Read and Write Text Files Using AppleScript

AppleScript includes some functions to allow you to manipulate text files. To read a text file, just use:

set the_file to "Crocs:Users:oliver:Desktop:Err.txt" as alias

open for access the_file
set the_text to read the_file
close access the_file
return the_text

To write to a text file (by default, at the beginning) you can use:

set the_file to "Crocs:Users:oliver:Desktop:Err.txt" as alias

open for access the_file with write permission
write the_text to the_file
close access the_file
return the_text

If you want to write to the end of the text file use:

write the_text to the_file starting at eof

("eof" stands for "end of file".)

Finally, I've written this simple AppleScript subroutine to act as a substitute for the "echo" shell script command:

on write_file(the_file, the_info, overwrite_contents)
try
close access the_file
end try
set opened_file to open for access the_file with write permission
if overwrite_contents is true then set eof of opened_file to 0
write the_info to the_file starting at eof
close access the_file
end write_file

on run
write_file((choose file), (return & "Hello"), false)
end run

Using that, you can specify where to write, what to write, and whether or not to overwrite the original file.