Lets say you are looking for a solution to send instant message from AS to mobile device.
Maybe you have limited knowledge about programming but you do know AppleScript.
To make instant message we will use Telegram.
- You need a token and chatId
You could go here to get it: https://telegram.org
The script use 2 arguments: content message to send, chatId.
Why is this useful
The AppleScript could ask for any information and feed that message to Node-Red that later send instant message to mobile device. Anything is possible with very little knowledge and programming skills. Node-Red is a event-driven approach that make automation connection with many different protocols. In return the user do not need to program whose API in low level programming or frameworks.
Ps. I’m sure other approaches to use Apple message is possible, but what will you do if you like to send a message to a user who do not use a iPhone.
use framework "Foundation"
use scripting additions
on run argv
set aList to {}
try
set countItems to count items of argv
repeat with i from 1 to countItems
if countItems > 0 then
copy item i of argv to end of aList
end if
end repeat
end try
-- the handler
its makeJSONString(sendingMessage(item 1 of argv, item 2 of argv))
end run
on sendingMessage(theMessage, theChatId)
return {chatId:theChatId, type:"message", content:theMessage}
end sendingMessage
on makeJSONString(theRecord)
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's dataWithJSONObject:theRecord options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text)
set theString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return theString as text
end makeJSONString
The flow in Node-Red to test…
Here is other example… to follow my first message in this topic.
This example will get data from Numbers from a specific Sheet, Table, Cell and Column
Return a record to feed the message to Node-Red.
This example only use 1 argument in the run handle and that is is chatId
The rest will use AppleScript to get data from Numbers. If everything is working you will have a
instans message in Telegram with the Category and Value from Numbers.
use framework "Foundation"
use scripting additions
on run argv
set aList to {}
try
set countItems to count items of argv
repeat with i from 1 to countItems
if countItems > 0 then
copy item i of argv to end of aList
end if
end repeat
end try
-- get data from numbers
set theData to getDataFromCells()
set {theName, theValue} to {its category of theData, its value of theData}
-- the handler
its makeJSONString(sendingMessage(theName & ":" & theValue, item 1 of argv))
end run
on getDataFromCells()
tell application "Numbers"
set theDoc to make new document with properties {document template:template "Simple Budget"}
tell theDoc to tell sheet "Budget"
set theTable to table "Expenses"
tell theTable
set theCell to 2
{category:its value of cell theCell of column 1, |value|:its value of cell theCell of column 2}
end tell
end tell
end tell
end getDataFromCells
on sendingMessage(theMessage, theChatId)
return {chatId:theChatId, type:"message", content:theMessage}
end sendingMessage
on makeJSONString(theRecord)
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's dataWithJSONObject:theRecord options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text)
set theString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return theString as text
end makeJSONString
The idea about AppleScript was to find a way to be able to send message between applications.
The solution Apple choose to do it was Apple Events. Apple Events is a event-driven programming or inter-process communication IPC.
So when you think about it, is not that what Node-Red does in some ways.
Inputs, function and outputs
When we think a task to be inputs, function or outputs it become clear or make it more easier to
understand different technology or API’s.
- Web application trigger a event to execute a unix command.
- The unix command ask the user for input
- The unix command execute functions to get data from other application or process.
- The data is converted to JSON format
- Trigger a function with data to send data or payload’s to a service.
use framework "Foundation"
use scripting additions
on run argv
set aList to {}
try
set countItems to count items of argv
repeat with i from 1 to countItems
if countItems > 0 then
copy item i of argv to end of aList
end if
end repeat
end try
-- get data from Numbers.app
set theNumber to (display dialog "Choose category row" default answer "Type a number greater and 2 as integer")'s text returned
set theData to getDataFromCellsWithRow(theNumber as integer)
set {theName, theValue} to {its category of theData, its value of theData}
-- Quit the apps (Numbers.app)
its quitAll()
-- the handler
return its makeJSONString(sendingMessage(theName & ": " & theValue, item 1 of argv))
end run
on quitAll()
tell application "Numbers"
if application "Numbers" exists then
quit
end if
end tell
end quitAll
on getDataFromCellsWithRow(theRow)
tell application "Numbers"
set theDoc to make new document with properties {document template:template "Simple Budget"}
tell theDoc to tell sheet "Budget"
set theTable to table "Expenses"
tell theTable
set theCell to theRow
return {category:its value of cell theCell of column 1, |value|:its value of cell theCell of column 2}
end tell
end tell
end tell
end getDataFromCellsWithRow
on sendingMessage(theMessage, theChatId)
return {chatId:theChatId, type:"message", content:theMessage}
end sendingMessage
on makeJSONString(theRecord)
set {theData, theError} to current application's NSJSONSerialization's dataWithJSONObject:theRecord options:0 |error|:(reference)
if theData is missing value then error (theError's localizedDescription() as text)
set theString to current application's NSString's alloc()'s initWithData:theData encoding:(current application's NSUTF8StringEncoding)
return theString as text
end makeJSONString