List of names to scheduled email and events

Question

Hi everyone,
honestly, this is my first time using Applescript. But after some research I thought that Applescript offers the nicest way to solve my problem.
For our research group I'd like to set up a tool which automatically sends an email on a given day reminding the people of who is our next speaker. Preferably, the script also adds an event to the group calender.
I already started scripting but got lost in all the help sites and tutorials and commands. I hope you can help me.
So here's the algorithm in laymens terms I'd like the script to perfom:
Execute on a given day every week (variable "reminderDate") (this could probably be done with Automator)
Read in the first two lines of a text file containing all the group members (every member in a new line).Save the first to member names into variables (e.g. "name1" and "name2")
Write new text file with same name as the original one such that the first name of the original file is now cut out and put at the end of the new text file (by this I wanna make sure that the members list is cycled through constantly)
Write an email to specific adress as an announcement (reminder for group members)
Subject: Text + Date some days and hours in the future of "reminderDate" + "name1" + "name2"
the body should also contain the future date and the names and some text and the list of group members
Create an iCal event on the future date with the names "name1" and "name2" as event name.
I know this is asking for quite a lot. But I would be really happy for any input i can get.
The code I already have is:
set membersFile to (open for access (POSIX file "/path/to/groupMembersList.txt") with write permission)
set membersText to (read membersFile for (get eof membersFile))
close access membersFile
-- Store contents in List
set membersList to every paragraph of membersText
set speaker to item 1 of membersList
set chair to item 2 of membersList
-- Put first list element at the end
set newMembersList to rest of membersList & item 1 of membersList
My problem at the moment is no. 3 of the algorithm, i.e. how do I write out the newMembersList to the file s.t. every item is in a new line?
Thank you guys so much!
Cheers,
Pascal

Answer 1

Hi,
pasQualle wrote:
My problem at the moment is no. 3 of the algorithm, i.e. how do I write out the newMembersList to the file s.t. every item is in a new line?
This can be done like this :
set membFile to POSIX file "/path/to/groupMembersList.txt"
try
      set membersFile to open for access membFile with write permission
      set speaker to read membersFile before linefeed -- this read up to linefeed but not including the linefeed character
      set restOfMemb to read membersFile -- read all text from the second line
      set chair to paragraph 1 of restOfMemb
      write restOfMemb & linefeed & speaker to membersFile starting at 0
      close access membersFile
on error
      close access membFile
end try
If the end of lines in your text file is not a linefeed character (Unix newline) then replace linefeed in this script by return
pasQualle wrote:
Execute on a given day every week (variable "reminderDate") (this could probably be done with Automator)
You can create an iCal event at specific day (repeat :each week, alarm: run an AppleScript  or run an Application (this script saved as Application))
pasQualle wrote:
Write an email to specific adress as an announcement (reminder for group members)
Subject: Text + Date some days and hours in the future of "reminderDate" + "name1" + "name2"
the body should also contain the future date and the names and some text and the list of group members
Create an iCal event on the future date with the names "name1" and "name2" as event name.
There are several examples on this site and on the internet for those parts of the script to starting
You can post one part or both parts, if it doesn't work.