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I'd like to add System Apps to menu items toolbar e.g. show I am hotspotting with my iPhone?

The below first 6 apps (e.g. network app), are utility style apps for me, and I would prefer they be out of my Dock and in the top right hand corner (menu items bar). How do I do this?

Plus a 7th app, which is a purchased app via the App Store.

System:

  • Yosemite 10.10.3
  • Installed Bartender app (this app allows you resequence menu item icons and pop desired apps into a sub "menu item bar" -- very nice!)

Bartender app does not appear to allow me to add System Apps that I am always using as there is no setting in the app "make menu item".

  1. OS X system preference - Network so I can see internet connectivity when hotspotting to iphone. Similar to Wi-Fi indicator but Hotspot.
  2. OS X System Preferences
  3. OS X Activity Monitor
  4. OS X Terminal App
  5. OS X Automator
  6. OS X Calendar App
  7. A purchased app from App Store called Screen Rotate, so I can use my macbook like an ebook reader
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  • and you want all those items in the menu bar ? Commented May 4, 2015 at 2:29
  • did you look in here /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras to find out if there is something you can use already? Commented May 4, 2015 at 4:06
  • thanks Buscar. nothing in menu extras that is really "extra". ____ I did find istat Menu app, that solves the problem except for HotSpotting Indicator and Automator and the Purchased App. From its very nice customisable Battery or Time/Clock or CPU Monitor you can easily link to the apps e.g. Time/Clock to Calendar, CPU (link to console, activity or terminal).___ Also found app called Bartender very useful as allowed ot pop some in sub-menu bar and rearrange all existing menu bar icons. Commented May 4, 2015 at 4:22
  • @TheBro21 Don't forget to remove superfluous valedictions when editing! Commented May 4, 2015 at 11:17
  • Ok. Will do ;) So I should remove things like thank you and please help. Commented May 4, 2015 at 11:19

1 Answer 1

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A simple way to accomplish what you ask is to use AppleScripts. The result will be a Status menu represented by the script icon as shown below. (Hint: for a better view, click the image.)

  1. Using the Finder, navigate to your home folder. From the Finder menus select View → Show View Options. Make sure "Show Library Folder" is checked off as shown below. (Home folder was shown in list view)

  2. Create the ~/Library/Scripts folder, if it does not already exist.

  3. Open Script Editor application. In the Preferences for the Script Editor, check the box "Show Script menu in menu bar" and uncheck the box "Show Computer scripts". An example is shown below. The script icon should now appear on the menu bar.

  4. Using the Script Editor application, create a single line script for each menu item you want to appear in the scripts menu. Each file name should be the same spelling as will appear in the menu. Save each script file to the folder ~/Library/Scripts.

    For Activity Monitor:

    do shell script "open -a '/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app'"

    For Automator:

    do shell script "open -a /Applications/Automator.app"

    For Calendar:

    do shell script "open -a /Applications/Calendar.app"

    For Network:

    do shell script "open /System/Library/PreferencePanes/Network.prefPane/"

    For Screen Rotate, you are on your own. I assume this would be similar to System Preferences.

    For System Preferences:

    do shell script "open -a '/Applications/System Preferences.app'"

    For Terminal:

    do shell script "open -a /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app"

  5. After saving the script files, the menu items should appear in the script menu.

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  • Oh, thankyou so much for the applescript. That is most helpful. I see your logic now, We are not adding each of these to the "menu bar as an icon" but rather adding ability to access them from menu item "AppleScripts" drop down menu. Not exactly what I asked but nice thinking! (Same idea as the drop down from menu item "favourites") Commented May 4, 2015 at 18:29
  • The above AppleScript, only called the app (?I think technical term is insubstantiate it, I am not sure). So needed to activate it in osx world to bring app to focus on the desktop e.g. For System Preferences code became do shell script "open -a '/Applications/System Preferences.app' activate" Commented May 4, 2015 at 18:53
  • There used to be a thing called Now Menus. Loved it, miss it. Now I use XMenu (itunes.apple.com/us/app/xmenu/id419332741?mt=12), which is a bit simpler than doing all that Applescript stuff. Handy little freeware utility that I have on all my Macs. Commented May 4, 2015 at 19:46
  • @sea: Actually, the menu is a drop down. What is shown in the image is a timed screen capture made with the Grab application. As for your suggestion of "open -a '/Applications/System Preferences.app' activate": Before you waste my time reading your comments, take a moment to verify your suggestion using a Terminal window. You will find it does not work. Commented May 6, 2015 at 8:13

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