Macos – Mac OS: How to launch the iTerm terminal, with a specific profile, from Automator or AppleScript

It's quite easy in OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, by creating a new service. This is not supported in earlier versions of OS X. For example:

• Start Applications » Automator.
• Select "Service" for the template of the new Automator workflow.
• In the top of the right pane, select "Service receives no input in any application".
• Drag action "Run AppleScript" from the left pane into the workflow on the right pane.

• Replace the default with:

  on run {input, parameters}
  tell application "Safari"
  activate
  open location "http://superuser.com/"
  end tell
  return input
  end run

  

• Optional: click the Run button to test.

• Hit Cmd-S to save. The name you type will be the name in the Services menu. The workflow will be saved in ~/Library/Services.

Or, to have the default application open the file or location^†:

• Instead of dragging action "Run AppleScript" into the workflow, use "Run Shell Script".
• Leave Shell at its default "/bin/bash", and replace the default command cat with:

  open "http://superuser.com"

  or

  open "/Developer/Examples/OpenGL/Cocoa/CocoaGL/CocoaGL.xcodeproj"

To assign a keyboard shortcut, in 10.6:

• Open System Preferences » Keyboard » pane Keyboard Shortcuts.
• Select "Services" in the left pane.
• Scroll down to General in the right pane.
• Double-click to the right of the Automator workflow you just created.
• Press the keys you want to use (and if applicable, remove existing associations if you get a warning "Shortcut used by another action"), and switch panes to ensure the new shortcut is saved.

Unfortunately, it seems that this way Services cannot be assigned a function key (the key is displayed but remains in "edit mode", and when clicking elsewhere, it's lost, which is different from assigning function keys to built-in things like Exposé, or when adding an application shortcut).

To assign a function key, there are two options:

1. Assume that most applications have a Services menu, and hence will find the name like it appears there. So, if the service is named "Open Super User" then map the menu item Services » Open Super User:

   • Open System Preferences » Keyboard » pane Keyboard Shortcuts.
   • Select "Application Shortcuts" in the left pane.
   • Select "All Applications" in the right pane.
   • Add an entry for the exact name "Open Super User" and assign some function key.

2. Or, use the command line:

   • Find its hexadecimal keycode: F1 = \UF704, F2 = \UF705, ..., F6 = \UF709, F7 = \UF70A, etc.
   • Prefix that with any combination of @ for Command, ^ for Ctrl, ~ for Option, and $ for Shift.

   • Open Terminal. If the name of the service is Open Super User, then to map that service to F1, run:

     defaults write pbs NSServicesStatus -dict-add \
       '"(null) - Open Super User - runWorkflowAsService"' \
       '{ "key_equivalent" = "\UF704"; }'
     

     Or for Command-Shift-F12:

       '{ "key_equivalent" = "@$\UF70F"; }'
     

   • To make all running applications aware of the change you made using Terminal:

     • Close System Preferences if that was already running.
     • Find your new service in System Preferences » Keyboard » pane Keyboard Shortcuts like described above.
     • Disable and re-enable its checkbox to make every application aware of the change.

^{† There must be some AppleScript version of this as well, but I'm no expert... Anyone?}

This, while possible, may be a bit too fiddly to do with a script. Here is a partial sample script that restores firefox and itunes windows (adapted from the script found here.)

property numFFWindows : 0
property FFPos : {}
property FFSize : {}
property iTunesPos : {}
property iTunesSize : {}

display dialog "Set Window Position or Save Window Position?" buttons {"Restore", "Save"} default button "Restore"
set theResult to result

tell application "System Events"
    if (button returned of theResult is "Restore") then
        -- Restore Settings
        if (numFFWindows > 0) then
            tell process "Firefox"
                repeat with i from 1 to numFFWindows
                    set position of window i to (item i of FFPos)
                    set size of window i to (item i of FFSize)
                end repeat
            end tell
        end if
        if (iTunesPos is not {0, 0}) then
            tell process "iTunes"
                set position of window 1 to iTunesPos
                set size of window 1 to iTunesSize
            end tell
        end if
    else
        -- Save Settings
        tell process "Firefox"
            set numFFWindows to count windows
            set FFPos to {}
            set FFSize to {}
            repeat with i from 1 to numFFWindows
                set end of FFPos to (position of window i)
                set end of FFSize to (size of window i)
            end repeat
        end tell
        tell process "iTunes"
            set iTunesPos to position of window 1
            set iTunesSize to size of window 1
        end tell
    end if
end tell

I suggest you to look at this utility for more flexibility:

http://cordlessdog.com/stay/