OS9 Script on OSX

[Pougan]

I’ve written an AppleScript on OS9 and I was wondering how likely it is it will run on OSX? I’ve selected the Mac OS X applet option when I saved it, but does OSX support the same scripting addtions and actions that OS9 does? Also, I’ve used the Display Text scripting addition in the Script. Can OSX use this scripting addition? Does OSX have a Scripting Additions folder like OS9 does?

I ask because I don’t have a OSX computer to test any of this on, but the people that will be using the script may have OSX, so I’m releasing a script for OS9 and OSX.

Thanks :).

[Rob]

Many scripts will require no change to work on OS X but it depends entirely on which applications and scripting additions are used. Many scripting additions that are available to OS 9 users aren’t available to OS X users.

Scripting additions are stored in multiple locations in OS X because it is a multi-user system. No matter where they are stored, the name of the folder will be “ScriptingAdditions” (no space between the words) and users might be required to create the folder within their user domain.

I know that this is all very vague but you’ll need to ask specific questions to get specific answers.

– Rob

[Pougan]

Many scripts will require no change to work on OS X but it depends entirely on which applications and scripting additions are used. Many scripting additions that are available to OS 9 users aren’t available to OS X users.

I’m scripting only the Finder using only the Standard Additions and the Display Text addition. I’m assuming the Standard Additions is available to OSX (well, hoping), but will a 3rd party addition written in 1993 work with OSX?

Scripting additions are stored in multiple locations in OS X because it is a multi-user system. No matter where they are stored, the name of the folder will be “ScriptingAdditions” (no space between the words) and users might be required to create the folder within their user domain.

But the ScriptingAdditions folder is always stored in the same place under each user, right? Because AppleScript needs to know where the folder is in order to use the additions, so it would make sense that its stored following the same path. If I knew the generic path I could make my script create it if it doesn’t already exist and automagically move the Display Text addition to it so I don’t have to bother the user.

I know that this is all very vague but you’ll need to ask specific questions to get specific answers.

I had only vague questions to ask. There’d be no point in asking specific questions if OSX didn’t support OS9 scripting at all. Your answers help very much and I appreciate it :).

[Rob]

I’m scripting only the Finder using only the Standard Additions and the Display Text addition. I’m assuming the Standard Additions is available to OSX (well, hoping), but will a 3rd party addition written in 1993 work with OSX?

A scripting addition written in 1993 will not work in OS X. It might work in the Classic environment of OS X but that’s an entirely different subject that I know nothing about. Some things related to Finder scripting do not work in OS X as they do in OS 9. Feel free to follow up with specific questions on this topic.

Scripting additions are stored in multiple locations in OS X because it is a multi-user system. No matter where they are stored, the name of the folder will be “ScriptingAdditions” (no space between the words) and users might be required to create the folder within their user domain.

But the ScriptingAdditions folder is always stored in the same place under each user, right? Because AppleScript needs to know where the folder is in order to use the additions, so it would make sense that its stored following the same path. If I knew the generic path I could make my script create it if it doesn’t already exist and automagically move the Display Text addition to it so I don’t have to bother the user.

The ScriptingAdditions folder is stored in the Library folder within the user folder. The following code will provide an alias reference to it and it may even create the folder.

path to scripting additions from user domain

I had only vague questions to ask. There’d be no point in asking specific questions if OSX didn’t support OS9 scripting at all. Your answers help very much and I appreciate it :).

Glad to help.

– Rob

[justin]

What was once suggested to me to use OS 9 only functinoality is to write an always-open application that runs under classic and is jsut a bunch of handlers. This way your OS X application can just send events to the OS 9 script, but you can still have a lot of the same capabilities.