Creating a new table in iWork numbers on a specific sheet using applescript

Question

I am having trouble creating a new table on a specific sheet using Applescript unless the sheet I want insert the new table in is either new or current selected. The general form of the code I am using is:

    tell application "Numbers"
    tell document 1
    tell sheet "This is the sheet I want to use"
    make new table with properties {name:"A new table"}
    end tell 
    end tell 
    end tell

Has anyone had any more success at achieving this? This looks to me like a bit of a problem for some advanced spreadsheet scripts in Numbers.

Answer 1

OK. My first answer was accepted and could not be deleted, but was inadequate, so I have decided to edit it and add some code which really does solve the problem!

This code comes via Yvan Koenig, who credits Nigel Garvey. Both are active on the applescript-users list, which is excellent, by the way, not least because of the activity of these two gentlemen, and so many other great AppleScripters.

It relies on GUI scripting (which is always a horrible thing to have to fall back on, but it's what we've got).

The call to my activateGUIscripting() may cause a prompt for an admin password to appear. If you absolutely know that you have GUI scripting enabled (System Prefs->Universal Access->Enable Access for Assistive Devices) - then you can omit this line.

The next two lines are just example calls, so you need a sheet called "Sheet 1" for these example calls to work.

This will allow you to create a table in any sheet in any document, regardless of what is selected or frontmost.

--EXAMPLE CALLS
my activateGUIscripting()
my selectsheet(1, "Sheet 1")
my createNewTable(1, "Sheet 1", "myNewTable", 69, 13)

--NUMBERS UTILS
on createNewTable(dName, sName, newTable, nb_rows, nb_columns)
    tell application "Numbers" to tell document dName to tell sheet sName
        make new table with properties {name:newTable, row count:nb_rows, column count:nb_columns}
    end tell
end createNewTable

--=====
on activateGUIscripting()
    (* to be sure than GUI scripting will be active *)
    tell application "System Events"
        if not (UI elements enabled) then set (UI elements enabled) to true
    end tell
end activateGUIscripting
--=====
(*
==== Uses GUIscripting ====
 *)
on selectsheet(theDoc, theSheet)
    script myScript
        property listeObjets : {}
        local maybe, targetSheetRow
        --+++++
        -- set log_report to "point 2 : " & (current date) & return
        --+++++
        tell application "Numbers"
            activate
            set theDoc to name of document theDoc (* useful if the passed value is a number *)
            tell document theDoc to set my listeObjets to name of sheets
        end tell -- "Numbers"…

        set maybe to theSheet is in my listeObjets
        set my listeObjets to {} -- So it will not be saved in the script *)
        if not maybe then
            error "The sheet “" & theSheet & "” is unavailable in the spreadsheet “" & theDoc & "” !"
        end if -- not maybe

        set maybe to 5 > (system attribute "sys2")
        tell application "System Events" to tell application process "Numbers"
            tell outline 1 of scroll area 1 of splitter group 1 of splitter group 1 of window theDoc
                if maybe then (* macOS X 10.4.x
'(value of attributes contains 0)': '(value of attribute "AXDisclosureLevel" is 0)' sometimes works in Tiger, sometimes not.
The only possible instances of 0 amongst the attributes are the disclosure level of a sheet row and the index of the first row, which represents a sheet anyway.
Another possibility is '(value of attribute -1 is 0)', which makes me uneasy. *)
                    set targetSheetRow to first row where ((value of attributes contains 0) and (value of first static text is theSheet))
                else (* macOS X 10.5.x or higher *)
                    set targetSheetRow to first row where ((value of attribute "AXDisclosureLevel" is 0) and ((groups is {}) and (value of first static text is theSheet)) or (value of first group's first static text is theSheet))
                end if -- maybe…
                (*
Handler modified to accomodate sheets requiring a lot of time to get the focus
*)
                tell targetSheetRow to set value of attribute "AXSelected" to true
                set cnt to 0
                repeat (*
Must way that Numbers becomes ready to receive the value *)
                    try
                        tell targetSheetRow to set value of attribute "AXDisclosing" to true
                        exit repeat
                    on error
                        set cnt to cnt + 1
                        delay 0.5 -- half a second
                    end try
                end repeat
            end tell -- outline…
        end tell -- "System Events"…
        --+++++
        -- set log_report to log_report & "point 3, cnt = " & cnt & return & (current date) & return
        --+++++
        tell application "Numbers" to tell document theDoc to tell sheet theSheet to tell table 1
            with timeout of 20 * 60 seconds (*
WITH this setting, the script will be able to wait 20 minutes for the asked value.
I hope that the document will not be so huge that this delay prove to be too short. *)
                value of cell "A1"
            end timeout
        end tell -- "Numbers"…
        --+++++
        -- set log_report to log_report & "point 4 : " & (current date) & return
        --+++++
        tell application "System Events" to tell application process "Numbers" (*
Do the trick one more time to be sure that the sheet is open *)
            tell targetSheetRow to set value of attribute "AXDisclosing" to true
        end tell -- "System Events"…
        --+++++
        -- return log_report & "point 5 : " & (current date) & return
        --+++++
        (*
End of the modified piece of code
*)
    end script
    run myScript
end selectsheet