HOWTO: Closing a Running Application from Visual FoxPro for Mac

ID: Q172079

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Macintosh, version 3.0b

SUMMARY

Under certain circumstances, you may wish to determine which applications are running and if a particular application is running, perform an action such as causing the application to quit.

This can be accomplished within Visual FoxPro for Macintosh by calling an AppleScript.

MORE INFORMATION

Writing AppleScripts requires the AppleScript Script Editor. This can be downloaded from Apple's Web page at http://applescript.apple.com/sw.html. There is a Download hypertext jump that will download a compressed .hqx file containing the AppleScript Script Editor. It is also included on many System Software CDs in the Apple Extras folder.

You can find information on writing AppleScripts in "Danny Goodman's AppleScript Handbook," 2nd edition, published by Random House.

Steps to Create and Run the Script

1. Paste or type the text below into the AppleScript Script Editor. This

   has been tested with Mac OS versions 7.5.5 and 8.0.

      -- Start of script code. The "--" string is a comment indicator

      on run (tcAppName)
        set lcNoParameter to "No parameter given as application to close."
        set lcEmptyParameter to "No application specified to close."
        -- Check for missing parameter or incorrect data type
        try
          set tcAppName to tcAppName as string
          on error errmsg number errnum
          if errnum = -1700 then
            display dialog lcNoParameter
            return
          end if
        end try

      -- Check for empty parameter string
      if tcAppName = "" then
           display dialog lcEmptyParameter
           return
        else
        -- Store passed app name to variable
           set cAppName to tcAppName
      end if

      tell application "Finder"
        -- Create list of running applications - these are object data
        set lstResult to name of every process
      end tell

      -- Loop thru all open apps
      repeat with oAppObj in lstResult
        -- Check if name matches parameter passed to script
        if (oAppObj as string) is cAppName then
          -- If so, activate, which will cause app to prompt for save,
          -- then quit.
          tell application cAppName
            activate
          -- Use try then on error to trap for Cancel from Save dialog
             try
               with timeout of 10 seconds
                 quit
               end timeout
             on error errmsg number errnum
             end try
           end tell
         end if
       end repeat
      end run

      -- End of script code

   application. Spaces in the script file name may cause problems calling
   the script from Visual FoxPro, so do not include spaces. Spaces in the
   path to the folder are okay.

   Word if it is running. This assumes that the script has been saved as
   KillAppIfRunning and is located in the "MACINTOSH HD:APPLE'S SCRIPTING
   SYSTEM:" folder.

      RUNSCRIPT "MACINTOSH HD:APPLE'S SCRIPTING SYSTEM:KillAppIfRunning"
         with "Microsoft Word"

Notes

1. If you forget to pass a parameter or pass an empty string, the script

   will display an error message. The application name parameter is not
   case sensitive.

   not running), the script will complete without error.

   because telling an application, which is not running, to quit will
   start, then quit, the application.

   closed if the open files contain any unsaved edits.

   in the Visual FoxPro Online Help file under the RUNSCRIPT command.

REFERENCES

AppleScript Handbook, 2nd edition, by Danny Goodman

Visual FoxPro for Macintosh Help

(c) Microsoft Corporation 1997, All Rights Reserved. Contributions by Jim Saunders, Microsoft Corporation

Keywords          : kbcode kbMAC kbVFp FxprgGeneral 
Version           : MACINTOSH:3.0b
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: August 28, 1997