Use AppleScript to open current Safari URL in Google Chrome

For Quicksilver, assign this to a Trigger:

Open-Safari-URL-in-Chrome.scpt>Run

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/157506/Script%20Run%20Action.png

(Excuse the custom script icons.) Make sure the script is in QS's catalog first.

Oh, this just gets better.

The following code works with ANY browser that happens to be open when you invoke it. It does not rely on the "activate" command for the source browser.

I have it assigned to ctrl-C. When I'm in any browser and see a Flash-festooned page I want to fully load, I just hit that key combination, and up pops Chrome with the page loaded. Bam.

So now it's totally painless to remove Flash from your system. Just have Chrome installed, and it'll do the job for you with a single keystroke.

property theURL : ""

on run {input, parameters}

tell application "System Events"
keystroke "l" using {command down} -- Highlight the URL field.
keystroke "c" using {command down}
end tell

delay 0.1


tell application "Google Chrome"
if (count of (every window where visible is true)) is greater than 0 then
tell front window
make new tab
end tell
else
make new window
end if
set URL of active tab of front window to the clipboard
activate
end tell

return input
end run

BTW, the code in #38 also works for Safari, if you substitute its name for Firefox's. It appears that cmd-L to highlight the URL works in any browser. Cool.

Replying to my own post... the following works for Firefox!

property theURL : ""
tell application "Firefox" to activate

tell application "System Events"
keystroke "l" using {command down} -- Highlight the URL field.
keystroke "c" using {command down}
end tell

delay 0.5


tell application "Google Chrome"
if (count of (every window where visible is true)) is greater than 0 then
tell front window
make new tab
end tell
else
make new window
end if
set URL of active tab of front window to the clipboard
activate
end tell

The various scripts provided by you helpful and knowledgeable readers work great here. EXCEPT I use Firefox for most browsing, rather than Safari. Replacing "Safari" with "Firefox" in this script does not work:

property theURL : ""
tell application "Safari"
set theURL to URL of current tab of window 1
end tell
tell application "Google Chrome"
if (count of (every window where visible is true)) is greater than 0 then
tell front window
make new tab
end tell
else
make new window
end if
set URL of active tab of front window to theURL
activate
end tell

...Attempting to run this in the AppleScript Editor results in "Syntax Error: Expected end of line but found property" ...with the word "tab" highlighted by the Editor.

Is there any way to make this work with Firefox? Many thanks in advance.

A bit off topic, but after one becomes essentially Flash free in browsers, is there something to deal with those of us that read most stuff in an RSS app (like NetNewsWire, which I'm typing in now)?

I would like to modify this script for cross browser testing. I normally use Chrome and would like the script to open the current chrome page in.. Safari & Firefox.

I tried switching the programs and I get an error...

property theURL : ""
tell application "Google Chrome"
set theURL to URL of current tab of window 1
end tell
tell application "Safari"
set URL of active tab of window 1 to theURL
activate
end tell


Whats the problem?

You can use an Automator service workflow to contain this sort of thing without using something like Fastscripts. OS X then lets you assign a keyboard shortcut to the workflow (I used cmd-option-C), and it appears in the Services menu.

I created a Service Workflow with 2 actions:
1) Get Current webpage from Safari
2) Run Applescript. Here's the Applescript that I used.


on run {input, parameters}
--display dialog (input as text)
tell application "Google Chrome"
activate
try
get properties of window 1
on error
make new window
end try
tell window 1
make new tab with properties {URL:(input as text)}
end tell
end tell
end run

The Safari dictionary needs an entry to allow access to the User Agent list. This would be PERFECT if there was a companion script to tell Safari to report as the iPad user agent. Sadly, the dictionary appears to be bereft. Any ideas?

Ah - THAT is the tab strategy. Perfect. HATE new windows (except sometimes) love love LOVE new tabs.

Rob gets one (1) vote for Awesome Guy O' The Week.