----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2005 4:04
AM
Subject: Re: Calling methods on other
applications?
You might be able to do this with an
AppleScript
As I remember you definitely can do this with
AppleScript, I think Finder scripting so thats the AppleScript dictionary you'd
want to look at, probably all the Window manipulation you need although it does
require care.
I used to mess around with my own application on my
PowerBook at work during the lunch hour. One day I was trying to come up with
some AppleScript code that would launch and run some AppleScripts against an
application without this being apparent to the user. I thought strange
applications popping up might be somewhat disconcerting. So I was trying to move
the launched applications window offscree.
This is a sort of valid java trick where a frame is
required in order to have a top of screen menubar. If you just want the menu bar
you can keep an owning window frame offscreen and hidden.
OK, so I'm tinkering with this same idea with
AppleScript and moving real live Finder windows off to the dark side of the moon
when I realize that in testing sometimes I'm grabbing incorrect windows like
open folder ones and sticking them where they'll never be seen
again.
I think by the end of lunch I had changed the
script to get everything back in view (but who knows). I pretty much scrapped
the idea at that point though finding the possibility of some bug leaving
invisible windows all over the place too
disconcerting.
So you could probably manage it with AppleScript
but when you start using it from an application to mess with other applications
stuff you need to be careful and still its a bit like tresspassing.
Mike
Hall mikehall at spacestar
dot net
http://www.spacestar.net/users/mikehall
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