I have a third party plugin for my CMs and would like to know how I could run the plugin through a script. I have tried to treat it as an application and direct the script to run it right out of the Library/Contextual Menu Items folder to no avail. I am new to this and it seems I always will. Any help or direction would be appreciated. Thanks.
As far as I know, no plug-ins can be scripted. Only an application can be scripted. An application can only be scripted if it has a dictionary. To find out if an app has a dictionary, drop its icon (not an alias icon) onto the Script Editor icon, or use Open Dictionary in the Script Editor menu. You may be able to write a script that would do what the plug-in does, and then run the script.
An application’s dictionary contains the proper terminology (syntax) it uses to control objects (files, windows, movies etc) and thier properties (filenames, size, creation date etc.) with commands (read, write, display dialog).
SC
Thanks for the response. The plugin is a simple one, really. It is to refresh a specific window. Here at work we have had complaints of folders or windows that do not refresh fast enough. I think that it doesn’t refresh fast enough beacuse some other computers that share this folder are slower than others, but I don’t know the real reason.
I have made the script:
“Tell application “Finder” to update current window”
Saved it as an application and put it in my toolbar, but it seems too slow when I run it (Spinning Beachball of Death). It seems to do the same thing as the plugin but without the contextual menu keystrokes. (not a big deal) I would set it up as a timed thing (every xx seconds or so) but it is a company server and I don’t have that kind of permission to make a folder action and attach it. I would prefer to keep it at the individual computer level.
Anyway, I was hoping that there could be a way to use the plugin in the Applescript, but since the ScriptEditor didn’t recognize the dictionary, I’ll be content with simple one that I wrote. If anybody has any suggestions or advice about this, I’m still ‘field training’ (i.e. trial and error)
thanks again