macOS Applescript and Address Book not working

[maturnip]

I have found multiple AppleScripts for address book that deal with my problem (the first and last name fields are reversed) every time i run the script however it does not correct the problem.

I run the script from the apple menu and it opens Address Book but it does not correct the issue. What am I doing wrong? Thank you.

 

[chown33]

Post the script.

 

[maturnip]

Here is the code

This is one of many i have tried with similar results or lack there of.

tell application "Address Book"
set mySelected to selection
repeat with myPerp in mySelected
set tmp to last name of myPerp
set last name in myPerp to (first name in myPerp)
set first name in myPerp to tmp
end repeat
end tell

 

[maturnip]

This is the other script that I tried.

tell application "Address Book"
set mylist to selection
repeat with this_person in mylist
set first_name to first name of this_person
set last_name to last name of this_person
set first name of this_person to last_name
set last name of this_person to first_name
end repeat
end tell

 

[chown33]

This is the other script that I tried.

tell application "Address Book"
set mylist to selection
repeat with this_person in mylist
set first_name to first name of this_person
set last_name to last name of this_person
set first name of this_person to last_name
set last name of this_person to first_name
end repeat
end tell

This script works for me. If I run it twice on the same selection, it reverses the first run.

Please explain what's not working when you run it. Be specific.

Which OS version are you using?

 

[maturnip]

I'm running 10.6.2

I double click the script and it opens Address Book and it seems to stop there. If I try to re-run it, it makes the open Address Book window kind of blink like it de-selects it then selects it again. Nothing changes in the app though i.e. the names don't change.

 

[robbieduncan]

I'm running 10.6.2

I double click the script and it opens Address Book and it seems to stop there. If I try to re-run it, it makes the open Address Book window kind of blink like it de-selects it then selects it again. Nothing changes in the app though i.e. the names don't change.

Note the bit of the script "set mylist to selection"? You need to select the records in Address Book you want the script to run on before you run the script.

 

[maturnip]

I have been selecting the records and it is still not working. I am running the script correctly right?

 

[maturnip]

Ok so when I run the app from the apple menu pull down menu what I listed previously happens. It loads Address Book up but no changes happen. When I select a contact and run it from the pull down nothing happens other than it looks like it is de-select the window then re-selecting it. When I run the script from the AppleScript Editor same thing. In the events window below I get this:

tell application "Address Book"
get selection
--> {person id "B2DFFBA4-9815-4689-8273-16AFDD2ED368:ABPerson"}
get first name of person id "B2DFFBA4-9815-4689-8273-16AFDD2ED368:ABPerson"
--> "Michael"
get last name of person id "B2DFFBA4-9815-4689-8273-16AFDD2ED368:ABPerson"
--> "2222"
set first name of person id "B2DFFBA4-9815-4689-8273-16AFDD2ED368:ABPerson" to "2222"
set last name of person id "B2DFFBA4-9815-4689-8273-16AFDD2ED368:ABPerson" to "Michael"
end tell

I get the feeling I am the problem in this situation. Is there another way to run this? When I run scripts in iTunes, I do it from a script pull down menu in iTunes. Thanks again.

 

[chown33]

I tried the script from my earlier post on 10.6.2. It does not behave correctly: the changes don't get saved.

I googled the following terms:
snow leopard address book problems
snow leopard address book scripting

In the first page of results for the 2nd search terms, I found this:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10673588

Halfway down that page, someone describes almost the exact same problem (changes not saved), but he's adding new entries.

The fix is to add the save command to the script, right before end tell. This causes the changes to be saved, and Address Book's window also shows the changes properly:

tell application "Address Book"
	set mylist to selection
	repeat with this_person in mylist
		set first_name to first name of this_person
		set last_name to last name of this_person
		set first name of this_person to last_name
		set last name of this_person to first_name
	end repeat
	[B]save[/B]
end tell

 

[maturnip]

That did it! Thank you so much you're amazing! I am a total noob when it comes to this stuff. Thanks again everyone!