mac-jxa

name: mac:jxa description: Writing JXA (JavaScript for Automation) code for macOS automation. Use when authoring JXA scripts, learning JXA syntax, or understanding how to automate macOS apps via Application() calls.

JXA

JavaScript for Automation (JXA) automates macOS apps via the Application() bridge. It runs on JavaScriptCore (ES5).

Language Constraints

• Use var (not let/const)
• Use for-loops (JXA arrays lack .map(), .filter(), .forEach())
• Return a JSON string from run() (not an object)

// WRONG: JXA arrays don't have .map()
// var names = app.windows().map(function(w) { return w.name(); });

// CORRECT: use a for-loop
var windows = app.windows();
var names = [];
for (var i = 0; i < windows.length; i++) {
  names.push(windows[i].name());
}

Script Files

Script files define a function run(argv) entry point. osascript calls it and prints the return value. The function must be named run, not _run.

#!/usr/bin/env osascript -l JavaScript
function run(argv) {
  var finder = Application("Finder");
  var items = finder.desktop.items();
  var names = [];
  for (var i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
    names.push(items[i].name());
  }
  return JSON.stringify(names);
}

Tips

• Use properties() for batch reads instead of individual getters
• Use .whose() for filtering when the app supports it (pushes work to the app)
• Application.currentApplication() accesses the current app context
• Extract sdef for any app: sdef /Applications/AppName.app