[Paanii-Gingles]

Hello all, first post even though I have been here a while. I am trying to get a certain Applescript to work with no success. I can get a repeat to work in creating new files, but on the other hand the data inside the files tends to repeat when I do not want it to. I want the numbers to be sequential in each file to correspond to the filename, but that does not seem to happen. I have posted the code below and would be glad for any help.

set thehtml to ""
set bname to "a0"
tell application "Finder"
display dialog "Value:" buttons {"OK", "Cancel"} default answer "" default button "OK"
set itemz to text returned of result
set itemza to
set header to "<!--#include virtual=\"/inc/header.inc\" -->" as string
set footer to "<!--#include virtual=\"/inc/footer.inc\" -->" as string
set start to "<div id=\"left\">
<h2>Area Rugs:</h2>
<h3><!--#ystore_catalog id=" as string
set next to " field=\"name\" --></h3>
<span class=\"image\"><a href=\"javascriptoptastic('<!--#ystore_catalog id=" as string
set nexter to " field=\"image\" -->');\"><!--#ystore_catalog id=" as string
set nexterer to "field=image format=html --></a></span><!--#ystore_catalog id="
set order to " field=caption -->
<form method=\"post\" action=\"<!--#ystore_order id=" as string
set closeup to " -->\">
<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Order\">
</form>
<br class=\"clear\" />
</div>" as string
set thehtml to thehtml & header & start & (bname & itemz) & next & (bname & itemz) & nexter & (bname & itemz) & nexterer & (bname & itemz) & order & (bname & itemz) & closeup & footer
repeat with itemz from 1 to itemz
set pat to "Mac:Users:Homeesktop:" as string
set open_file to ((pat & (bname & itemz) & ".htm") as string)
open for access (open_file) with write permission
write thehtml to (open_file as alias) as string starting at eof
close access (open_file as alias)
end repeat
end tell

[Brass]

I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to achieve, but it looks to me like you need to have the "set thehtml" line within the repeat loop. Ie, swap the "set thehtml" line and the "repeat" line.

As it is, "thehtml" is set once, just before entering the repeat loop, and then never changed, and written to each file with exactly the same content.

Also the repeat line itself doesn't make much sense in that is uses the same variable name twice. Although not syntactically wrong, I doubt it's what you really want.

Instead of:
repeat with itemz from 1 to itemz

you probably should have something like:
repeat with anItem from 1 to maxItem

Then within the loop you would reference the "anItem" variable.

[Paanii-Gingles]

Originally Posted by Brass

I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to achieve, but it looks to me like you need to have the "set thehtml" line within the repeat loop. Ie, swap the "set thehtml" line and the "repeat" line.

Also the repeat line doesn't make much sense when using the same variable name twice.

Instead of:
repeat with itemz from 1 to itemz

you probably should have something like:
repeat with anItem from 1 to maxItem

Then within the loop you would reference the "anItem" variable.

Hm... maybe I really haven't made myself clear. What I need to do is taken a number limit through input. Then I need to create a number of htm files until X. In those html files I need to input certain variables that correspond to the filename (without the extension). This needs to be done sequentially with only one instance of the code in each file.

As the script renders now, I get the correct filenames. However, the code has a01 in the first, the second has a01 and a02, the third has a01, a02 and a03. I need the second to only have a02 and the third to have only a03 etc... Does this make more sense? I made a mistake when I pasted the code and the "thehtml" variable was inside the loop. This gave me the above result I described (not the one I wanted). Thanks a lot!

[Diggory Laycock]

How about this: (as Brass pointed out, you got the repeat a bit wrong.)

Code:
property outputDirectoryPath : "wideboy:users:diggory:desktop:testOutput:"

property headerText : "<!--#include virtual=\"/inc/header.inc\" -->"
property footerText : "<!--#include virtual=\"/inc/footer.inc\" -->"
property startHTML : "<div id=\"left\">
<h2>Area Rugs:</h2>
<h3><!--#ystore_catalog id="
property next : " field=\"name\" --></h3>
<span class=\"image\"><a href=\"javascriptoptastic('<!--#ystore_catalog id="
property nexter : " field=\"image\" -->');\"><!--#ystore_catalog id="
property nexterer : "field=image format=html --></a></span><!--#ystore_catalog id="
property order : " field=caption -->
<form method=\"post\" action=\"<!--#ystore_order id="
property closeupHTML : " -->\">
<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Order\">
</form>
<br class=\"clear\" />
</div>"



tell application "Finder"
	display dialog "Value:" buttons {"OK", "Cancel"} default answer "" default button "OK"
	set numItems to text returned of result as number
	repeat with currentIndex from 1 to numItems
		set currentFileName to "a" & currentIndex
		if currentIndex is less than 10 then set currentFileName to "a0" & currentIndex
		
		set thehtml to headerText & startHTML & currentFileName & next & currentFileName & nexter & currentFileName & nexterer & currentFileName & order & currentFileName & closeupHTML & footerText
		
		set open_file to ((outputDirectoryPath & currentFileName & ".htm") as string)
		open for access (open_file) with write permission
		write thehtml to (open_file as alias) as string starting at eof
		close access (open_file as alias)
	end repeat
end tell

for more info on applescript repeats, see here:

http://www.macobserver.com/tips/appl...20020612.shtml

[Paanii-Gingles]

Originally Posted by Diggory Laycock

How about this: (as Brass pointed out, you got the repeat a bit wrong.)

Code:
property outputDirectoryPath : "wideboy:users:diggory:desktop:testOutput:"

property headerText : "<!--#include virtual=\"/inc/header.inc\" -->"
property footerText : "<!--#include virtual=\"/inc/footer.inc\" -->"
property startHTML : "<div id=\"left\">
<h2>Area Rugs:</h2>
<h3><!--#ystore_catalog id="
property next : " field=\"name\" --></h3>
<span class=\"image\"><a href=\"javascriptoptastic('<!--#ystore_catalog id="
property nexter : " field=\"image\" -->');\"><!--#ystore_catalog id="
property nexterer : "field=image format=html --></a></span><!--#ystore_catalog id="
property order : " field=caption -->
<form method=\"post\" action=\"<!--#ystore_order id="
property closeupHTML : " -->\">
<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Order\">
</form>
<br class=\"clear\" />
</div>"



tell application "Finder"
	display dialog "Value:" buttons {"OK", "Cancel"} default answer "" default button "OK"
	set numItems to text returned of result as number
	repeat with currentIndex from 1 to numItems
		set currentFileName to "a" & currentIndex
		if currentIndex is less than 10 then set currentFileName to "a0" & currentIndex
		
		set thehtml to headerText & startHTML & currentFileName & next & currentFileName & nexter & currentFileName & nexterer & currentFileName & order & currentFileName & closeupHTML & footerText
		
		set open_file to ((outputDirectoryPath & currentFileName & ".htm") as string)
		open for access (open_file) with write permission
		write thehtml to (open_file as alias) as string starting at eof
		close access (open_file as alias)
	end repeat
end tell

for more info on applescript repeats, see here:

http://www.macobserver.com/tips/appl...20020612.shtml

Alright so I could kiss you! I get up this morning and and I tried out your script and it just... works! Thank you so very, very much! I also looked through the script and now understand where I got my repeat wrong. This has turned out to be a really good learning experience for me as well. I don't know sometimes I just prefer AppleScript to Automator. I tried my level best to use that, but I could not get anything done with it. Thank you so very much though again to both of you!