Web utilities for you

Applescript to toggle between landscape and portrait rotations

I modified a nice little script from here to simply toggle between portrait and landscape modes on my monitor. His version allowed clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation, but I've set mine up so that I trigger the applescript from a Butler keypress (I chose control+keypad 0), then the applescript figures out what display rotation mode I'm currently in, then toggles it to my other preferred rotation.

You can download the script here: Rotate Display.scpt.zip or copy and paste the following code into Script Editor.

Here's the code

-- Now works with Snow Leopard 10.6.4

-- Rotate Display on machines
-- This code is offered without any liability implied or explicit.
-- Use it at your own risk.
-- Copyright 2005, 2006 Conrad Albrecht-Buehler
-- Modifications for portrait/landscape only May 2006 Bryan Wu to support toggling between only two modes - landscape and portrait

-- NOTE: UI Scripting must be enabled for this to work!  Confirm that
-- "Enable access for assistive devices" is checked in the 
-- Universal Access System Preference Pane

-- v1.1.2010-08-01 updated to work with 10.6.4's reverted(?) display panel
-- v1.1.2010-04-08 updated to work with 10.6.3's revised display panel
-- v1.1.2006-03-01 updated to handle displays with the same name.
-- v1.1.2006-05-28-Bryan updated to handle displays with the same name.
-- v1.1.2009-08-02 - Bryan updated to work with Snow Leopard

-- Set these to match your monitor's portrait and landscape modes
-- For example, on my monitor, Landscape mode is 'Standard' (item 1 in the rotate menu)
-- On my monitor, Portrait mode is '90°' (item 2 in the rotate menu)
property rotationDirectionLandscape : 1 -- rotate menu item 1 (Standard)
property rotationDirectionPortrait : 2 -- rotate menu item 2 (90 degrees)

-- the "main" part of the script
-- activate System Preferences
tell application "System Preferences"
	activate
	set current pane to pane "com.apple.preference.displays"
	--reveal anchor "displaysDisplayTab" of pane "Displays"
end tell

-- get all the display preference pane windows
-- and rotate each corresponding display
set allDisplays to my getDisplays()
repeat with i from 1 to length of allDisplays
	my setDisplay(i)
end repeat

-- this function gets a list of the display preferences windows.
-- needed if you have more than one display that you want to 
-- rotate.  Note: PowerBooks will not rotate their built-in
-- LCDs with this script.
on getDisplays()
	tell application "System Events"
		get properties
		tell process "System Preferences"
			set allDisplays to every window
		end tell
	end tell
	return allDisplays
end getDisplays

-- This function simply clicks the pop-up button that
-- controls rotation, and selects the next in order
-- (either clockwise or counter-clockwise)
on setDisplay(thisDisplay)
	set rotatable to false
	tell application "System Events"
		get properties
		tell process "System Preferences"
			tell window thisDisplay
				tell tab group 1
					click radio button "Display"
					try
						click pop up button 1 of group 1
						tell pop up button 1 of group 1
							repeat with i from 1 to 4
								if selected of menu item i of menu 1 is true then
									exit repeat
								end if
							end repeat
							if i is equal to rotationDirectionLandscape then
								-- is landscape now, switch to portrait mode
								set rotateMenuItem to rotationDirectionPortrait
							else
								-- is not landscape now, switch to landscape
								set rotateMenuItem to rotationDirectionLandscape
							end if
							click menu item rotateMenuItem of menu 1
						end tell
						-- If "Standard" is selected, no confirmation dialog is displayed.
						if rotateMenuItem is not 1 then
							set rotatable to true
						end if
					on error
						log "Can't rotate display. It may be the laptop's built in display."
					end try
				end tell
			end tell
			if rotatable then
				--delay 5
				-- After rotation, for some reason the confirmation dialog is always in window 1.
				set success to 0
				repeat until success is equal to 1
					try
						tell window 1
							tell sheet 1
								click button "Confirm"
								set success to 1
							end tell
						end tell
					on error errText
						log errText
						delay 1
					end try
				end repeat
			end if
		end tell
	end tell
end setDisplay


-- quit system preferences
tell application "System Preferences"
	quit
end tell