Do you use Skype for telephone calls from Mac to Mac or from Mac to phone? Than this hint brings some cool news to you. With a liitle help from AppleScript, you can call your contacts from within your Address Book application. If you use Butler, you can also use this for getting fast access to your phone numbers or Skype contacts.
First let's discuss the Address Book/AppleScript solution. Open Script Editor, and create this simple AppleScript. (Note that you can also download the script if you prefer.)
using terms from application "Address Book"
on action property
return "phone"
end action property
on action title for p with e
return "Call with Skype"
end action title
on should enable action for p with e
return true
end should enable action
on perform action for p with e
set SKYPEurl to "callto://" & (value of e as string)
tell application "Skype"
get URL SKYPEurl
activate
end tell
return true
end perform action
end using terms from
Save the script (call it Skype or whatever you like), and then (quit Address Book first), move it into your user's Library -> Address Book Plug-Ins. Now launch Address Book, and you'll have new contextual menu items on the phone numbers. You can also make a new label for a phone number and name it, for example, Skype, and then type in the Skypename of your contact.
--name: call with skype
to switchText from t to r instead of s
set d to text item delimiters
set text item delimiters to s
set t to t's text items
set text item delimiters to r
tell t to set t to item 1 & ({""} & rest)
set text item delimiters to d
get t
end switchText
try
set theNumber to "[NUMBER]"
set theNumber to switchText from theNumber to "" instead of " "
set theNumber to switchText from theNumber to "" instead of "("
set theNumber to switchText from theNumber to "" instead of ")"
set theNumber to switchText from theNumber to "" instead of "/"
set theNumber to switchText from theNumber to "" instead of "-"
set theCommand to "CALL " & theNumber
tell application "Skype"
send command theCommand script name "butlercall"
end tell
set theResult to "[SUCCESS]"
on error
set theResult to "[ERROR]"
end try
get theResult
It doesn't matter write your phone numbers; they can include +, -, (, ), or blanks. Only slashes cause problems. You can also set hot keys to phone numbers in Butler for real quick access.
Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20060718114236477