Monkeybread Xojo plugin - NSAppleScriptMBS class

Platforms to show: All Mac Windows Linux Cross-Platform

NSAppleScriptMBS class

Type	Topic	Plugin	Version	macOS	Windows	Linux	iOS	Targets
class	Apple Script	MBS MacCocoa Plugin	11.2	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	Desktop, Console & Web

The NSAppleScriptMBS class provides the ability to load, compile, and execute scripts.

Example

Var source as string = "tell Application ""iTunes"" to pause"
Var n as new NSAppleScriptMBS(source)
call n.execute

Your application may need the NSAppleEventsUsageDescription entry in info.plist to do any AppleScript usage:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/information_property_list/nsappleeventsusagedescription

If you use hardened runtime, which you need for notarization, you may need the entitlement for Apple Events, too:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/entitlements/com_apple_security_automation_apple-events

Important: You should access NSAppleScriptMBS only from the main thread.

This class provides applications with the ability to

load a script from a URL or from a text string
compile or execute a script or an individual Apple event
obtain an NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS containing the reply from an executed script or event
obtain an attributed string for a compiled script, suitable for display in a script editor
obtain various kinds of information about any errors that may occur

Important: NSAppleScriptMBS provides the execute method so that you can send an Apple event to invoke a handler in a script. (In an AppleScript script, a handler is the equivalent of a function.) However, you cannot use this method to send Apple events to other applications.

When you create an instance of NSAppleScriptMBS object, you can use a URL or a folderitem to specify a script that can be in either text or compiled form, or you can supply the script as a string. Should an error occur when compiling or executing the script, several of the methods return a dictionary containing error information. The keys for obtaining error information, such as NSAppleScriptErrorMessage, are described in the Constants section.

4 properties
- property Handle as Integer
- property isCompiled as boolean
- property richTextSource as NSAttributedStringMBS
- property source as string
14 methods
- method compile as boolean
- method compile(byref error as dictionary) as boolean
- method Constructor(file as folderitem, byref error as Dictionary)
- method Constructor(source as string)
- method Constructor(sourceLines() as string)
- method Constructor(URL as string, byref error as Dictionary)
- method copy as NSAppleScriptMBS
- method execute as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS
- method execute(byref error as dictionary) as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS
- method executeAppleEvent(event as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS, byref error as dictionary) as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS
- method executeSubroutine(Name as String, parameters() as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS, byref error as dictionary) as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS
- method properties as string()
- method setValueDescriptorForProperty(propertyName as string, value as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS) as boolean
- method valueDescriptorForProperty(propertyName as string) as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS
6 shared methods
- shared method DeterminePermissionToAutomateTarget(target as NSAppleEventDescriptorMBS, theAEEventClass as string = "****", theAEEventID as String = "****", askUserIfNeeded as boolean) as Integer
- shared method NSAppleScriptErrorAppName as string
- shared method NSAppleScriptErrorBriefMessage as string
- shared method NSAppleScriptErrorMessage as string
- shared method NSAppleScriptErrorNumber as string
- shared method NSAppleScriptErrorRange as string

This class has no sub classes.

Blog Entries

Xojo Developer Magazine

Release notes

Version 18.4
- Added NSAppleScriptMBS.DeterminePermissionToAutomateTarget function.

Some examples using this class:

Some related classes:

The items on this page are in the following plugins: MBS MacCocoa Plugin.

NSAppleEventManagerSuspensionIDMBS - NSApplicationDelegateMBS

💬 Ask a question or report a problem