How to check value pasted to clipboard with AppleScript

Question

Hey guys!

I'm an AppleScript noob, and I really want to do something nice with it. How can I make an AppleScript that runs at all times checking for clipboard changes? What I want to do is check the clipboard, see if it's a certain value, and make a web request with that clipboard value.

This is what I currently have, it just gets the value that's in the current clipboard

get the clipboard
set the clipboard to "my text"

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

AppleScript does not have a way to “wait for the clipboard to change”, so you will have to “poll” the clipboard at regular intervals.

repeat loop with a pause

set oldvalue to missing value
repeat
    set newValue to the clipboard
    if oldvalue is not equal to newValue then
        try

            if newValue starts with "http://" then
                tell application "Safari" to make new document with properties {URL:newValue}
            end if

        end try
        set oldvalue to newValue
    end if

    delay 5

end repeat

^{Some might use do shell script "sleep 5" instead of delay 5; I have never had a problem with delay, but I have never use it in a long-running program like this one.}

Depending on the launcher used to run this program such a script might “tie up” the application and prevent it from launching other programs (some launchers can only run one AppleScript program at a time).

“Stay Open” application with idle handler

A better alternative is to save your program as a “Stay Open” application (in the Save As… dialog) and use an idle handler for the periodic work.

property oldvalue : missing value

on idle
    local newValue
    set newValue to the clipboard
    if oldvalue is not equal to newValue then
        try

            if newValue starts with "http://" then
                tell application "Safari" to make new document with properties {URL:newValue}
            end if

        end try
        set oldvalue to newValue
    end if

    return 5 -- run the idle handler again in 5 seconds

end idle