Copying part of filename in Finder

Question

Hello Mavens,
this is what I'd like to do:
Enhance the Replace Text in Filename script that Apple provides with the OS in such a way that I can
1 - select a filename, as if for editing, in a folder
2 - select part of a filename (the part I want to change)
*3 - make that selection available to the script*
4 - use it as the default text for "Enter text to replace in filename".
The critical step is #4 (in bold)
"Selection" for the script is the file itself (as alias, I presume) and not a word in the filename even if it is selected.
The script can not utilize "copy selection".
The Finder's Copy menu item is not recordable.
I'm stuck - any suggestions?

Answer 1

The critical step is #4 (in bold)
You mean step 3, right?
The Finder's Copy menu item is not recordable.
Why are you using recording? Recorded scripts are rarely, if ever, optimal.
At the end of the day, what you're asking for is something complex. That's not to say it can't be done, but that it's going to have a lot of gotchas that you haven't yet thought about.
Here's one approach to what I think you're trying to do:
tell application "Finder"
  set curFile to item 1 of (get selection) -- get the selected file
  set curFilename to name of curFile -- find its name
  -- the following code copies (via Cmd-C) the selection
  -- you probably need some error checking here to make sure some text is selected
  -- for example, unexpected things will happen if you copy a file or folder
  tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Finder"
      keystroke "c" using {command down}
    end tell
  end tell
  delay 1
  -- now we have the selected text, so prompt the user
  set selectedText to (get the clipboard as text)
  set myDialog to display dialog "Enter replacement text" default answer selectedText
  set replacementText to text returned of myDialog
  -- probably want some sanity check here to make sure the user didn't go nuts
  -- bad things may happen if the user enters invalid characters
  -- now work out what the new name would be by replacing the selected text with the new text
  set newFilename to my replaceText(curFilename, selectedText, replacementText)
  -- and rename the file
  set name of curFile to newFilename
end tell
on replaceText(cur, old, repl)
  set my text item delimiters to old
  set new to text items of cur
  set my text item delimiters to repl
  new as text
  return new as text
end replaceText