Convert Text

Question

Since I have been posting to these forms, I have been annoyed by the conversions that are done to my posts. A word surrounded by asterisks gets bolded. When I decide to make a link to a post, I can never remember the exact format. When I posted AppleScript code, I found that it is squish to the left. The AppleScript I have posted here gets around these problems.
usage: What you need to do is copy the text that you wish to post to the clipboard then run this AppleScript then paste the text into your post.
Robert
This AppleScript program is designed to convert HTML links to forum posts, to convert special characters to their HTML symbols, and to preserve formatting.  
1)  When the clipboard contains a link to a forum reply page.
 The AppleScript forums designers  specify a roundabout way for you to reference a particular web post.  Here is that way:
 a) Find the particular post you wish to reference.  
 b) Click on the reply icon.  
 c) Copy  the Web address to the clipboard .  
 d) Run this AppleScript to convert the Web address.  
 e) Paste the converted Web address into your post.
  For example,  this AppleScript will convert this Web address:
    http://discussions.apple.com/post!reply.jspa?messageID=9003196
  into this Web address:
          http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9003196#9003196
2)  Assume that the clipboard contains text to convert.  
 Many of the special characters are used to indicate formatting in the forums.
 See "Other formating tags are available as shown below" in
 http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa
 This AppleScript will converted to HTML these special symbols in order to preserve the original characters. Also, this AppleScript preserves indentation used in programs or Terminal output.
 a) Copy  the text to the clipboard .  
 b) Run this AppleScript to convert the text
 c) Paste the converted text into your post.
 For example,  the asterisks will be preserved:
   mac $ ls *oup*
   Youpi Key Editor.plist  Youpi Key.app alias  
 For example,  the indentation will be preserved:
   on adding folder items to this_folder after receiving dropped_items
     repeat with dropped_item_ref in dropped_items
       display dialog "dropped files is " & dropped_item_ref
     end repeat
   end adding folder items to
 Author: rccharles
-- Write a message into the event log.
log "  --- Starting on " & ((current date) as string) & " --- "
set theClip to the clipboard
if characters 1 thru 33 of theClip as string = "http://discussions.apple.com/post" then
       http://discussions.apple.com/post!reply.jspa?messageID=9003196
       http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9003196#9003196
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "post!reply", "message")
 set {frontPart, postNumber} to textToList(theClip, "=")
 set theClip to theClip & "#" & postNumber
else
 -- must be the first change so as not to cause problems.
 --  and there must not be any HTML numbers on the clipboard.
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "#", "#")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "&", "&")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, " ", " ")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "  ", "  ") --  contains two spaces
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "!", "!")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "[", "[")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "]", "]")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "<", "&lt;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "*", "&#042;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "+", "&#043;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "_", "&#095;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "--", "&#045;&#045;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, tab, "  ")
 set theClip to "<tt>" & theClip & "</tt>"
end if
set the clipboard to theClip
on alterString(thisText, delim, replacement)
 set resultList to {}
 set {tid, my text item delimiters} to {my text item delimiters, delim}
 try
   set resultList to every text item of thisText
   set text item delimiters to replacement
   set resultString to resultList as string
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 on error
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 end try
 return resultString
end alterString
-- textToList was found here:
-- http://macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?id=15423
on textToList(thisText, delim)
 set resultList to {}
 set {tid, my text item delimiters} to {my text item delimiters, delim}
 try
   set resultList to every text item of thisText
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 on error
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 end try
 return resultList
end textToList

Answer 1

The first thing that you need to do is to make the text into an AppleScript program.
start the AppleScript Editor
/Applications/AppleScript/Script Editor.app
copy the text to the Applescript editor.
save the text to a file as an application and do not check any of the boxes below.
!http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3390737677_645a847e28.jpg?v=0!
now, let's build a link to a post.
get the link to a reply.
Goto this Webpage:
http://discussions.apple.com/post!reply.jspa?messageID=9003196
Copy the Web page address from the top of your Web browser page. This is the standard highlight the address then do a command+c
Now you should run my AppleScript program by going back to the Script Editor. Optional, click the words *event log* to see the debug information. Click on the run icon.
!http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3391549168_9ce8b6fcd9.jpg?v=0!
The link has been modified. Paste the link onto your Web page. This is the standard command+v.
For a more typical usage, placed the program on the dock or make an alias on the desktop.
Robert
Name: alter-clipboard
Input: Clipboard
Output: Clipboard
This AppleScript program is designed to convert a forum-reply web address  to a link to a forum post, to convert special characters to their HTML symbols, and to convert programming language code to a  form that does not get mangled.
1)   When you wish to reference another Apple discussion forum post, I found the process convoluted.  The Apple form software does not provide for the display of a form post link.  Instead, you must  construct the link from a reply post.  This AppleScript simplifies the process.
 When the clipboard contains a link to a forum reply page, do the conversion.
 Here is that way:
 a) Find the particular post you wish to reference.  
 b) Click on the reply icon.  
 c) Copy  the Web address to the clipboard  (command+c).  
 d) Run this AppleScript to convert the Web address.  
 e) Paste (command+v) the converted Web address into your post.
  For example, you:  
  • Want to reference a post on how to improve the performance of Tiger.  You find a post by Texas Mac Man with a list of possibilities.  
  • Click on the Reply option and highlight the Web address because you know the address contains a reference to this post.
  • Type command+c to copy the address to the clipboard.  The clipboard now contains:
   http://discussions.apple.com/post&#033;reply.jspa?messageID=9124252
  •  Run this AppleScript to convert the Web address. The clipboard now contains:  
         http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9124252&#035;9124252
  • Type command+v to paste the address  into your new post.
2)  Assume that the clipboard contains  special symbols or formated programming language code to convert.  
 This AppleScript will converted special symbols used in these forums to a form not used by the forum software in order to preserve the original characters.
 For the symbols, see:
 See "Other formating tags are available as shown below" in
 http://discussions.apple.com/help.jspa&#035;format
 An alternative to using these symbols is document in this post:
 http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607563
 Also, this AppleScript preserves indentation used in programs or Terminal output.
 a) Copy  the text to the clipboard .  
 b) Run this AppleScript to convert the text
 c) Paste the converted text into your post.
 For example,  the asterisks will be preserved:
   mac $ ls *oup*
   Youpi Key Editor.plist  Youpi Key.app alias  
 For example,  the indentation will be preserved:
   on adding folder items to this_folder after receiving dropped_items
     repeat with dropped_item_ref in dropped_items
       display dialog "dropped files is " & dropped_item_ref
     end repeat
   end adding folder items to
 Author: rccharles
 Copyright 2009 rccharles
 GNU General Public License
   This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
   the Free Software Foundation,  version 3
   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
   GNU General Public License for more details.
   For a copy of the GNU General Public License see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-- Write a message into the event log.
log "  --- Starting on " & ((current date) as string) & " --- "
set theClip to the clipboard
if characters 1 thru 33 of theClip as string = "http://discussions.apple.com/post" then
       http://discussions.apple.com/post&#033;reply.jspa?messageID=9003196
  convert to:
       http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9003196&#035;9003196
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "post!reply", "message")
 set {frontPart, postNumber} to textToList(theClip, "=")
 set theClip to theClip & "#" & postNumber
else
 -- must be the first change so as not to cause problems.
 --  and there must not be any HTML numbers on the clipboard.
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "#", "&#035;")
 --  You need to use either the numeric form of the HTML symbol or to
 --  do the translation has seen below.
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "&amp;", "&amp;amp;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, " ", "&amp;nbsp;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "  ", "  ") --  contains two spaces
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "!", "&#033;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "[", "&#091;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "]", "&#093;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "<", "&#060;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "*", "&#042;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "+", "&#043;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "_", "&#095;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, "--", "&#045;&#045;")
 set theClip to alterString(theClip, tab, "  ")
 set theClip to "<tt>" & theClip & "</tt>"
end if
set the clipboard to theClip
on alterString(thisText, delim, replacement)
 set resultList to {}
 set {tid, my text item delimiters} to {my text item delimiters, delim}
 try
   set resultList to every text item of thisText
   set text item delimiters to replacement
   set resultString to resultList as string
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 on error
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 end try
 return resultString
end alterString
-- textToList was found here:
-- http://macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?id=15423
on textToList(thisText, delim)
 set resultList to {}
 set {tid, my text item delimiters} to {my text item delimiters, delim}
 try
   set resultList to every text item of thisText
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 on error
   set my text item delimiters to tid
 end try
 return resultList
end textToList