21.1. Scripting iTunes

iTunes has long provided a solid object model for working with its tracks and playlists. Scripts for iTunes generally fall into two categories: easing maintenance and improving usability. Maintenance scripts are great for features such as cleaning up your library and managing your tracks and playlists. With the ability to manage many thousands of tracks, AppleScript can be a saving grace when you want to organize the iTunes part of your life. Usability scripts can help you enjoy music more easily and efficiently on a day-to-day basis. You can easily create little AppleScript utilities that perform tasks that would require several steps in the iTunes GUI.

The following sections will introduce the three main types of objects in the iTunes object model—sources, playlists, and tracks—and show you how to manipulate them using various iTunes commands.