I seek a script to switch screens.

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

I know it is the holiday season and I should be full of good will toward man but my spirit is being tested these days. On several recent occasions, I have offered full solutions for people seeking help, with no ulterior motive, and it is clear that I have made an effort to provide these solutions yet they go unacknowledged by the recipient. Here are but three examples of this in the past week or two (1, 2, and 3). Number 3 is particularly galling to me since not only did the poster submit his request in three places on this board, he contacted me directly via email. Admittedly, when I sent him a fully editable solution script, I suggested that if it was a viable solution then he should consider making a small contribution to my development costs. No response. (Below is a transcript of the exchange).

I like to think of myself as a generous person, and all I’m ever looking for is a little gratitude, but it seems as if that may be a fool’s quest. Well, thanks for reading and letting me vent a little. The souls in this forum have always seemed like kindred spirits and I appreciate it. Peace to all.

Jon

------ Forwarded Message
From: Jonathan Nathan jonn8@mac.com
Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 19:46:06 -0500
To: atik@shinyheadgraphics.com
Subject: Re: Need an AppleScript in a hurry!

on 12/20/03 5:18 PM, atik@shinyheadgraphics.com at atik@shinyheadgraphics.com wrote:

Hi! Just found your page through Google. I have a project that needs to be
completed tomorrow. It involves creating 120 text files containing the
names of 120 image files. I am of course desperately searching for an
AppleScript that can do the job for me. Do you know where I could find
one? To be more exact, what it needs to do is read the names of files in a
given folder and for each one create a text file containing the name of
the original file, and then save each file in the same folder. The files
could have the same names as the originals but with a .txt suffix.

Would greatly appreciate any help you could offer!

Attached is a script that will do what you want (if I’m understanding your situation correctly). Simply expand the attached file, and drop your folder of files on the script’s icon. It will get the name of every file in the folder and make a new text file with just the name of image file and name it for the image file with the “.txt” extension. It is a fairly basic script and can be modified in the Script Editor. If there are errors, an error log will be written in the folder. You may encounter other errors if you drop an item other than a folder on the script. You can also run it by simply double-clicking the script icon and then choosing the source folder when prompted. I am providing this script free of charge but if it works for you, please consider making a nominal contribution to my webhosting and development costs. For more information, please see:

http://order.kagi.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?storeID=ELJ&&#as

Let me know how this works for you.

Sincerely,
Jon Nathan

------ End of Forwarded Message

#2

Jon,

I feel your pain. Unfortunately, there will always be those who take without giving, even if giving is defined as a simple “Thanks! It works great!”. When I’ve invested a fair amount of time in helping someone and they don’t even bother to ackowledge the help, I make a mental note and think twice about helping them on subsequent requests. I don’t require praise or glory but it’s always nice to know if the solution worked!

With that said, there have been several occasions where an acknowledgement came days, weeks or months later. Sometimes people just get busy with other things and sometimes they forget where the help came from.

The value of the help provided by the members of this beta forum cannot be measured and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for your willingness to share.

Happy holidays and best wishes to all!

Rob

#3

Hi Jon,

I know exactly what you are feeling. Been there. That is the main reason why I dont visit the lists as often as I used to. These days, when I do respond, I try to point them in the right direction and give them some helpful hints, but refrain from giving a complete solution. I firmly believe this old cliché applies to this situation:

“Catch a man a fish and you feed him for a day,
teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.”

Happy holidays and success to all in the new year!

–
Ross Higgins
www.MacScripter.net

#4

Hi Jon and all :slight_smile:

I understand your despair very well.

I’m sorry Jon, because I proposed, a few minutes ago, a solution, but as soon as I took note of this topic, I erased my answer.

I hope that the new year will be able to reward you for all the time and the availability which you give to help the others.
I know that you, and others on this forum, deserve it incontestably.

Merry Christmas for all :slight_smile:

#5

Thanks for the responses–that’s all I was looking for, to know that some where out there I’m being heard. I know about teaching fishing but that is very difficult to do online, especially with something as confusing and non-uniform as AppleScript. I tend to try and provide complete solutions once and then, in the future, prod posters to use the search function (sometimes impolitely, I know) to find and build on the solution. That’s also why I’ve posted many examples to Code Exchange, ScriptBuilders, and my own website (including many fully-formed AS Studio projects).

I also know that variations of this discussion have gone on before but every so often it just backs up and I need to let off some steam. Thanks for letting me do so.

Happy holidays.

Jon