macos – Auto Log Dictionary searches

Because the @red_menace suggests, the character of how this script known as is unclear. I’ve made the idea that it will likely be referred to as utilizing an Automator workflow that’s accessed by way of the script menu (i.e., within the Person’s Library > Scripts folder. In fact, changes will be made for various approaches.

The next ought to be positioned inside a “Run Applescript” motion.

use scripting additions
on run {enter, parameters}
    
    inform software "System Occasions"
        set frontApp to call of first software course of whose frontmost is true
    finish inform
    set oldClipboard to the clipboard
    
    inform software frontApp
        activate
        inform software "System Occasions"
            inform software course of frontApp
                keystroke "c" utilizing command down
                delay 0.1
            finish inform
        finish inform
        set theWord to first phrase of (the clipboard as «class utf8»)
        delay 0.1
    finish inform
    
    -- Log file path
    set logPath to (POSIX path of (path to desktop)) & "dictionary_log"
    do shell script "contact " & quoted type of logPath
    
    -- Append the phrase to the log
    do shell script "echo " & quoted type of theWord & " >> " & quoted type of logPath
    
    -- Open Dictionary to that phrase
    do shell script "open dict://" & quoted type of theWord
    
    -- Restore clipboard
    set the clipboard to oldClipboard
finish run

The additions to the OP script are as follows:

• Contains “use scripting additions” because the clipboard is a spotlight right here
• Will get and prompts the entrance software in order that the Cmd+C keystroke has one thing to work on
• Truncates after first phrase in order that the log file does not accumulate extraneous verbiage
• Explicitly use utf-8

I examined it on a couple of apps, together with Firefox and Dictionary itself, with out challenge.