How to Start iTunes from a Shell Script

The open command can also launch iTunes from the Terminal.

Mac OS X supports a variety of tools inherited from UNIX, including shell scripts. Shell scripts are text files that contain a list of Terminal commands. These commands are executed in sequence when you run the script. While you can’t execute iTunes or another OS X application bundle by directly specifying its location, as you would with a Terminal command, you can use the “open” command on Mac OS X to start iTunes or another application bundle from a shell script.

Instructions

1. Open a text editor on your Mac.

2. Add the following line to the top of the file:

   #!/bin/bash

3. Type the following text onto a new line in your file:

   open -a /Applications/iTunes.app

4. Save the text file with the .sh file extension.

5. Open a Terminal window by double-clicking the Terminal icon in the Applications folder.

6. Type the following command into the Terminal, replacing “/path/to/script.sh” with the path to the shell script you created on your Mac. This command makes the shell script executable.

   chmod +x /path/to/script.sh

Tips & Warnings

• Add other commands on their own lines before or after the “open -a /Applications/iTunes.app” command to have your shell script perform more actions. You can also add this line to any existing shell script.

References

• Apple: Introduction to Open Source Scripting on Mac OS X
• Apple: Open(1)