Question

I can’t display dialog over a network using apple-script. I can connect to the computer but can not display a dialog using apple-script. Could anyone suggest a script to make this work??????

Thanks

Tom

Answer 1

To display a dialog on a remote machine you have to first setup an AppleScript application that runs on that machine.

On the remote machine

on displayDialog(d)
    tell application "AppleScript Runner"
        display dialog d
    end tell
end tell

Save the above script as an Application: name it DialogHelper and flag the Stay open checkbox when saving. You can save it on the Desktop or wherever you like. Then run the Application and let it stay open.

Then from the local machine you invoke that AppleScript application to display the dialog.

On the local machine

tell application "DialogHelper" of machine "eppc://toms-mac.local"
    displayDialog("hello")
end tell

–

Note that “Remote Apple Events” must be enabled in the Sharing Preferences on the target (remote) machine to allow this to work.

Of course the name of the machine (toms-mac.local in the example) must match with the one you see when opening the same preferences.

I’ve just tried, and it works between two Macs running Mac OS X 10.7 and connected on a local network

Side note

Normally scripting events that require user interaction (as display dialog) are not allowed between two machines, and trying to fire them end in a -1713 error.

Wrapping display dialog in the tell application “AppleScript Runner” block is a workaround to that limitation.

See also:

http://wisevishvesh.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/applescript-execution-error-no-user-interaction-allowed-1713/