Language Guide

CHAPTER 5

Objects and References

References to Files and Applications 147

the deﬁnition in the application’s dictionary to determine the characteristics

of the object, such as its properties and the commands it can handle. For the

Scriptable Text Editor’s deﬁnition of an application, see page 318.

References to Local Applications 5

You can specify an application on the local computer with a string of the form

"Disk:Folder1:Folder2:...:ApplicationName" that specifies the application’s

exact location. If AppleScript can’t ﬁnd the application in that location, it

displays a directory dialog box asking where the application is located.

You can also specify an application on the local computer with only the

application’s name ("ApplicationName"). In this case, AppleScript attempts to

ﬁnd an application of that name among currently running applications. If the

application isn’t running, AppleScript attempts to locate it in the current

directory. If the application isn’t in the current directory, AppleScript displays a

directory dialog box asking where the application is located. If the name of the

application you select is different from the name speciﬁed in the script, the

name in the script changes to match the name of the application you select.

When you run a script on the same computer on which it was compiled (that is,

on which it was last run or saved, or had its syntax checked), AppleScript ﬁnds

the application you speciﬁed in the original script even if you have moved it or

changed its name. If the application has been removed, AppleScript searches

for another version of the same application.

As with aliases, it is often convenient to store a reference to an application in

a variable:

set x to application "Scriptable Text Editor"

tell x to quit

If you save this script as a script application or compiled script, move the

Scriptable Text Editor application to another location, change its name,

then open the script again, the name "Scriptable Text Editor" in

the script changes to reﬂect the application’s new name, and the script still

works correctly.