MacOS – When using a third-party script library, I can no longer save an AppleScript file in Script Editor.app

applescripterrormacosthird-party

I have an AppleScript .scpt file that uses the Dialog Toolkit scripting library:

Dialog Toolkit is an ASObjC-based script library for showing enhanced dialogs.

The following line is at the top of the .scpt file:

use script "Dialog Toolkit" version "2.0"

The Dialog Toolkit file is in the correct location:

/Users/Me/Library/Script Libraries/Dialog Toolkit.scptd

However, when I try to save my .scpt file in Script Editor.app, I am given the following message:

The dialog reads:

The document “Untitled.scpt” could not be saved. C and Objective-C pointers cannot be saved in scripts.

Compiling the script will reset property values and may resolve this issue.

I don't know the meaning of "C and Objective-C pointers", so I don't understand the problem.

I can successfully run and compile the script. But, after I compile the script, I still cannot save the file; I still get the above error message.

If I copy the full code and paste it into a New Document in Script Editor, the error still persists.

If I remove all of the Dialog Toolkit code from my script, then I can save the .scpt file, without error. Hence, it seems that the issue has something to do with how Script Editor handles an external script library.

Also, I have noticed general "bugginess" when working on my script that contains Dialog Toolkit code in Script Editor.

For example, sometimes Script Editor.app will spontaneously quit if the document is open.
Other times, when I press the "Compile the Script" or "Run the Script" button, my cursor transforms into the spinning pinwheel, and remains as a pinwheel for over a minute. Script Editor freezes up, so I then have to Force Quit Script Editor.

There is some chance that this question is related to a previous question of mine:

I suddenly cannot open any files in Script Editor.app

Everything that is listed in the "What I've tried:" section of the above question also failed to fix the The document could not be saved. error.

_{OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.6.}

_{Script Editor Version 2.8.1 (183.1)}

Best Answer

First thing I would try is opening up the scripteditor.app library panel. In Scripteditor go to menu item "Window/Library"

If dialog toolkit is present in the list, I would select it in the list and remove it. Then I would quit scripteditor.app and relaunch it again. Once scripteditor.app is up and running again, Open the Library panel and click on the “Add” button in the menu bar and navigate to ~/Library/Script Libraries and select Dialog Toolkit.scptd.

That will probably solve your problem. I have a funny feeling the problem is occurring because your new com.apple.ScriptEditor2.plist file probably does not contain any reference to the Dialog Toolkit.scptd as per this example in this image..

This is com.apple.ScriptEditor2.plist file opened in xcode

Related Solutions

Saving applescripts as scripts versus text

This has been a goal for many an Applescripter for a long time.

Not sure anyone has hit the holly grail without using a third party scripting app with a Spotlight indexer..

I have tried a few things in the past but this thread prompted me again to have another go.

I now normally try and save all my applescripts in one places, in a Scripts folder in my Documents folder and also use Hazel to watch place like my Documents folder and desktop for scpt files and move them into the Scripts folder.

My new idea is to run a shell script that will be passed a scpt file that is saved in my Normal scripts folder as a normal scpt file and use the shell command osadecompile to decompile and read the file. Then create a text version in my new Script Text folder.

The code I am using is:

fname=`basename "$1"`

echo "`osadecompile "$1"`"  > "/Users/UserName/Documents/Scripts/Script Text/$fname".txt

Hazel conveniently uses $1 for the file path of the file being passed. And I use the command basename to get the file name.

In Hazel it looks like this.

enter image description here

Notice I am using a date last modified condition with 5 minutes.

This is to try and catch any edits I do.

The nice thing I found is when I find the text file with the code I am looking for, I can either copy the text, refer to it, or find the scpt file easily because I have the same file name in the text file file name.

i.e

display iTunes artwork.scpt

display iTunes artwork.scpt.txt

This idea should be able to be used with other folder watching apps or hopefully give you some inspiration ...

Getting “Error -1,752” when trying to save in Script Editor

The problem is that the file is a plain text file. When I originally created the file in 2007, Script Editor could apparently save uncompiled .scpt files. Now, however, as described in Can't save AppleScript file when created by touch, .scpt files must be compiled. Uncompiled files can be saved with the .applescript extension.

I know this is nearly a duplicate of the question linked above, but I added it because as of OS X 10.11 El Capitan Script Editor gives an error number for this problem. I couldn't find any other references to this error number so I thought it was worthwhile to get the error number in a question title.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Saving applescripts as scripts versus text

Getting “Error -1,752” when trying to save in Script Editor

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