Other Ways to Activate Sleeper

The Sleep Now Application

An application called Sleep Now is distributed with Sleeper.  This application performs the same function as the hotkey:  when you launch it, it puts the monitor and disks to sleep.  

Sleep Now is useful in situations where you cannot use the hotkey, such as when you want to use AppleScript or a scheduling application to put your Mac to sleep at a particular time.  Sleep Now can also be put in the Apple Menu Items folder in your system folder to give you a "Sleep" selection in the menu.

The Sleeper OSAX AppleScript Addition

An AppleScript addition called Sleeper OSAX is distributed with Sleeper.  This addition allows you to check whether the disks are asleep and to put them to sleep.

To use the addition, place it in the Scripting Additions folder inside the Extensions folder in your System folder.  You can then use the following commands in your AppleScript scripts:

     Sleeper is asleep -- returns true if disks are asleep
     Sleeper go to sleep -- puts disks to sleep just like Sleeper's hotkey

This AppleScript addition requires that you have Sleeper installed on your Macintosh.  Note that with program linking on, you can also put other Sleeper-equipped Macs on your network to sleep with a script like this:

    tell application "Finder" of machine "St. Clair Server"

    Sleeper go to sleep
    end tell

The Sleeper Now Control Strip Module

Sleeper Now is a module written by Geoffrey Keating for Control Strip.  It provides a button in the Control Strip which immediately invokes Sleeper, serving the same purpose as Sleeper's hotkey.  

Depending upon what model of Mac you own, you may or may not have Control Strip.  Until recently, Apple only distributed it with PowerBooks.  If you do have Control Strip, simply place Sleeper Now in the Control Strip Modules folder inside your System folder.  The next time you restart, you will have an additional button with 3 Z's on it.  Pressing this button activates Sleeper.