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Script: New Menu Item Voice Control Command

Here is an AppleScript script tool (macOS) for generating the XML of a new Voice Control Menu Item command. The script will generate the values for all of the placeholders (shown in orange) and place the resulting XML on the clipboard.

AppleScript Script: New Menu Item Command XML


<key>COMMAND-ID</key> <dict> <key>CustomAppName</key> <string>TARGET-APP-NAME</string> <key>CustomCommands</key> <dict> <key>LOCALE-CODE</key> <array> <string>COMMAND-STRING</string> </array> </dict> <key>CustomMenuTextList</key> <array> <string>MENU-ITEM-TITLE</string> </array> <key>CustomModifyDate</key> <string>ISO-DATE-STRING</string> <key>CustomScope</key> <string>TARGET-APP-ID</string> <key>CustomType</key> <string>Menu</string> </dict>

Property List Editor and Tools

To edit Voice Control commands files, you’ll need an XML editor application that accepts the creation of XML elements via the pasting of XML text from the clipboard. The examples and downloads provided on this website were created using PlistEdit Pro from Fat Cat Software.

DOWNLOAD SCRIPT

To install, place the AppleScript script file in the Home ▶︎ Library ▶︎ Scripts folder on your computer. If there is no Scripts folder, make a new one. Next activate the system-wide Script Menu from the General Preferences in the Script Editor application that comes with macOS (Application ▶︎ Utilities folder). Installed scripts will be available from the activated Script Menu in the top right menu bar.

AppleScript Script: New Menu Item Voice Control Command


use AppleScript version "2.4" -- Yosemite (10.10) or later use framework "Foundation" use scripting additions -- classes, constants, and enums used property NSUserDefaults : a reference to current application's NSUserDefaults property NSNumberFormatter : a reference to current application's NSNumberFormatter property NSString : a reference to current application's NSString property scriptID : "com.nyhthawk-productions.script.vc-menu-item-command" property defaultTargetAppName : "Finder" property defaultTargetAppID : "com.apple.finder" global targetAppName, targetAppID ## USER DEFAULTS set theDefaults to NSUserDefaults's alloc()'s initWithSuiteName:scriptID theDefaults's registerDefaults:{targetAppName:defaultTargetAppName, targetAppID:defaultTargetAppID} set targetAppName to (theDefaults's stringForKey:"targetAppName") as string set targetAppID to (theDefaults's stringForKey:"targetAppID") as string ## USER PROMPT repeat set dialogMessage to "This script will generate the XML text for a new Menu Item Voice Command element." & return set dialogMessage to dialogMessage & return & "Target Application: " & targetAppName set dialogMessage to dialogMessage & return & "Application ID: " & targetAppID display dialog dialogMessage with title "Voice Control Command: Menu Item" buttons {"Cancel", "Set App", "Continue"} default button 3 set actionChoice to the button returned of the result if actionChoice is "Continue" then exit repeat else if actionChoice is "Set App" then set targetApp to choose application with prompt "Select the application to use:" tell targetApp set targetAppID to the id of it set targetAppName to the name of it end tell theDefaults's setObject:targetAppID forKey:"targetAppID" theDefaults's setObject:targetAppName forKey:"targetAppName" end if end repeat ## GENERATE THE COMMAND ID set IDstring to ("Custom." & generateAbsoluteTimeID()) as string ## GENERATE THE CURRENT DATE IN ISO FORMAT set dateString to do shell script "date +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ'" ## GET THE CURRENT LOCALE set localeString to user locale of (system info) ## PROMPT FOR COMMAND STRING repeat display dialog "Enter the command text or phrase:" default answer "" with title "Voice Control Command: Menu" set commandString to the text returned of the result if commandString is not "" then exit repeat end repeat ## PROMPT FOR MENU ITEM TITLE repeat display dialog "Enter the title of the menu item:" default answer "" with title "Voice Control Command: Menu" set menuItemTitle to the text returned of the result if menuItemTitle is not "" then exit repeat end repeat ## INSERT VALUES INTO TEMPLATE set commandXML to " <key>" & IDstring & "</key> <dict> <key>CustomAppName</key> <string>" & targetAppName & "</string> <key>CustomCommands</key> <dict> <key>" & localeString & "</key> <array> <string>" & commandString & "</string> </array> </dict> <key>CustomMenuTextList</key> <array> <string>" & menuItemTitle & "</string> </array> <key>CustomModifyDate</key> <string>" & dateString & "</string> <key>CustomScope</key> <string>" & targetAppID & "</string> <key>CustomType</key> <string>Menu</string> </dict> " ## PUT COMMAND XML ON CLIPBOARD set the clipboard to commandXML ## PROMPT THE USER display dialog "The XML text for a new Menu Item Voice Command is on the clipboard." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 with title "Voice Control Command: Menu" on generateAbsoluteTimeID() ## 669490008.038141 set currentAbsoluteTime to current application's CFAbsoluteTimeGetCurrent() set fmtr to NSNumberFormatter's new() fmtr's setFormat:"#.#########" set exportDateString to NSString's stringWithFormat_("%@", fmtr's stringFromNumber:currentAbsoluteTime) as string if length of exportDateString is not 23 then repeat until length of exportDateString is 18 set exportDateString to exportDateString & (random number from 1 to 9) as string end repeat end if return exportDateString end generateAbsoluteTimeID

 

 

 

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