Change the Desktop Background with Applescript

OK .. figure it out
... for those who would also like to do this:

Get UI Scripting Beta at <a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.apple.com/applescript/GUI/" target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/applescript/GUI/</a>
and Script Editor 2.0 Beta at
<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.apple.com/applescript/script_editor/beta.html" target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/applescript/script_editor/beta.html</a>
Check the "Enable Access for Assistive Devices" in the Universal
Access of System Preferences

here's the code for Script 1
--------------------
tell application "System Preferences"
  activate
end tell

tell application "System Events"
  tell process "System Preferences"
   click menu item "Desktop" of menu "View" of menu bar 1
   if my wait4window("Desktop") is false then return false
   tell window 1
    tell pop up button 1
    click
    tell menu 1
    if the name of every menu item contains "Apple Background Images"
then
    click menu item "Apple Background Images"
    delay 1
    end if
    end tell
    end tell
   end tell
  end tell
end tell

ignoring application responses
  tell application "System Preferences" to quit
end ignoring

on wait4window(this_title)
  tell application "System Events"
   tell process "System Preferences"
    repeat with i from 1 to 60
    if the name of window 1 is this_title then return true
    delay 1
    end repeat
   end tell
  end tell
  return false
end wait4window
--------------------

My cron looks like this

0 9 * * * /Users/spaceman/script1.app > /dev/null 2>&1
0 17 * * * /Users/spaceman/script2.app > /dev/null 2>&1

So at 9am each day the cron fires off script 1 and sets Apple
Background Images folder as the image folder. Then at 17:00 the cron
fires off script2 and sets my other, more exciting pictures as desktop
images.

works like a charm

Roger


(spacemancw) wrote in message ...
 > iBook
 > OS X 10.2.6
 >
 > Hi
 >
 > I want to use applescript to change the desktop pictures on my Mac.
 > I have a folder of pics that I want as my random backgrounds at a
 > certain time of the day and another folder of pics for the rest of the
 > day.
 >
 > I anticipate running a cron job (with UNIX) that fires off an
 > applescript which will set the folder for the background pics ... and
 > to set to randomly change every 15 or 30 mins.
 >
 > ... then the cron will run again and change it back to the other
 > folder later in the day.
 >
 > I can do the cron and the bash script to figure out the time of day
 > etc .. I just need to know the syntax for the applescript to change
 > desktop background properties.
 >
 > Thanx
 >
 > Roger McCarrick