Reposition Windows for Multiple Monitors with AppleScript

  Richard Myers       December 19, 2011      Tutorials Mac Developer


If you frequently switch between different displays, you know organizing your windows when switching displays can be a real pain. I use my MacBook Pro frequently by itself, and I also have a 20" external display on my desk at home. Additionally, I have a weird affliction of window placement OCD. Admiring Stay, but not prepared to spend $15, I wrote the following AppleScript that will resize and organize my windows when I switch my display configuration. Set to run with a global hotkey via Automator, the script will figure out how many displays I have connected (if my current screen width is not the size of a 15" MacBook Pro display, then there are two), and configure my windows accordingly.

I’m not an AppleScript expert, so I’m sure there is some inefficient and hacked code here. I tried to comment it well so you can make it your own without too much work. With that in mind, please leave comments with your suggestions and ideas.

# arrange.scpt
#
# set dimensions and position of commonly used applications
# depending on whether one or two monitors are attached
#
# to add an application, find its bounds with both one and two
# displays connected:
#
# tell application "System Events"
#   tell application "ApplicationName"
#     get bounds of window 1
#   end tell
# end tell

# get frontmost application so we can bring it back to frontmost
# on completion of script
tell application "System Events"
  set focus to name of the first process whose frontmost is true
end tell

# get width of desktop
tell application "Finder"
  set bnds to bounds of window of desktop
  set wide to item 3 of bnds
end tell

# find out number of displays connected based on screen width
# 1440 is the width of a 15 inch MacBook Pro. change this
# based on your screen size.
if wide is equal to 1440 then
  set displaynum to "onedisp"
else
  set displaynum to "twodisp"
end if

# make the smaller, center-most terminal window frontmost
# i always have two terminal windows open - this assures
# the correct windows are resized and moved.
tell application "System Events"
  set if_running to (exists process "Terminal")
  if if_running then
    tell application "Terminal"
      activate
      set bnds_one to get bounds of window 1
      set wide_one to item 3 of bnds_one
      set bnds_two to get bounds of window 2
      set wide_two to item 3 of bnds_two
      if wide_one is greater than wide_two then
        tell application "System Events"
          keystroke "`" using command down
        end tell
      end if
    end tell
  end if
end tell

tell application "System Events"
  set if_running to (exists process "Terminal")
  if if_running then
    if displaynum is equal to "onedisp" then
      tell application "Terminal"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {286, 176, 1052, 668}
          set bounds of window 2 to {323, 215, 1425, 889}
        end try
      end tell
    else
      tell application "Terminal"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {2249, -467, 2868, -101}
          set bounds of window 2 to {2249, -86, 3351, 588}
        end try
      end tell
    end if
  end if
end tell

# resize the rest of the applications that are usually open.
# note the "try" commands - this is a failsafe in addition
# to 'exists process "foo"' so the script doesn't choke if the
# application is not running.

tell application "System Events"
  set if_running to (exists process "TextMate")
  if if_running then
    if displaynum is equal to "onedisp" then
      tell application "TextMate"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {18, 34, 567, 885}
        end try
      end tell
    else
      tell application "TextMate"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {1450, -466, 2239, 582}
        end try
      end tell
    end if
  end if
end tell

tell application "System Events"
  set if_running to (exists process "Google Chrome Canary")
  if if_running then
    if displaynum is equal to "onedisp" then
      tell application "Google Chrome Canary"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {196, 55, 1398, 811}
        end try
      end tell
    else
      tell application "Google Chrome Canary"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {0, 22, 1440, 899}
        end try
      end tell
    end if
  end if
end tell

tell application "System Events"
  set if_running to (exists process "iTunes")
  if if_running then
    if displaynum is equal to "onedisp" then
      tell application "iTunes"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {90, 103, 1239, 833}
        end try
      end tell
    else
      tell application "iTunes"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {85, 135, 1234, 865}
        end try
      end tell
    end if
  end if
end tell

tell application "System Events"
  set if_running to (exists process "Transmission")
  if if_running then
    if displaynum is equal to "onedisp" then
      tell application "Transmission"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {962, 36, 1424, 404}
        end try
      end tell
    else
      tell application "Transmission"
        activate
        try
          set bounds of window 1 to {2882, -470, 3344, -102}
        end try
      end tell
    end if
  end if
end tell

# tweetie is old and incompatible with the other functions.
tell application "System Events"
  tell process "Tweetie"
    activate
    try
      set size of window 1 to {355, 878}
    end try
    try
      set position of window 1 to {1, 23}
    end try
  end tell
end tell

# set frontmost application back
tell application focus
  activate
end tell

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