Skip to main content

OmniFocus & AppleScript

I had previously written an OmniFocus library using JavaScript for Automation, but it's got issues that vanilla AppleScript does not. Also, I realized that I didn't really need the fancy regex abilities from JavaScript that I thought I needed, so I went back to standard AppleScript. It works just as well, and the source code is a lot more readable. I hope you find this new library useful.

Get started

Basic Usage

Put omnifocus.scpt in ~/Library/Script Libraries, or else AppleScript won't know where to find it!

use application "OmniFocus"
use O : script "omnifocus"

tell O
  set sel to selectedItems()
  deferDaily(sel)  # this will set all the selected tasks to start again after completion daily
  setDefer(sel, current date)

  set theTask to findTask("Log food") # find the first task whose name is "Log food"
  set theProject to findProject("Groceries")
  set theContext to findContext("Home")
  set theFolder to findFolder("Routine")

  # Parse using transport text (see below for details)
  parse("Do something! @home  ::misc #5pm #tomorrow //This is a note")
end

Transport Text

For those who don't know about transport text, it's a format that OmniFocus uses to parse task information like so:

Do something! @home ::misc #5pm #tomorrow //This is a note

The ! makes Do something a flagged task. @home sets the context to "home". :: is used for matching a project. Both @ and :: will fuzzy match existing contexts and projects. The first # is used for a defer date, while the second # is for a due date. Both support natural language parsing like the inspector in OmniFocus. Word of caution though, if only one # is present, OmniFocus assumes it's a due date. Lastly, // starts the note for a task. While more involved ways of creating OmniFocus tasks exist in the library, you'll find using of.parse as your primary means of creating tasks.

Functions

# List of functions available
selectedItems()
parse(transportText)
findContext(contextName)
findProject(projectName)
findFolder(folderName)
findTask(taskName)
allTasks()
allProjects()
allContexts()
setDue(input, dueDate)
setDefer(input, deferDate)
setProject(input, projectName)
setContext(input, contextName)
namePrepend(input, prependString)
nameAppend(input, appendString)
inboxTasks()
setComplete(input, booleanFlag)
setSequential(input, booleanFlag)
openPerspective(perspectiveName)
inboxCount()
errandsCount()
landAndSeaCount()
routineCount()
computerName()
setRepeat(input, repetitionRule)
deferDaily(input)
deferWeekly(input)
deferMonthly(input)
repeatDaily(input)
repeatWeekly(input)
repeatMonthly(input)
clearRepeat(input)
clearDefer(input)
clearContainer(input) # Only works on inbox tasks
clearContext(input)
setOnHold(input)
setActive(input)
showAbout()
toggleColon(input)
setColon(input)
clearColon(input)
setPrefix(input, prefix)
clearPrefix(input, prefix)
clearPrefixAll(input)
setConsider(input)
clearConsider(input)
toggleConsider(input)
Get started