Creating a Finder Toolbar “New File” Tool for Developers and macOS Users

Introduction

If you’ve used macOS long enough, you’ve probably noticed one thing missing compared to Windows:

👉 There is no “New File” option in Finder

For developers, this becomes frustrating very quickly. You constantly:

Open VSCode just to create a file
Use Terminal (touch file.js)
Break your focus for small tasks

So instead of working around it…

👉 I built a Finder Toolbar Dev Tool

What You Will Build

By the end of this guide, you will have:

A button in Finder toolbar
A popup to choose:
- Stack (Laravel, Next.js, NestJS, etc.)
- File type
Automatic file creation
Optional boilerplate code

Who This Guide Is For

This guide works for:

Beginners

No AppleScript knowledge needed
Just copy-paste + follow steps

Developers

Extendable system
Multi-stack support
Can evolve into full dev tool

How It Works (Concept)

Toolbar Button
   ↓
AppleScript Dialogs
   ↓
User Input (Stack + Type + Name)
   ↓
File Generator Logic
   ↓
File Created in Finder

Step 1. Open Script Editor

Press Cmd + Space
Type Script Editor
Press Enter

Step 2. Create New Script

Click New Document
Clear everything

Step 3. Paste the Full Script

tell application "Finder"
    if not (exists front window) then
        display dialog "No Finder window open"
        return
    end if
    set targetFolder to (target of front window) as alias
end tell

set basePath to POSIX path of targetFolder

-- ========================
-- SELECT STACK
-- ========================
set stackChoice to choose from list {"Laravel", "Next.js", "NestJS", "SQL", "Generic"} with prompt "Select stack:"
if stackChoice is false then return
set stack to item 1 of stackChoice

-- ========================
-- SELECT TYPE
-- ========================
if stack is "Laravel" then
    set typeChoice to choose from list {"Controller", "Model", "Migration", "Blade"} with prompt "Laravel:"
else if stack is "Next.js" then
    set typeChoice to choose from list {"Page", "API Route", "Component"} with prompt "Next.js:"
else if stack is "NestJS" then
    set typeChoice to choose from list {"Module", "Service", "Controller"} with prompt "NestJS:"
else if stack is "SQL" then
    set typeChoice to choose from list {"Migration", "Table"} with prompt "SQL:"
else
    set typeChoice to choose from list {"txt", "php", "js", "md"} with prompt "Generic:"
end if

if typeChoice is false then return
set typeName to item 1 of typeChoice

-- ========================
-- FILE NAME INPUT
-- ========================
set baseName to text returned of (display dialog "Enter name:" default answer "user")

if baseName is "" then
    set baseName to "NewFile"
end if

-- safer StudlyCase conversion
set studly to do shell script "echo " & quoted form of baseName & " | sed -E 's/[^a-zA-Z0-9]+/ /g' | awk '{for(i=1;i<=NF;i++){printf toupper(substr($i,1,1)) tolower(substr($i,2))}}'"

set fileName to ""
set content to ""

-- ========================
-- LARAVEL
-- ========================
if stack is "Laravel" then
    if typeName is "Controller" then
        set fileName to studly & "Controller.php"
        set content to "<?php

namespace App\\Http\\Controllers;

use Illuminate\\Http\\Request;

class " & studly & "Controller extends Controller
{
    //
}"
        
    else if typeName is "Model" then
        set fileName to studly & ".php"
        set content to "<?php

namespace App\\Models;

use Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Model;

class " & studly & " extends Model
{
    protected $guarded = [];
}"
        
    else if typeName is "Migration" then
        set fileName to "create_" & studly & "_table.php"
        set content to "<?php

use Illuminate\\Database\\Migrations\\Migration;
use Illuminate\\Database\\Schema\\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\\Support\\Facades\\Schema;

return new class extends Migration {
    public function up(): void {
        Schema::create('" & studly & "', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->timestamps();
        });
    }
};"
        
    else if typeName is "Blade" then
        set fileName to baseName & ".blade.php"
        set content to "<x-layout>
    <h1>" & studly & "</h1>
</x-layout>"
    end if
end if

-- ========================
-- NEXT.JS
-- ========================
if stack is "Next.js" then
    if typeName is "Page" then
        set fileName to "page.tsx"
        set content to "export default function Page() {
  return <div>" & studly & "</div>;
}"
        
    else if typeName is "API Route" then
        set fileName to "route.ts"
        set content to "export async function GET() {
  return Response.json({ message: '" & studly & "' });
}"
        
    else if typeName is "Component" then
        set fileName to studly & ".tsx"
        set content to "export function " & studly & "() {
  return <div>" & studly & "</div>;
}"
    end if
end if

-- ========================
-- NESTJS
-- ========================
if stack is "NestJS" then
    if typeName is "Module" then
        set fileName to studly & ".module.ts"
        set content to "import { Module } from '@nestjs/common';

@Module({})
export class " & studly & "Module {}"
        
    else if typeName is "Service" then
        set fileName to studly & ".service.ts"
        set content to "export class " & studly & "Service {}"
        
    else if typeName is "Controller" then
        set fileName to studly & ".controller.ts"
        set content to "import { Controller, Get } from '@nestjs/common';

@Controller('" & studly & "')
export class " & studly & "Controller {
  @Get()
  findAll() {
    return [];
  }
}"
    end if
end if

-- ========================
-- SQL
-- ========================
if stack is "SQL" then
    set fileName to studly & ".sql"
    set content to "CREATE TABLE " & studly & " (
    id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT
);"
end if

-- ========================
-- GENERIC
-- ========================
if stack is "Generic" then
    if typeName is "php" then
        set fileName to studly & ".php"
    else if typeName is "js" then
        set fileName to studly & ".js"
    else if typeName is "md" then
        set fileName to studly & ".md"
    else
        set fileName to studly & ".txt"
    end if
end if

-- fallback safety
if fileName is "" then
    set fileName to studly & ".txt"
end if

set filePath to basePath & fileName

-- ========================
-- PREVENT OVERWRITE
-- ========================
set i to 1
set originalPath to filePath

repeat while (do shell script "test -e " & quoted form of filePath & " && echo yes || echo no") is "yes"
    set filePath to originalPath & "-" & i
    set i to i + 1
end repeat

-- ========================
-- CREATE FILE SAFELY
-- ========================
try
    do shell script "touch " & quoted form of filePath
    if content is not "" then
        do shell script "printf %s " & quoted form of content & " > " & quoted form of filePath
    end if
on error errMsg
    display dialog "Error creating file: " & errMsg
    return
end try

delay 0.2

-- ========================
-- REVEAL FILE SAFELY
-- ========================
try
    do shell script "test -e " & quoted form of filePath
    tell application "Finder" to reveal POSIX file filePath
end try

Step 4. Save as Application

Click File → Export
Choose:
- Format: Application
- Name: New File
Save in Applications

Open Finder
Right-click toolbar → Customize Toolbar
Drag your app into toolbar
Click Done

Step 6. Use It

Now simply:

Open any folder
Click your toolbar button
Select stack
Select type
Enter name

👉 Your file is created instantly

Developer Insights

This tool is more than a script. It’s a mini scaffolding system.

Why it’s powerful:

Removes context switching
Enforces naming conventions
Works across multiple stacks
Fully customizable

Extend It Further

You can upgrade this into:

Laravel artisan make: integration
NestJS CLI integration
Template-based file system
Auto project detection

Conclusion

Instead of adapting to limitations…

👉 You extended your OS.

You now have:

Faster workflow
Cleaner structure
A tool you built yourself

And that’s where real productivity starts.