applescript_terminal_commands.md•1.75 kB
# AppleScript: Terminal Command Execution
This document demonstrates how to execute Terminal commands from AppleScript. This capability allows you to automate command-line operations and incorporate shell commands into your AppleScript workflows.
## Basic Usage
```applescript
-- Run a command in a new Terminal tab
tell application "Terminal"
activate
do script "ls -la ~/"
end tell
```
## How It Works
1. The script uses Terminal.app's AppleScript dictionary to interact with the application
2. `activate` brings Terminal to the foreground
3. `do script` tells Terminal to execute the specified shell command
4. By default, this creates a new tab (or window if none exist) and runs the command there
## Advanced Usage: Run Command in Existing Tab
```applescript
tell application "Terminal"
-- Run in the frontmost tab if it exists
if (count of windows) > 0 then
do script "echo 'Running in current tab'" in front window
else
-- Otherwise create a new tab
do script "echo 'Created new tab'"
end if
end tell
```
## Common Use Cases
- Running system maintenance commands
- Starting development servers
- Executing scripts that require a terminal environment
- Automating installation or update processes
- Running network diagnostics or monitoring commands
## Notes and Limitations
- Commands run asynchronously by default - the script continues without waiting for command completion
- For commands that require user input, you'll need to prepare for interactive sessions
- To run commands that require sudo, it's better to use the `do shell script` command with administrator privileges
- The terminal window remains open after command execution - you would need additional scripting to close it automatically
