Class

NSScriptCommand

A self-contained scripting statement.

Declaration

class NSScriptCommand : NSObject

Overview

An instance of NSScriptCommand represents a scripting statement, such as set word 5 of the front document to word 1 of the second document, and contains the information needed to perform the operation specified by the statement.

When an Apple event reaches a Cocoa application, Cocoa’s built-in scripting support transforms it into a script command (that is, an instance of NSScriptCommand or one of the subclasses provided by Cocoa scripting or by your application) and executes the command in the context of the application. Executing a command means either invoking the selector associated with the command on the object or objects designated to receive the command, or having the command perform its default implementation method (performDefaultImplementation()).

Your application most likely calls methods of NSScriptCommand to extract the command arguments. You do this either in the performDefaultImplementation method of a command subclass you have created, or in an object method designated as the selector to handle a particular command.

As part of Cocoa’s standard scripting implementation, NSScriptCommand and its subclasses can handle the default command set for AppleScript's Standard suite for most applications without any subclassing. The Standard suite includes commands such as copy, count, create, delete, exists, and move, as well as common object classes such as application, document, and window.

For more information on working with script commands, see Script Commands in Cocoa Scripting Guide.

Topics

Initializing a script command

init(commandDescription: NSScriptCommandDescription)

Returns an a script command object initialized from the passed command description.

Getting the current command

class func current() -> NSScriptCommand?

If a command is being executed in the current thread by Cocoa scripting's built-in Apple event handling, return the command.

Getting the Apple event

var appleEvent: NSAppleEventDescriptor?

If the receiver was constructed by Cocoa scripting's built-in Apple event handling, returns the Apple event descriptor from which it was constructed.

Executing the command

func execute() -> Any?

Executes the command if it is valid and returns the result, if any.

func performDefaultImplementation() -> Any?

Overridden by subclasses to provide a default implementation for the command represented by the receiver.

Accessing receivers

var evaluatedReceivers: Any?

Returns the object or objects to which the command is to be sent (called both the “receivers” or “targets” of script commands).

var receiversSpecifier: NSScriptObjectSpecifier?

Sets the object specifier to receiversSpec that, when evaluated, indicates the receiver or receivers of the command.

Accessing arguments

var arguments: [String : Any]?

Sets the arguments of the command to args.

var evaluatedArguments: [String : Any]?

Returns a dictionary containing the arguments of the command, evaluated from object specifiers to objects if necessary. The keys in the dictionary are the argument names.

Accessing the direct parameter

var directParameter: Any?

Sets the object that corresponds to the direct parameter of the Apple event from which the receiver derives.

Getting command information

var commandDescription: NSScriptCommandDescription

Returns the command description for the command.

Handling script execution errors

var scriptErrorExpectedTypeDescriptor: NSAppleEventDescriptor?

Sets a descriptor for the expected type that will be put in the reply Apple event if the sender requested a reply, execution of the receiver completes, and an error number was set.

var scriptErrorNumber: Int

Sets a script error number that is associated with the execution of the command and is returned in the reply Apple event, if a reply was requested by the sender.

var scriptErrorOffendingObjectDescriptor: NSAppleEventDescriptor?

Sets a descriptor for an object that will be put in the reply Apple event if the sender requested a reply, execution of the receiver completes, and an error number was set.

var scriptErrorString: String?

Sets a script error string that is associated with execution of the command.