Calling AppleScript from Python without using osascript or appscript?

python macos applescript
gimboland picture gimboland · Apr 17, 2013 · Viewed 11.1k times · Source

Is there any way to execute (and obtain the results of) AppleScript code from python without using the osascript command-line utility or appscript (which I don't really want to use (I think?) because it's no longer developed/supported/recommended)?

Rationale: in another question I've just posted, I describe a strange/undesired behaviour I'm experiencing with running some AppleScript via osascript. As I'm actually calling it from a python script, I wondered if there was a way to route around osascript altogether, since that seems to be where the problem lies - but appscript (the obvious choice?) looks risky now...

Answer

Ken Thomases picture Ken Thomases · Apr 17, 2013

You can use the PyObjC bridge:

>>> from Foundation import *
>>> s = NSAppleScript.alloc().initWithSource_("tell app \"Finder\" to activate")
>>> s.executeAndReturnError_(None)

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