Thank you peavine, great script

I have mod it for myself to select entire script if no selection made

Applescript:

if selectedText = "" then set selectedText to contents of document 1

Hi peavine,

thanks for the great script!
I have added a search/replace dialog.

Greetings
Dirk

Applescript:

-- Revised 2021.09.26

on main()
   tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
       set selectedText to selection
       set {c1, c2} to character range of selection
   end tell
   
   if c2 = 0 then
       display dialog "A text selection was not found" buttons {"Cancel", "Select All"} cancel button 1 default button 2 with title "Search and Replace" with icon caution -- disable if desired
       tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
           set selectedText to source text
           set {c1, c2} to {1, (count selectedText)}
           set selection to {c1, c2}
       end tell
   end if
   
   set dialogResult to my showSearchReplaceDialog()
   if dialogResult is missing value then
       return
   end if
   set {searchString, replaceString} to {searchString, replaceString} of dialogResult
   
   set text item delimiters to searchString
   set modifiedText to text items of selectedText
   set searchStringMatches to ((count modifiedText) - 1)
   set text item delimiters to replaceString
   set modifiedText to modifiedText as text
   set text item delimiters to {""}
   
   if searchStringMatches = 0 then errorDialog("The search string " & quote & searchString & quote & " was not found in the selected text")
   
   if searchStringMatches = 1 then
       display dialog "Replace 1 instance of " & quote & searchString & quote & " with " & quote & replaceString & quote with title "Search and Replace" with icon note
   else
       display dialog "Replace " & searchStringMatches & " instances of " & quote & searchString & quote & " with " & quote & replaceString & quote with title "Search and Replace" with icon note
   end if
   
   set c2 to c2 + (((count replaceString) - (count searchString)) * searchStringMatches)
   tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
       set selection to modifiedText
       set selection to {c1, c2}
       -- compile without showing errors -- enable if desired
   end tell
end main

on errorDialog(dialogText)
   display dialog dialogText buttons {"OK"} cancel button 1 default button 1 with title "Search and Replace" with icon stop
end errorDialog

on showSearchReplaceDialog()
   script theScript
       use scripting additions
       use framework "Foundation"
       use framework "AppKit"
       use framework "Carbon"
       
       property ca : current application
       property dialogWindow : missing value
       property searchTextField : missing value
       property replaceTextField : missing value
       property replaceButton : missing value
       property replaceClicked : false
       
       on showSearchReplaceDialog()
           if current application's AEInteractWithUser(-1, missing value, missing value) ≠ 0 then
               return missing value
           end if
           
           if ca's NSThread's isMainThread() then
               my performSearchReplaceDialog:(missing value)
           else
               its performSelectorOnMainThread:"performSearchReplaceDialog:" withObject:(missing value) waitUntilDone:true
           end if
           
           if my replaceClicked then
               return {searchString:searchTextField's stringValue() as text, replaceString:replaceTextField's stringValue() as text}
           end if
           return missing value
       end showSearchReplaceDialog
       
       on performSearchReplaceDialog:args
           set findLabel to ca's NSTextField's labelWithString:"Search:"
           findLabel's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(20, 85, 70, 20))
           
           set my searchTextField to ca's NSTextField's textFieldWithString:""
           searchTextField's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(87, 85, 245, 20))
           searchTextField's setEditable:true
           searchTextField's setBordered:true
           searchTextField's setPlaceholderString:"Search for …"
           searchTextField's setDelegate:me
           
           set replaceLabel to ca's NSTextField's labelWithString:"Replace:"
           replaceLabel's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(20, 55, 70, 20))
           
           set my replaceTextField to ca's NSTextField's textFieldWithString:""
           replaceTextField's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(87, 55, 245, 20))
           replaceTextField's setEditable:true
           replaceTextField's setBordered:true
           replaceTextField's setPlaceholderString:"Replace with …"
           
           set cancelButton to ca's NSButton's buttonWithTitle:"Cancel" target:me action:"buttonAction:"
           cancelButton's setFrameSize:{94, 32}
           cancelButton's setFrameOrigin:{150, 10}
           cancelButton's setKeyEquivalent:(character id 27)
           
           set my replaceButton to ca's NSButton's buttonWithTitle:"Replace" target:me action:"buttonAction:"
           replaceButton's setFrameSize:{94, 32}
           replaceButton's setFrameOrigin:{245, 10}
           replaceButton's setKeyEquivalent:return
           replaceButton's setEnabled:false
           
           set windowSize to ca's NSMakeRect(0, 0, 355, 125)
           set winStyle to (ca's NSWindowStyleMaskTitled as integer) + (ca's NSWindowStyleMaskClosable as integer)
           set my dialogWindow to ca's NSWindow's alloc()'s initWithContentRect:windowSize styleMask:winStyle backing:(ca's NSBackingStoreBuffered) defer:true
           
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:findLabel
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:searchTextField
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceLabel
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceTextField
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:cancelButton
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceButton
           
           dialogWindow's setTitle:"Search and Replace"
           dialogWindow's setLevel:(ca's NSModalPanelWindowLevel)
           dialogWindow's setDelegate:me
           dialogWindow's orderFront:me
           dialogWindow's |center|()
           
           ca's NSApp's activateIgnoringOtherApps:true
           ca's NSApp's runModalForWindow:dialogWindow
       end performSearchReplaceDialog:
       
       on buttonAction:sender
           if sender is my replaceButton then
               set my replaceClicked to true
           end if
           my dialogWindow's |close|()
       end buttonAction:
       
       on controlTextDidChange:aNotification
           set sender to aNotification's object()
           if sender is my searchTextField then
               if sender's stringValue() as text ≠ "" then
                   my (replaceButton's setEnabled:true)
               else
                   my (replaceButton's setEnabled:false)
               end if
           end if
       end controlTextDidChange:
       
       on windowWillClose:aNotification
           ca's NSApp's stopModal()
       end windowWillClose:
   end script
   return theScript's showSearchReplaceDialog()
end showSearchReplaceDialog

main()

(Tested with Catalina and Bug Sur)

Last edited by db123 (2021-09-26 07:22:50 am)

Hi peavine,

this is the default behavior for Find & Replace, and I think the script is perfect. I have added it to the scripts in the Script Debugger and assigned a shortcut in Preferences -> Key Bindings.

Last edited by db123 (2021-09-26 02:57:17 pm)

That's why I had mentioned it.
Script Debugger is already an ingenious tool.

Last edited by db123 (2021-09-27 04:17:29 am)

This is not correct. Replace all searches and replaces the entire code, not just the selected part.

@peavine
To have other workflow or approach to something doesn't mean something else is not useful.
Nor I have send any criticism to you or anyone else. In the opposite... I said: Nice Script and also Thanks for sharing.

Do you really think I'm a worse person for that, or maybe you are to sensitive.
Ask yourself how many people thank you for sharing your code, I did... also for @db123 code.

@db123
I thought it was possible to select text and do search on that and I was wrong.

Any code that are shared in public forum become part of the community. So I do not really understand why anyone could take it personal if someone have an opinion. It was not more and that but I guess it was not welcome, so sorry for that.

Last edited by Fredrik71 (2021-09-28 09:53:27 am)

@peavine: Strange. This has not yet occurred with me (Big Sur).

@peavine: The script debugger runs the script from the menu using the osascript process. This is a background process and I had to use some tricks to get the dialog to the foreground (current application's AEInteractWithUser and NSApp's activateIgnoringOtherApps).
Under Catalina it also behaves a bit different. So the buttons are not accessible with the tab key. In Big Sur they are. I think it is more likely due to the ScriptingBridge.

Edit: I have changed the script so that the values are saved to properties before the dialog is closed. Maybe this is the reason:

Applescript:

on main()
   tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
       set selectedText to selection
       set {c1, c2} to character range of selection
   end tell
   
   if c2 = 0 then
       display dialog "A text selection was not found" buttons {"Cancel", "Select All"} cancel button 1 default button 2 with title "Search and Replace" with icon caution -- disable if desired
       tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
           set selectedText to source text
           set {c1, c2} to {1, (count selectedText)}
           set selection to {c1, c2}
       end tell
   end if
   
   set dialogResult to my showSearchReplaceDialog()
   if dialogResult is missing value then
       return
   end if
   set {searchString, replaceString} to {searchString, replaceString} of dialogResult
   
   set text item delimiters to searchString
   set modifiedText to text items of selectedText
   set searchStringMatches to ((count modifiedText) - 1)
   set text item delimiters to replaceString
   set modifiedText to modifiedText as text
   set text item delimiters to {""}
   
   if searchStringMatches = 0 then errorDialog("The search string " & quote & searchString & quote & " was not found in the selected text")
   
   if searchStringMatches = 1 then
       display dialog "Replace 1 instance of " & quote & searchString & quote & " with " & quote & replaceString & quote with title "Search and Replace" with icon note
   else
       display dialog "Replace " & searchStringMatches & " instances of " & quote & searchString & quote & " with " & quote & replaceString & quote with title "Search and Replace" with icon note
   end if
   
   set c2 to c2 + (((count replaceString) - (count searchString)) * searchStringMatches)
   tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
       set selection to modifiedText
       set selection to {c1, c2}
       -- compile without showing errors -- enable if desired
   end tell
end main

on errorDialog(dialogText)
   display dialog dialogText buttons {"OK"} cancel button 1 default button 1 with title "Search and Replace" with icon stop
end errorDialog

on showSearchReplaceDialog()
   script theScript
       use scripting additions
       use framework "Foundation"
       use framework "AppKit"
       use framework "Carbon"
       
       property ca : current application
       property dialogWindow : missing value
       property searchTextField : missing value
       property replaceTextField : missing value
       property cancelButton : missing value
       property replaceButton : missing value
       property searchString : missing value
       property replaceString : missing value
       property replaceClicked : false
       
       on showSearchReplaceDialog()
           if current application's AEInteractWithUser(-1, missing value, missing value) ≠ 0 then
               return missing value
           end if
           
           if ca's NSThread's isMainThread() then
               my performSearchReplaceDialog:(missing value)
           else
               its performSelectorOnMainThread:"performSearchReplaceDialog:" withObject:(missing value) waitUntilDone:true
           end if
           
           if my replaceClicked then
               return {searchString:my searchString as text, replaceString:my replaceString as text}
           end if
           return missing value
       end showSearchReplaceDialog
       
       on performSearchReplaceDialog:args
           set findLabel to ca's NSTextField's labelWithString:"Search:"
           findLabel's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(20, 85, 70, 20))
           
           set my searchTextField to ca's NSTextField's textFieldWithString:""
           searchTextField's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(87, 85, 245, 20))
           searchTextField's setEditable:true
           searchTextField's setBordered:true
           searchTextField's setPlaceholderString:"Search for …"
           searchTextField's setDelegate:me
           
           set replaceLabel to ca's NSTextField's labelWithString:"Replace:"
           replaceLabel's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(20, 55, 70, 20))
           
           set my replaceTextField to ca's NSTextField's textFieldWithString:""
           replaceTextField's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(87, 55, 245, 20))
           replaceTextField's setEditable:true
           replaceTextField's setBordered:true
           replaceTextField's setPlaceholderString:"Replace with …"
           
           set my cancelButton to ca's NSButton's buttonWithTitle:"Cancel" target:me action:"buttonAction:"
           cancelButton's setFrameSize:{94, 32}
           cancelButton's setFrameOrigin:{150, 10}
           cancelButton's setKeyEquivalent:(character id 27)
           
           set my replaceButton to ca's NSButton's buttonWithTitle:"Replace" target:me action:"buttonAction:"
           replaceButton's setFrameSize:{94, 32}
           replaceButton's setFrameOrigin:{245, 10}
           replaceButton's setKeyEquivalent:return
           replaceButton's setEnabled:false
           
           set windowSize to ca's NSMakeRect(0, 0, 355, 125)
           set winStyle to (ca's NSWindowStyleMaskTitled as integer) + (ca's NSWindowStyleMaskClosable as integer)
           set my dialogWindow to ca's NSWindow's alloc()'s initWithContentRect:windowSize styleMask:winStyle backing:(ca's NSBackingStoreBuffered) defer:true
           
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:findLabel
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:searchTextField
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceLabel
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceTextField
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:cancelButton
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceButton
           
           dialogWindow's setTitle:"Search and Replace"
           dialogWindow's setLevel:(ca's NSModalPanelWindowLevel)
           dialogWindow's setDelegate:me
           dialogWindow's orderFront:me
           dialogWindow's |center|()
           
           ca's NSApp's activateIgnoringOtherApps:true
           ca's NSApp's runModalForWindow:dialogWindow
       end performSearchReplaceDialog:
       
       on buttonAction:sender
           if sender is my replaceButton then
               set my searchString to searchTextField's stringValue()
               set my replaceString to replaceTextField's stringValue()
               set my replaceClicked to true
           end if
           my dialogWindow's |close|()
       end buttonAction:
       
       on controlTextDidChange:aNotification
           set sender to aNotification's object()
           if sender is my searchTextField then
               if sender's stringValue() as text ≠ "" then
                   my (replaceButton's setEnabled:true)
               else
                   my (replaceButton's setEnabled:false)
               end if
           end if
       end controlTextDidChange:
       
       on windowWillClose:aNotification
           ca's NSApp's stopModal()
       end windowWillClose:
   end script
   return theScript's showSearchReplaceDialog()
end showSearchReplaceDialog

main()

Last edited by db123 (2021-10-09 01:33:35 pm)

db123. I've been using the new version of your script for almost 3 days now and haven't encountered the issue I note above. So, everything looks great. Thanks.

You can save yourself a lot of work if you use Script Debugger's UI, rather than write your own. So your script would start like this:

Applescript:

tell application id "com.latenightsw.ScriptDebugger8" -- require v8.0.2
   set findString to search string
   set replaceString to search replace string
   set usesRegex to search uses regex
   set ignoresCase to search ignores case
end tell

Note that it says version 8.0.2 is required. This has only just been released, and it fixes a bug where the search replace string property wasn't always updated correctly.

Using ASObjC you could then find the matching ranges and replace them one at a time (starting at the end), so that unchanged text would retain its format.

I think Shane meant that you could spare the script section with the dialog window and access the input fields of Script Debugger instead. That's right, but we don't deal with Applescript exclusively solution-oriented, but also to get to know AppleScriptObjC, for example. In this respect it was worth the effort (for me) and replacing with a popup window is even faster in the use case:

Still, thanks to Shane for the info and especially for the brilliant idea of being able to run scripts with shortcuts and for the Script Debugger app in general!

I revised the script in post 16 to remove an unnecessary error handler and to cleanup the code a bit. I did not alter db123's dialog handler, which works great as written.

Applescript:

-- Revised 2022.02.28

on main()
   tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
       set selectedText to selection
       set {c1, c2} to character range of selection
   end tell
   
   if c2 = 0 then -- select entire script if no selection
       display dialog "A text selection was not found" buttons {"Cancel", "Select All"} cancel button 1 default button 1 with title "Search and Replace" with icon caution -- disable if desired
       tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
           set selectedText to source text
           set {c1, c2} to {1, (count selectedText)}
           set selection to {c1, c2}
       end tell
   end if
   
   set dialogResult to my showSearchReplaceDialog()
   if dialogResult is missing value then error number -128
   set {searchString, replaceString} to {searchString, replaceString} of dialogResult
   
   set text item delimiters to searchString
   set modifiedText to text items of selectedText
   set searchStringMatches to ((count modifiedText) - 1)
   set text item delimiters to replaceString
   set modifiedText to modifiedText as text
   set text item delimiters to {""}
   
   if searchStringMatches = 0 then
       display dialog "The search string " & quote & searchString & quote & " was not found in the selected text" buttons {"OK"} cancel button 1 default button 1 with title "Search and Replace" with icon stop
   else if searchStringMatches = 1 then
       display dialog "Replace 1 instance of " & quote & searchString & quote & " with " & quote & replaceString & quote with title "Search and Replace" with icon note
   else
       display dialog "Replace " & searchStringMatches & " instances of " & quote & searchString & quote & " with " & quote & replaceString & quote with title "Search and Replace" with icon note
   end if
   
   set c2 to c2 + (((count replaceString) - (count searchString)) * searchStringMatches)
   tell application "Script Debugger" to tell document 1
       set selection to modifiedText
       set selection to {c1, c2}
       -- compile without showing errors -- enable if desired
   end tell
end main

on showSearchReplaceDialog()
   script theScript
       use scripting additions
       use framework "Foundation"
       use framework "AppKit"
       use framework "Carbon"
       
       property ca : current application
       property dialogWindow : missing value
       property searchTextField : missing value
       property replaceTextField : missing value
       property cancelButton : missing value
       property replaceButton : missing value
       property searchString : missing value
       property replaceString : missing value
       property replaceClicked : false
       
       on showSearchReplaceDialog()
           if current application's AEInteractWithUser(-1, missing value, missing value) ≠ 0 then
               return missing value
           end if
           
           if ca's NSThread's isMainThread() then
               my performSearchReplaceDialog:(missing value)
           else
               its performSelectorOnMainThread:"performSearchReplaceDialog:" withObject:(missing value) waitUntilDone:true
           end if
           
           if my replaceClicked then
               return {searchString:my searchString as text, replaceString:my replaceString as text}
           end if
           return missing value
       end showSearchReplaceDialog
       
       on performSearchReplaceDialog:args
           set findLabel to ca's NSTextField's labelWithString:"Search:"
           findLabel's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(20, 85, 70, 20))
           
           set my searchTextField to ca's NSTextField's textFieldWithString:""
           searchTextField's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(87, 85, 245, 20))
           searchTextField's setEditable:true
           searchTextField's setBordered:true
           searchTextField's setPlaceholderString:"Search for …"
           searchTextField's setDelegate:me
           
           set replaceLabel to ca's NSTextField's labelWithString:"Replace:"
           replaceLabel's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(20, 55, 70, 20))
           
           set my replaceTextField to ca's NSTextField's textFieldWithString:""
           replaceTextField's setFrame:(ca's NSMakeRect(87, 55, 245, 20))
           replaceTextField's setEditable:true
           replaceTextField's setBordered:true
           replaceTextField's setPlaceholderString:"Replace with …"
           
           set my cancelButton to ca's NSButton's buttonWithTitle:"Cancel" target:me action:"buttonAction:"
           cancelButton's setFrameSize:{94, 32}
           cancelButton's setFrameOrigin:{150, 10}
           cancelButton's setKeyEquivalent:(character id 27)
           
           set my replaceButton to ca's NSButton's buttonWithTitle:"Replace" target:me action:"buttonAction:"
           replaceButton's setFrameSize:{94, 32}
           replaceButton's setFrameOrigin:{245, 10}
           replaceButton's setKeyEquivalent:return
           replaceButton's setEnabled:false
           
           set windowSize to ca's NSMakeRect(0, 0, 355, 125)
           set winStyle to (ca's NSWindowStyleMaskTitled as integer) + (ca's NSWindowStyleMaskClosable as integer)
           set my dialogWindow to ca's NSWindow's alloc()'s initWithContentRect:windowSize styleMask:winStyle backing:(ca's NSBackingStoreBuffered) defer:true
           
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:findLabel
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:searchTextField
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceLabel
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceTextField
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:cancelButton
           dialogWindow's contentView()'s addSubview:replaceButton
           
           dialogWindow's setTitle:"Search and Replace"
           dialogWindow's setLevel:(ca's NSModalPanelWindowLevel)
           dialogWindow's setDelegate:me
           dialogWindow's orderFront:me
           dialogWindow's |center|()
           
           ca's NSApp's activateIgnoringOtherApps:true
           ca's NSApp's runModalForWindow:dialogWindow
       end performSearchReplaceDialog:
       
       on buttonAction:sender
           if sender is my replaceButton then
               set my searchString to searchTextField's stringValue()
               set my replaceString to replaceTextField's stringValue()
               set my replaceClicked to true
           end if
           my dialogWindow's |close|()
       end buttonAction:
       
       on controlTextDidChange:aNotification
           set sender to aNotification's object()
           if sender is my searchTextField then
               if sender's stringValue() as text ≠ "" then
                   my (replaceButton's setEnabled:true)
               else
                   my (replaceButton's setEnabled:false)
               end if
           end if
       end controlTextDidChange:
       
       on windowWillClose:aNotification
           ca's NSApp's stopModal()
       end windowWillClose:
   end script
   return theScript's showSearchReplaceDialog()
end showSearchReplaceDialog

main()