CODEWITHSUNDEEP
applescript
Kashyap
Kashyap

Reputation: 1

Applescript: Unable to set miniaturized property of the window when application is a variable

I am get the following error when I try to set miniaturized of a window to false/true for an application whose name I supply as a variable.

set x to "Safari"

tell application x to set miniaturized of the front window to false

ERROR

miniaturized-safari.scpt:40:85: execution error: Safari got an error: Can’t make |miniaturized| of window 1 into type specifier. (-1700)

while I don't get any error when I try the following

tell application "Safari" to set miniaturized of the front window to false

Upvotes: 0

Views: 612

Answers (4)

Andrew O
Andrew O

Reputation: 1

The short version is that standard, universal terms will work via an indirect reference (tell application x), but application-specific terms won't.

This includes standard commands such as 'open', 'close', 'quit', 'activate', plus a few standard object types. All applications should respond to these.

In this case, although you might think that miniaturized is standard, it isn't universal. Not all applications support this property for their windows, so it depends entirely on the application and therefore needs a specific 'tell' or 'using terms from...' (so that the Script Editor can understand which dictionary terms are available).

Upvotes: 0

Peter N Lewis
Peter N Lewis

Reputation: 17811

As vadian correctly notes the AppleScript terminology is evaluated at compile time. So to make this work you have to specify at compile time what terms to use.

set x to "Safari"

tell application x 
    using terms from application "Safari"
        set miniaturized of the front window to false
    end using terms from
end tell

This will work as long as the specified app uses compatible terms for window miniaturized as the one specified by the variable.

Upvotes: 0

David Najman
David Najman

Reputation: 507

I have found this solution that is working for me:

tell application (path to frontmost application as text)
    reopen -- unminimizes the first minimized window or makes a new default window
end tell

Works for Finder as well. Anyway there are apps it is not working for (eg. Office).

Upvotes: 0

vadian
vadian

Reputation: 285270

AppleScript terminology is evaluated at compile time.

This is the reason why applications specified in tell blocks must be constants.

Upvotes: 0

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