Apple AppleScript Guide

AppleScript Finder Guide

English Dialect

Apple Computer, Inc.

© 1994 Apple Computer, Inc.

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Contents

Preface

Tables and Listings vii

About This Guide

ix

Audience ix

Organization of This Guide

For More Information x

Getting Started x

AppleScript Language

Scripting Additions x

Other AppleScript Dialects x

Conventions Used in This Guide ix xi xi

Chapter 1 Introduction to Finder Scripting

1

Installation 1

What Is Finder Scripting?

2

Recording Actions in the Finder

Modifying Recorded Scripts 6

Simplifying Recorded Scripts 8

5

Writing Scripts That Control the Finder 10

Chapter 2 Finder Objects

15

Using Object Class Definitions 15

Properties 15

Element Classes 16

Commands Handled 17

Default Value Class Returned 17

Examples 17 iii

iv

The Finder Application Object 18

Properties and Elements of the Finder 20

References to Finder Windows 22

References Returned for the Insertion Location property

References Returned for a Point

Object Class Definitions 26

25

Accessory Process 26

Accessory Suitcase 27

Alias File 28

Application 31

Application File 38

Application Process

Container 43

Container Window

Content Space

Control Panel

50

51

Desk Accessory File

Desktop-Object 56

41

47

55

Disk 57

Document File 60

File

Folder

61

63

Font File 65

Font Suitcase 66

Group 68

Information Window 69

Item

Process

73

77

Sharable Container 79

Sharing Privileges 83

Sharing Window

Sound File 88

85

89 Status Window

Suitcase 90

Trash-Object 91

User 93

Window 95

24

Chapter 3 Finder Commands

99

Using Command Definitions

Syntax 99

Parameters 100

Result 101

Examples 101

Command Definitions 101

Clean Up 104

Close 106

Computer

Copy

Count

109

110

107

Data Size

Delete 113

111

Duplicate 114

Eject 115

Empty 116

Erase 117

Exists 118

Get 119

Make

Move

121

124

Open 125

Print 126

Put Away

Quit 129

Restart 130

Reveal 131

127

Select

Set 133

132

Shut Down

Sleep 134

Sort 135

Update 137

134

99 v

Appendix A Finder Commands at a Glance

141

Commands 141

Placeholders 145

Appendix B Finder Errors

147

Index

149 vi

Tables and Listings

Chapter 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

1

Listing 1-1

Listing 1-2

Listing 1-3

A sample recorded script 6

A script that either takes a snapshot of the current window arrangement or restores a previously stored snapshot 11

A script that adds a new user to the Users & Groups control panel and adds a drop folder for that user to the startup disk 12

Chapter 3

Finder Commands

99

Table 3-1

Table 3-2

Variations from standard behavior in Finder versions of standard application commands 101

Commands de fi ned by the Finder Suite 103

Appendix A

Finder Commands at a Glance

141

Table A-1

Table A-2

Finder command syntax 142

Placeholders used in syntax descriptions 145 vii

P R E F A C E

About This Guide

The AppleScript Finder Guide: English Dialect describes the commands and object classes defined by the Finder for use with the English dialect of the AppleScript language. The Finder scripting software allows you to write, record, or run scripts that control actions in the Finder such as opening and closing folders and manipulating files.

Audience

0

This guide is for anyone who wants to record or write new scripts or modify existing scripts that control actions in the Finder.

Before using this guide, you should have installed AppleScript with the

Installer program. You should also be familiar with the AppleScript Language

Guide: English Dialect , which describes the English dialect of the AppleScript scripting language, the AppleScript Scripting Additions Guide, and Getting Started

With AppleScript .

Macintosh software developers who want to make their programs scriptable or recordable should also refer to Inside Macintosh: Interapplication Communication .

Organization of This Guide

0

This guide contains three chapters:

■

■

Chapter 1, “Introduction to Finder Scripting,” introduces Finder scripting and describes how to record and modify simple scripts.

Chapter 2, “Finder Objects,” provides definitions for all Finder object classes.

■

Chapter 3, “Finder Commands,” provides definitions for all Finder commands.

ix

x

P R E F A C E

At the end of the guide are two appendixes and an index.

■

■

Appendix A, “Finder Commands at a Glance,” summarizes the commands defined by the Finder.

Appendix B, “Finder Errors,” lists the error messages returned by the Finder.

For More Information

0

Getting Started

See the book Getting Started With AppleScript to learn what hardware and software you need to use AppleScript; how to install AppleScript; and how to run, record, and edit scripts.

0

AppleScript Language

See the AppleScript Language Guide: English Dialect (referred to in this book as the AppleScript Language Guide ) for complete information about the commands and other terms provided by the English dialect of the AppleScript scripting language and by the Scriptable Text Editor application.

0

Scripting Additions

Scripting additions are files that provide additional commands or coercions you can use in scripts. A standard set of scripting additions comes with

AppleScript. Scripting additions are also sold commercially, included with applications, and distributed through electronic bulletin boards and user groups.

For more information about the scripting additions that come with

AppleScript, see the AppleScript Scripting Additions Guide: English Dialect

(referred to in this book as the AppleScript Scripting Additions Guide ).

0

P R E F A C E

Other AppleScript Dialects

A dialect is a version of the AppleScript language that resembles a particular human language or a programming language. This guide describes the terms defined by the Finder for use with the AppleScript English dialect. Versions of the Finder for use with other dialects work the same way but define terms and syntax appropriate for those dialects.

0

Conventions Used in This Guide

Words and sample scripts in monospaced font are AppleScript language elements that must be typed exactly as shown.

Here are some additional conventions used in syntax descriptions: language element

Plain computer font indicates an element that you must type exactly as shown. If there are special symbols (for example, + or &), you must also type them exactly as shown.

placeholder

[

( optional a group )

]

Italic text indicates a placeholder that you must replace with an appropriate value. (In some programming languages, placeholders are called nonterminals.)

Brackets indicate that the enclosed language element or elements are optional.

Parentheses group together elements. If parentheses are part of the syntax, they are shown in bold.

( a group ) . . .

[ a optional

| b | c

]...

Three ellipsis points (. . .) after a group defined by parentheses indicate that you can repeat the group of elements within parentheses one or more times.

Three ellipsis points (. . .) after a group defined by brackets indicate that you can repeat the group of elements within brackets 0 or more times.

Vertical bars separate elements in a group from which you must choose a single element. The elements are often grouped within parentheses or brackets.

0 xi

Figure 1-0

Listing 1-0

Table 1-0

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

1

Finder scripting refers to the use of AppleScript and an application such as the

Script Editor to write, record, or run scripts that trigger actions in the Finder.

This chapter introduces Finder scripting. It also describes how to

■

■ record your actions in the Finder in the form of a script modify recorded Finder scripts

■ begin writing Finder scripts

This chapter assumes that you know how to use the Script Editor application to run a script. It also assumes that you understand how commands and object names can be combined in Tell statements to describe actions performed by an application. If these concepts are not familiar, read Part I of the AppleScript

Language Guide before reading this chapter.

Installation

1

If you obtained the Finder scripting software with the AppleScript Scripter’s

Toolkit, you can install it by running the Installer program on the AppleScript

Setup disk. After the Installer opens, click the Customize button, then select the item named Finder Scripting Software and click Install. If you obtained the Finder scripting software on a disk that updates an older version of the

AppleScript Scripter’s Toolkit, run the Installer program that’s included on the update disk and click the Install button after the Installer opens.

Finder scripting requires System 7.1 or later versions of system software.

Versions later than System 7 Pro (System 7.1.1) include the Finder scripting software, which is installed automatically when you install the system software.

Installation 1

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

IMPORTANT

Finder scripts that return a lot of information may need as much as several hundred kilobytes (K) of free memory to work correctly. To see how much memory is currently free, activate the Finder, choose About This Macintosh from the

Apple menu, and check the number labeled Largest

Unused Block in the About This Macintosh window. If a script you’ve used successfully stops working, try quitting one or more applications to make more memory available.

▲

What Is Finder Scripting?

1

The Finder is a specialized application that controls the Macintosh desktop: the working area of your screen where you can use the mouse and the keyboard to open and close folders, manipulate files, and inspect or alter various aspects of the computer’s operation. Finder scripting involves performing the same kinds of tasks, except that instead of triggering actions with the aid of the mouse and the keyboard, you trigger actions from scripts.

The Finder is both scriptable and recordable. A scriptable application is one that can respond to commands sent to it when another application, such as the Script

Editor, runs a script. A recordable application is one that uses Apple events to report user actions for recording purposes. When recording is turned on, the

Script Editor creates statements corresponding to any significant actions you perform in recordable applications, including actions you perform in the Finder.

By recording or writing scripts that control the Finder, you can automate many file management and networking tasks that you would otherwise have to perform manually.

For example, the script that follows copies the items from a folder on the startup disk to a folder on a different disk. Instead of opening all the folders by double-clicking them then dragging the contents of the AppleScript folder to a storage disk, you can run the script.

2 What Is Finder Scripting?

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting tell application "Finder" copy items of folder "AppleScript" of folder "Projects" of ¬ startup disk to folder "Backups" of disk "Storage" end tell

This script consists of a three-line Tell statement that names the Finder application running on the local computer as the target application. (The ¬ symbol is a “soft” return; it tells AppleScript to treat the line it’s on and the line that follows as if they are a single line.) As far as AppleScript is concerned, the

Finder is just like any other scriptable application.

Like other scriptable applications, the Finder defines commands that you can use in scripts to describe actions. Some of these are standard application commands, such as Copy, Open, Print, and Move, that can be used with most scriptable applications. Others are commands unique to the Finder, such as

Eject, Put Away, and Restart. The Finder also defines classes of objects on which actions can be performed, such as files, folders, and disks. Most of these object classes are unique to the Finder.

The copy command in the preceding example acts on the objects described by the reference items of folder "AppleScript" of folder "Projects" of startup disk . The folder AppleScript is located at the top level of the folder Projects, which located at the top level of the startup disk. The term items refers to all objects in the AppleScript folder, including files, other folders, suitcases, and so on. Any object in the Finder can be identified from within a script as long as its container and if necessary the container’s containers are also identified.

By using AppleScript features such as Repeat statements and other control statements, you can create more complex scripts that take different actions depending on the outcome of one or more tests. For example, the script that follows checks all the disks of a specified computer for the presence of a folder called Back Me Up. Whenever a disk contains such a folder, the script creates a folder on a storage volume and copies the contents of Back Me Up to that folder. (The storage volume must be mounted on the remote computer for this script to work correctly.)

What Is Finder Scripting?

3

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting tell application "Finder" of machine "Macintosh IIci" repeat with i in every disk in desktop if folder "Back Me Up" of i exists then set folderName to name of i & " " & ¬ day of (current date) & " " & time of (current date) set newFolder to make folder at ¬ disk "Storage" with properties {name:folderName} duplicate (items of folder "Back Me Up" of i) to newFolder end if end repeat end tell

The Repeat statement in this script applies the statements it contains to every disk on the desktop of the computer named Macintosh IIci. The If statement within the Repeat statement checks each disk for the presence of a folder called

Back Me Up. If the folder exists on a disk, the second line of the If statement sets the variable folderName to a string that consists of the disk’s name, the day of the month, and the time in seconds since the beginning of that day, thus ensuring that any other backup folders created from the same disk at a different time will have slightly different names. The rest of the If statement creates a new folder with the name assigned to folderName on a storage disk and asks the Finder to duplicate the items in the Back Me Up folder to the new folder.

As you can see, scripts that control the Finder use familiar terms like folder , disk , and desktop as well as standard AppleScript terms like of , repeat , and tell . Chapter 2, “Finder Objects,” describes all the terms the Finder defines for objects, and Chapter 3, “Finder Commands,” describes the terms it defines for commands. You can use these chapters as references when you need detailed information about specific objects or commands. However, the easiest way to learn how to use the scripting terminology defined by the Finder is to record your actions in the Finder and examine the resulting script.

The next section describes how to use record and edit scripts that control the

Finder. When you see how the Finder uses its own terminology in recorded scripts, you can begin writing your own scripts from scratch.

4 What Is Finder Scripting?

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

Recording Actions in the Finder

1

You can record almost any actions in the Finder that involve manipulating

Finder windows or icons: for example, opening folders, copying files, or changing View settings. To record actions in the Finder, click the Record button in the Script Editor application, then activate the Finder (by clicking on the desktop or choosing Finder from the Applications menu) and perform the actions that you want to record.

For example, suppose you like to have certain Finder windows arranged next to each other on the desktop when you’re working on financial matters, so that related files, alias files, or applications are easily accessible. To record the arrangement you want, follow these steps:

1. Open the Script Editor application.

2. Click the Record button.

3. Activate the Finder by clicking on the desktop or choosing Finder from the Applications menu.

4. If any Finder windows are currently open, close them all by holding down the Option key and clicking the close box of the active window.

5. Open, resize, and arrange the windows whose positions you want to record.

6. When you’re satisfied with the arrangement of the desktop, activate the

Script Editor again and click the Stop button.

The recorded script should look something like the one in Listing 1-1 on page 6.

If you save your recorded script as a script application, you can arrange the windows the same way at any time by double-clicking the script’s icon in the

Finder. The Finder responds by closing any windows that are currently open and opening and arranging windows as specified in the script.

Recording Actions in the Finder 5

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

Listing 1-1 A sample recorded script tell application "Finder" activate close every window select startup disk open selection set position of window of startup disk to {4, 43} set size of window of startup disk to {369, 464} select folder "Financial" of startup disk open selection set position of window of folder "Financial" of startup disk to ¬

{378, 43} set size of window of folder "Financial" of startup disk to ¬

{200, 155} select folder "Letters" of startup disk open selection set size of window of folder "Letters" of startup disk to ¬

{257, 385} set position of window of folder "Letters" of startup disk to ¬

{379, 222} set size of window of folder "Letters" of startup disk to ¬

{200, 286} end tell

Modifying Recorded Scripts

1

You can often modify a recorded script to suit new circumstances. For example, you could adapt the script shown in Listing 1-1 for use with an external hard disk rather than the startup disk by changing the term startup disk to disk

" nameOfDisk " throughout the script, where nameOfDisk is the name of the hard disk on which the folders Financial and Letters are located.

Or suppose you want to make sure the Finder opens each window specified in

Listing 1-1 with a specific view selected in the Views menu. One way to do this might be to place the insertion point after the last line of the script in the script

6 Recording Actions in the Finder

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting window, turn on recording, choose the settings you want for each window from the View menu, and turn off recording. Any significant changes you make to the windows’ views will be recorded; however, if some of the View settings for some of the windows are already set the way you want them, the Finder won’t record the action because nothing changes as a result.

A more reliable approach is to add lines to the recorded script that set the View settings. To do so, you must know how to tell the Finder to set the view of a window.

The easiest way to learn how to describe an action in the Finder is to try recording the action in a sample script. To learn how the Finder sets a window’s view, follow these steps:

1. Open a new script window in the Script Editor by choosing New Script from the File menu.

2. Click the Record button.

3. Activate the Finder by clicking on the desktop or choosing Finder from the Applications menu.

4. Change the Views setting for one of the Finder’s windows.

5. Activate the Script Editor again and click the Stop button.

The recorded script looks something like this: tell application "Finder" activate set view of window of folder "Financial" of startup disk to name end tell

The third line of the recorded script sets the View property of the window for the folder Financial to name . You can now use this line as a template for setting the views of folder windows in a script. For example, to modify Listing 1-1 so that the windows will always open in specific views, you could add these lines just before the last line (that is, before end tell ): set view of window of startup disk to icon set view of window of folder "Financial" of startup disk to name set view of window of folder "Letters" of startup disk to size

Recording Actions in the Finder 7

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

After you run the new script, the windows have the views specified in the script even if you’ve previously changed them.

To modify recorded scripts or create new scripts that control the Finder, you may need to look up the definitions of some of Finder terms. Like any scriptable application, the Finder contains a dictionary of the AppleScript terms that you can use to control the application. To open the dictionary, drag the

Finder’s icon over the icon of the Script Editor, the script-editing application that comes with AppleScript. If you run across an unfamiliar word in a recorded script, you can look it up quickly in the dictionary. If you need a comprehensive definition with examples, look up the term’s entry in this book.

Simplifying Recorded Scripts

As is often true of scriptable applications, the Finder allows you to express the same action in several different ways. Recorded scripts are precisely worded so as to avoid ambiguity in variety of circumstances. In the script shown in

Listing 1-1 on page 6, however, there is no need to specify the folder and disk to which a window belongs. If you wish, you can specify a window by name only:

1 set view of window "Letters" to size

To work correctly, the preceding statement must be contained in a Tell statement that names the Finder as the target application, and the window named

Letters must be open. The container for a Finder window is always the Finder itself. If more than one window named Letters is open, the Finder changes the

View property for all windows with that name to size .

The previous section described how to add three lines at the end of the script shown in Listing 1-1 that set the window’s views to different values. If instead you want all the windows opened by that script to have the same view, you could add just one line: set view of windows to name

The plural form windows identifies all open Finder windows.

After opening a window, the recorded script in Listing 1-1 adjusts the window’s

Position and Size properties separately. The terms Position and Size name two different properties of a window. Each property consists of a list of two

8 Recording Actions in the Finder

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting integers. For the Position property, the two integers specify the coordinates of the upper-left corner of the content region of the window (the portion of the window that displays its contents; the title bar and scroll bars are not part of the content region). For the Size property, the two integers specify the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the window’s content region.

Instead of adjusting these properties separately, you can adjust them at the same time by setting the Bounds property. The value of the Bounds property is a list of four integers that specify the coordinates of the four corners of the window’s content region. The first and second integers are identical to the value of the window’s Position property. The third and fourth integers can be obtained by adding the first and second integers of the Position property to the first and second integers of the Size property, respectively.

You can easily obtain the bounds property of a window by asking the Finder for it. Just activate the window and run a script like this: tell application "Finder" bounds of front window end tell

--result: {4, 43, 373, 507}

If you wish, you can rewrite a script like the one in Listing 1-1 using the

Bounds property instead of Position and Size: tell application "Finder" activate close every window open startup disk set bounds of window of startup disk to {4, 43, 373, 507} open folder "Financial" of startup disk set bounds of window "Financial" to {378, 43, 578, 198} open folder "Letters" of startup disk set bounds of window "Letters" to {379, 222, 579, 508} end tell

Although this simplified version of the script in Listing 1-1 won’t run appreciably faster than the original, it is easier to read. In a longer script, using succinct statements can improve performance.

Recording Actions in the Finder 9

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

Writing Scripts That Control the Finder

1

You can use a variety of techniques in scripts you write yourself that you can’t use in recorded scripts. For example, suppose you have several different window arrangements that you like to use, and they tend to evolve and change. Instead of recording a series of scripts, you can write a single script that allows you to perform one of two actions: take a snapshot of the current window arrangement or restore the most recently taken snapshot.

To write a script that performs these tasks, you need to know something about script properties, variables, the Display Dialog scripting addition, If statements, and Repeat statements. For more information about these AppleScript features, see the AppleScript Language Guide and the AppleScript Scripting Additions Guide.

Listing 1-2 shows an example of such a script. It begins by declaring two script properties, boundsAll and refsAll , that hold the windows’ bounds and references to the objects the windows belong to when the script takes a snapshot. At first these properties consist of empty lists. When the script takes a snapshot of the current windows, these properties “remember” the windows’ bounds and references until a new snapshot is taken or the script is recompiled.

After declaring its properties, the script uses the Display Dialog scripting addition command to display a dialog box. The dialog box asks the user to make a choice and displays two buttons: Restore Old Snapshot or Take New

Snapshot. These buttons control which of two parts of the If statement that follows runs next.

If the user chooses Take New Snapshot, the second part of the If statement

(beginning with else ) takes control and stores the bounds and references for the open windows in the boundsAll and refsAll properties. If the user chooses Restore Old Snapshot, the first part of the If statement closes all the windows that are currently open and uses the values stored in the properties to identify the items whose windows are to be opened, open their windows, and set the windows’ bounds. These actions are accomplished with a Repeat loop that acts on one item and its window at a time.

10 Writing Scripts That Control the Finder

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

Listing 1-2 A script that either takes a snapshot of the current window arrangement or restores a previously stored snapshot property boundsAll : {} property refsAll : {} set dialogResult to display dialog ¬

"Restore old snapshot or take new one?" ¬ buttons {"Restore Old Snapshot", "Take New Snapshot"} if button returned of dialogResult is "Restore Old Snapshot" then tell application "Finder" close windows set increment to 0 repeat (number of items in refsAll) times set increment to increment + 1 set i to item increment of refsAll open i set x to item increment of boundsAll set bounds of window 1 to x end repeat end tell else tell application "Finder" set boundsAll to the bounds of every window set refsAll to the item of every window end tell end if

To keep this script handy, store it as a script application on the desktop. Whenever you want to record or restore a window arrangement, double-click the application’s icon. If you want to be able to switch back and forth between several window arrangements, duplicate the script and use each copy to create and store a different one.

Writing Scripts That Control the Finder 11

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

Listing 1-3 shows another script that uses the Display Dialog command. This script automates a couple of tasks that network administrators often have to perform: adding a new user and adding a drop folder for that user.

Listing 1-3 A script that adds a new user to the Users & Groups control panel and adds a drop folder for that user to the startup disk tell application "Finder" set dialogResult to display dialog ¬

"Name of new user:" default answer "" set newUser to text returned of dialogResult set cPanel to control panel "Users & Groups" of ¬ control panels folder open cPanel make user at cPanel with properties {name:newUser} set newFolder to make folder at startup disk ¬ with properties {name:newUser} set owner of newFolder to newUser set group of newFolder to "Department Group" set see folders of group privileges of newFolder to true set see files of group privileges of newFolder to true set make changes of group privileges of newFolder to true set see folders of owner privileges of newFolder to true set see files of owner privileges of newFolder to true set make changes of owner privileges of newFolder to true set see folders of guest privileges of newFolder to false set see files of guest privileges of newFolder to false set make changes of guest privileges of newFolder to true end tell

12 Writing Scripts That Control the Finder

C H A P T E R 1

Introduction to Finder Scripting

Unlike the script in Listing 1-2, the script in Listing 1-3 consists of a single Tell statement, and the Display Dialog command is invoked from within the

Tell statement. The dialog box asks for the name of the new user and stores it in the variable newUser . The three statements that follow open the Users &

Groups control panel and use the Make command to create a new user object with the name stored in newUser .

The rest of the Tell statement consists of a series of Set commands that create a new folder on the startup disk with the new user’s name and set the folder’s owner and group and its sharing privileges. The owner and members of the

Department Group have all sharing privileges set to true. The guest privileges

See Folders, See Files, and Make Changes are set to false , false , and true respectively, so guests can drop items into the folder but can’t open it. These privileges are signaled to guests by a belt around the folder and a small black arrow above it.

For the script in Listing 1-3 to work correctly, file sharing must be turned on and the computer on which the script is running must have a group named

Department Group. You can modify that name or other settings in the script to suit your own purposes. You can also modify the script in a variety of other ways. For example, you can add an If statement that checks for the presence of a particular group and if necessary creates the group before creating the new user.

Writing Scripts That Control the Finder 13

Figure 2-0

Listing 2-0

Table 2-0

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

2

This chapter begins with a summary of the format used in object class definitions and an introduction to the Finder application object, the outermost container for most other Finder objects. The last section of the chapter provides complete descriptions of the object classes defined by the Finder.

Using Object Class Definitions

Object class definitions describe what objects that belong to a particular class have in common. Each definition contains at least five kinds of information: properties, element classes, commands handled, default value class returned, and one or more examples. These categories are briefly described here, using examples from the definition of File that begins on page 61.

For a more detailed discussion of object classes and references to objects, see the AppleScript Language Guide.

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Properties

2

A property of an object is a characteristic that has a single value, such as the name of a window or the modification date of a file. Properties are contained by objects in much the same way that elements are (see “Element Classes” on page 16). The main difference is that each of an object’s properties has only one value, whereas an object may have many different elements of a single class.

Properties of an object are distinguished from each other by their unique labels.

For example, the script that follows sets the Position property of the file MyFile, causing the icon for that file to move to the specified position.

Using Object Class De fi nitions 15

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Finder Objects tell application "Finder" set position of file "MyFile" to {29, 235} end tell

The file in this example must be located on the desktop. A file can have only one Position property, distinguished from the other properties of the file by its label, position .

The Properties section of an object class definition lists all the property labels defined for that object and describes how to use them, including the class used for each property’s value and whether or not the property can be modified.

Some objects inherit some or all their properties from other related objects. For example, the definition for File that begins on page 61 lists several properties that are inherited from the object class Item and several that are defined specifically for class File.

IMPORTANT

A property name has no plural form, even if you use it to refer to more than one property.

▲

This script gets a list of the names of the files at the top level of the startup disk: tell application "Finder" name of files in startup disk end tell

If you replace name with name s, the script won’t compile.

Element Classes

Elements are objects contained by an object. For example, a folder can contain files and other folders. The element classes listed in an object class definition show what kinds of elements objects of that class can contain. An object can contain many elements or none, and the number of elements of a particular class may change over time.

A file can be an element of other Finder objects in which files can be stored, such as folders, disks, or the desktop; so File is listed as one of their element classes. The definition for object class File that begins on page 61 indicates that a file can’t contain any other elements.

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16 Using Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

Commands Handled

Objects that belong to the same class can respond to the same commands.

Object class definitions list the commands to which all objects of that class respond.

For example, the definition for File that begins on page 61 indicates that you can use any of these commands to perform actions on a file: Clean Up, Copy,

Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Make, Move, Open, Print,

Put Away, Reveal, Select , Sort, Update.

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Default Value Class Returned

2

In most scriptable applications, each object has a value that you can obtain simply by referring to the object in a script. For example, the value of a paragraph object in a word-processing application is a string that includes style and font information.

Unlike other scriptable applications, the Finder can control only the representation of its objects within windows and the properties it defines for them; it can’t retrieve or alter text in a text file, for example. Therefore, the value returned for most Finder objects is a reference to the object, not the object’s data.

For example, this script returns a reference to the file MyFile, not the contents of the file: tell application "Finder" get file "MyFile" of startup disk end tell

--result: file "MyFile" of startup disk of application "Finder"

Examples

Each object class definition in this book include one or more short examples demonstrating how to use the object name in a script. The first example for the

File command definition that begins on page 61 is a script that returns a list of references to files whose modification dates are greater than a specified date, and the second example is a script that copies an icon to a group of files.

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Finder Objects

The Finder Application Object

The Finder application object belongs to the object class Application. As is usually the case with scriptable applications, the application object functions as the outermost container for most of the objects the Finder defines.

To send commands to the Finder, use a Tell statement addressed to the Finder: tell application "Finder" open startup disk end tell

0

––result: startup disk of application "Finder"

The result shown appears in the Script Editor’s Result window. The statement startup disk of application "Finder" is a complete reference to the startup disk. The Finder application itself is the startup disk’s container. Disks, folders, and files are examples of objects that can be elements of the Finder application. Folders and files can in turn be elements of disks or of folders within disks.

You can identify nested Finder objects in a variety of ways. For example, if the startup disk is named My World, these statements all identify the same object: folder "My Folder" of startup disk of application "Finder" folder "My Folder" of disk "My World" of application "Finder" item "My Folder" of container "My World" of application "Finder" container "My World:My Folder" of application "Finder"

When recording is turned on, the Finder always records references the same way. Although the Finder can interpret the four statements in the previous example correctly, it records the reference as shown in the first statement.

18 The Finder Application Object

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Finder Objects

To obtain a standard reference to an element of the Finder while you’re writing a script, follow these steps:

1. Select the object.

2. Choose Copy from the Edit menu.

3. Activate the Script Editor application.

4. Click at the point in your script where you want to paste the reference.

5. Choose Paste Reference from the Edit menu.

Windows are also elements of the Finder application. You can address a Tell statement to a Finder window anywhere in a script: tell front window of application "Finder" close end tell

Because window is a standard AppleScript term, AppleScript can interpret this script correctly. However, when it compiles a script, AppleScript doesn’t look up the Finder’s terminology definitions until after it has compiled the first line of the first Tell statement that addresses the Finder. Therefore, a script that consists of a Tell statement addressed to any other Finder object won’t compile: tell startup disk of application "Finder" open end tell

To address a Tell statement to a Finder object other than a window, enclose it within another Tell Statement, like this: tell application "Finder" tell startup disk open end tell end tell

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Finder Objects

Properties and Elements of the Finder

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The Finder application, like most other Finder objects, has many properties you can refer to in scripts. Some of these properties provide a shorthand method of referring to certain specialized objects.

For example, although the Finder application can contain any number of folders, only one Apple Menu Items folder can be located in the active System

Folder for a given Macintosh computer. The Apple Menu Items folder can be described in a script as either an element of the System Folder or a property of the Finder application.

This script identifies the Apple Menu Items folder as an object contained by the

System Folder: tell application "Finder" open folder "Apple Menu Items" of ¬ folder "System Folder" of startup disk end tell

This script identifies the Apple Menu Items folder as a property of the Finder application: tell application "Finder" open apple menu items folder end tell

Other specialized containers, such as the startup disk, the System Folder, the Startup Items folder, and the Extensions folder, are also defined as

Finder properties.

Note

You can use the Path To scripting addition command to obtain references to some of the objects that can be identified as properties of the Finder. However, Path To use its own constants for these references and returns a pathname as an AppleScript reference of the form alias

" Disk : Folder1 : Folder2 :...: Filename " .

◆

The desktop is another container you can identify as a property of the Finder.

Any items contained by the desktop—that is, items that are “loose” on the

20 The Finder Application Object

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Finder Objects working area of your screen and not contained by a folder, disk, or other object—can be considered elements of either the desktop or of the Finder application object, as shown in the following examples.

This script requests a list of the items contained by the desktop: tell application "Finder" items of desktop end tell

--result: {trash of application "Finder", disk

"Applications" of application "Finder", disk "Storage" of application "Finder", startup disk of application "Finder"}

If you request the items of the Finder application, you get a similar list: tell application "Finder" items end tell

--result: {trash of application "Finder", disk

"Applications" of application "Finder", disk "Storage" of application "Finder", startup disk of application "Finder", desktop of application "Finder"}

The only difference is that the second list includes a reference to the desktop itself, which is also an item contained by the Finder application.

Finally, if you request the contents of the Finder application, you get a list that includes references to windows and to currently running processes as well as to the Finder’s items: tell application "Finder" contents end tell

--result: {trash of application "Finder", disk

"Applications" of application "Finder", disk "Storage" of application "Finder", startup disk of application "Finder",

The Finder Application Object 21

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Finder Objects window of startup disk of application "Finder", content space of desktop of application "Finder", desktop of application "Finder", application "Scriptable Text Editor", application "Script Editor"}

For complete lists of the Finder application object’s properties and element classes, see the definition for the Application object class, which begins on page 31.

References to Finder Windows

One of the Finder elements you can refer to in scripts is a content space, which can be any kind of window or the desktop. If you request all the content spaces, the Finder returns a list of references to all kinds of windows (container windows, information windows, sharing windows, and status windows) and the desktop:

2 tell application "Finder" content spaces end tell

--result: {information window of startup disk of application "Finder", window of folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder", window of startup disk of application "Finder", window of disk "Applications" of application "Finder", content space of desktop of application "Finder"}

The result shown in the preceding example includes one information window, three container windows, and the desktop content space. An information window is the window that opens when you select an object’s icon in the

Finder and choose Get Info from the File command. Containers are objects that can hold other objects, such as suitcases, folders, disks, and the desktop, and a container window is a window that belongs to a container. The only exception is the desktop window. Even though the desktop is a container, the desktop

22 The Finder Application Object

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Finder Objects content space is a special case and the Finder doesn’t consider it a member of class Window (although you can refer to window of desktop in a script).

The desktop “window” and the desktop are actually the same object, whereas all other windows are distinct from the objects they belong to and may have different properties. For example, the Position property of a disk is different from the Position property of the disk’s window.

The desktop doesn’t have most of the characteristics of windows, so you can’t refer to properties such as Bounds, Position, and so on. If you are performing operations on Finder windows that involve these properties, you may want to get a list of windows that doesn’t include the desktop. Therefore, the Finder doesn’t include the desktop when you request a list of windows: tell application "Finder" windows end tell

--result: {information window of startup disk of application "Finder", window of folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder", window of startup disk of application "Finder", window of disk "Applications" of application "Finder"}

The list of window references returned doesn’t include the desktop, but it does include information windows and any other windows that are open. If you want to get a list restricted to windows that belong to containers, request a list of container windows: tell application "Finder" container windows end tell

--result: {window of folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder", window of startup disk of application

"Finder", window of disk "Applications" of application

"Finder"}

The Finder Application Object 23

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Finder Objects

You can refer to windows by name, by number, or as the window property of the object to which they belong. For example, these statements are equivalent: window "My Folder" window of folder "My Folder" of startup disk

These statements are also equivalent: window 1 front window

The Finder’s front window isn’t necessarily the active content space, which can be the desktop as well as a window. To get a reference to the active content space, use this statement: content space 1

References Returned for the Insertion Location property

2

The Finder’s Insertion Location property returns a reference to the object to which new information can currently be added. For example, if the New Folder command in the File menu is active, the insertion location is a reference to the container in whose content space the new untitled folder appears when you choose New Folder. This container can be a folder, a disk, or the desktop: tell application "Finder" insertion location end tell

--result: desktop of application "Finder"

If the active content space is a sharing window or an information window, the insertion location is a reference to the container to which the window belongs.

24 The Finder Application Object

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Finder Objects

References Returned for a Point

To get a reference to the content space that lies under a particular point on the desktop, run a script like this:

2 tell application "Finder" content space {100, 100} end tell

--result: window of folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder"

The pair of integers in braces identifies the point in which you’re interested relative to the entire screen (including the menu bar), and the result contains a reference either to a window or to the desktop. It is usually easiest to use the term Content Space to obtain this kind of reference, because the script returns a reference even if the point is located in the desktop window.

You can also specify more restricted window classes, such as Window,

Container Window, Information Window, and so on, as shown in the next example.

tell application "Finder" container window {100, 100} end tell

The script in this example returns a reference only if a container window contains the specified point. If the specified point is located in some other kind of content space, such as the desktop or an information window, the script returns an error.

You can use similar methods to find out whether an item or other object lies under a particular point. For example, this script returns a reference to an item if the item’s bounds enclose the specified point: tell application "Finder" item {100, 100} end tell

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Finder Objects

Object Class Definitions

This section defines the Finder’s object classes.

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Accessory Process

An object of class Accessory Process is a process launched from a desk accessory file.

PROPERTIES

An accessory process has all the properties defined for object class Process on page 77: Creator Type, File, File Type, Frontmost, Name, Partition Size,

Partition Space Used, Remote Events, Scriptable, and Visible.

An accessory process also has this property: desk accessory file

The desk accessory file from which this accessory process was launched.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

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ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Sort

26 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference or (if you use the plural form accessory processes ) a list of references of the form application " AccessoryProcessName " where AccessoryProcessName is the name of an accessory process as it appears in the Applications menu.

EXAMPLE

This script returns a list of references to the accessory processes that are currently running: tell application "Finder" every accessory process end tell

--result: {application "Alarm Clock”, application

"Calculator", application "Notepad"}

Accessory Suitcase

An object of class Accessory Suitcase is a desk accessory suitcase.

PROPERTIES

An accessory suitcase has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43: Completely Expanded, Container Window, Entire Contents,

Expandable, Expanded, Previous List View, Selection, and View.

Like any other container, an accessory suitcase also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container,

Content Space, Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window,

Kind, Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position,

Selected, Size, and Window.

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Object Class De fi nitions 27

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Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

The only elements that an accessory suitcase can contain are objects of class

Item (see page 73 for the definition of Item). Items can be identified within an accessory suitcase by name or by number.

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Make, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select , Set, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a suitcase or, if you use the plural form accessory suitcases , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script returns a list of references to the accessory suitcases at the top level of the startup disk: tell application "Finder" accessory suitcases of startup disk end tell

--result: {suitcase "DAs" of startup disk of application "Finder", suitcase "More DAs" of startup disk of application "Finder"}

Alias File

A object of class Alias File is an alias—that is, a file that represents another file or volume. Icons for alias files have italicized names.

2

PROPERTIES

An alias file has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61:

Creator Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

28 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

Like any other file, an alias file also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation

Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other files, an alias file also has this property: original item

A reference to the original item associated with the alias file.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Eject, Empty, Exists, Get,

Make, Move, Open, Print, Put Away, Reveal, Select , Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a file or, if you use the plural form alias files , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

If you run this script from the Script Editor, it reveals the original items for any alias files that are currently selected: tell application "Finder" get selection repeat with moose in result if original item of moose exists then reveal original item of moose end if end repeat end tell

Object Class De fi nitions 29

NOTES

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

The Get statement in this script returns a list of references to the selected items.

The Repeat statement tests the Original Item property for each selected alias file. If the property’s value is a valid reference, the If statement asks the Finder to reveal the original item.

For an example of a script application that performs a similar task, see the definition of the Reveal command on page 131. For examples of scripts that create alias files, see the definition of the Make command beginning on page 121.

A reference to an object of class Alias File in a Tell statement addressed to the

Finder is different from an AppleScript reference that uses an alias. You can use an AppleScript alias reference like this anywhere in a script to identify a file: alias " Disk : Folder1 : Folder2 :...: Filename "

When you compile the script (for example, by clicking the Check Syntax button in the Script Editor), AppleScript creates an alias record that identifies the file even after you move the file from its original location—as long as you don’t recompile the script.

Like an alias record, an alias file identifies another file or folder even after the original has been moved. However, a reference to an alias file is just like any other Finder reference: it must provide a complete description of the alias file’s location in a form similar to this: tell application "Finder" alias file " Filename " [ of container " ContainerX " ]... ¬ of container " Container1 " [ of disk " Disk " ] end tell

If you move the alias file, the reference won’t be accurate any longer. Also, if you attempt to use a Finder reference to an alias file outside of a Tell statement addressed to the Finder, the script won’t run.

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Finder Objects

Application

An object of class Application is the Finder application itself, the outermost container for most Finder objects.

Because of its role as the application that controls the Macintosh desktop, the

Finder defines its own application object differently from the way most other applications define their application objects. For an introduction to the role of the application object in scripts that control the Finder, see “The Finder

Application Object,” which begins on page 18.

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PROPERTIES about this macintosh

A list of references that identify the processes shown in the

About This Macintosh window. This list includes a reference to system software but doesn’t include a separate reference to the Finder.

Class: List of references to processes

Modifiable: No apple menu items folder

A reference to the Apple Menu Items folder in the System

Folder. The contents of this folder appear in the Apple menu.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No clipboard A reference to the Clipboard window, which can also be displayed by choosing Show Clipboard from the Edit menu.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No control panels folder

A reference to the Control Panels folder in the System Folder.

This folder is used to store control panels.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No desktop A reference to the desktop.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions 31

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Finder Objects extensions folder

A reference to the Extensions folder in the System Folder. This folder is used to store extension files.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No file sharing

A Boolean value that indicates whether file sharing is on ( true ) or off ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes fonts folder

A reference to the Fonts folder in the System Folder. This folder contains the fonts currently available to the system software.

Class: Folder

Modifiable: No frontmost A Boolean value that indicates whether the Finder is the frontmost application ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes insertion location

A reference to the object to which new information can currently be added (see page 24 for more information).

Class: Container window

Modifiable: No largest free block

An integer that indicates the size, in bytes, of the largest free block of process memory available. This value is approximately the same as the value labeled Largest Unused Block in the

About This Macintosh window, except that the value in the window is given in kilobytes (K, where 1K = 1024 bytes).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No preferences folder

A reference to the Preferences folder in the System Folder. This folder contains application preferences files.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects product version

A string that describes the version of system software running on the same computer as the Finder.

Class: String

Modifiable: No selection A list of references to the object or objects that are currently selected. The objects in the selection are those that would be cut by a Cut command or copied by a Copy command. If no objects are selected, the value of the Selection property is an empty list.

Class: List of references

Modifiable: Yes sharing starting up

A Boolean value that indicates whether file sharing is in the process of starting up ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No shortcuts A reference to the Finder Shortcuts window, which can also be displayed by choosing Finder Shortcuts from the Help menu.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No shutdown items folder

A reference to the Shutdown Items folder in the System Folder.

The contents of this folder are automatically opened when the computer is shut down.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No startup items folder

A reference to the Startup Items folder in the System Folder.

The contents of this folder are automatically opened when the computer starts up.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No system folder

A reference to the System Folder.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions 33

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Finder Objects temporary items folder

A reference to the Temporary Items folder in the System Folder.

Applications use this folder to store temporary items.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No version A string that describes the version of the Finder Scripting

Extension or, for versions of Finder scripting software that don’t require this extension, the version of the Finder file in the active System Folder.

Class: String

Modifiable: No view preferences

A reference to the Views control panel.

Class: String

Modifiable: No visible A Boolean value that indicates whether the Finder is currently visible ( true ) or hidden ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

The Finder application can contain objects of any of the classes listed here. Page numbers indicate the locations of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Container Window (page 47)

Content Space (page 50)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Desktop-Object (page 56)

Disk (page 57)

Document File (page 60)

34 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Information Window (page 69)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sharing Window (page 85)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

Trash-Object (page 91)

Window (page 95)

Elements of any of these classes can be identified by name or by number. With the exception of the desktop and window objects such as container windows and information windows, an element of the Finder can also be identified by an AppleScript alias record—that is, a representation of an object, much like an alias icon on the desktop, that identifies the object. For example, both these statements refer to the same file: alias "Hard Disk:MyFile" file "MyFile" of disk "Hard Disk"

In most cases the Finder can accept a reference like the first example, but you can’t use a Finder reference like the second example outside of a Tell statement addressed to the Finder. This book describes how to use Finder references. For information about AppleScript references to alias records, files, applications, machines, and zones, see the AppleScript Language Guide.

Objects of class Application File, Disk, and Folder can also be identified by ID.

The ID in each case consists of the application file’s creator type (as a string), the disk’s ID, and the folder’s folder ID, respectively. For example, this statement identifies the startup disk: disk ID -1

-—result: startup disk of application "Finder"

Object Class De fi nitions 35

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Finder Objects

This statement identifies a folder: folder ID 918 of startup disk

-—result: folder "My Folder" of startup disk of application

"Finder"

This statement identifies the TeachText application: application file id "ttxt"

-—result: file "TeachText 7.1" of startup disk of application "Finder"

You can identify the frontmost window that lies under a particular point on the desktop by running a script like this: tell application "Finder" content space {100,100} end tell

--result: window of folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder"

The pair of integers in braces in the preceding example identifies the point in which you’re interested, and the result contains a reference to the window that contains that point. It is usually easiest to use the term Content Space to obtain this kind of reference, because the script returns a reference even if the point is located on the desktop or in some specialized window such as an Information Window.

You can also specify more restricted window classes, such as Window,

Container Window, Information Window, and so on. For example, if you request a reference to a container window for a point that’s located in some other kind of window, the Finder returns an error.

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Computer, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Print, Quit, Restart, Select,

Shut Down, Sleep, Sort

36 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference.

EXAMPLES

This script turns on the Calculate Folder Sizes property of the Views control panel: tell application "Finder" set calculate folder sizes of view preferences to true end tell

This script turns on file sharing for the local computer.

tell application "Finder" set file sharing to true end tell

The next example selects all the unselected items in the active window.

tell application "Finder" repeat with x in front window set selected of x to not selected of x end repeat end tell

NOTES

Although Startup Disk and Trash are properties of the desktop object, you can also refer to them as if they were properties of the Finder. Thus, the Finder interprets both of these statements are references to whatever disk is currently the startup disk: startup disk startup disk of desktop

Object Class De fi nitions 37

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Finder Objects

Similarly, the Finder interprets both of these statements as a reference to the Trash: trash trash of desktop

Application File

An object of class Application File is an application’s file on a disk. References to application files must always include a complete description of the file’s container. Such references are different from standard AppleScript references to application objects, which don’t always require a complete pathname.

2

PROPERTIES

An application file has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61:

Creator Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

Like any other file, an application file also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space,

Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index,

Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other files, an application file also has these properties: minimum partition siz e

An integer indicating the minimum amount of memory, in bytes, that the application requires to run. This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Minimum size” under “Memory Requirements” in the application file’s information window (see “Notes”).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes partition size

An integer indicating the amount of memory, in bytes, that the application is launched with if a block of this size is available.

This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Preferred size” under “Memory Requirements” in the application file’s information window (see “Notes” on page 40).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes

38 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects scriptable A Boolean value that indicates whether the application is highlevel event aware ( true ) or not ( false )—that is, whether it can respond to the Open, Run, Print, and Quit commands.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No suggested partition size

An integer indicating the amount of memory, in bytes, suggested for running the application. This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Suggested size” under “Memory Requirements” in the application file’s information window.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Make, Move, Open,

Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a file or, if you use the plural form application files , a list of references.

EXAMPLES

The script that follows checks the Scriptable Text Editor’s partition size before opening the application. If the amount of memory available is greater than the partition size, the script opens the application. If the amount of memory available is less than the partition size, the script displays a dialog box warning the user that the Scriptable Text Editor prefers more memory. This might be useful if a script performs actions requiring more memory than an application’s minimum partition size permits.

Object Class De fi nitions 39

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects tell application "Finder" set x to largest free block set y to partition size of ¬ application file "Scriptable Text Editor" of startup disk if x > y then open application file "Scriptable Text Editor" of startup disk else display dialog ¬ end if end tell

"The Scriptable Text Editor prefers more memory. " & ¬

"To increase free memory, quit one or more applications."

This script returns a list of all the application files in a folder: tell application "Finder" application files in folder "MyApps" of startup disk end

--result: {file "Scriptable Text Editor" of folder "MyApps" of startup disk, file "Script Editor" of folder "MyApps" of startup disk}

NOTES

The Minimum Partition Size, Partition Size, and Suggested Partition Size are all given in bytes. These values are shown in information windows in kilobytes

(K, where 1K = 1024 bytes).

The value of the Partition Size property must be at least as high as the value of the Minimum Partition Size property. If you set the Minimum Partition Size to a value higher than the value of the Partition Size, the Finder also adjusts the

Partition Size to match the new Minimum Partition Size. Similarly, if you set the Partition Size to a value lower than the value of the Minimum Partition

Size, the Finder also adjusts the Minimum Partition Size to match the new

Partition Size.

For example, suppose that the Partition Size and the Minimum Partition Size of the Scriptable Text Editor are both set to 384K. Running this script sets the

40 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Minimum Partition size to 460,800 bytes (450K) and at the same time increases the Partition Size to 450K: tell application "Finder" set minimum partition size of ¬ application file "Scriptable Text Editor" of ¬ application "Finder" to 460800 end tell

If you then run this script, the Finder sets the Partition Size of the Scriptable

Text Editor back to 393,216 bytes (384K) and at the same time decreases the

Minimum Partition Size to 384K: tell application "Finder" set partition size of ¬ application file "Scriptable Text Editor" of ¬ application "Finder" to 393216 end tell

Application Process

An object of class Application Process is a process that has been launched from an application file.

2

PROPERTIES

An application process has all the properties defined for object class Process on page 77: Creator Type, File, File Type, Frontmost, Name, Partition Size,

Partition Space Used, Remote Events, Scriptable, and Visible.

An application process also has this property: application file

The application file from which this process was launched.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions 41

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Sort

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference or, if you use the plural form application processes , a list of references of the form application " ApplicationProcessName " where ApplicationProcessName is the name of an application process as it appears in the Applications menu.

EXAMPLES

You can use a script like this to get a list of all the application processes that are currently running: tell application "Finder" application processes end

--result: {application "HyperCard", application "Script

Editor", application "Scriptable Text Editor"}

The following script hides the TeachText application process: tell application "Finder" set visible of application process "TeachText" to false end tell

42 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Container

An object of class Container is any Finder container, such as a folder, a disk, or the Trash.

2

PROPERTIES

A container has all the properties defined for object class object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation Date, Disk,

Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification Date,

Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other items, a container also has these properties: completely expanded

A Boolean value that indicates whether a container and any folders it contains are completed expanded in list view ( true ) or not ( false ). For a container to be completely expanded, the window that contains the container must be open in list view

(that is, any item other than “by Small Icon” or “by Icon” is selected in the Views menu for the window), the container and all nested folders within the it must be fully expanded with that same list view, and the container’s own window must be closed.

Before you can set this property, the window that contains the container must already be open in a list view.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes container window

A reference to the container’s window.

Class:

Modifiable: No entire contents

A list of references to the entire contents of the container, including the contents of any other containers within the container.

Class: List of references

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions 43

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects expandable A Boolean value that indicates whether the container can be opened within its container in outline view ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No expanded A Boolean value that indicates whether the item is open in outline view ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes previous list view

An integer between 2 and 8 or one of the corresponding constants name , modification date , size , kind , comment , label index , or version . If the View property of the container is currently one of these list views, the value of this property is the current list view. If the View property is small icon or icon , the value of this property is the last list view selected. If no list view has been selected since the container was first opened, the value of this property is name . You can’t get or set this property unless the container is open, and the value of the property isn’t retained after the container has been closed.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No selection A list of references to the container elements that are currently selected. The elements in the selection are those that would be cut by a Cut command or copied by a Copy command. If no elements are selected, the value of the Selection property is an empty list.

Class: List of references

Modifiable: Yes view An integer between 0 and 8 or one of the corresponding constants small icon , icon , name , modification date , size , kind , comment , label index , or version , indicating the current selection in the View menu for the container’s window. You can’t get or set this property unless the container is open.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes

44 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

Objects of these classes can be identified at the top level of a container by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a container or, if you use the plural form containers , a list of references.

Object Class De fi nitions 45

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLES

The first example opens all the containers on the desktop except for the Trash.

tell application "Finder" open (containers in desktop whose name is not "Trash") end tell

The next example, if saved as a script application, toggles the value of the

Completely Expanded property of all containers at the top level of the front window: that is, it alternately expands all the containers and their nested containers or collapses them. The window in which the script application is located must be open in list view for the script to work on the window’s contents.

property expan : false tell application "Finder" if expan = false then set completely expanded of containers in ¬ container of front window to true set expan to true else set completely expanded of containers in ¬ container of front window to false set expan to false end if end tell

The script begins by declaring the value of the expan property to be false .

This property is a Boolean value that changes after the script is run. The script sets expan to true whenever it sets the Completely Expanded property of the front window’s containers to true , or to false whenever it sets their Completely Expanded property to false .

The value of the property container of front window is a reference to the container to which the window belongs. This script must specify the Container property of the window, rather than the window itself, or it may not work consistently. A window’s container always has a fixed number of elements until new elements are added or deleted, whereas a window open in list view has a variable number of elements depending on which folders are expanded.

46 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Container Window

An object of class Container Window is a window for a container. For example, the windows for a disk, a folder, or a suitcase are all container windows, while a control panel window, the About This Macintosh window, and an information window are not.

2

PROPERTIES

A container window has all the properties defined for object class Window on page 95: Bounds, Closeable, Floating, Index, Modal, Position, Resizable, Titled,

Visible, Zoomable, and Zoomed.

Unlike other windows, a container window also has these properties: container A reference to the container to which the container window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No disk folder item

A reference to the disk on which the container to which the window belongs is stored.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

A reference to the folder to which the container window belongs

(available only for container windows of folders).

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

A reference to the item to which the container window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No previous list view

An integer between 2 and 8 or one of the corresponding constants name , modification date , size , kind , comment , label index , or version . If the View property of the container window is currently one of these list views, the value of this property is the current list view. If the View property is small icon or icon , the value of this property is the last list view selected. If no list view has been selected since the container window was first opened, the value of this property is name .

Object Class De fi nitions 47

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

You can’t get or set this property unless the container window is open, and the value of the property isn’t retained after the container window has been closed.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No selection A reference to the current selection.

Class: Reference or list of references

Modifiable: No view An integer between 0 and 8 or one of the corresponding constants small icon , icon , name , modification date , size , kind , comment , label index , or version , indicating the current selection in the View menu for the container window. You can’t get or set this property unless the container window is open.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

The elements of a container window include all the items currently displayed inside the window. When folders in a window whose View property is name, date, size, or kind are expanded in outline view, the elements of the expanded folder become elements of the container window in which the folder is located.

Objects of the classes listed here can be identified at the top level of a container window by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

48 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Open, Print, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a file or, if you use the plural form container windows , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

The script that follows tiles all the open container windows in an overlapping pattern and sets each window’s View property to 3 (“by Names”). set {a, b, c, d} to {4, 44, 267, 311} tell application "Finder" repeat with n from 1 to (count of container windows) if n = 1 then set bounds of container window n to {a, b, c, d} else set {a, b, c, d} to {a + 20, b + 20, c + 20, d + 20} set tiledBounds to {a, b, c, d} set bounds of container window n to tiledBounds end if set view of container window n to 3 open container window n end repeat end tell

Object Class De fi nitions 49

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

The phrase count of container windows at the beginning of the Repeat loop requests that the Finder count all the container windows. Windows that aren’t container windows, such as information windows, are ignored. The

Finder returns an integer, which the Repeat statement uses as the number of times to repeat.

The If statement within the Repeat statement resets the bounds of each successive container window so that it is shifted down and to the right from the previously tiled window. After the View for each container window is set, the last statement within the Repeat statement sends an Open command to that window so that it overlaps the previously tiled window.

Content Space

An object of class Content Space can be any Finder content space, including a container window, the desktop, an information window, a sharing window, a status window, or a window.

2

PROPERTIES

None

ELEMENT CLASSES

Like any window, a content space can contain any of the elements that can be contained by the object to which it belongs.

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Open, Print, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE RETURNED

Reference to a content space or, if you use the plural form content spaces , a list of references.

50 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

This script returns a list of all Finder content spaces that are currently open, including the desktop: tell application "Finder" content spaces end tell

--result: {information window of startup disk of application "Finder", window of folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder", window of startup disk of application "Finder", window of disk "Applications" of application "Finder", content space of desktop of application "Finder"}

For more information about using content spaces in scripts, see “References to

Finder Windows,” which begins on page 22.

Control Panel

An object of class Control Panel is a control panel file on a disk.

PROPERTIES

A control panel has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61:

Creator Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

Like any other file, a control panel also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation

Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index,

Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other kinds of files and unlike other control panels, the Views control panel may also have these properties:

2

Object Class De fi nitions 51

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects calculate folder sizes

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Calculate folder sizes” in the Views control panel is selected

( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes comment heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show comments” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes date heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show date” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes disk information heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show disk info in header” in the Views control panel is selected

( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes icon size An integer indicating the icon size selected under List Views in the Views control panel: 0 for the largest size, 1 for the medium size, and 2 for the smallest size.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes kind heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show kind” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

52 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects label heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show label” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes size heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show size” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes snap to grid

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Always snap to grid” in the Views control panel is selected

( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes staggered grid

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Staggered grid” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes version heading

A Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“Show version” in the Views control panel is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes view font The ID of the font selected in the Views control panel.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes view font size

The size of the font selected in the Views control panel.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes

Object Class De fi nitions 53

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a file or, if you use the plural form control panels , a list of references.

EXAMPLES

This script turns on the Snap to Grid property of the Views control panel: tell application "Finder" set snap to grid of control panel "Views" of ¬ control panels folder to true end tell

You can also use the View Preferences property of the Finder application object as a reference to the Views control panel. For example, this script toggles the

Date Heading property of the Views control panel on and off: tell application "Finder" set date heading of view preferences to ¬ not date heading of view preferences end tell

54 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Desk Accessory File

An object of class Desk Accessory File is a desk accessory file on a disk.

PROPERTIES

A desk accessory file has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61: Creator Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

Like any other file, a desk accessory file also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space,

Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index,

Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Set, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a file or, if you use the plural form desk accessory files , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script opens all the desk accessory files listed in the Apple menu: tell application "Finder" open desk accessory files in apple menu items folder end tell

2

Object Class De fi nitions 55

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Desktop-Object

An object of class Desktop-Object is the desktop of a computer. The Desktop property of the Finder application is a reference to an object of this class.

2

PROPERTIES

A desktop-object has some (but not all) of the properties defined for object class

Container on page 43: Container Window, Entire Contents, Previous List View,

Selection, and View.

A desktop-object also has some of the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Comment, Content Space, Creation Date, Disk, Kind, Modification

Date, Name, Physical Size, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other containers, a desktop-object also has these properties: startup disk

A reference to the startup disk from which the Finder application was launched.

trash A reference to the Trash folder.

ELEMENT CLASSES

Objects of these classes can be identified at the top level of the desktop-object by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

56 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Print, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference.

EXAMPLE

To refer to a desktop-object, you must use the Desktop property of the Finder application: tell application "Finder" clean up desktop end tell

For more information about the Desktop property, see “Properties and

Elements of the Finder,” which begins on page 20.

Disk

An object of class Disk is any mounted volume on the desktop. In addition to hard disks and floppy disks, objects of class Disk can include RAM disks, tape drives, CD-ROM disks, and other storage devices.

2

Object Class De fi nitions 57

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

PROPERTIES

A disk has all the properties defined for object class Sharable Container on page 79: Exported, Group, Group Privileges, Guest Privileges,

Inherited Privileges, Mounted, Owner, Owner Privileges, Protected,

Shared, Sharing Window.

Like any other sharable container, a disk also has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43: Completely Expanded, Container

Window, Entire Contents, Expandable, Expanded, Previous List View, Selection, and View.

In addition, like any other container, a disk has all properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation

Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other sharable containers or containers, a disk also has the following properties: capacity The total number of bytes that can fit on the disk.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No ejectable A Boolean value that indicates whether the disk can be ejected or put away ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No free space The total number of bytes of free space remaining on the disk.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No local volume

A Boolean value that indicates whether the disk is a local ( true ) or remote ( false ) volume.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No startup A Boolean value that indicates whether a disk is the startup disk ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No

58 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

Objects of the classes listed here can be identified at the top level of a disk by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Open,

Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a file or, if you use the plural form disks , a list of references.

Object Class De fi nitions 59

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

The script that follows tests the Ejectable property of each item in a list of the mounted disks and ejects every disk that’s ejectable.

tell application "Finder" put away (every disk whose ejectable is true) end tell

Document File

An object of class Document File is a document file on a disk.

PROPERTIES

A document file has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61:

Creator Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

Like any other file, a document file also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation

Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

2

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move, Open,

Print, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a file or, if you use the plural form document files , a list of references.

60 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

This script opens all the document files at the top level of a disk: tell application "Finder" open document files in window "My World" end tell

Application files, desk accessories, suitcases, and other nondocument files are ignored.

File

An object of class File can be any file on a disk, including document files, application files, and so on.

PROPERTIES

A file has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds,

Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID,

Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical

Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Unlike other items, a file also has these properties: creator type

A four-character code that indicates the creator type of the application that created the file.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes file type A four-character code that indicates the type of the file.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes locked A Boolean value that indicates whether the file is locked ( true ) or not ( false ) .

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

2

Object Class De fi nitions 61

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects product version

The version number shown at the top of the information window for the file.

Class: String

Modifiable: No stationery A Boolean value that indicates whether the file is a stationery pad ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes version The version number shown near the middle of the information window for the file.

Class: String

Modifiable: No

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Make, Move,

Open, Print, Put Away, Reveal, Select , Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a file or, if you use the plural form files , a list of references.

EXAMPLES

This script returns a list of references to the files whose modification dates are greater than a specified date: tell application "Finder" files of startup disk whose modification date > ¬ date "November 18, 1993" end tell

62 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

If you save this script as a script application, it copies a new icon to any files whose icons you drop on the script’s icon. The script uses the scripting addition command Choose File to ask the user to specify which file’s icon is to be copied: on open x tell application "Finder" choose file with prompt ¬

"Choose the file whose icon you want to copy:" set newIcon to icon of the result repeat with i in x set the icon of i to newIcon end repeat end tell end open

Folder

An object of class Folder is a folder on a disk.

PROPERTIES

A folder has all the properties defined for object class Sharable Container on page 79: Exported, Group, Group Privileges, Guest Privileges, Inherited

Privileges, Mounted, Owner, Owner Privileges, Protected, Shared,

Sharing Window.

Like any other sharable container, a folder also has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43: Completely Expanded, Container

Window, Entire Contents, Expandable, Expanded, Previous List View,

Selection, and View.

In addition, like any other container, a folder has all properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space,

Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index,

Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

2

Object Class De fi nitions 63

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

Objects of these classes can be identified at the top level of the folder by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Make,

Move, Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select , Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference or, if you use the plural form folders , a list of references.

64 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

This script returns references to all the folders at the top level of the startup disk that have been modified in the last 24 hours: tell application "Finder" folders of startup disk where ¬ modification date > ((current date) - 24 * hours) end tell

Font File

An object of class Font File is a file that contains font data.

PROPERTIES

A font file has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61: Creator

Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

Like any other file, a font file also has all the properties defined for object class

Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Content Space, Container, Creation Date,

Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification

Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

2

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move, Open,

Put Away, Reveal, Select , Sort, Update

Object Class De fi nitions 65

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a file or, if you use the plural form font files , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

If you save this script as a script application, it opens font suitcases or any other containers you drop on its icon and opens the windows for any font files they contain.

on open x repeat with i in x tell application "Finder" open i open font files in i end tell end repeat end open

Font Suitcase

An object of class Font Suitcase is a suitcase file that contains font information.

2

PROPERTIES

A font suitcase has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43: Completely Expanded, Container Window, Entire Contents,

Expandable, Expanded, Previous List View, Selection, and View.

Like any other container, a font suitcase also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space,

Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index,

Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

ELEMENT CLASSES

Items within a font suitcase can be identified by name or by number. For more information, see the definition of object class Item on page 73.

66 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a suitcase or, if you use the plural form font suitcases , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

The script that follows moves a font suitcase called Janson Text into or out of the Fonts folder, first asking the user to confirm the move. (If you are using version 1.1 of the Finder scripting software, a second dialog box appears when the Finder is moving suitcases into the Fonts folder, warning the user that the suitcases won’t be available to running applications right away.) tell application "Finder" activate set x to name of items in fonts folder if "Janson Text" is in x then set response to display dialog ¬

"Remove the Janson fonts from the System?" if button returned of response is "OK" then move font suitcase "Janson Text" of fonts folder to ¬ end if folder "Font Storage" of startup disk else set response to display dialog ¬

"Move the Janson fonts into the System?" if button returned of response is "OK" then move font suitcase "Janson Text" ¬ of folder "Font Storage" of startup disk to fonts folder end if end if end tell

Object Class De fi nitions 67

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Group

2

An object of class Group is a group file in the Users & Groups control panel window. The Finder can’t recognize or create a group unless the Users &

Groups control panel window is open.

PROPERTIES bounds icon

The coordinates of the rectangle that bounds the content region of the item’s icon.

Class: List of four integers (Bounding Rectangle data type). The first two integers specify the coordinates of the upper-left corner of the item’s icon, and the last two integers specify the coordinates of the lower-right corner of the icon.

Modifiable?

Yes

A bitmap of the item’s icon.

Class: Icon family (data type defined by Finder)

Modifiable: Yes label index

The number of the label currently selected for the item in the

Label menu (None = 0).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes name The group’s name.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes position Two integers that specify the position of the upper-left corner of the group’s icon.

Class: List of two integers (Point data type) that specify the coordinates of the upper-left corner of the group’s icon

Modifiable?

Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

68 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Make, Open, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a group or, if you use the plural form groups , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script displays a dialog box requesting the name of the new group to create, then opens the control panel Users & Groups, creates the new group, and sets its name: tell application "Finder" set response to display dialog ¬

"Name of new group:" default answer "" set newGroup to text returned of response set cPanels to control panel "Users & Groups" of ¬ control panels folder open cPanels make group at cPanels with properties {name: newGroup} end tell

Information Window

An object of class Information Window is the window that opens when you select an item and choose Get Info from the File menu.

2

PROPERTIES

An information window has all the properties defined for object class Window on page 95: Bounds, Closeable, Floating, Index, Modal, Position, Resizable,

Titled, Visible, Zoomable, and Zoomed.

Object Class De fi nitions 69

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Unlike other windows, an information window also has these properties: comment The comment displayed in the information window.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes creation date

The date on which the item to which the information window belongs was created.

Class: Date

Modifiable: No icon item locked

A bitmap of the icon for the item to which the information window belongs.

Class: Icon family (data type defined by Finder)

Modifiable: Yes

A reference to the item to which the information window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

A Boolean value that indicates whether the file to which the information window belongs is locked ( true ) or not ( false ) .

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes minimum partition size

An integer indicating the minimum amount of memory, in bytes, that an application requires to run (available only for information windows that belong to application files). This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Minimum size” under “Memory Requirements” in the information window (see “Notes”).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes modification date

The date on which the item to which the information window belongs was most recently modified.

Class: Date

Modifiable: No

70 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects partition size

An integer indicating the amount of memory, in bytes, that an application is launched with if a block of this size is free

(available only for information windows that belong to application files). This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Preferred size” under “Memory Requirements” in the information window (see “Notes”).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes physical size

The physical size of the item on disk, in bytes .

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No product version

The version number shown at the top of the information window.

Class: String

Modifiable: No size The logical size of the item on disk, in bytes .

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No stationery A Boolean value that indicates whether a document file is a stationery pad ( true ) or not ( false ) (available only for information windows that belong to document files.)

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes suggested partition size

An integer indicating the amount of memory, in bytes, suggested for running an application (available only for information windows that belong to application files). This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Suggested size” under

“Memory Requirements” in the information window

(see “Notes”).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No version The version number shown near the middle of the information window.

Class: String

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions 71

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects warn before emptying

A Boolean value that indicates whether the Finder should warn the user before emptying the Trash ( true ) or not ( false )

(available only for the Trash).

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Open, Sort

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to an information window or, if you use the plural form information windows , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script opens the information windows for all application files in a disk whose partition sizes are greater than 1000K: tell application "Finder" open (information window of application files of ¬ disk "Applications" whose partition size > 1024000) end tell

NOTES

The Minimum Partition Size, Partition Size, and Suggested Partition Size are all given in bytes. These values are shown in information windows in kilobytes

(K, where 1K = 1024 bytes). For more information about the relationships among these properties, which are identical to the properties of the same name defined for class Application File, see page 40.

72 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Item

An object of class Item is any item in a container.

PROPERTIES bounds The coordinates of the rectangle that bounds the content region of the item’s icon.

Class: List of four integers (Bounding Rectangle data type).

The first two integers specify the coordinates of the upperleft corner of the item’s icon, and the last two integers specify the coordinates of the lower-right corner of the icon.

Modifiable?

Yes comment The comment displayed in the item’s information window.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes container A reference to the container in which the item is located.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No content space

A reference to the content space that opens when the item is opened.

Class: Content Space

Modifiable: No creation date

The date on which the item was created.

Class: Date

Modifiable: No disk folder icon

A reference to the disk on which the item is stored.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

A reference to the folder, if any, in which the item is stored.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

A bitmap of the item’s icon.

Class: Icon family (data type defined by Finder)

Modifiable: Yes

2

Object Class De fi nitions 73

74

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects id The item’s hierarchical file system (HFS) ID number, an integer that identifies an application file, folder, or disk. (For examples of the use of this property, see page 35.)

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No information window

A reference to the item’s information window.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No kind The kind of item as listed under Kind in the item’s container window.

Class: String

Modifiable: No label index

The number of the label currently selected for the item in the

Label menu (None = 0).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes modification date

The date on which the item was most recently modified.

Class: Date

Modifiable: No name The item’s name.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes physical size

The physical size of the item on disk, in bytes .

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No position Two integers that specify the position of the upper-left corner of the item’s icon.

Class: List of two integers (Point data type)

Modifiable?

Yes selected A Boolean value that indicates whether the item is selected

( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects size window

The logical size of the item on disk, in bytes .

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No

A reference to the window that opens when the item is opened.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a file, folder, disk, the Trash, or the desktop or, if you use the plural form items , a list of references.

EXAMPLES

The script that follows moves a group of items that start with an at (@) symbol back and forth between the Apple Menu Items folder and a folder at the top level of the startup disk called Apple Menu Extras.

To work correctly, this script must be stored as a script application at the top level of the startup disk; the startup disk must also contain a folder called

Apple Menu Extras to store the items you want to move in and out of the

Apple Menu Items folder; and the names of the items in the Apple Menu Items folder must all begin with an @ symbol. It is also important, as with any script, to have some free memory available in addition to the memory used by any currently running processes—preferably several hundred kilobytes.

Object Class De fi nitions 75

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects property Extras : false tell application "Finder" if (exists item " Add Extras" of apple menu items folder) ¬

= false and ¬

(exists item " Remove Extras" of apple menu items folder) ¬

= false then make alias file with data (file "Toggle Apple Menu Extras" of ¬ startup disk) at apple menu items folder ¬ end if with properties {name:" Add Extras"} if Extras is false then move contents of folder "Apple Menu Extras" of startup disk to ¬ apple menu items folder set the name of item " Add Extras" in apple menu items folder ¬ to " Remove Extras" set Extras to true else move (every item of apple menu items folder ¬ whose name begins with "@") to ¬ folder "Apple Menu Extras" of startup disk set the name of item " Remove Extras" in ¬ apple menu items folder to " Add Extras" set Extras to false end if end tell

The script begins by declaring the value of the Extras property to be false .

This value may change after the script is run.

If the script hasn’t been run before, the first If statement in the script creates an alias file of the script application in the Apple Menu Items folder with the name

Add Extras. This alias file appears in the Apple menu along with all the other

76 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects items in the Apple Menu Items folder, and its name changes to Remove Extras after the extra items have been added to that folder.

If the value of Extras is false , the first part of the second If statement moves the contents of the Apple Menu Extras folder into the Apple Menu Items folder, changes the name of the alias file to Remove Extras, and sets the value of

Extras to true .

If the value of Extras is true , the second part of the second If statement moves all items in the Apple Menu Items folder that begin with an @ symbol into the Apple Menu Extras folder, changes the name of the alias file to Add

Extras, and sets the value of Extras to false .

Process

An object of object class Process is a running process.

PROPERTIES creator type

A four-character code that indicates the creator type of the application from which the process was launched.

Class: String

Modifiable: No file A reference to the file from which the process was launched.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No file type A four-character code that indicates the file type of the file.

Class: String

Modifiable: No frontmost A Boolean value that indicates whether the process is the frontmost process ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes name The name of the process.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

2

Object Class De fi nitions 77

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects partition size

An integer indicating the amount of memory, in bytes, that a process is launched with if a free block of this size exists. This value is equivalent to the value in the box labeled “Preferred size” under “Memory Requirements” in the information window for the application file from which the process was launched, except that the value in the information window is given in kilobytes (K, where 1K = 1024 bytes).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No partition space used

The number of bytes currently used in the partition for this process.

Class: Integer

Modifiable: No remote events

A Boolean value that indicates whether this process accepts

( true ) or doesn’t accept ( false ) remote events.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No scriptable A Boolean value that indicates whether the process is high-level event aware ( true ) or not ( false )—that is, whether it can respond to the Open, Run, Print, and Quit commands.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No visible A Boolean value that indicates whether the process is currently hidden or not.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Sort

78 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference or (if you use the plural form processes ) a list of references of the form application " ProcessName " where ProcessName is the name of a process as it appears in the

Applications menu.

EXAMPLE

In the first version of the Finder scripting software, this script returns a list of all processes except the Finder itself: tell application "Finder" every process end tell

In later versions, the list of processes returned includes the Finder. To exclude the Finder, use the statement every process whose file type is not "FNDR" .

Sharable Container

An object of class Sharable Container is a container that can be shared.

2

PROPERTIES

A sharable container has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43: Completely Expanded, Container Window, Entire Contents,

Expandable, Expanded, Previous List View, Selection, and View.

Like any other container, a sharable container also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content

Space, Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind,

Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Object Class De fi nitions 79

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Unlike other containers, a sharable container also has these properties: exported A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container is either shared or inside another container whose contents are being shared. If one of these conditions is true, the value is true and the sharable container can be mounted or accessed remotely; if neither of these conditions is true, the value is false and the container isn’t available to remote computers.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No group The name of the user or group with special access to the sharable container, as indicated in the pop-up menu labeled User/Group in the sharing window for the container.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes group privileges

The group privileges shown in the Sharing window for the container. For example, if the See Folders checkbox is not selected and the See Files and Make Changes checkboxes are selected for a user or group, the value of this property is

"See Files, Make Changes" (see “Notes” on page 83).

Class: Sharing Privileges

Modifiable: Yes guest privileges

The guest privileges shown in the sharing window for the container (that is, the settings labeled Everybody). For example, if the See Folders checkbox is not selected and the See Files and Make Changes checkboxes are selected for Everybody, the value of this property is "See Files, Make Changes" (see

“Notes” on page 83).

Class: Sharing Privileges

Modifiable: Yes inherited privileges

A Boolean value that indicates whether the privileges for the sharable container are the same as the privileges for the container in which it is stored ( true ) or not ( false ). This property corresponds to the checkbox in the sharing window labeled “Same as enclosing folder”. The value of this property is

80 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects mounted owner set to false if you set any of the group, guest, or owner privileges individually.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container is mounted on another computer’s desktop ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No

The name of the sharable container’s owner as indicated in the sharing window for the container.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes owner privileges

The owner privileges shown in the sharing window for the sharable container. For example, if the See Folders checkbox is not selected and the See Files and Make Changes checkboxes are selected for the container’s owner, the value of this property is

"See Files, Make Changes" (see “Notes” on page 83).

Class: Sharing Privileges

Modifiable: Yes protected A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container is protected ( true ) or not ( false ). This property corresponds to the checkbox in the sharable container’s sharing window labeled

“Can’t be moved, renamed, or deleted”.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes shared A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container and its contents are shared ( true ) or not ( false ). This property corresponds to the checkbox in the sharable container’s sharing window labeled “Share this item and its contents”. If the value is true , the sharable container can be mounted on the desktop of a remote computer.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes sharing window

A reference to the sharing window for the sharable container.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

Object Class De fi nitions 81

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

ELEMENT CLASSES

Objects of these classes can be identified at the top level of a sharable container by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select , Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a disk or a folder or, if you use the plural form sharable containers , a list of references.

82 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

This script changes the Shared property to false for all sharable containers that belong to a specified owner: tell application "Finder" set shared of sharable containers whose owner is "Greg" to false end tell

NOTES

The properties Group Privileges, Guest Privileges, and Owner Privileges each return an object of class Sharing Privileges. You can test for a specific privilege by checking the values of the Sharing Privileges properties as described in the next section.

Sharing Privileges

An object of class Sharing Privileges corresponds to the group privileges, guest privileges, or owner privileges selected in the sharing window for a sharable container.

2

PROPERTIES make changes

A Boolean value that corresponds to the Make Changes checkbox for a specified user or group is selected in a sharable container’s sharing window.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes see files A Boolean value that corresponds to the See Files checkbox for a specified user or group is selected in a sharable container’s sharing window.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

Object Class De fi nitions 83

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects see folders

A Boolean value that corresponds to the See Folders checkbox for a specified user or group is selected in a sharable container’s sharing window.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

None

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

None

EXAMPLE

This script returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the checkbox labeled

“See files” for the current User/Group in the startup disk’s sharing window is selected or not: tell application "Finder" see files of group privileges of startup disk end tell

--result: true

84 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

Sharing Window

2

An object of class Sharing Window is a sharing window that appears when you choose Sharing from the File menu while a sharable container is selected.

PROPERTIES

A sharing window has all the properties defined for object class Window on page 95: Bounds, Closeable, Floating, Index, Modal, Position, Resizable, Titled,

Visible, Zoomable, and Zoomed.

Unlike other windows, a sharing window also has these properties: container A reference to the container to which the sharing window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No exported A Boolean value that indicates whether the container to which the sharing window belongs is either shared or inside another container whose contents are being shared. If one of these conditions is true, the value is true and the container can be mounted or accessed remotely; if neither of these conditions is true, the value is false and the container isn’t available to remote computers.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No folder group

A reference to the folder, if any, to which the sharing window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

The name of the user or group selected in the pop-up menu labeled User/Group.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes

Object Class De fi nitions 85

86

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects group privileges

The group privileges selected in the sharing window. For example, if the See Folders checkbox is not selected and the

See Files and Make Changes checkboxes are selected for a user or group, the value of this property is "See Files, Make

Changes" (see page 83 for the definition of Sharing Privileges).

Class: Sharing Privileges

Modifiable: Yes guest privileges

The guest privileges selected in the sharing window (that is, the settings labeled Everybody). For example, if the See Folders checkbox is not selected and the See Files and Make Changes checkboxes are selected for Everybody, the value of this property is "See Files, Make Changes" (see page 83 for the definition of Sharing Privileges).

Class: Sharing Privileges

Modifiable: Yes inherited privileges

A Boolean value that indicates whether the privileges for the object to which the sharing window belongs are the same as the privileges for the container in which the object is stored ( true ) or not ( false ). This property corresponds to the checkbox in the sharing window labeled “Same as enclosing folder”. The value of this property is set to false if you set any of the group, guest, or owner privileges individually.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes item mounted owner

The item to which the sharing window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No

A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container to which the sharing window belongs is mounted on another computer’s desktop ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: No

The name of the sharable container’s owner.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes

Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects owner privileges

The owner privileges selected in the sharing window. For example, if the See Folders checkbox is not selected and the

See Files and Make Changes checkboxes are selected for the container’s owner, the value of this property is "See

Files, Make Changes" (see page 83 for the definition of

Sharing Privileges).

Class: Sharing Privileges

Modifiable: Yes protected A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container is protected ( true ) or not ( false ). A protected container can’t be moved, renamed, or deleted. This property corresponds to the checkbox labeled “Can’t be moved, renamed, or deleted” and is not available for disks.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes sharable container

The sharable container to which the sharing window belongs.

Class: Reference

Modifiable: No shared A Boolean value that indicates whether the sharable container to which the sharing window belongs is shared ( true ) or not

( false ). This property corresponds to the checkbox in the sharing window labeled “Share this item and its contents”. If the value is true , the sharable container to which the sharing window belongs can be mounted on the desktop of a remote computer.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Open, Sort

Object Class De fi nitions 87

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a sharing window or, if you use the plural form sharing windows , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script opens the sharing windows for sharable containers on the desktop that belong to a specified owner: tell application "Finder" open (sharing window of sharable containers whose owner is "John") end tell

Sound File

An object of class Sound File is a sound file.

PROPERTIES

A sound file has all the properties defined for object class File on page 61:

Creator Type, File Type, Locked, Product Version, Stationery, and Version.

Like any other file, a sound file also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation

Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move, Open,

Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

2

88 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a file or, if you use the plural form sound files , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script plays the sound file MySound: tell application "Finder" open file "MySound" of folder "Sounds" of startup disk end tell

Status Window

An object of class Status Window is a window indicating the progress of an operation in the Finder—for example, the windows that appear when items are being copied or when the Trash is being emptied.

2

PROPERTIES

A status window has all the properties defined for object class Window on page 95: Bounds, Closeable, Floating, Index, Modal, Position, Resizable, Titled,

Visible, Zoomable, and Zoomed.

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Count, Data Size, Exists, Get

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a status window or, if you use the plural status windows , a list of references.

Object Class De fi nitions 89

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

If a status window is open, this script returns its name: tell application "Finder" front status window end tell

--result: status window "Copy" of application "Finder"

Suitcase

An object of class Suitcase can be either an accessory suitcase or a font suitcase.

2

PROPERTIES

A suitcase has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43:

Completely Expanded, Container Window, Entire Contents, Expandable,

Expanded, Previous List View, Selection, and View.

Like any other container, a suitcase also has all the properties defined for object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content Space, Creation

Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label Index,

Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

ELEMENT CLASSES

The only elements that a suitcase can contain are objects of class Item (see page 73 for the definition of Item). Items can be identified within a suitcase by name or by number.

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Copy, Count, Data Size, Delete, Duplicate, Exists, Get, Move,

Open, Put Away, Reveal, Select, Sort, Update

90 Object Class De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference to a suitcase or, if you use the plural form suitcases , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script returns a list of references to the suitcases at the top level of the startup disk: tell application "Finder"

suitcases of startup disk end tell

--result: {suitcase "DAs" of startup disk of application

"Finder", suitcase "Extra Fonts" of startup disk of application "Finder"}

Trash-Object

2

An object of class Trash-Object is the Trash for a specific Finder application. The

Trash property of the Finder application is an object of this class.

PROPERTIES

A trash-object has all the properties defined for object class Container on page 43: Completely Expanded, Container Window, Entire Contents,

Expandable, Expanded, Previous List View, Selection, and View.

Like any other container, a trash-object also has all the properties defined for object class object class Item on page 73: Bounds, Comment, Container, Content

Space, Creation Date, Disk, Folder, Icon, ID, Information Window, Kind, Label

Index, Modification Date, Name, Physical Size, Position, Selected, Size, and Window.

Object Class De fi nitions 91

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Finder Objects

Unlike other containers, a trash-object also has these properties: warn before emptying

A Boolean value that indicates whether the Warn Before

Emptying checkbox in the Trash’s Information Window is selected ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable: Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

Objects of these classes can be identified at the top level of a trash-object by name or by number. Page numbers indicate the location of corresponding definitions in this chapter.

Accessory Suitcase (page 27)

Alias File (page 28)

Application File (page 38)

Container (page 43)

Control Panel (page 51)

Desk Accessory File (page 55)

Document File (page 60)

File (page 61)

Folder (page 63)

Font File (page 65)

Font Suitcase (page 66)

Item (page 73)

Sharable Container (page 79)

Sound File (page 88)

Suitcase (page 90)

COMMANDS HANDLED

Count, Exists, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference.

92 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

EXAMPLE

To refer to a trash-object, you must use the Trash property of the desktop: tell application "Finder" clean up trash end tell

Note that it’s not necessary to refer to the trash of desktop ; the Finder interprets trash as the desktop’s Trash property.

User

An object of class User is a user file in the Users & Groups control panel window. The Finder can’t recognize or create a user unless the Users & Groups control panel window is open.

2

PROPERTIES bounds icon

The coordinates of the rectangle that bounds the content region of the user’s icon.

Class: List of four integers (Bounding Rectangle data type).

The first two integers specify the coordinates of the upper-left corner of the user’s icon, and the last two integers specify the coordinates of the lower-right corner of the icon.

Modifiable: Yes

A bitmap of the user’s icon.

Class: Icon family (data type defined by Finder)

Modifiable: Yes label index

The number of the label currently selected for the user in the

Label menu (None = 0).

Class: Integer

Modifiable: Yes name The user’s name.

Class: String

Modifiable: Yes

Object Class De fi nitions 93

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects position Two integers that specify the position of the upper-left corner of the user’s icon.

Class: List of two integers (Point data type)

Modifiable?

Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

None

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Make, Open, Select, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

A reference to a user or, if you use the plural form users , a list of references.

EXAMPLE

The script that follows displays a dialog box requesting the name of the new user file to create, then opens the control panel Users & Groups, creates the new user file, and sets the user’s name. Listing 1-3 on page 12 incorporates this script into a longer script that also creates a drop folder for the new user.

tell application "Finder" set response to display dialog ¬

"Name of new user:" default answer "" set newUser to text returned of response set cPanels to control panel "Users & Groups" of ¬ control panels folder open cPanels make user at cPanels with properties {name: newUser} end tell

94 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

Window

2

An object of class window is any Finder window.

PROPERTIES bounds The rectangle that bounds the content region of the window.

(The “window frame”—the title bar and scroll bars—are not part of the content region.)

Class: List of four integers (Bounding Rectangle data type). The first two integers specify the coordinates of the upper-left corner of the window, and the last two integers specify the coordinates of the lower-right corner of the window.

Modifiable?

Yes closeable A Boolean value that indicates whether the window has a close box ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No floating A Boolean value that indicates whether the window is a floating window ( true ) or not ( false ). (A floating window is a window that appears in front of all other windows.) No Finder windows are floating windows.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No index The number of the window ( window 1 is the frontmost window, window 2 is the window immediately behind window 1 , and so on).

Class: Integer

Modifiable?

Yes modal A Boolean value that indicates whether the window is modal

( true ) or not ( false ). (A modal window is one that requires a response from the user before the user can perform any other tasks).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No

Object Class De fi nitions 95

C H A P T E R 2

Finder Objects position Two integers that specify the upper-left corner of the content region of the window. (The “window frame”—the title bar and scroll bars—is not part of the content region.)

Class: List of two integers (Point data type)

Modifiable?

Yes resizable A Boolean parameter that indicates whether the window can be resized ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No titled visible

A Boolean parameter that indicates whether the window has a title bar ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No

A Boolean parameter that indicates whether the window is visible ( true ) or not ( false ). The value of this property is always false for Finder windows.

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No zoomable A Boolean parameter that indicates whether the window can be zoomed ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

No zoomed A Boolean parameter that specifies whether the window is full size ( true ) or not ( false ).

Class: Boolean

Modifiable?

Yes

ELEMENT CLASSES

If the window is a container window, its elements include all the items currently displayed inside the window. When folders in a window whose View property is name, date, size, or kind are expanded in outline view, the elements of the expanded folder become elements of the container window in which the folder is located.

Information windows, sharing windows, and status windows have no elements.

96 Object Class De fi nitions

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Finder Objects

COMMANDS HANDLED

Clean Up, Close, Count, Data Size, Exists, Get, Open, Print, Sort, Update

DEFAULT VALUE CLASS RETURNED

Reference.

EXAMPLE

This script closes all Finder windows. It has the same effect as holding down the Option key and clicking the close box of the front window.

tell application "Finder" close windows end tell

For an example of a script that either takes a snapshot of the current window arrangement or restores a previously stored snapshot, see Listing 1-2 on page 11.

NOTES

In addition to the properties listed here, a Finder window can inherit certain properties, such as Name, from the object to which it belongs.

tell application "Finder" name of front window end tell

--result: "My World"

Object Class De fi nitions 97

Figure 3-0

Listing 3-0

Table 3-0

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

3

This chapter begins with a summary of the format used in command definitions. The rest of the chapter provides complete definitions of the Finder commands.

Using Command Definitions

3

Command definitions provide information about what commands do and how to use them in scripts. Each definition contains at least four kinds of information: syntax, parameters, results, and examples. These categories are briefly described here, using examples from the definition of the Move command that begins on page 124.

For a more detailed introduction to application commands, see the AppleScript

Language Guide.

Syntax

Each command definition begins with a “Syntax” section that describes how to use the command in a statement. Syntax descriptions use the typographic conventions summarized on page xi: plain computer font indicates a language element you must type exactly as shown; italic text indicates a placeholder you must replace with an appropriate value; brackets indicate that the enclosed language element or elements are optional; and vertical bars separate elements from which you must choose a single element.

3

Using Command De fi nitions 99

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

For example, here’s the syntax statement for the Move command from page 124: move referenceToObject to referenceToContainer

[ replacing ( conflicts | existing items ) ]

¬

To use the Move command, you must replace the placeholders referenceToObject and referenceToContainer with a reference to the object you want to move and a reference to the container to which you want to move it, respectively. The optional parameter in brackets indicates that you want the moved object to replace any object in referenceToContainer that has the same name.

Parameters

Parameters are values that are included with a command. The “Parameters” section of a command definition lists that command’s parameters and the information you need to use them correctly.

Many commands include a direct parameter that specifies the object of the action. The direct parameter immediately follows the command. In the Move command syntax described in the previous section, the referenceToObject parameter is the direct parameter.

If a command includes parameters other than the direct parameter, they are identified by labels. Parameters that are identified by labels are called labeled parameters.

In the Move command syntax, the to referenceToContainer parameter is a labeled parameter with the label to , and the replacing

(conflicts | existing items) parameter is a labeled parameter with the label replacing .

Each parameter value you supply must belong to a particular class, which is listed in its description in the command definition. For example, the referenceToObject and referenceToContainer parameters for the Move command must both be references.

Parameters can be required or optional. Required parameters must be included with the command; optional parameters need not be. Optional parameters are enclosed in brackets in syntax descriptions. For optional parameters, the description in the “Parameters” section specifies a default value that is used if you don’t include the parameter.

3

100 Using Command De fi nitions

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Finder Commands

Result

Many (but not all) commands return results. The result of a command is the value generated when the command is executed. The “Result” section of a command definition tells whether a result is returned, and if so, lists its class.

For example, the result of a Move command is a reference to the object that was moved.

3

Examples

Each command definition includes one or more short examples demonstrating how to use the command. The example for the Move command definition on page 124 is a script that moves a file into a folder.

3

Command Definitions

3

This section defines the commands that are understood by the Finder and its objects.

The Finder supports most of the standard application commands described in the AppleScript Language Guide.

As is true for most scriptable applications, the Finder’s definitions for some of these commands differ slightly from the standard definitions. Table 3-1 summarizes the differences between the defined behavior of the standard commands and the Finder behavior.

Table 3-1

Command

Close

Copy

Variations from standard behavior in Finder versions of standard application commands

Finder version

Closes one or more containers. Behaves like the standard version, except that the Finder needn’t save data when it closes containers.

Copies an object or objects. Behaves like the standard version, except that the Finder version must include parameters.

continued

Command De fi nitions 101

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Finder Commands

Table 3-1

Command

Count

Data Size

Delete

Duplicate

Exists

Get

Make

Move

Open

Print

Quit

Set

Variations from standard behavior in Finder versions of standard application commands (continued)

Finder version

Counts elements of a particular class in a container. Behaves like the standard version, except that the Finder always returns a single integer, never a list of integers.

Returns the size, in bytes, of the value returned by a Get command on the same object or objects. Identical to the standard version.

Deletes one or more objects. Identical to the standard version.

Copies an object or objects. Behaves like the standard version, and also allows you to specify whether or not to replace items in the destination container.

Determines whether an object exists. Identical to the standard version.

Returns the value of an object. Identical to the standard version, except that it returns references for most Finder objects rather than values.

Creates a new object. Behaves like the standard version, except that the Finder can’t set the value of the data for most new objects, and you can’t use new when you make a new file.

Moves an object or objects. Behaves like the standard version, and also allows you to specify whether or not to replace items in the destination container.

Opens an object or objects. Behaves like the standard version, except that it can open objects such as folders and suitcases as well as files.

Prints one or more objects. Identical to the standard version.

Terminates the Finder process. Behaves like the standard version, except that the Finder need not save data before terminating.

Sets value of one or more objects. Identical to standard version.

102 Command De fi nitions

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Finder Commands

Table 3-2 lists the commands defined by the Finder Suite—that is, the commands unique to the Finder.

Table 3-2

Command

Clean Up

Computer

Eject

Empty

Erase

Put Away

Restart

Reveal

Select

Shut Down

Sleep

Sort

Update

Commands de fi ned by the Finder Suite

Summary

Aligns the icons in a window or on the desktop along the grid pattern selected in the Views control panel.

Returns information about the local computer’s operating environment.

Ejects a disk.

Empties the trash.

Erases a disk.

Returns specified objects on the desktop or in the Trash to the folders or disks to which they belong.

Restarts the computer.

Makes an object visible by opening its container and selecting it.

Selects specified objects.

Shuts down the computer.

Puts a PowerBook to sleep.

Sorts a list of references to Finder objects.

Updates an object and its elements, if any, to match their representation on disk.

The rest of this chapter provides detailed definitions of the commands summarized in Table 3-1 and Table 3-2.

Command De fi nitions 103

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

Clean Up

3

A Clean Up command is a request to align objects in a window or on the desktop along the grid pattern selected in the Views control panel. The

View property for the window must be 0 (“by Small Icon”) or 1 (“by Icon”).

Depending on the parameters used with it, the Clean Up command can have the same effect as choosing Clean Up Window, Clean Up Desktop, or

Clean Up All from the Special menu.

SYNTAX clean up [ all | ( referenceToObject [ by propertyLabel ] ) ]

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the desktop or to one or more container windows, or a reference to one or more elements of the desktop or a container window. If the reference is to the desktop or a container window, the command acts on the contents of the object. If the reference is to elements of the desktop or of a container window, the Finder aligns the specified objects to the nearest grid points and ignores the propertyLabel parameter.

Class: Reference or list of references

Default value: A reference to the desktop propertyLabel One of these property labels, specifying the order in which to clean up the objects: name , size , modification date , version , or comment . If you include the referenceToObject parameter and omit the propertyLabel parameter, the Finder aligns the objects to the nearest grid points without sorting them into a new arrangement. The command clean up all is equivalent to the command clean up desktop by name .

Class: Class identifier

Default value: None

RESULT

Reference to the specified object or list of references.

104 Command De fi nitions

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Finder Commands

EXAMPLES

This script cleans up all of the Finder’s open windows (not including the desktop) for which “by Icon” or “by Small Icon” is selected in the Views menu.

The by name parameter specifies that the cleaned up icons are to be arranged in the windows by name. tell application "Finder" clean up windows by name end tell

This script aligns the icons in the window for the disk My World to the nearest grid points without sorting them into a new arrangement: tell application "Finder" clean up window "My World" end tell

NOTES

The command clean up all is equivalent to the command clean up desktop by name and to the Clean Up All menu command (available when you select an item on the desktop, hold down the Option key, and pull down the Special menu). All these commands rearrange items on the desktop by name and place the Trash in its original position relative to the lower-right corner of the screen. However, if you use the Clean Up command without any parameters, the Finder aligns objects on the desktop to the nearest grid points without rearranging them.

If the referenceToObject parameter of the Clean Up command is a reference to one or more items in an open window or on the desktop, the command aligns their icons to the grid but ignores the propertyLabel parameter, if any. For example, this script aligns only the icon for the folder My Folder (not the contents of My Folder) to the grid: tell application "Finder" clean up folder "My Folder" of window "My World" end tell

Command De fi nitions 105

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

However, if the window for a folder is open, you can use a script like this to clean up the contents of the window: tell application "Finder" clean up contents of folder "My Folder" of window of startup disk end tell

Close

A Close command is a request to close one or more windows. The Finder version of the Close command behaves like the standard version described in the AppleScript Language Guide, except that the Finder ignores the saving and saving in parameters recognized by AppleScript and most other applications.

3

SYNTAX close referenceToObject

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the object to close or a list of references. The reference can be to either a window or a container to which a window belongs.

Class: Reference

RESULT

Reference to the closed window or a list of references.

106 Command De fi nitions

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Finder Commands

EXAMPLES

This statement closes all Finder windows: tell application "Finder" to close windows

This statement closes all Finder windows whose name includes the word

“messages”: tell application "Finder" close windows whose name contains "messages" end

You can also specify a container to which a window belongs as the parameter of the Close command: tell application "Finder" close startup disk end tell

Computer

3

The Computer command is a request for information about the local computer’s operating environment.

This command is intended for use by programmers only. To use it, you should be familiar with the Gestalt function as described in Inside Macintosh:

Operating System Utilities.

SYNTAX computer gestaltSelector [ has bitsToTest ]

Command De fi nitions 107

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

PARAMETERS gestaltSelector The Gestalt selector for the feature you want to test. The Finder converts these constants to the Gestalt codes for the equivalent information about the operating environment: bitsToTest

CPU

FPU

MMU hardware operating system sound system memory available (including virtual memory) memory installed

For other selectors, use the appropriate code as described in Inside Macintosh: Operating System Utilities.

Class: Four-character code recognized by the Gestalt function.

If you use a code instead of one of the constants listed above, it must have four characters and it must be given either in the form of a string or within double angle brackets after the word class :

" xxxx"

«class xxxx»

The value of the bits to test.

Class: Integer

Default value: None

RESULT

Integer if the bitsToTest parameter is not included; Boolean if it is.

EXAMPLES

This script returns true if the sound input device bit returned by Gestalt is set, and false if it isn’t: tell application "Finder" set soundInputDevice to 32 computer sound system has soundInputDevice end tell

108 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

This script returns an integer that indicates the total amount of memory available (including virtual memory), in bytes: tell application "Finder" computer memory available end tell

Copy

The Copy command is a request to copy an object or objects to a new location.

The Finder version is similar to the standard application command described in the AppleScript Language Guide, except that the Finder’s Copy command must include parameters.

As shown in the syntax definition, put and into are synonyms for copy and to . When you compile a script, put and into are automatically changed to copy and to .

3

SYNTAX

( copy | put ) expression ( to | into ) referenceToObject

PARAMETERS expression The expression whose value is to be copied. If expression is a reference or a list of references, the Finder copies the objects specified by the references.

Class: Any class referenceToObject

A reference to the object to which to copy expression .

Class: Reference

RESULT

A reference to the copied object or a list of references.

Command De fi nitions 109

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Finder Commands

EXAMPLE

This script copies two files and places them in a folder on another disk: tell application "Finder" copy {file "Release Notes" of disk "My World", ¬ file "Report" of disk "My World"} to folder "Backups" of ¬ startup disk end tell

Count

The Count command counts the number of elements of a particular class in a container. The Finder version of the Count command is similar to the standard application command described in the AppleScript Language Guide , except that the Finder’s Count command always returns a single integer.

3

SYNTAX count [ each | every ] className [ ( in | of ) referenceToContainer ] number of className [ ( in | of ) referenceToContainer ]

PARAMETERS className The class name of the elements to be counted. If you use the term each or every , you can use only the singular form of the class name. The kinds of elements that Finder objects can contain are listed in the object class definitions for each class in Chapter 2, “Finder Objects.” You must specify a class name or the command won’t work.

Class: Class identifier

110 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands referenceToContainer

A reference to the container whose elements are to be counted.

If you do not specify this parameter, the Finder counts the elements in the default target of the Tell statement (for example, the Finder application).

Class: Reference

Default value: Reference to default target of Tell statement

RESULT

Integer.

EXAMPLES

In the following example, every item of window "My World" returns a list of items. The Finder counts the items in the list.

tell application "Finder" count every item of window "My World" end tell

--result: 12

The following statement is equivalent to the previous example: tell application "Finder" count items of window "My World" end tell

Data Size

A Data Size command is a request for the size, in bytes, of the data of one or more objects. The value returned is the size of the data (a value) that would result from a Get command on the same object or objects. This command has

3

Command De fi nitions 111

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands little meaning for the Finder, because the result of a Get command for most

Finder objects is a reference. In the case of icons, Data Size returns the data size of the icon family.

SYNTAX data size of referenceToObject [ as className ]

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects whose data size is to be returned.

Class: Reference className The class of data for which to determine the size.

Class: Reference

Default value: The default value class for the object

RESULT

An integer that indicates the size, in bytes, of the data that would be returned by a Get command on the specified object or objects. For most Finder objects, this command returns the size of the reference, not the size of the object referred to.

If the referenceToObject parameter specifies a single object only (such as icon of file "My File" of startup disk or window 1 ), the result is a single integer that specifies the data size in bytes. If the specified object doesn’t exist, the Finder returns an error.

If the referenceToObject parameter refers to more than one object (such as items of startup disk ), the result is a list of integers. The first item in the list is the data size of the first item, the second item is the data size of the second item, and so on. If the specified objects don’t exist, the result is an empty list.

112 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

EXAMPLE

This script returns a list of integers that specify the size, in bytes, of the icons for the files My File and My Other File, both located on the startup disk: tell application "Finder" data size of {icon of file "My File" of startup disk, ¬ icon of file "My Other File" of startup disk} end tell

--result: {1016, 2320}

Delete

A Delete command is a request to delete one or more objects. The Finder version of the Delete command is identical to the standard version described in the AppleScript Language Guide .

3

SYNTAX delete referenceToObject

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects to be deleted.

Class: Reference

RESULT

None

Command De fi nitions 113

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" delete file "OldFile" of startup disk end tell

Duplicate

A Duplicate command is a request to make a copy of an object or objects and insert the new copy either at a specified location or in the same container as the object that was copied. The Finder version of the Duplicate command is similar to the standard version described in the AppleScript Language Guide , except that the Finder’s Duplicate command allows you to specify whether or not to replace items of the same name in the destination container.

3

SYNTAX duplicate referenceToObject [ to referenceToLocation ] ¬

[ replacing ( conflicts | existing items ) ]

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects to be duplicated.

Class: Reference referenceToLocation

A reference to the location for the duplicated object or objects.

Class: Reference

Default value: If you don’t specify a new location, the object is inserted in the same container as the original object and the word “copy” is appended to the new object’s name.

RESULT

A reference to the new object or a list of references.

114 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

EXAMPLE

This script duplicates a file to a disk, replacing any items at the top level of the disk that have the same name: tell application "Finder" duplicate file "My File" of startup disk ¬ to disk "Backup" replacing conflicts end tell

You can use replacing existing items , with replacing , or replacing true instead of replacing conflicts without changing the meaning of the script.

NOTES

The statement duplicate items in referenceToContainer (where referenceToContainer is a reference to any container) won’t compile. Instead, use the statement duplicate every item of referenceToContainer.

Eject

An Eject command is a request to eject a disk.

SYNTAX eject [ referenceToDisk ]

PARAMETERS referenceToDisk

A reference to the disk to be ejected or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references

Default value: List of references to all mounted disks whose

Ejectable property is true

3

Command De fi nitions 115

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

RESULT

A reference to the ejected disk or a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script ejects the disk named Untitled: tell application "Finder" to eject disk "Untitled"

NOTES

If you use the Eject command to eject a disk, the disk’s dimmed icon remains on the desktop after the disk ejects. To eject a disk without retaining its dimmed icon, use the Put Away command, which is defined on page 127.

Empty

3

An Empty command is a request to empty the trash. It has the same effect as choosing Empty Trash from the Special menu, except that it never warns the user before emptying—even if the Warn Before Emptying property of the Trash is set to true.

SYNTAX empty [ referenceToTrash ]

PARAMETERS referenceToTrash

A reference to a trash container.

Class: Reference

Default value: Reference to the local computer’s Trash

116 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

RESULT

A reference to the trash container that was emptied.

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" to empty the trash

Erase

The Erase command is a request to erase one or more disks. It is equivalent to selecting one or more disk icons on the desktop and choosing Erase Disk from the Special menu. Before the specified disk is erased, a dialog box appears asking the user to confirm that formatting should proceed.

3

SYNTAX erase referenceToDisk

PARAMETERS referenceToDisk

A reference to the disk to be erased or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references.

RESULT

A reference to the erased disk or a list of references.

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" to erase disk "Untitled"

Command De fi nitions 117

Exists

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

An Exists command is a request to determine whether the object specified by a reference exists. The Finder version of the Exists command is identical to the standard version described in the AppleScript Language Guide .

3

SYNTAX exists referenceToObject referenceToObject exists

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object to find or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references

RESULT

A Boolean value. If true , all of the objects referred to by referenceToObject exist.

If false , one or more of the objects referred to by referenceToObject do not exist.

EXAMPLE

This script checks whether a disk named Storage is mounted and, if it is, copies all files from the folder Correspondence whose modification dates are more than 30 days old to disk Storage and deletes the originals.

tell application "Finder" if exists disk "Storage" then set aMonthAgo to (current date) - (30 * days) copy (every item in folder "Correspondence" of startup disk ¬ whose modification date < aMonthAgo) ¬ to folder "Old Letters" of disk "Storage" delete (every item in folder "Correspondence" of startup disk ¬ whose modification date < aMonthAgo)

118 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands else display dialog "The Storage cartridge isn’t mounted." end if end tell

Note that you can’t use the Move command instead of the Copy and Delete commands in this script, because the Move command changes to Copy when moving items between volumes.

Get

The standard application command Get is a request to return the value of an object or objects. The Finder version of the Get command is similar to the standard application command, except that in most cases the Finder simply returns a reference to objects or objects requested. For properties that consist of a value (such as the Name property) rather than a reference (such as the

Desktop property of the Finder application), the Finder returns the value. In all cases, the Finder assigns the value returned to the predefined variable result .

3

SYNTAX

[ get ] referenceToObject [ as className ]

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to an object whose value is to be returned in the result variable or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references className A class identifier that specifies the desired value class for the returned data.

Class: Class identifier

Default value: The default value class for the object or objects

Command De fi nitions 119

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Finder Commands

RESULT

A reference or list of references to the requested objects or, in the case of properties that consist of a value, a value of either the object’s default value class or the class specified by the className parameter, or a list of values of that class. If the Finder can’t return data in the value class specified by the className parameter, it generates an error.

If the referenceToObject parameter specifies a single object only (such as name of window 1 ), the result is a single value or reference. If the referenceToObject parameter refers to more than one object (such as items in startup disk ), the result is a list of values or references. If the specified object doesn’t exist, for example, if the reference is folder "My Folder" in startup disk and there is no folder of that name in the startup disk, the Finder generates an error.

EXAMPLES

This script returns the sizes, in bytes, of the folders at the top level of the startup disk: tell application "Finder" get size of folders in startup disk end tell

--result: {27636, 1438359, 1774813}

This script returns a list of references to the folders at the top level of the startup disk: tell application "Finder" get folders in startup disk end tell

--result: folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder", folder "Financial" of startup disk of application "Finder", folder "Applications" of startup disk of application "Finder"

120 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

NOTES

The word get in the Get command is optional. For example, these statements are equivalent: name of startup disk get name of startup disk

Make

The standard application command Make is a request to create a new object that can include values for properties of the object. The Finder version of the

Make command is similar to the version described in the AppleScript Language

Guide , except that the Finder’s Make command can’t set the value of the new object’s data unless the new object is an alias file.

3

SYNTAX make [ new ] className [ at referenceToContainer ] ¬

[ with properties ¬

{ propertyLabel : propertyValue [ , propertyLabel : propertyValue ]...}]¬

[ ( to | with data ) referenceToObject ]

PARAMETERS className The class of the object to be created. (Note that if you are creating a new file, you cannot use the optional term new before className .)

Class: Class identifier referenceToContainer

The container in which to create the new object.

Class: Reference

Default value: The Finder’s current insertion location propertyLabel The name of a property whose value is to be set.

Class: String

Command De fi nitions 121

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands propertyValue The value to assign to the property.

Class: The value class of the property as specified in the object class definition in Chapter 2, “Finder Objects,” or a value that can be coerced to the class of the property

Default value: If you create a file or folder without specifying its name, the Finder creates a an item named Untitled File or

Untitled Folder. Other property values, such as the creation date, icon, and so on, are provided by the Finder on the basis of information in the operating environment.

referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects to which you want to make an alias. This parameter is meaningful only if you are making a new alias.

Class: Reference or list of references to the object or objects for which aliases are to be made

Default value: None

RESULT

A reference to the newly created object.

EXAMPLES

The script that follows creates a new folder named My Folder at the top level of the startup disk.

tell application "Finder" make new folder at startup disk with properties ¬

{name: "My Folder"} end tell

If you save this script as an application, it makes an alias file on the desktop for any objects whose icon you drop onto the script’s icon.

on open x repeat with i in x tell application "Finder" make alias file to i end tell end repeat end open

122 Command De fi nitions

NOTES

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

If you save this script as an application and drag a folder onto the application’s icon, the script searches the entire startup disk for any items whose names include the name of the folder and creates alias files in that folder for all matching items: on open x tell application "Finder" repeat with i in x set n to name of i open i make alias file to every item of entire contents ¬ of startup disk whose name contains n at i end repeat end tell end open

This script may take a minute or more to run if the startup disk contains a large number of items.

When you use the Make command to create a new file, you can’t use the term new before the term file : tell application "Finder" make file at startup disk with properties ¬

{name: "My File"} end tell

For all other object classes, the term new is optional.

Command De fi nitions 123

Move

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

A Move command is a request to move an object or objects. The Finder version of the Move command is similar to the version described in the AppleScript

Language Guide , except that the Finder’s Move command allows you to specify whether or not to replace items in the destination container.

3

SYNTAX move referenceToObject to referenceToContainer

[ replacing ( conflicts | existing items ) ]

¬

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the object to move or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references referenceToContainer

A reference to the location to which to move the object

(see “Notes”).

Class: Reference

RESULT

A reference to the object that was moved or a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script moves a file into a folder, replacing any files of the same name that exist in that folder: tell application "Finder" move file "My File" of startup disk ¬ to folder "My Folder" of startup disk ¬ replacing conflicts end tell

124 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

You can use replacing existing items , with replacing , or replacing true instead of replacing conflicts without changing the meaning of this script.

NOTES

If an object specified by the referenceToObject parameter is located on a different disk from the container specified by the referenceToContainer parameter, the

Move command copies the object instead of moving it, but doesn’t provide any warning that it has failed to remove the original object. To move any object from one disk to another, copy the object to the new disk (using either the

Move or the Copy command), then delete the original object using the Delete command. See page 118 for an example of a script that uses this technique.

Open

An Open command is a request to open an object. The Finder version of the

Open command is similar to the version described in the AppleScript Language

Guide , except that the Finder’s Open command can open objects such as application files, folders, suitcases, and disks as well as files, and in the case of document files allows you to specify the application that opens them.

3

SYNTAX open referenceToObject [ using referenceToApplication ]

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object to be opened or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references referenceToApplication

A reference to the application file with which you want to open the document files specified by referenceToObject .

Class: Reference or list of references

Default value: None

Command De fi nitions 125

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

RESULT

Reference to the opened object or a list of references.

EXAMPLES

This script opens a file and a folder: tell application "Finder" open {file "My File" of startup disk, ¬ folder "My Folder" of startup disk} end tell

This script opens a text file using the Scriptable Text Editor: tell application "Finder" open file "Text File" of startup disk using ¬ application file "Scriptable Text Editor" ¬ of startup disk end tell

NOTES

If one of the objects specified by referenceToObject is already open, it remains open and its window becomes the frontmost window.

The statement open items in referenceToContainer (where referenceToContainer is a reference to any container) won’t compile. Instead, use the statement open every item of referenceToContainer.

Print

A Print command is a request to print one or more objects. The Finder version of the Print command is identical to the standard version described in the

AppleScript Language Guide .

3

126 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

SYNTAX print referenceToObject

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects to print—typically files or containers—or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references

RESULT

Reference to the printed object or a list of references.

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" to print file "Addresses" of startup disk

NOTES

The statement print items in referenceToContainer (where referenceToContainer is a reference to any container) won’t compile. Instead, use the statement print every item of referenceToContainer.

Put Away

The Put Away command is a request to return specified objects on the desktop or in the Trash to the folders or disks from which they were last moved. It may also be used to unmount volumes. The Put Away command has the same effect as selecting one or more icons on the desktop or in the Trash and choosing Put

Away from the File menu.

3

SYNTAX put away referenceToObject

Command De fi nitions 127

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object to put away or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references

RESULT

Reference to the object put away or a list of references.

EXAMPLES

This script puts away the specified objects on the desktop: tell application "Finder" put away {file "My File", folder "Projects"} end tell

You don’t have to specify the desktop explicitly, but to put away items in the

Trash you must specify that they are in the Trash: tell application "Finder" put away {file "My File" of trash, ¬ folder "Projects" of trash} end tell

NOTES

The statement put away items in referenceToContainer (where referenceToContainer is a reference to any container) won’t compile. Instead, use the statement put away every item of referenceToContainer.

128 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

Quit

3

A Quit command is a request to quit the Finder application. The Finder’s Quit command is similar to the one described in the AppleScript Language Guide, except that the Finder ignores the parameters recognized by most other applications. You can’t tell other processes to quit from within a Tell statement addressed to the Finder.

When you quit the Finder, any icons on the desktop and any Finder windows that are currently visible disappear.

▲

W A R N I N G

If you are using version 1.1 of AppleScript, you can launch the Finder again only by quitting all running processes or by restarting the computer.

▲

SYNTAX quit

PARAMETERS

None

RESULT

None

EXAMPLE

This statement quits the Finder: tell application "Finder" to quit

If you are using version 1.1 of AppleScript, you can relaunch the Finder only by quitting all running applications or by restarting the computer. Other versions

Command De fi nitions 129

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands allow you to relaunch the Finder with the Launch command (or with any Tell statement addressed to the Finder): tell application "Finder" to launch

Restart

The Restart command is a request to restart the computer. It is equivalent to choosing Restart from the Special menu.

SYNTAX restart

PARAMETERS

None

RESULT

None

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" to restart

3

130 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

Reveal

The Reveal command is a request to make an object visible by opening its container and selecting it. If you specify objects in several containers, only the last specified object remains selected.

SYNTAX reveal referenceToObject

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects to be revealed.

Class: Reference or list of references

RESULT

Reference to the revealed object or a list of references.

EXAMPLE

If you save the script that follows as an application, it reveals the original item for any alias file whose icon you drag over the script application’s icon.

on open x repeat with i in x tell application "Finder" if i exists then reveal i end if end tell end repeat end open

Each original item revealed by this script is selected only momentarily. After the script runs and quits, the Finder selects the script’s icon again. This is standard Finder behavior whenever an application (in this case, a script application) quits.

3

Command De fi nitions 131

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

Select

The Select command is a request to select one or more objects. If you specify objects in several containers, only the objects in the last specified container will remain selected. The container must be open for the specified object to be selected.

SYNTAX select referenceToObject

PARAMETER referenceToObject

A reference to the object or objects to be selected.

Class: Reference or list of references

RESULT

Reference to the selected object or a list of references.

EXAMPLE

This script selects two files in a single folder: tell application "Finder" select {file "To Tom" in folder "Letters" of startup disk, ¬ file "To Lorraine" in folder "Letters" of startup disk} end tell

The folder must be open for the script to work correctly.

3

132 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

Set

The Set command is a request to set the values of one or more objects. The

Finder version of the Set command is identical to the standard version described in the AppleScript Language Guide.

SYNTAX set referenceToObject to expression

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the object whose value is to be set or a list of references.

Class: Reference or list of references expression The expression whose value or values are to be assigned.

If expression is a reference or a list of references, they must be references for which the Finder can obtain a value.

Class: Any appropriate class for the objects whose values are to be set.

RESULT

The value assigned or a list of values.

EXAMPLE

This script sets the name and position of the selection: tell application "Finder" set name of selection to "My Folder" set position of selection to {140, 160} end tell

3

Command De fi nitions 133

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

Shut Down

The Shut Down command is a request to shut down the computer. It is equivalent to choosing Shut Down from the Special menu.

SYNTAX shut down

PARAMETERS

None

RESULT

None

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" to shut down

3

Sleep

3

The Sleep command is a request to put a PowerBook to sleep. It is equivalent to choosing Sleep from the Special menu. Before putting the computer to sleep, the Finder displays a dialog box asking the user to confirm the decision.

SYNTAX sleep

134 Command De fi nitions

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

PARAMETERS

None

RESULT

None

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" to sleep

Sort

The Sort command is a request for a sorted list of references.

SYNTAX sort referenceList by propertyLabel

PARAMETERS referenceList A list of references to the objects that are to be sorted. This may take the form of a single reference to several objects in the same container or a list of references to objects in several containers.

Class: Reference or list of references propertyLabel The name of the property by which the objects are to be sorted.

Class: Class identifier

RESULT

A list of references sorted according to the property specified in the propertyLabel parameter.

3

Command De fi nitions 135

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

EXAMPLES

This script returns a list of references to the folders in the startup disk, sorted by creation date: tell application "Finder" sort folders in startup disk by creation date end tell

--result: {folder "Letters" of startup disk of application "Finder", folder "Projects" of startup disk of application "Finder", folder "Current Correspondence" of startup disk of application "Finder"}

This script sorts files from several different folders by size.

tell application "Finder" sort {files in startup disk, files in disk "Data"} ¬ by size end tell

--result: {file "George" of startup disk of application

"Finder", file "Notes" of disk "Data" of application

"Finder", file "Expenses" of startup disk of application

"Finder"}

NOTES

The Sort command usually sorts in ascending order; for example, if you sort by name, the resulting references are sorted alphabetically by name. When you sort by creation date or modification date, the Sort command returns a list of references sorted in descending order from the newest item to the oldest.

To sort the actual items that are displayed in a window, rather than a list of references to those items, either set the View property of the window or, if the items are displayed by icon or by small icon, use the Clean Up command as described on page 104.

136 Command De fi nitions

Update

C H A P T E R 3

Finder Commands

An Update command is a request to update an object and its elements, if any, to match their representation on disk. This involves making new items show up in the correct position and updating the desktop database. The Finder updates containers automatically when processing time is available; the

Update command just causes it to happen immediately.

3

SYNTAX update referenceToObject

PARAMETERS referenceToObject

A reference to the container or containers to update.

Class: Reference or list of references

RESULT

Reference to the updated container or a list of references.

EXAMPLE tell application "Finder" update {startup disk, disk "Data"} end tell

Command De fi nitions 137

Appendixes

Figure A-0

Listing A-0

Table A-0

A P P E N D I X A

Finder Commands at a Glance

A

This appendix summarizes the commands described in this guide and the placeholders used in syntax descriptions. For more detailed information about these commands, see Chapter 3, “Finder Commands.”

The placeholder descriptions in the last section of this appendix define the placeholders used in the syntax summaries.

Commands

Table A-1 summarizes the Finder commands descrfibed in this guide and their syntax.

A

Commands 141

A P P E N D I X A

Finder Commands at a Glance

Integer or list of integers

142 Commands

A P P E N D I X A

Finder Commands at a Glance

Commands 143

A P P E N D I X A

Finder Commands at a Glance

144 Commands

A P P E N D I X A

Finder Commands at a Glance

Placeholders

Table A-2 explains the placeholders used in the syntax descriptions in this appendix.

Table A-2

Placeholder bitsToTest className expression gestaltSelector propertyLabel propertyValue referenceList

Placeholders used in syntax descriptions referenceToApplication referenceToContainer referenceToDisk referenceToLocation referenceToObject referenceToTrash

Explanation

The value of the bits to test with the Computer command.

A class identifier or an expression that evaluates to a class identifier.

A series of terms whose value is a Boolean, class identifier, constant, data, date, integer, list, real, record, reference, or string.

The Gestalt selector for the information about the operating environment to be tested with the

Computer command.

The name of a property.

An expression that evaluates to a value of the appropriate class for the property being defined.

A list of references.

A reference to an application.

A reference to a container.

A reference to a disk or a list of references.

A reference to the new location for an object copied with the Duplicate command.

A reference to an object or a list of references.

A reference to the Trash.

A

Placeholders 145

Figure B-0

Listing B-0

Table B-0

A P P E N D I X B

Finder Errors

–15264

–15265

–15266

–15267

–15268

–15269

–15270

–15271

–15272

–15273

–15278

–15279

This appendix lists error numbers and error messages for errors returned by the Finder. For information about handling errors, see the AppleScript

Language Guide.

Error number

–15260

–15261

–15262

–15263

Error message

Finder is busy

Window must be open to use this command

Cannot put item away because it is not in the trash or on the desktop, or it was created on the desktop

Window must be open in icon or small icon view to use this command

Window must be open in list view to use this command

Destination is not a container

Source object cannot be moved to specified destination

An item with the same name already exists in the destination

Can't move folder into one of its subfolders

Can't replace a folder with one of its subfolders

Command cannot be used on items in the trash

Item is already in specified destination folder

No user or group of that name exists

Share points cannot inherit the privileges of their parent folder

Invalid size for object

Value out of range

B

147

Index

Symbols

() in syntax descriptions xi

[] in syntax descriptions xi

| in syntax descriptions xi

A

About This Macintosh property, of the Finder application 31

Accessory Process object class 26–27

Accessory Suitcase object class 27–28

Alias File object class 28–30

Apple Menu Items Folder property, of the Finder application 31

Application (Finder) object class defined 31–37 introduced 18–25

Application File object class 38–41

Application File property, of an application process 41

Application Process object class 41–42

B

Bounds property of a group 68 of an item 73 of a user file 93 of a window 95 brackets, in syntax descriptions xi

C

Calculate Folder Sizes property, of Views control panel 52

Capacity property, of a disk 58 classes, of parameters 100

Clean Up command 104–106

Clipboard property, of the Finder application 31

Closeable property, of a window 95

Close command 106–107 command definitions

Clean Up 104–106

Close 106–107

Computer 107–109

Copy 109–110

Count 110–111

Data Size 111–113

Delete 113–114

Duplicate 114–115

Eject 115–116

Empty 116–117

Erase 117

Exists 118–119

Get 119–121

Make 121–123

Move 124–125

Open 125–126

Print 126–127

Put Away 127–128

Quit 129–130

Restart 130

Reveal 131

Select 132

Set 133

Shut Down 134

149

I N D E X command definitions ( continued)

Sleep 134–135

Sort 135–136

Update 137 using 99–101 commands 99–137 parameters of 100 summarized 141–144 syntax of 99–100

Comment Heading property, of Views control panel 52

Comment property of an information window 70 of an item 73

Completely Expanded property, of a container 43

Computer command 107–109

Container object class 43–46

Container property of a container window 47 of an item 73 of a sharing window 85

Container Window object class 47–50

Container Window property, of a container 43

Content Space object class 22–25, 50–51

Content Space property, of an item 73

Control Panel object class 51–54

Control Panels Folder property, of the Finder application 31

Copy command 109–110

Count command 110–111

Creation Date property of an information window 70 of an item 73

Creator Type property of a file 61 of a process 77

D

Data Size command 111–113

Date Heading property, of Views control panel 52

Delete command 113–114

Desk Accessory File object class 55

Desktop-Object object class 56–57

Desktop property 21, 23

Desktop property, of the Finder application 31 dialects xi direct parameter 100

Disk Information Heading property, of Views control panel 52

Disk object class 57–60

Disk property of a container window 47 of an item 73

Document File object class 60–61

Duplicate command 114–115

E

Ejectable property, of a disk 58

Eject command 115–116 elements, of objects 16

Empty command 116–117

Erase command 117 error messages 147

Exists command 118–119

Expandable property, of a container 44

Expanded property, of a container 44

Exported property of a sharable container 80 of a sharing window 85

Extensions Folder property, of the Finder application 32

F

File object class 61–63

File property, of a process 77

File Sharing property, of the Finder application 32

File Type property of a file 61 of a process 77

150

I N D E X

Finder Application object class defined 31–37 introduced 18–25

Floating property, of a window 95

Folder object class 63–65

Folder property of a container window 47 of an item 73 of a sharing window 85

Font File object class 65–66

Fonts Folder property, of the Finder application 32

Font Suitcase object class 66–67

Free Space property, of a disk 58

Frontmost property of the Finder application 32 of a process 77

G, H

Get command 119–121

Group object class 68–69

Group Privileges property of a sharable container 80 of a sharing window 86

Group property of a sharable container 80 of a sharing window 85

Guest Privileges property of a sharable container 80 of a sharing window 86

I, J

Icon property of a group 68 of an information window 70 of an item 73 of a user file 93

Icon Size property, of Views control panel 52

ID property, of an item 74

Index property, of a window 95

Information Window object class 69–72

Information Window property, of an item 74

Inherited Privileges property of a sharable container 80 of a sharing window 86

Insertion Location property, of the Finder application 25, 32

Item object class 73–76

Item property of a container window 47 of an information window 70 of a sharing window 86

K

Kind Heading property, of Views control panel 52

Kind property, of an item 74

L labeled parameters 100

Label Heading property, of Views control panel 53

Label Index property of a group 68 of an item 74 of a user file 93

Largest Free Block property, of the Finder application 32

Local Volume property, of a disk 58

Locked property of a file 61 of an information window 70

151

I N D E X

M

Make Changes property, of sharing privileges 83

Make command 121–123

Minimum Partition Size property 40 of an application file 38 of an information window 70

Modal property, of a window 95

Modification Date property of an information window 70 of an item 74

Mounted property of a sharable container 81 of a sharing window 86

Move command 124–125

N

Name property of a group 68 of an item 74 of a process 77 of a user file 93

Document File 60–61

File 61–63

Finder Application 31–37

Folder 63–65

Font File 65–66

Font Suitcase 66–67

Group 68–69

Information Window 69–72

Item 73–76

Process 77–79

Sharable Container 79–83

Sharing Privileges 83–84

Sharing Window 85–88

Sound File 88–89

Status Window 89–90

Suitcase 90–91

Trash-Object 91–93

User 93–94 using 15–17

Window 95–97 objects, elements of 16

Open command 125–126 optional parameters 100

Original Item property, of an alias file 29

Owner Privileges property of a sharable container 81 of a sharing window 87

Owner property of a sharable container 81 of a sharing window 86

O object class definitions 26–97

Accessory Process 26–27

Accessory Suitcase 27–28

Alias File 28–30

Application (Finder) 31–37

Application File 38–41

Application Process 41–42

Container 43–46

Container Window 47–50

Content Space 50–51

Control Panel 51–54

Desk Accessory File 55

Desktop-Object 56–57

Disk 57–60

P parameters of Finder commands 100 parentheses, in syntax descriptions xi

Partition Size property 40 of an application file 38 of an information window 71 of a process 78

Partition Space Used property, of a process 78

Paste Reference command 19

Path To scripting addition command 20

152

I N D E X

Physical Size property of an information window 71 of an item 74 placeholders, in syntax descriptions xi, 145

Position property of a group 68 of an item 74 of a user file 94 of a window 96

Preferences Folder property, of the Finder application 32

Previous List View property of a container 44 of a container window 48

Print command 126–127

Process object class 77–79

Product Version property of a file 62 of the Finder Application 33 of an information window 71

Protected property of a sharable container 81 of a sharing window 87

Put Away command 127–128

Q

Quit command 129–130

R references obtaining for Finder objects 19 to windows 22–25

Remote Events property, of a process 78 required parameters 100

Resizable property, of a window 96

Restart command 130 results, returned by commands 101

Reveal command 131

S

Scriptable property of an application file 39 of a process 78

See Files property, of sharing privileges 83

See Folders property, of sharing privileges 84

Select command 132

Selected property, of an item 74

Selection property of a container 44 of a container window 48 of the Finder application 33

Set command 133

Sharable Container object class 79–83

Sharable Container property, of a sharing window 87

Shared property of a sharable container 81 of a sharing window 87

Sharing Privileges object class 83–84

Sharing Starting Up property, of the Finder application 33

Sharing Window object class 85–88

Sharing Window property, of a sharable container 81

Shortcuts property, of the Finder application 33

Shut Down command 134

Shutdown Items Folder property, of the Finder application 33

Size Heading property, of Views control panel 53

Size property of an information window 71 of an item 75

Sleep command 134–135

Snap to Grid property, of Views control panel 53

Sort command 135–136

Sound File object class 88–89

Staggered Grid property, of Views control panel 53

Startup Disk property, of desktop-object 56

Startup Items Folder property, of the Finder application 33

Startup property, of a disk 58

153

I N D E X

Stationery property of a file 62 of an information window 71

Status Window object class 89–90

Suggested Partition Size property 40 of an application file 39 of an information window 71

Suitcase object class 90–91 syntax description defined 100 placeholders in xi, 145

System Folder property, of the Finder application 33

T

Temporary Items Folder property, of the Finder application 34

Titled property, of a window 96

Trash-Object object class 91–93

Trash property, of desktop-object 56 typographic conventions xi

U

Update command 137

User object class 93–94

V

Version Heading property, of Views control panel 53

Version property of a file 62 of an information window 71 of the Finder application 34 vertical bars, in syntax descriptions xi

View Font property, of Views control panel 53

View Font Size property, of Views control panel 53

View Preferences property, of the Finder application 34

View property of a container 44 of a container window 48

Views control panel 52–53

Visible property of the Finder application 34 of a process 78 of a window 96

W, X, Y

Warn Before Emptying property of an information window 72 of Trash-Object 92

Window object class 95–97

Window property, of an item 75 window references 22–25

Z

Zoomable property, of a window 96

Zoomed property, of a window 96

154

T H E A P P L E P U B L I S H I N G S Y S T E M

This Apple manual was written, edited, and composed on a desktop publishing system using Apple Macintosh computers and FrameMaker software.

Proof pages were created on an Apple

LaserWriter II NTX printer. Final page negatives were output directly from text files. PostScript

™

, the pagedescription language for the LaserWriter, was developed by Adobe Systems

Incorporated.

Text type is Palatino

Helvetica

Dingbats

®

®

and display type is

. Bullets are ITC Zapf

®

. Some elements, such as program listings, are set in Apple Courier.

WRITER

Sean Cotter

DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR

Jeanne Woodward

PRODUCTION EDITOR

Rex Wolf

Special thanks to Greg Anderson.

Acknowledgments to William Cook and

Ron Karr.