External debugging with FastScripts

Script Debugger
#1

Something strange is happening when externally debugging with FastScripts:

  1. The open script (.scpt) is in Debug mode.
  2. I trigger the script via FastScripts.
    → Every instance of text gets replaced by rich text.

For example, this:

set a to "10" as text
set b to text 2 of a

…becomes this:

#2

This can happen because of the poor design of Apple’s Text Suite. This defines the term rich text and gives it the same code as text (ctxt). You can see this in Mail’s dictionary, for example.

What application are you addressing?

#3

In the meantime I found out it’s not limited to externally debugging with FastScripts, as previously stated.

I can reproduce the behavior simply by compiling code inside a FastScripts tell block. No matter if in debugging mode or not.

Just paste this and compile:

tell application "FastScripts" to set a to "" as text

So I guess it’s a FastScript problem. (?)

#4

I just checked – FastScripts does use Apple’s Text Suite, defining rich text. It would be worth emailing Daniel about it.

#5

Yes, I’ll do. Done. Thanks.

#6

I’m sorry I’ve taken (just over) 3 years to act on this, but I wanted to let you know I finally put together a beta release with the fix in place, taking @ShaneStanley’s suggestion to simply remove the text suite from FastScripts’s own scripting definiton. If you are still using FastScripts and wish to give it a try, you can download the 2.0b3 version here:

https://red-sweater.com/fastscripts/FastScripts2.8b3.zip

Let me know if you try it, if it does the trick. I confirmed it in my copy of Script Debugger and it seemed to be fine.

Daniel

#7

Thanks for notifying!

1 Like
#8

Thanks, Daniel — and welcome!

1 Like
#9

Many thanks, Daniel. And great to see you here, in the center of the AppleScript world.

Ray

1 Like
#10

I should have joined a long time ago!

#11

Just to wrap this up: FastScripts 2.8 is now out as an official update. Enjoy! @Tom FYI I have progress feedback on my list for FastScripts 3.0. I made good progress towards it but the limitations of FastScripts’s current menu make it hard to do right.

#12

Congratulations! One very minor wrinkle: if I open preferences and click on the icon color well, the picker appears. If I switch to another app and then switch back by clicking on the preferences panel, I can’t get the picker back – even if I click again on the color well. I have to close preferences and reopen it, or show the about box. I think I understand why, but maybe clicking the well should also make the app activate.

#13

Yeah, good catch! I confirmed it’s not new to 2.8. I’m filing a bug for myself to try to get it fixed in 2.8.1 or whatever is next. Thanks!

#14

Many thanks, Daniel (@redsweater), for considering and working on my complaint/suggestion about the missing progress indicator :slight_smile:

Looking forward to 3.0!

1 Like