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An AppleScript to paste the OS X clipboard into DOSBox

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First post, by emendelson

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EDIT: Newly rewritten script, transfers extended ASCII characters into DOSBox.

Dominus suggested this idea, and here it is. The following AppleScript is a script that will paste the OS X clipboard into DOSBox. This improved version includes some extremely elegant methods suggested by the experts at MacScripter.net, who deserve the credit for the good stuff.

How to use it: Copy the code into the OS X AppleScript Editor, save it as an application with a name like "PasteClipboardToDOSBox" or any other name you like. Optionally assign a hotkey that launches it in Butler, Quicksilver, or some other keyboard macro program. Or simply run it when DOSBox is running, in order to paste the OS X clipboard into DOSBox. Suggestions and improvements welcome.

-- Pastes the OS X clipboard into DOSBox
-- By Edward Mendelson 3 July 2012

-- try to determine DOS codepage for DOSBox according to Mac locale:
set the codePage to "850" -- 850 for Europe
try
	set macLocale to do shell script "defaults read -g AppleLocale"
	if macLocale is "en_US" or "en_CA" then
		set the codePage to "437" -- 437 for North America
	end if
end try
-- if you get the wrong results, then set correct codepage by uncommenting next line
-- set the codePage to "437" -- either "437" or "850"

tell application "System Events" to set tNames to (name of processes)
set tClue to "DOSBox" -- looking for DOSBox
set appRunning to {}
repeat with aName in tNames
	if contents of aName contains tClue then set end of appRunning to contents of aName
end repeat
-- error number -128
if appRunning is {} then
	tell me to activate
	display dialog "DOSBox not running." buttons {"OK"} with title "Paste into DOSBox" giving up after 5
	error number -128
end if

set charList to {"0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", ".", "’", "-", "="}
set codeList to {29, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 22, 26, 28, 25, 47, 39, 27, 24}

set shiftList to {"“", "”"}
set shiftCodeList to {39, 39}

set kpCodes to {82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92}
-- Keypad key codes: KP0=82, KP1=83, KP2=84, KP3=85
-- KP4=86, KP5=87, KP6=88, KP7=89, KP8=91, KP9=92

try
	set getClip to the clipboard as text
on error
	set getClip to " "
end try
tell application "DOSBox" to activate
delay 0.1
tell application "System Events"
	repeat with i from 1 to count characters of getClip
		if (character i of getClip) is in charList then
			set codeItem to my listPosition(character i of getClip, charList)
			set keyCodeNum to item codeItem of codeList
			key code keyCodeNum
		else if (character i of getClip) is in shiftList then
			set codeItem to my listPosition(character i of getClip, shiftList)
			set keyCodeNum to item codeItem of shiftCodeList
			key code keyCodeNum using {shift down}
		else if (ASCII number of (character i of getClip)) is greater than 127 then
			set upperASCII to my getCharValueForDOS(character i of getClip, codePage)
			-- next lines by Nigel Garvey at MacScripter.net
			tell application "System Events"
				key down option
				key code (item (upperASCII div 100 + 1) of kpCodes)
…Show last 23 lines
				key code (item (upperASCII mod 100 div 10 + 1) of kpCodes)
				key code (item (upperASCII mod 10 + 1) of kpCodes)
				key up option
			end tell
		else
			keystroke (character i of getClip)
		end if
		delay 0.01
		tell application "DOSBox" to activate
	end repeat
end tell

on listPosition(thisItem, thisList)
	repeat with n from 1 to the count of thisList
		if item n of thisList is thisItem then return n
	end repeat
	return 0
end listPosition

on getCharValueForDOS(char, cPage)
	-- routine by DJ Bazzie Wazzie at MacScripter.net
	return (do shell script "/bin/echo -n " & quoted form of character 1 of char & " | iconv -f UTF8 -t CP" & cPage & " | od -A n -t u1") as integer
end getCharValueForDOS
Last edited by emendelson on 2013-03-05, 21:59. Edited 4 times in total.

Reply 1 of 11, by Dominus

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Great script. Needed to be more elaborate than I thought, though. Congrats.

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

Reply 2 of 11, by mr_bigmouth_502

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Now we just need something like this for Windows...

Hmm, maybe someone will put copy/paste functionality into DosBox 0.75? (inb4 "not essential for gaming")

Reply 3 of 11, by Dominus

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Look for the other posts of emendelson... He made something in his 'kludgy printer thing for dosbox'

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

Reply 4 of 11, by emendelson

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Dominus wrote:

Great script. Needed to be more elaborate than I thought, though. Congrats.

Credit is due to the helpful people at MacScripter.net who suggested using the keystroke and key codes command and some other details.

Now a question to expert users of DOSBox under OS X: Is there any way to emulate the system used under DOS and Windows to enter upper-ASCII characters like é by pressing Alt-130 to enter the keystroke? I'm trying to find something that would work without requiring a special keyboard mapping file so that this script can use it. Simply typing the number keys on the top row of the keyboard with Alt/Option pressed down doesn't do it, and most modern Macs don't have number pads. Thanks for any advice.

Last edited by emendelson on 2012-07-02, 12:01. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 5 of 11, by emendelson

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mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:

Now we just need something like this for Windows...

As Dominus says, I've put a basic (ASCII-characters-only) version in my kludgy printing-clipboard-exchange system for Windows, in another thread. If I can figure out a way to make it work for upper ASCII characters (é, ç, ü, etc.), I'll break it out into a separate utility that you can use to paste the Windows clipboard into DOSBox.

Reply 6 of 11, by emendelson

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I've revised the script in the first post; better detection of DOSBox; now supports (as examples) two upper ASCII characters (é and ç); anyone who might be interested can add further upper ASCII characters.

Now to figure out how to do the same thing with upper ASCII characters in AutoIt for Windows...

Reply 7 of 11, by emendelson

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Bulletin: Have figured out (with the help of the experts at MacScripter.net) how to get upper-ASCII characters from the OS X clipboard into DOSBox. Am now hoping to make my method more elegant, and will post a revised script when it's ready.

Reply 8 of 11, by Dominus

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MacScripter are awesome, they helped me tremendously in the past 😀

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

Reply 9 of 11, by emendelson

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Dominus wrote:

MacScripter are awesome, they helped me tremendously in the past :)

And thanks to the experts at MacScripter, this script now works fairly well, I think. I'm posting this message to bump the thread because I've now posted a version that solves all the problems I noticed before, I hope. Thank you again for suggesting this project. I learned a lot from it, and I hope someone finds it useful.

Reply 11 of 11, by Dominus

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Maybe, all the files are still prominently on my desktop

Windows 3.1x guide for DOSBox
60 seconds guide to DOSBox
DOSBox SVN snapshot for macOS (10.4-11.x ppc/intel 32/64bit) notarized for gatekeeper

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