AppleScript problem with Catalina?

Question

Raimund0815 OP

Created Oct ’19

Replies 11

Boosts 1

Views 7.6k

Participants 9

AppleScript 2.7, ScriptEditor 2.11, OS Catalina 10.15 (latest Udqate)

After updating to Catalina I can't run some AppleScripts. Firstly I thought about a bug in my code, therefore I tried some AppleScripts published on the Apple developer site and got the same error bevahiour. Can anybody explain why this happens and how to solve this?

Here the source of the scripts I tried without success:

https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/LanguagesUtilities/Conceptual/MacAutomationScriptingGuide/ManipulateImages.html

Listing 38-1AppleScript: Opening an image with Image Events

```
-- Prompt for an image
```

set theImageFile to choose file of type "public.image" with prompt ""

-- Launch Image Events and open the image

```
tell application "Image Events"
```
```
  launch
```
```
  open theImageFile
```
```
end tell
```

--> Result: image "My Image.png" of application "Image Events"

error Output:

tell application "Script Editor"

choose file of type "public.image" with prompt ""

--> alias "Intenso 4TB:Test:Work:Result:GOPR5491.jpg"

end tell

tell application "Image Events"

launch

open alias "Intenso 4TB:Test:Work:Result:GOPR5491.jpg"

--> missing value

end tell

Ergebnis:

missing value

Listing 38-5AppleScript: Scaling an image

```
-- Prompt for an image
```

set theImageFile to choose file of type "public.image" with prompt ""

```
-- Locate an output folder
```

set theOutputFolder to (path to desktop folder as string)

-- To scale by percentage, set this value to true. To scale to a specific size, set it to false.

```
set scaleByPercentage to true
```
```
-- Launch Image Events
```
```
tell application "Image Events"
```
```
  launch
```
```
  -- Open the image
```
```
  set theImage to open theImageFile
```
```
  tell theImage
```

  -- Determine a save name for the image

```
  set theName to name
```
```
  set theSaveName to "temp-" & theName
```
```
  -- Scale the image by 50%
```
```
  if scaleByPercentage = true then
```
```
  scale by factor 0.5
```

  -- Scale the image to 100px on its longese side

```
  else
```
```
  scale to size 100
```
```
  end if
```

  -- Save the image to the output folder, using the save name

  save as file type in (theOutputFolder & theSaveName)

```
  -- Close the image
```
```
  close
```
```
  end tell
```
```
end tell
```

Result on Catalina 10.15:

error "„name of missing value“ can not read." number -1728 from name of missing value

Here's the script output:

tell application "Script Editor"

choose file of type "public.image" with prompt ""

--> alias "Intenso 4TB:Test:Work:Result:GOPR5491.jpg"

end tell

tell current application

path to desktop as string

--> "Macintosh HD:Users:raimund:Desktop:"

end tell

tell application "Image Events"

launch

open alias "Intenso 4TB:Test:Work:Result:GOPR5491.jpg"

--> missing value

Ergebnis:

error "„name of missing value“ kann nicht gelesen werden." number -1728 from name of missing value

Boost

Answer 1

g3scb OP

Nov ’19

Same problem exprienced with Catalina update 10.15.1 (19B88): Image Events results in 'missing value'.

0

Answer 2

Raimund0815 OP

Nov ’19

It's still the same problem in any case you try to open an image in the image events object. Unfortunately I can not find any details about the cause of this fails, more important would be, if it is a known bug with Catlaina 10.15.x and if there is any info available to avoid these kind of problems. It is very uncool for all script autors who intend to use image envent objects for their tasks.

So I will stop immediately any scripting activity until I know, why these problems happens and if they will be fixed asap.

It is very uncool for developpers if they are surprised like like this! Developpers will expect running tools after updates of OSx released! The ios 13.2 extensions for xcode were alos released days after release of 10.15.1! No warning before updating was shown!
Properly working tool chains are more important than emojis or super sound and graphics for play kids. Developpers are forced to use a perfect dev. Environment!

I Hopefully look forward to any official feedback by apple. Current experience ist, that none of the initiated tickets regarding mentioned problems are responded satisfactoril.
if these kind of problems will be future standard, it is more efficient to switch to MS tool chain and environment.

0

Answer 3

red_menace OP

Nov ’19

Platform switch hyperbole is pointless here - file a bug report with Apple and hope for the best. I would also recommend not holding your breath for any feedback.

0

Answer 4

ostoura OP

Nov ’19

Same here, all image events commands are not working anymore since catalina, i'll file a bug and i appreciate if everyone also do so

0

Answer 5

darjeelingsteve OP

Nov ’19

These problems appear to be caused by Image Events not having Full Disk Access permissions. Fortunately it's an easy fix.

First, launch System Preferences and navigate to the Security and Privacy pane. Click the Privacy tab, scroll down the menu on the left, and click on Full Disk Access. Click the + icon in the right hand box, and navigate to System > Library > Core Services. Select Image Events, and click the Open button.

I wrote a full write-up of this here: https://darjeelingsteve.com/articles/Fixing-%22Image-Events%22-AppleScripts-Broken-in-macOS-10.15-Catalina.html . Hopefully that solves your problem.

0

Answer 6

sstanley OP

Nov ’19

As well as the permissions problem, Image Events doesn't seem to like being pass aliases. Convert them to file references («class furl») and it should work fine.

0

Answer 7

Raimund0815 OP

Dec ’19

Unfortunately this does not work in my case. I added the full disk access fpr image events, as well for the script editor too, as I tried your solution and still having the same problem.

Are there any other access rights necessary? I sitll get the same results with the enabled full disk acces for Image Events: for e.g. "missing value"

Which are the concrete preconditions for 10.15.2 to use Apple Scripts without any restrictions?

Thanks for your feedbacks if you can find any solution, which helps..

0

Answer 8

sstanley OP

Dec ’19

Did you try using a furl?

Use this code:

set theImageFile to choose file of type "public.image" with prompt ""

set theImageFile to theImageFile as «class furl»

3

Answer 9

hhas01 OP

Dec ’19

AppleScript bitrot setting in too? How delightful.

At this point OP might want to consider switching to zsh scripting and go read the manpage for `sips`, which is the command line equivalent of Image Events.app minus [hopefully] its hassles. There are definitely faster, less painful ways to get through life than dealing with an obsolescent AppleScript stack and its creeping failures; nevermind filing bug reports that will never get actioned.

--

[For those unaware: Apple scrapped its Mac Automation team back in 2016 after multiple new product failures. The whole Apple event/OSA/AppleScript stack looks to be in maintenance mode now, so unlikely to receive any further updates outside of plugging security holes. The future of automation most likely lies now in the cross-platform Siri and its [conversational] Shortcuts backend. The underpinnings for the latter are already lurking in 10.15 so I expect the full package will land in 10.16 sometime next year.]

0

Answer 10

jorgentt OP

May ’20

The different ways to refer to a file seems to be fever with InDesign on Catalina Using a 'file'-reference directly in the Indesign tell block does not work for example.

But using 'alias' with an HFS-path still works:
tell application id "com.adobe.indesign"

tell rectangle 1 of document 1

place alias "path:to:image.jpeg"

end tell

tell text frame 1 of document 1

place alias "path:to:text.txt"

end tell

However – strangely enough – a 'file' reference does works when defined by the script outside the InDesign tell block. So this also works:
set imageFile to POSIX file "/path/to/IMG_2592.jpeg"

--> file "Macintosh HD:path:to:IMG_2592.jpeg"

set textFile to POSIX file "/path/to/test.txt"

--> file "Macintosh HD:path:to:test.txt"

tell application id "com.adobe.indesign"

tell rectangle 1 of document 1

place imageFile

end tell

tell text frame 1 of document 1

place textFile

end tell

0

Answer 11

grahamsprague OP

Jul ’20

Has anyone found a solution to this issue? Its literally been like 5 months.

Edit: I tried the above recommendations and none of them seem to work. I consistently get the following error regardless of how I create the file variable.

"Adobe InDesign 2020 got an error: file "Macintosh HD:Users:xxxxxxxxx:Desktop:z_prop65:warn.eps" doesn’t understand the “place” message."

1