looking for a display dialog without the dialog

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
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#1

Is there a function that works like display dialog - but one that can simply display a value and have the script keep running and not wait for the user to respond? I’d like to use this for indicating progress in a script.

Just need a simple window to open up that can display text and update itself when the script says to.

sounds simple enough right?

thanks for any help!
mark

#2

I use the ‘SEC helper.app’ in salling clicker to do this.

Gives me transparent messages, Even icons.

I use it for all sorts, including mail arrival ( who,subject, part of message)
Saves me going to the Mail.app if its crap.

here’s a simple example.

set theWord to "Hello Big Boy" as string

tell application "SEC Helper"
	show screen message theWord duration 5
end tell

You will need Salling

http://www.salling.com/Clicker/mac/

I don’t think you have to buy salling to use this part of it,
But you do if want the other options in salling.
For the money though salling is worth it.

#3

If you don’t mind a brief 1 second delay each time just say

display dialog “interesting information” giving up after 1

This will come and go after one second.

#4

This is called a “notification” and there are quite a few ways to do it. FastScripts users have a built-in notifier. Growl is a popular alternative and is getting increasingly common. LanOSD is another. I’ve used them all, and they all work quite nicely.

#5

Note that LanOSD is not currently available from the author’s site.

#6

Oops. Several of these have dropped by the wayside. There was a nice one called iNotify some time ago that has disappeared, and it even had scriptable buttons, but when I looked for it, the site was gone.

#7

Adam, did you try the salling clicker.

it works very well.

(edit misspelling due to too many Tequilas)

#8

Elegant, but temporary and more icon-centric are QuickSilver notifications
(staying 3 seconds):


QSfAppNotify("Hello Big Boy", "The  Boss:", true)

on QSfAppNotify(theString, salut, fAppIcon)
	tell application "System Events"
		if fAppIcon = true then
			set pathToApp to (application file of (some process whose frontmost is true))
		else
			set pathToApp to (application file of (process "Quicksilver"))
		end if
		set IconRes to POSIX path of pathToApp
		set sudName to (name of startup disk)
	end tell
	set sudNum to number of characters of sudName
	set a to (theString) as string
	set b to salut
	tell application "Quicksilver" to show notification b text a image name IconRes
end QSfAppNotify

Eelco Houwink

#9

???

With the “SEC helper”

You can put however long you want the display (1 second upwards) in the script itsself,
Also can use icons.

I’ve used Lanosd be for also, and the same there

#10

It’s the 3 seconds that has always deterred me. I’ve been using QS since shortly after it came out, but until they allow me to set the time, I keep using FastScripts or Growl for most notifications.

#11

POSTMARK wrote:

Hi Mark,

Since Stickies windows can be translucent, I was just wondering if perhaps they could be used as notifications as well. Something like: (not real code)

tell application “Stickies”
open file_name_here

etc., etc.

or:

tell application “Stickies”
launch
create new window

tell application “System Events”
(then GUI script the info on the clipboard & paste it into the new Stickie)

delay 3

tell application “Stickies”
quit
end…

'hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Variable as the shade