Question

AppleScript Save Page As with Safari

Asked by: ppeiris

Goal:  Save pdf to local directory with scripting on OS 10.5.

Scenario:
When I visit:
http://www.domainname.com/directory/generatereportpdf.aspx?VIUEoYx7fvmJJgtoX2bOw2+bHMUSd9JTe39xjuWnj+lCqxiwPX6JWbEYIq%2fIKvi1etUQkfRAaMBKmokWcUfYRWYxL93jpHV%2fd+YgP+%2f20Br6RFQmqJ5Bb1

It generates a PDF report for me on which I can right click in Safari and save it to my Desktop.  I used to have a process in FileMaker Pro using SuperContainer where I would pass the URL to supercontainer and it would upload it to your servers for document storage.  The provider of the pdf changed their site and now encrypt it as seen above and this process no longer works. The solution to my problem as I see it to have applescript save page as in Safari and save the PDF to a local directory and then have supercontainer retrieve the file from that location.

Current sticking point:
I have not found an applescript example of how to do this.
Thank you for your help

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Asked On
2008-10-16 at 12:00:45ID23821638
Tags

Apple

,

AppleScript

Topics

Apple Programming

,

FileMaker Pro Database

,

Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard)

Participating Experts
2
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: eoinosullivanPosted on 2008-10-16 at 23:46:20ID: 22738216

Why don't you use the Print to PDF option inside the print dialog in OSX?

You have some access to scripting this with Automator

See this article on how to create a PDF printer .. which you can send the current web page to.
http://www.macgeekery.com/gspot/2005-12/how_to_mass-print_to_pdf

This article contains an applescript that automates the process
http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-ipod-help-troubleshooting/48924-applescript-code-request-print-pdf-function-2.html


 

by: lesouefPosted on 2008-10-17 at 00:03:54ID: 22738298

depends what you want to save, but if a screen capture is enough, using the web viewer, you can display this page in a filemaker layout and save it as pdf using the pdf export from fm. You would be left with the former solution (supercontainer) to upload it.

 

by: ppeirisPosted on 2008-10-21 at 06:12:11ID: 22766899

Thanks for the help.  Here is the solution I came up with.

-- Remove the current copy of the file example.pdf  The try prevents the error when the file does not exist.
try
	do shell script "rm ~/Desktop/example.pdf"
end try
 
activate application "Safari"
 
-- Get the current URL and set it into a variable.
tell application "Safari"
	set urlpdf to URL of document 1
end tell
 
-- The next is UI scripting that goes to the Safari menu and performs a Save As with and then clicks the save button.
tell application "System Events"
	tell process "Safari"
		click menu item "Save As&" of menu 1 of menu bar item "File" of menu bar 1
		click button "Save" of sheet 1 of window urlpdf
	end tell
end tell

                                              
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