AppleScript Word Count Service
I am trying to create a service in OSX vocabulary that counts the word count of the selected text. I have an automaton to run applescript, with the following in it:
on run {input, parameters}
count words of input
display alert "Words: " & input
return input
end run
When I compile the script, it says it cannot read every word. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for the help,
Elliot
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First of all, I assume you are testing this in Automator and what is where the error occurs? If so, the likely problem is that there is no input - so it can't read words of anything. To test it successfully, you need to temporarily add a Get Specified Text action before the Run AppleScript action and enter some test text in this field. You will need to remove the Get Specified Text activity before using it as the actual service.
Second, you need to use
count words of (input as string)
to get the correct score, otherwise it will return zero.
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I made one here on Github:
https://gist.github.com/1616556
Current source:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "System Events"
set _appname to name of first process whose frontmost is true
end tell
set word_count to count words of (input as string)
set character_count to count characters of (input as string)
tell application _appname
display alert "" & word_count & " words, " & character_count & " characters"
end tell
return input
end run
Use Automator.app to create a new service and then choose the Run AppleScript action. Paste this code into a text box and save it as Word and Character Count. Now switch to the new app, select the text and open the context menu to find the new option.
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