrics
set Filename to "ct_lyrics" --Name of the hidden file (remove the period to make visible)
set this_data to (the clipboard) & return as string --Any text here
set target_file to ((path to desktop folder as Unicode text) & Filename) --You can eliminate "Filename" as a variable and type the filename as part of the path (if you wish) but you need a full path
set append_data to false --Set this to false if you want to overwrite, true if you want to add text to an existing file
try --This part writes the file
set the target_file to the target_file as text
set the open_target_file to open for access file target_file with write permission
if append_data is false then set eof of the open_target_file to 0
write this_data to the open_target_file starting at eof
close access the open_target_file
on error
try
close access file target_file
end try
end try
end lyrinfo
--
(* This subroutine monitors user modification of iTunes playback. It will check track name & player position every 5 seconds. If a user skips a track or skips forward/backward in a track it will rerun this subroutine & get new lyrics (if track has been changed) *)
on alter_playbk()
tell application "iTunes"
set tme to (duration of current track)
set pos to player position
set remain to tme - pos
set rpt_num to round ((remain - 10) / 5)
set xyz to 0
log rpt_num
repeat rpt_num times
set y to name of current track
set z to player position
delay 5
if name of current track is not equal to y then
--display dialog "Track has been changed"
my lyrinfo()
set xyz to 1
exit repeat
else
set pos_buff to {z + 5, z + 6, z + 7, z + 8, z + 9}
if {player position} is not in pos_buff then
--display dialog "Leave the slider alone"
set xyz to 1
exit repeat
end if
end if
end repeat
if xyz is 1 then --this is to rerun the subroutine if normal playback has been modified
my alter_playbk()
end if
end tell
end alter_playbk
--
global trk_list
on idle --change to "on idle" when saving as an application
tell application "iTunes"
activate
display dialog "Pick a playlist & let's start rockin'!" buttons ¬
{"Master Library", "Let me pick!"} default button 2
if the button returned of the result is "Master Library" then
tell application "iTunes"
set lst to get index of every track of library playlist 1
set trk_list to my unsortList(lst) --> randomize trkList here
repeat until trk_list is {}
set limit to length of trk_list
set dummyList to {}
set rmvd_lst to {}
--
play track (item 1 of trk_list) of library playlist 1
--
my lyrinfo()
--
my alter_playbk()
--
if index of current track is not (item 1 of trk_list) then
set y to index of current track
set x to item 1 of trk_list
repeat with i from x to y
copy i to end of rmvd_lst
end repeat
--log lst
repeat with i from 1 to limit
if {trk_list's item i} is not in rmvd_lst then ¬
set dummyList's end to trk_list's item i
end repeat
set trk_list to dummyList
--log trk_list
else
set trk_list to rest of trk_list
end if
--
set tme to (duration of current track)
set pos to player position
set remain to tme - pos
delay remain - 1 --> wait track length in second + 1 for loop repeat
end repeat
end tell
else
tell application "iTunes"
set list_pl to name of every playlist
end tell
try
choose from list list_pl
set plChoice to the contents of the result as text
set lst to get index of every track of playlist (plChoice)
set trk_list to my unsortList(lst) --> randomize trkList here
repeat until trk_list is {}
set limit to length of trk_list
set dummyList to {}
set rmvd_lst to {}
--
play track (item 1 of trk_list) of playlist (plChoice)
--
my lyrinfo()
--
my alter_playbk()
--
if index of current track is not (item 1 of trk_list) then
set y to index of current track
set x to item 1 of trk_list
repeat with i from x to y
copy i to end of rmvd_lst
end repeat
--log lst
repeat with i from 1 to limit
if {trk_list's item i} is not in rmvd_lst then ¬
set dummyList's end to trk_list's item i
end repeat
set trk_list to dummyList
--log trk_list
else
set trk_list to rest of trk_list
end if
--
set tme to (duration of current track)
set pos to player position
set remain to tme - pos
delay remain - 1 --> wait remaining time of track + 1 for loop repeat (this could be substituted with just 10 sec)
end repeat
end try
end if
quit
quit me
end tell
end idle --change to "on idle" when saving as an application
(* things to work on:
how to interrupt script?
--
commands for GeekTool
window #1: tr "\r" "\n" < ~/Desktop/ct_lyrics | head -n 55
window #2: tr "\r" "\n" < ~/Desktop/ct_lyrics | sed -n '56,$p'
*)
