OFF: How to Determine Which AppleScript Commands are Supported

ID: Q142439

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition
Microsoft Office for Macintosh, versions 4.2, 4.2.1

SUMMARY

When you use AppleScript, you should know which Apple Events or commands are supported by the programs you are working with. Not all Apple Events are supported by every program.

The "More Information" section of this article explains a method to determine which Apple Events are supported by a program.

MORE INFORMATION

AppleScript is a macro language that ships with Macintosh System 7.5 or later. You can use AppleScript to automate repetitive tasks. A program must have the code to support specific Apple Events; otherwise your AppleScript commands are ignored. To be System 7 compliant, a program must support the following Apple Events:

   Open
   Print
   Quit
   Run

Use the steps below to determine which events/commands are supported by the program you are working with.

1. Start Script Editor.

2. On the File menu, click Open Dictionary.

3. Navigate to the location of the program you are working with.

4. Highlight the program within the open dialog box.

5. Click the Open button to open the supported event list.

The left side of the Dictionary window lists the events supported by the selected program.

NOTE: You may receive a message similar to the following:

   Could not read the dictionary of the program or extension
   because it is not scriptable.

This is an indication that the selected program does not support the scripting of Apple Events.

If you do not load the AppleScript extension, you will receive the following message:

   Could not read the dictionary of the program or extension
   because I can't connect to the scripting system. Make sure it was
   installed correctly.

REFERENCES

AppleScript is manufactured by Apple, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

For additional information on AppleScript, please contact Apple Technical Support at (800) SOS-APPL (767-2775).

Additional query words: 4.00 macsys ppt4 pp4 powerpt m_powerpt mac macppt

Keywords          : kb3rdparty kbenv
Version           : MACINTOSH:4.2,4.2.1,98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Hardware          : MAC
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: February 5, 1998