"The file has no scripting dictionary"

Script Debugger Beta Testing
#1

I’m trying to open a finder alias (a thing with the black arrow in its icon) with an “open” command targeting SD, and that’s the message I get.

#2

I would love it if SD could be smart, detect that it’s an alias and fetch the original…

#3

Can I just confirm you’re only seeing this when trying to open a file via scripting?

#4

Yes. I’m using a simple script Chris sent to ASUL a while ago:

-- from Christopher Stone listmeister@thestoneforge.com / AppleScript User List

tell application "Finder" to set fSel to selection as alias list

tell application "Script Debugger 7"
	activate
	repeat with i in fSel
		open i
	end repeat
end tell

and when the selection is a Finder alias then I get this message. In all honesty, I tried the same with TextEdit and although it did open the file, it opened the alias physical file and not the target, which was disappointing, but I have slightly higher expectations for SD :slight_smile:

#5

Opening a file by double-clicking it and by using a script are similar: they both send an open event to the app. The difference is that when you double-click, any aliases are resolved before the event is sent (same as an open handler in a script), so it’s not unreasonable to expect the same will thing to be done by Cocoa scripting (and the fact that it doesn’t is arguably a bug).

Anyway, this should be fixed in the next drop.

1 Like
#6

I would use the following workaround while waiting for a fix.

tell application "Script Debugger"
	activate
	repeat with i in fSel
		set tCMD to "open " & (i's POSIX path)'s quoted form
		do shell script tCMD
	end repeat
end tell
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#7

FYI, unless the script is only opening files, that’s not a good idea. The problem is that the do shell script command will return as soon as the instruction to open is given, rather than once the file is open. So any subsequent instructions to the open document are likely to fail.