On Jul 12, 2006, at 10:34 AM, Peter Boardman wrote:

> On 2006-07-12, at 18:16, Mark Lively wrote:
>
>> On Jul 12, 2006, at 1:00 PM, Peter Boardman wrote:
>>
>>> print `osascript -e 'tell application "System Events"
>>> if (exists process "iTunes") then tell application "iTunes" to if  
>>> player state is playing then get name of current track
>>> end tell'`
>>>
>>> Why should this be? And is there a way of doing it?
>>>
>> It is because when OSAScript compiles the script it needs to  
>> launch iTunes.
>>
>> try this
>>
>> echo `osascript -e 'tell application "System Events"
>> if (exists process "iTunes") then run script "tell application  
>> \"iTunes\" to if player state is playing then get name of current  
>> track"
>> end tell'`
>
> Brilliant - thanks. I hadn't thought about the compilation stage.

Or base the test on this quick tire kicking:

try
	do shell script "ps axuw | grep '[i]Tunes '"
	display dialog "It's running"
on error
	display dialog "It's not running"
end try

Notes:
1.  The [i] matches the "i" in iTunes, but the grep does not match  
the "iTunes" in the grep process (routine well-known Unix hack)
2.  The trailing space in the grep pattern is needed to avoid  
matching iTunesHelper, which seems to keep running after iTunes is quit.
3.  This version will tell you whether any user is running iTunes.   
Leaving out the "a" in "ps axuw" might tell you whether the user  
running the script is running iTunes (untested).
4.  The quoting of the grep pattern is needed both for the [i] part  
and for the trailing space.

My guess is that the do shell script form will use fewer resources  
than the others, which only matters if you plan to run it repeatedly  
and frequently (and doesn't matter at all when display dialog is  
involved, of course).

   --John