I wrote an AppleScript that works 95% of the time for me with Catalina.
You may select any playlist as your supply (besides “Songs”) and apply the formatting to any playlist or folder.
Some playlists do not reply; they appear to be corrupted within the Music Library, and the one answer I may discover was to create a brand new playlist with a barely completely different title and duplicate the tracks over.
-- Conform Columns for Apple Music
-- Model 1.0
-- Created by Bret Barker 04/01/2024
-- This script asks for a supply playlist in Apple Music
-- and applys the column settings to chosen playlists (and folders).
-- You may't use a folder or the "Songs" playlist as a supply
-- (they lack the track index column).
-- You may apply adjustments to playlists, folders, and the "Songs" playlist.
-- If a playlist will not conform, there's something mistaken with it within the
-- Music Library database.
-- Resolution: create a brand new playlist (good or dumb) with a barely completely different
-- title and duplicate the tracks to it.
use AppleScript model "2.4" -- Yosemite (10.10) or later
use scripting additions
use framework "Basis"
set prefs_path to POSIX path of (path to preferences) & "com.apple.Music.plist"
set playlist_name_list to {}
set playlist_choose_list to {}
set change_name_list to {}
set playlist_ID_list to {}
set d to "This script copies a playlist’s column formatting to different playlists.
First, the Music software must stop and relaunch to save lots of column settings."
attempt
set dialogAnswer to show dialog d buttons {"Cancel", "Go Forward"} ¬
default button "Go Forward"
-- restart Music to save lots of column prefs
if button returned of dialogAnswer is "Go Forward" then
inform software "Music" to stop
delay 1
inform software "Music" to activate
repeat till software "Music" is working
delay 0.5
finish repeat
finish if
on error quantity -128 -- userCanceledErr
return
finish attempt
inform software "Music"
activate
-- get LIB ID
set library_source to the supply named "Library"
set lib_ID to my toLowerCase(persistent ID of library_source)
set playlist_list to a reference to each person playlist in library_source
-- construct listing of all playlists, listing of names, and listing of IDs
repeat with the_playlist in playlist_list
set playlist_name to call of the_playlist
set playlist_ID to my toLowerCase(persistent ID of the_playlist)
-- search for folders containing playlists
set path_list to {}
set tmp to the_playlist
repeat whereas exists mum or dad of tmp
set the_playlist_parent to mum or dad of tmp
set parent_name to call of the_playlist_parent
set parent_ID to my toLowerCase(persistent ID of the_playlist_parent)
-- save title and ID to listing
copy {parent_name, parent_ID} to starting of path_list
set tmp to the_playlist_parent
finish repeat
-- construct listing of folders and sub-folders
if path_list ≠ {} then
set path_string to ""
repeat with x in path_list
set parent_name to merchandise 1 of x
set the_ID to merchandise 2 of x
-- base folder
if path_string = "" then
set path_string to parent_name
else
-- subfolders are separated by " > "
set path_string to path_string & " > " & parent_name
finish if
-- copy folders and sub-folders to remaining listing, add colon
set tmp to (path_string & ":") as textual content
if tmp will not be in playlist_name_list then
copy tmp to finish of playlist_name_list
copy the_ID to finish of playlist_ID_list
finish if
finish repeat
-- add playlist to folder path
copy path_string & " > " & playlist_name to finish of playlist_name_list
copy path_string & " > " & playlist_name to finish of playlist_choose_list
copy playlist_ID to finish of playlist_ID_list
-- ELSE add playlist with out folder
else
if playlist_name = "Music" then
set playlist_name to "Songs"
else
-- preserve "Music/Songs" out of supply select listing
copy playlist_name to finish of playlist_choose_list
finish if
-- add "Music/Songs" and others to full listing
copy playlist_name to finish of playlist_name_list
copy playlist_ID to finish of playlist_ID_list
finish if
finish repeat
-- select the supply playlist
set the_list to select from listing playlist_choose_list ¬
with immediate "Which playlist has the proper column format?"
if the_list is fake then return -- stop if no choice
set source_playlist to merchandise 1 of the_list
-- get ID of supply playlist
set item_index to my firstIndexOf(source_playlist, playlist_name_list)
set playlist_ID to merchandise item_index of playlist_ID_list
-- learn settings of supply playlist
set source_settings to do shell script "defaults learn '" & prefs_path ¬
& "' '" & "PPr4:LIB:" & lib_ID & ":" & playlist_ID & "' "
-- change view to "as Songs" for goal playlists
set source_settings to my regexReplace(source_settings, ¬
"viewModeForPlaylist = d+", "viewModeForPlaylist = 4")
-- take away supply playlist from listing of goal playlists
repeat with tmp in playlist_name_list
set tmp_playlist to tmp as textual content
if tmp_playlist ≠ source_playlist then
copy tmp_playlist to finish of change_name_list
finish if
finish repeat
-- select goal playlists to alter
set target_playlists to select from listing change_name_list ¬
with immediate "Which playlist(s) to alter?" with a number of alternatives allowed
if target_playlists is fake then return -- stop if no choice
-- stop Music to save lots of adjustments to prefs file
set d to "The Music software will shut and re-open to use the adjustments."
attempt
set dialogAnswer to show dialog d buttons {"Cancel", "Go Forward"} ¬
default button "Go Forward"
on error quantity -128 -- userCanceledErr
return
finish attempt
stop
finish inform
-- anticipate file write
delay 1
-- write chosen settings to the "com.apple.Music.plist" prefs file
-- utilizing IDs of goal playlists
repeat with the_target_name in target_playlists
-- get index of goal in ID listing
set item_index to my firstIndexOf(the_target_name, playlist_name_list)
set playlist_ID to merchandise item_index of playlist_ID_list
-- write prefs
do shell script "defaults write '" & prefs_path & "' '" & "PPr4:LIB:" & lib_ID & ¬
":" & playlist_ID & "' '" & source_settings & "' "
finish repeat
-- anticipate file write
delay 1
-- relaunch Music
inform software "Music" to activate
-- END OF MAIN
-- START OF SUBROUTINES
on toLowerCase(theString)
return (present software's NSString's stringWithString:theString)'s ¬
lowercaseString() as textual content
finish toLowerCase
on regexReplace(inputString, searchString, replaceString)
set nsCurApp to present software
set nsSourceStr to nsCurApp's NSString's stringWithString:inputString
set nsSourceStr to (nsSourceStr's stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:searchString ¬
withString:replaceString choices:(nsCurApp's NSRegularExpressionSearch) ¬
vary:size)
return nsSourceStr as textual content
finish regexReplace
on firstIndexOf(anItem, aList)
set anArray to present software's NSArray's arrayWithArray:aList
return (anArray's indexOfObject:anItem) + 1
finish firstIndexOf
-- END OF SUBROUTINES
