Help with AppleEvents

[Rob Cozens]

>If this is true, I am screwed!

Does this help, Paul?

>Message: 5
>Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 04:39:41 -0800 (PST)
>From: Jan Schenkel <janschenkel at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: Does Send To Program Work?
>To: use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
>Cc: improve-revolution at lists.runrev.com
>Reply-To: improve-revolution at lists.runrev.com
>
>--- Rob Cozens <rcozens at pon.net> wrote:
>>  Hi All,
>>
>>  I'd like to hear from one person who can confirm
>>  that "send .. to
>>  program" works.
>>
>>  Scenario:
>>
>>  I start a RunRev standalone, "IPC_Server".
>>
>>  I start RunRev on the same computer.
>>
>>   From the message box I type 'send "Quit" to program
>>  "IPC_Server"'
>>  result: no such program
>>
>>  I launch clip2Gif and type 'send "Quit" to program
>>  "clip2Gif"'
>>  result: no such program
>>
>>  Again from the message box,  'send "Quit" to program
>>  "Finder"'
>>  result: got error -1702 when sending apple event
>>  [1702 = invald data]
>>
>>  Mac OS 9, RR v1.5A7
>>  --
>>
>>  Rob Cozens
>
>Hi Rob,
>
>It took me a while to test various combinations, but
>here are my conclusions for RunRev 1.1.1:
>
>1) 'send to program ... with reply'
>- problem: results in an error upon execution
>- solution: omit the optional 'with result' clause
>- note: 'without reply' doesn't result in an error
>
>2) 'answer program' doesn't work in MC/RR
>- known issue, due to limitations in the Carbon API
>- solution: do "choose application" as AppleScript
>- note: would still be handy if it were included
>
>2) 'send to program' on the same machine works, but
>'send to program' where the program is on a remote
>machine doesn't work
>- i tried it on a variation of machines, but the error
>is always "no such program"
>- solution:  AppleScript to the rescue ! there is a
>little-known method of sending 'raw' apple events from
>within AppleScript, so the trick is to wrap it as an
>AppleScript of the form:
>   tell application "Foo" of machine "Bar"
>     <<event rIPCrIPL>> "Hello there!" & return
>   end tell
>in which << and >> are to be replacd by their
>single-char equivalents for MacOS (ASCII- 199 and
>200).
>So here's a sample code that works :
>   on SelectProgramAndSendAE pAEclass, pAEid, pAEdata
>     do "choose application" as AppleScript
>     put the result into tResult
>     if tResult is "execution error" then
>       return "Cancel"
>     else put tResult into tProgram
>     -- looks like: application "Foo" of machine "Bar"
>     put "tell" && tProgram & return into tAScript
>     put numToChar(199) & "event" && pAEclass & pAEid \
>       & numToChar(200) && pAEdata && "& return" & \
>       return after tAScript
>     put "end tell" & return after tAScript
>     do tAScript as AppleScript
>     return the result
>   end SelectProgramAndSendAE
>- note: this was very messy to debug, and I crashed my
>iBook several times before I got it right.
>- warning: if the application on the other side is a
>RunRev-built one, make sure you 'pass' any AppleEvent
>message that you don't handle with a 'reply', or you
>risk freezing up the client-side computer.
>
>I also tested the same code with pre-beta 4, with
>equal results. So in conclusion: yes, this is a
>definite bug, and I don't like the workaround, but at
>least there is one.
>
>Scott or Kevin, could this be fixed for MetaCard 2.5 /
>RunRev 2.0?
>
>Jan Schenkel.

-- 

Rob Cozens
CCW, Serendipity Software Company
http://www.oenolog.net/who.htm

"And I, which was two fooles, do so grow three;
Who are a little wise, the best fooles bee."

from "The Triple Foole" by John Donne (1572-1631)