Version 15.4 (15F31d) Xcode NSAppleScript of Safari broken

Question

ej007 OP

Created 9h

Replies 1

Boosts 0

Participants 2

All attempts to script Safari in Xcode using NSAppleScript returns the following message.

error: { NSAppleScriptErrorAppName = Safari; NSAppleScriptErrorBriefMessage = "Application isn\U2019t running."; NSAppleScriptErrorMessage = "Safari got an error: Application isn\U2019t running."; NSAppleScriptErrorNumber = "-600"; NSAppleScriptErrorRange = "NSRange: {32, 3}"; }

Latest script attempt: func getHTML() -> String {

let source = """
tell application "Safari"
  get URL of tab 1 of window 1
end tell

"""

//print(source)
var a = "hello"
var error: NSDictionary?
if let scriptObject = NSAppleScript(source: source) {
    if let scriptResult = scriptObject.executeAndReturnError(&error).stringValue
    {
        a = scriptResult
        print(scriptResult)
    } else if (error != nil)  {
        print("error: ",error!)
    }
}

return a

Boost

Answer 1

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

14m

To be clear, you’re not running this in Xcode but using Xcode to build an app that runs this. Right?

If so, there are a number of potential issues. Lemme walk you through a process that works for me:

First run the script in Script Editor to confirm that it works. If it doesn’t work here, you have an AppleScript problem.
Then, in Xcode, create a new project from the macOS > App template.
In Signing & Capabilities, remove App Sandbox. Scripting from a sandboxed app is tricky, so it’s best to start out with the sandbox disabled.
Still in Signing & Capabilities, enable Hardened Runtime > Resource Access > Apple Events. AppleScript is based on Apple events, which the hardened runtime blocks by default.
In the Info tab, add a NSAppleEventsUsageDescription with a privacy string.

IMPORTANT The property list editor shows this as Privacy - AppleEvents Sending Usage Description.
In ContentView.swift, create a button that calls a test() method.
Add that test() method using the code at the end of this post.
Build and Run the app.
In the app, click the Test button.

The system presents an alert:

“Test759287“ wants access to control “Safari“. 
Allowing control will provide access to documents and 
data in “Safari“, and to perform actions within that app.

[Don’t Allow] [Allow]

Click Allow.

Xcode prints the AppleScript result:
```
<NSAppleEventDescriptor: 'utxt'("https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/759287")>
```
In this case my frontmost Safari window is, indeed, this DevForums thread (-:

I testing this with Xcode 15.4 on macOS 14.5.

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

func test() {
    let source = """
        tell application "Safari"
            URL of tab 1 of window 1
        end tell
        """
    let script = NSAppleScript(source: source)!
    var errorDict: NSDictionary? = nil
    guard let result = script.executeAndReturnError(&errorDict) as NSAppleEventDescriptor? else {
        print(errorDict!)
        return
    }
    print(result)
}

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