Script not holding and jumping to other App.

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

I am writing a script for Outlook. to keep it simple, I have:


tell application "Microsoft Outlook" to activate

If I compile it it jumps automaticlay to:


tell application "Microsoft Entourage" to activate

FYI I have both applications installed. Outlook 2011 and Entourage 2004.

Does anybody know why?

#2

I just tested more and if I remove outlook from the Microsoft 2011 folder it does not happen.

#3

No, I don’t know why but you could go into the bundle and try writing the script like this…

-- ie 1...
activate application "/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari"
-- ie 2...
activate application "/Applications/Address Book.app/Contents/MacOS/Address Book"

Tom

Browser: Firefox 3.6.15
Operating System: Mac OS X (10.6)

#4

Thanks Tom, thought about that and is an option. However it is ridicules that it does not hold. must be a problem somewhere.

#5

Tom, this also opens (the part: Contents/MacOS/Safari) a terminal window. What would be the purpose of this, in your thinking, in my case?

Thanks.

#6

There are two other ways you can identify an app.

By path :

tell application "Mac:Applications:Firefox.app" to activate

By ID :

tell application id "org.mozilla.firefox" to activate

Cheers,

Kassym

#7

Thanks Kassym I knew that.

I am still puzzled as to why this happens.

tell application id "Microsoft Outlook" to activate

does not work because Microsoft Outlook is in a folder in the application folder.

#8

If you are using the ID option you cannot directly put the name of the app.

You would need to use :

tell application id "com.microsoft.outlook" to activate

Using the id makes it explicit which app you want to use.

#9

Thanks, did not know you had to prefix it with com. and drop the spaces.

#10

I guess, Microsoft was that lazy and uses the same 4-letter raw identifier for Entourage and Outlook

#11

Interesting idea and a real possibility. However if this was so, if I double click the Entourage DB it not open in Outlook?

#12

The 4-letter raw identifier affects only Apple Events, which are sent by AppleScript

#13

I did not know.

Thanks folks.

#14

You can’t use that as a general rule. The ID is pretty much the app’s plist file. Look in your ~/Library/Preferences folder and that will be app’s ID minus the “.plist”.

You can run the following to get an app’s id :

id of application "appName"

Firefox → org.mozilla.firefox
Chrome → com.google.Chrome
1Password → ws.agile.1Password

An app’s Id is permanent. The app’s name can be changed, but the ID will stay the same. ID’s will always work.

Hopefully this makes sense now.

#15

Thanks kdorsel that helps!

Outlook and Entourage have the same code, so this explains why it opens one if you open the other.

Still does not explain why when I write a script it autocorrects. or does it?