AppleScript in Bash – How to Create an Alias for an App

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I need to create an alias on my Desktop to an app in my Applications folder, using a bash script file.

As far as I know, it's only possible with AppleScript.
Unfortunately, my AppleScript skills are non-existent.
I couldn't find a good working example on how to create an alias on my Desktop.

1) How do I create an alias on my Desktop using AppleScript?

2) How do I insert this AppleScript into my bash script file so that it could work in Terminal?

Best Answer

osascript will run AppleScript code in your shell. This example uses a HEREDOC to present the code to osascript.

/usr/bin/osascript <<'EOF'
tell application "Finder"
    set myapp to POSIX file "/Applications/Chess.app" as alias
    make new alias to myapp at Desktop
    set name of result to "Chess.app"
end tell
EOF

Source- Link

Related Solutions

Run AppleScript from Terminal – Integrating Bash and Command-Line Scripts in MacOS

The argument for osascript -e can contain newlines:

osascript -e 'set x to "a"
say x'

You can also specify multiple -e arguments:

osascript -e 'set x to "a"' -e 'say x'

Or if you use a heredoc, bash interprets three characters (\, $, and `) between <<END and END but no characters between <<'END' and END.

osascript <<'END'
set x to "a"
say x
END

Edit:

Since osascript can operate with a heredoc (ie take input from /dev/stdin) then one can just write the script as a whole file and prepend with the correct shebang line:

#!/usr/bin/env osascript

set x to "a"
say x

This also allows you to save your apple script as a actual program in ~/Applications/.app using the following procedure (changing for your script's name):

mkdir -p ~/Applications/<APP_NAME>.app/Contents/MacOS
touch ~/Applications/<APP_NAME>.app/Contents/MacOS/<APP_NAME>
open -A TextEdit ~/Applications/<APP_NAME>.app/Contents/MacOS/<APP_NAME>

Ensure that both the script file in .../MacOS/ and the matches

How to make an AppleScript use a Folder in the Contents of a Bundle for an alias on the Desktop

You don't need to tell Terminal to run the script (unless you just want to lay eyes on it). But also you'll want to use a posix path escaped to prevent errors.

You could do it like ...

set myRes to alias (path to me as text) & "Contents:Resources:"

tell application "Finder"
     make new alias to folder (myRes & "Pass-Through Drive") at desktop
end tell

set posixRes to (POSIX path of myRes)

do shell script quoted form of posixRes & "BasilliskII --config " & quoted form of posixRes & "basilisk_ii_prefs"

tell application "Finder"
    delete file "Pass-Through Drive" of desktop
end tell

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Run AppleScript from Terminal – Integrating Bash and Command-Line Scripts in MacOS

How to make an AppleScript use a Folder in the Contents of a Bundle for an alias on the Desktop

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