Why Does AppleScript Fail With Google Earth?

I've been getting that failure notice every time I tried to upgrade Google Earth. The copy I had in applications worked, it was just an old copy since I kept getting the automatic update notice (where I got the Applescript error every time).

Thinking I must have some corrupt files in the current versions or Applescript, I decided to trash all Google applications (Google, Google Earth, Google Earth Pro) including any associated files, along with Caches and try freshly downloaded installers of Chrome and Google Earth Pro, the latest versions. Chrome installed fine, but got the same Applescript error and software install failure notice for Google Earth Pro. . Okay, after reading a lot of stuff, I finally decided to just give up and put the old Google Earth files (temporarily put in trash) back in their place and just use what I have since I probably open Google Earth once a year! All of this just wasn't worth the effort and Graphic Converter is not in my computer, as the culprit others found. SURPRISE! when moving the application back to my folder, it gave the familiar "the application already exist in the folder, do you want to replace it?"

*** I thought, it said the application failed to install but there it was in my applications folder? Launched it, checked all associated folders in my user library and everything was where it was supposed to be. Went back to the application and ran some tests and most things I tried (just a few that I would use:-) and all were functioning fine.

Seems like the Applescript and install failure warnings are false and the install actually worked and took place. So before you pull your hair out, check your applications folder if it's there and give it a whirl to see if it works :-)

Have you tried

get version of application "Google Earth"

You don't need to put this inside a tell block. It should return the version in a script with nothing else but this line in it.

What is the result if you launch Google Earth and run this script:

tell application "System Events" to get has scripting terminology of application process "Google Earth"

(Google Earth must be capitalised as per the application name.)

It would have helped if you'd made that clear to start with...

Does AS work from your account to script any application? Or is it only GE that fails?

-1708 : <reference> doesn't understand the <commandName> message. (from the AppleScript Language Guide)

Which is screwy when it works fine in other accounts on the same Mac. It works ok on my machine too.

Have you tried basic stuff like repairing permissions, clearing caches, rebuilding launchd database? (Second time I've thought of Cocktail tonight). I'm not sure any of it will work, but it's worth a try.

Another thought: are you running it from AppleScript Editor or in another environment (perhaps a Cocoa app?)

Well.

I have just used Graphic Converter to set the GPS position of an image using Google Earth. I now get the same error message as you when I run your original AppleScript.

Are you running a licensed installation of Graphic Converter? I'm not, I'm running the trial version.

Snap.

xx-MacBook-Air:~ xxx$ osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get has scripting terminology of application process "Google Earth"'

true

xxx-MacBook-Air:~ xxx$ osascript -e 'tell application "Google Earth" GetCurrentVersion'

32:49: syntax error: Expected end of line but found identifier. (-2741)

Copied and pasted from my Terminal.

Graphic Converter is doing something bad.

(Here's the picture by the way.)

Just to confirm, I get exactly the same error messages as you when trying to AppleScript Google Earth after using Graphic Converter to set the GPS of an image.

I trashed Graphic Converter and its associated preference files. The script now runs fine:

tell application "Google Earth"

GetCurrentVersion

end tell

{7, 0, 3, 8542}

It's Graphic Converter.