How to Script an "Open Folder" On Mac

[Blaze]

I'm trying to script a command to open a folder on the Mac

My PC solution just uses a send event which works just fine, but does nothing on the mac.

I'm setting a variable that is the $Filepath and passing that to the send event open document script command but nothing happens.

Any ideas - maybe an apple script (something I'm not competent in at all)

Thanks

[Fenton]

Well, the AppleScript can be as simple as:

tell application "Finder"

activate

open "Macintosh HD:Users:fej:Desktop:Registrations xml:"

end tell

The "activate" above brings the folder to the front; otherwise it opens behind FileMaker's window.



You would need to put this in a Perform AppleScript step, by calculation, with the path produced from a field (I suppose, I don't know whether your folder path is static or dynamic). You have to escape the quote marks, by preceding with a backslash; i.e., the result must look like the above. Notice a folder path ends in ":".



You can see that the AppleScript file path syntax is not the same as FileMaker's (nor Unix, nor Windows). But it's pretty easy to convert a FileMaker syntax path to AppleScript's syntax. Just take off the "filemac:/" and Substitute "/" with ":". 



The drive name, "Macintosh HD", may differ on different machines, as it is user-editable. You can use one of FileMaker's functions to get it, like Get ( DriveName ), Get ( DocumentsPath ) or Get ( DesktopPath ).



Alternatively, you can use OpenURL, with a path like this (yes, 3 "///"):

"file:///Users/fej/Desktop/Registrations xml/"

Edited February 27, 2008 by Guest

[Blaze]

I just knew the venerable Fenton (maybe it should be "fountain" considering the widsom you pour out on this forum) would arrive with the solution.

Ah yes, the /// is what did me in on the open url approach

I tried opening the finder as a script command but not in the apple script. That went nowhere also.

As always, thanks a million Fenton.

[Fenton]

Yes, I think it's 2 slashes on Windows. I read somewhere that according to the "rules", it should really be 3 for a local file.

[Brett W]

Is there a simple way to simply open the file path in a finder window. I don't want the actual file to open, just take the user to the location in a new finder window. Something like this:

set test to alias "Macintosh HD:Users:brett:Documents:Mileage:2007.10.3 TDS Mileage.xls"

tell application "Finder"

activate

open (path to test)

end tell

[Fenton]

The cutest way is to use the "reveal" command. If you have the file path, it will open the folder, then highlight the file.

set test to alias "Macintosh HD:Users:brett:Documents: Mileage:2007.10.3 TDS Mileage.xls"

tell application "Finder"

activate

reveal test

end tell

[Brett W]

I knew it was something simple like that. Thank you, much appreciated.