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Saving a script as an application

You can save a script as an application (sometimes called an “applet”) that can be run by double-clicking it in the Finder.

Applications are standard Mac OS X bundles and have no resource fork.

Important: You will not be able to edit this script again if you choose Run Only. If you want to be able to change the script in the future, be sure to save the run-only version as a copy with a different name and retain the original in the standard editable format.

To save a script as an application:

Step 1

Choose File > Save.

Step 2

Choose a location to save your file.

Step 3

In the Save dialog, choose “application” from the File Format pop-up menu.

Step 4

Enter a name for the script (.app is the filename extension).

Step 5

Select any combination of options:

Run Only: Saves the application in a non-editable format.

Startup Screen: Displays dialog with the text from the script’s Description field when the script is run. The dialog will also contain Run and Quit buttons that allow the user to stop or continue the script execution.

Stay Open: Causes the application to remain active until you quit it. Choose this option if the script contains an idle handler.

Step 6

Click Save.

If your script has an On Open handler and you save it as an application, you can run the script by dragging a file or folder to the script application’s icon. An application like this is called a droplet. The droplet will use the items dropped on it as input.

Related Topics

saving scripts