MacOS – Using Apple Script to Manage Sound Output Selection

applescriptaudioautomationmacos

I am brand new here and I have an additional clarification or need additional help for an issue from this thread – Applescript: "can't get tab group 1 of window" (El Capitan)

In my preference pane, in addition to Headphones and Digital out, I also have 2 apple monitors and would like the option of selecting one of them as out put (namely the first one in the list).

Basically I need help with adjust his solution to be able to select the third row or first monitor as sound output. Or a way to accomplish this without knowing how to edit AppleScript for a different setup.

Best Answer

With a little experimentation on Arthur Hammer's script I discovered that the lines set deviceselected to "xyz" appear to be just visual feedback whilst in Script Editor & don't seem to be part of the actual functionality.

The actual switching appears to be just between 2 chosen lines in the Control Panel; so, if you just need to switch between any 2 outputs, then you can just use the row numbers.

In this example I've lifted them out to be variables, so you don't need to delve in the script to change the required lines…

As you have more than 2 outputs, the first time you switch it will not necessarily go from/to the correct device, but will after that.
For example, if you wanted to switch between outputs 3 & 4, yet 2 was currently selected, the first change would be from "not 3" as opposed to "is 3" [hope you understand that convoluted explanation]

(*
Applescript to toggle between two sound outputs by Line number, ¬
as they appear in the Sound Control Panel. Based on code by ¬
Arthur Hammer http://apple.stackexchange.com/a/209434/85275
*)

set outputA to 3 --change this to the actual 'line number' of your first desired output
set outputB to 4 --change this to the actual 'line number' of your second desired output
--the rest of the script will use these vales as a switch

tell application "System Preferences"
    activate
    set current pane to pane "com.apple.preference.sound"
end tell


tell application "System Events"
    tell application process "System Preferences"
        repeat until exists tab group 1 of window "Sound"
        end repeat
        tell tab group 1 of window "Sound"
            click radio button "Output"
            if (selected of row outputA of table 1 of scroll area 1) then
                set selected of row outputB of table 1 of scroll area 1 to true
            else
                set selected of row outputA of table 1 of scroll area 1 to true
            end if
        end tell
    end tell
end tell
--tell application "System Preferences" to quit
--remove the comment '--' tag above to make the control panel quit afterwards, leave for testing.

Maybe a little pictorial clarification - using the above script with outputA = 3 & outputB = 4, I can now switch between Digital Out & TonePort UX2.

One more note - the line numbers do not have to be consecutive, I could just as easily switch between Internal Speakers & TonePort by using lines 1 & 4.

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