Mac OS X Leopard - ARCAism

CHAPTER 23 MAC OS X AUTOMATION WITH AUTOMATOR AND APPLESCRIPT 409
Rather than write a screen saver, you can just use the photo screen saver already built into
Mac OS X. Select System Preferences... from the Apple menu, select the Desktop & Screen Saver
preference pane, and then select the Screen Saver tab, as shown in Figure 23-10.
Figure 23-10. Setting up the Keyword screen saver in System Preferences
From the Screen Savers list on the left, select Choose Folder.... This will present you with a
standard open sheet. Select the Keyword Screensaver folder, and click the Choose button. Finally,
set up the photo screen saver as you want it. We recommend the new “falling pictures” display
style, which is the second of the three styles.
With that set up, return to Automator. Drag the Get Specified Finder Items action from the
Files & Folders group. You should do this before you actually download the images, so drag it to
the top of the list. Click the Add... button, and find the Keyword Screensaver folder.
This new action connects to the Ask for Text action. This is not what you want. Rather, you
want to store the value until you’re ready to download the items. This is a perfect chance to use
Automator’s new variables.
Variables
Like actions, variables are grouped by category. Since they typically have nothing to do with
applications, there is no by-application grouping option.
Date & Time: The current year, month, day, day of the week, and of course the date
and time
Locations: Known folders, such as Applications, Documents, Downloads, and the current
user’s home directory
System: System information such as the computer’s name, IP address, and operating system
version
Text & Data: Generic variables for storing text and data