Print a PDF file on the desktop.

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
, ,
#1 
set filepath to (((path to desktop) as string) & "test.pdf")

tell application "Preview"
	activate
	open file filepath
	print file filepath
	close document filepath
end tell

If preview is closed when the script is executed, it prints fine, but it doesn’t close the file, and eventually results in the error “AppleEvent timed out”.

If preview is open when the script is executed (but no windows are open), the file will open but it will not even print. Same time out error eventually.

What am I doing wrong here?

Thanks!

#2

The first thing you do wrong is using an application that isn’t scriptable.

I haven’t tried the lines below, but see if it works anyway, when you have edited it in. :slight_smile:


tell application "Finder"
   print file filepath
end tell
#3

Nothing happened with that script - including no errors.

So I’ve moved on to GUI scripting and came up with this. It works. Is this my best option? Any way to make it better? The delays are a bit annoying…

set filepath to (((path to desktop) as string) & "test.pdf")

tell application "Preview"
	activate
	open file filepath
end tell

tell application "System Events"
	tell process "Preview"
		delay 1
		keystroke "p" using command down
		delay 1
		keystroke return
		delay 1
		keystroke "w" using command down
	end tell
end tell
#4

How about downloading Skim it is a decent pdf viewer, and fairly scriptable!

There is however a different way to do printing.

Edit

you can actually do it by a do shell script and the lpr command, see man lpr

#5

That’s amazing!!! I replaced my entire script with:

do shell script ("cd ~/Desktop && lpr test.pdf")

Thank you!!!

#6

:slight_smile:
You can even make a droplet out of it.

Save this to the desktop as an application bundle.


on open _files
	
	repeat with f in _files
		set pf to quoted form of POSIX path of (f as text)
		do shell script "lpr " & pf
	end repeat
end open

then run this script :


tell application "Finder"
	open "Macintosh HD:System:Library:CoreServices:CoreTypes.bundle:Contents:Resources"
end tell

Open the file “PrintMonitorFolderIcon.icns”, in Preview, select item 3 from the sidebar, and copy it to clipboard.
select the printer.app in Finder, show info for it, select the icon in the upper left corner and paste the icon on to it! :wink:

From now onwards, you can just drag and drop files onto it, and you can also put it onto Finders toolbar, (if you hold down cmd, while you click on the libelle in the upper left corner, you can change view options of the toolbar icons, do try it. :wink:

#7

Should work as you want.

#8

Hi! :slight_smile:

Something in Preview that you actually can script! :wink:

I made a droplet using the Preview snippet supplied by mouramartins.
You can use that as a replacement for the print droplet in the post above.


on open _files
	
	repeat with f in _files
		tell application "Preview"
			print (f as text)
		end tell
	end repeat
end open

Edit I just want to add, that I believe the Preview version to work for me, since I have been inside the package of Preview.app (the bundle), there I have been in the folder Contents/Resources, and edited the info.plist file, to state that it is scriptable. I have read that for this to work on Os X Mountain Lion, you have to make a copy of Preview.app, and do the hack on the copy, due to code signing. Or Preview won’t work.

But I don’t know, maybe the print command always works in Preview. :slight_smile:

#9

I remember in primary school we were all singing:

Happy days…

:lol:

#10

Yes, it is so, isn’t it. :wink:

Happy days to you as well :slight_smile:

#11

This is part of a folder actions script I’ve been working on. The print part works great.

on adding folder items to thisFolder after receiving addedItems
	tell application "Finder"
		set finishedPrint to folder "a file path"
	end tell

	repeat with anItem in addedItems
...other stuff...
		tell application "Finder"
			print anItem
			delay 10
			move anItem to finishedPrint with replacing
		end tell
	end repeat
end adding folder items to

I don’t think I really need the delay 10 in there, but it doesn’t slow anything critical down for me. It gives Preview time to open the doc, send it to the printer and close it down before trying to process the next file. I should note though that I had to change the default program for PDFs back to Preview. Illustrator would pop up import dialogs that interrupted the script. Never bothered with trying Acrobat, since Preview takes up less RAM sitting open all day. (I use Illustrator for 95% of my work, hence changing the default.)