call another applescript

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Level 1

6 points

call another applescript

i need to move a section of code from an existing applescript into a new script, and then call that script file from within the original script - if that isnt too confusing...!! 😉

but more generally, it would be good to know how to call another applescript from inside an applescript. have tried "do script "path/to/file.scpt" and "run script "/path/to/file.scpt"

regards

jingo_man

iMac 20", Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on Apr 14, 2008 10:23 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Camelot

Level 9

54,339 points

Apr 14, 2008 10:41 AM in response to jingo_man

'do script' isn't a valid command, so that won't work. You might be thinking of 'do shell script', but that runs a shell script, not an AppleScript.

You have several options.

do shell script
You can use 'do shell script', using osascript, which is the command-line method to run an AppleScript:

<pre class=command>do shell script "osascript /path/to/file.scpt"</pre>

That is cumbersome, though - AppleScript launching a shell, to run an AppleScript...

run script
You can run a script directly, but you need to provide a Mac-style path to the script, not a unix-style path:

<pre class=command>run script "HD:path:to:file.scpt"</pre>

(you can use POSIX file to coerce a Unix path into a Mac path/alias)

load script
You can also load the script into memory and call it within your script. For example, this snippet will load a script from disk and then call the 'handlerName()' function within it (as opposed to the others that only call its run handler):

set myScript to load script "HD:path:to:file.scpt"
set scriptResult to myScript's handlerName()

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Answer 2

jingo_man Author

Level 1

6 points

Apr 14, 2008 11:43 AM in response to Camelot

thanks for the suggestions - this looks like what i am attempting to do

i created start.scpt:
run script "Macintosh HD:Users:<username>:Documents:woohoo.scpt"

woohoo.scpt contains:
display dialog "woohoo"

but i get the following error message when i run start.scpt:
A identifier can’t go after this identifier.

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Answer 3

Hiroto

Level 5

7,461 points

Apr 14, 2008 7:37 PM in response to jingo_man

Hello

You get that error message because you're actually trying to run the path string itself.

E.g.
The next line works because command's argument is text consisting of valid script source:
run script "display dialog \"woohoo\""

But the next line won't work because command's argument is not valid script source:
run script "Macintosh HD:Users:<username>:Documents:woohoo.scpt"

You should have written:
run script file "Macintosh HD:Users:<username>:Documents:woohoo.scpt"

or:
run script ("/Users/<username>/Documents/woohoo.scpt" as POSIX file)

Cheers,
H

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Answer 4

Hiroto

Level 5

7,461 points

Apr 14, 2008 7:54 PM in response to Hiroto

PS.

The 'run script' command can handle both script's source text and compiled script.
Thought I should mention this plainly. 😉

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