Script: New Open URL Voice Control Command

Here is an AppleScript script tool (macOS) for generating the XML of a new Voice Control Open URL command. The script will generate the values for all of the placeholders (shown in orange) and place the resulting XML on the clipboard. The URL string value for the placeholder REPLACE-WITH-URL will be provided by the user.

The XML for an Open URL Voice Control command that has a system-wide scope:

AppleScript Script: New Open URL Command XML
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<key>COMMAND-ID</key>
<dict>
	<key>CustomCommands</key>
	<dict>
		<key>LOCALE-CODE</key>
		<array>
			<string>COMMAND-STRING</string>
		</array>
	</dict>
	<key>CustomModifyDate</key>
	<date>ISO-DATE-STRING</date>
	<key>CustomScope</key>
	<string>com.apple.speech.SystemWideScope</string>
	<key>CustomType</key>
	<string>URL</string>
	<key>CustomURLStringList</key>
	<array>
		<string>REPLACE-WITH-URL</string>
	</array>
	<key>Enabled</key>
	<true/>
</dict>

The XML for an Open URL Voice Control command that has an application-specific scope:

AppleScript Script: New Open URL Command XML
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<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>CustomModifyDate</key>
	<date>ISO-DATE-STRING</date>
	<key>CustomScope</key>
	<string>TARGET-APP-ID</string>
	<key>CustomType</key>
	<string>URL</string>
	<key>CustomURLStringList</key>
	<array>
		<string>REPLACE-WITH-URL</string>
	</array>
	<key>Enabled</key>
	<true/>
</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.

AppleScript Script: New Open URL Voice Control Command
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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 Open URL 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: Open URL" 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

display dialog "Should this Voice Control command be available only in " & (targetAppName as string) & " or System-Wide?" with title "Availability of Voice Control Command" buttons {"Cancel", "System-Wide", targetAppName} default button 3
set chosenScope to the button returned of the result

## 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: Open URL"
	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: Open URL"
	set menuItemTitle to the text returned of the result
	if menuItemTitle is not "" then exit repeat
end repeat


## INSERT VALUES INTO TEMPLATE
set URLPlaceholder to "REPLACE-WITH-URL"
if chosenScope is "System-Wide" then
	set commandXML to "		<key>" & IDstring & "</key>
		<dict>
			<key>CustomCommands</key>
			<dict>
				<key>" & localeString & "</key>
				<array>
					<string>COMMANDSTRING</string>
				</array>
			</dict>
			<key>CustomModifyDate</key>
			<date>" & dateString & "</date>
			<key>CustomScope</key>
			<string>com.apple.speech.SystemWideScope</string>
			<key>CustomType</key>
			<string>URL</string>
			<key>CustomURLStringList</key>
			<array>
				<string>" & URLPlaceholder & "</string>
			</array>
			<key>Enabled</key>
			<true/>
		</dict>
"
else
	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>CustomModifyDate</key>
			<date>" & dateString & "</date>
			<key>CustomScope</key>
			<string>" & targetAppID & "</string>
			<key>CustomType</key>
			<string>URL</string>
			<key>CustomURLStringList</key>
			<array>
				<string>" & URLPlaceholder & "</string>
			</array>
			<key>Enabled</key>
			<true/>
		</dict>
"
end if

## 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." & return & return & "Be sure to replace the placeholder “REPLACE-WITH-URL” with the target URL." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 with title "Voice Control Command: Open URL"

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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