Apple - Right-click, create a new text file. How?

I am using XtraFinder plugin for Mac OS's built in Finder. It has most of the features including create new file in finder options.

You'll love it like I do

;)


You could assign a shortcut to a script like this:

tell application "System Events" to tell process "Finder"
    value of attribute "AXFocusedWindow" is scroll area 1
end tell
tell application "Finder"
    if result is true or number of windows is 0 then
        set t to desktop
    else
        set t to target of Finder window 1
    end if
    set f to make new file at t
    if t is desktop then
        set selection to f
    else
        select f
    end if
end tell

There is a bug in 10.7 and 10.8 that affects many other scripts and Automator services like this. Finder ignores new windows when getting the insertion location and selection properties. If you open a new Finder window, select some items in it, and run tell app "Finder" to selection in AppleScript Editor, the result is the items selected in some window behind the frontmost window (or an empty list). One workaround is to move focus to another application and back, but it results in a visual glitch.

So neither of these ways of checking if the desktop is selected work reliably:

tell application "Finder"
    insertion location as alias is desktop as alias
    container of item 1 of (get selection) as alias is desktop as alias
end tell

You could also wrap the script as an Automator service, but there is another bug where the shortcuts for Automator services don't always work until you hover over the services menu from the menu bar. If the input type was set to no input, the service wouldn't show up in context menus. If it was set to folders or files, you'd have to always secondary-click some folder or file.

Related questions:

  • Create new file from contextual menu
  • New File Action in Finder
  • How to create a text file in a folder
  • How do I create files in Finder without Terminal?

I didn't vote to close this question, because many of the solutions in the other questions are affected by either of the two bugs mentioned above. We'll likely get even more questions like this, which could then be closed as duplicates of this question.


There is a new APP in the store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/new-file-menu/id1064959555?ls=1&mt=12

New File Menu allows you to create new files quickly via the Finder context menu.

  • If you upgraded to macOS Sierra, you may need to reinstall New File Menu.New File Menu is simply the coolest way to create a new file on the Mac OS X platform, you can right click in any Finder window to create a new file! You can even right click on the desktop to create your files!

Important: New File Menu is implemented as a Finder extension, you need to enable "New File Menu Extension" in "System Preferences » Extensions" to make the context menu appear.