[MacPerl] convert Capture AE to MacPerl Apple Event

[Eric Dobbs <dobbs@visionlink.org>]

Hi All.

I've been trying to learn something about Apple Events by
working with Darryl Caldwell and Kevin Lindsey on a .pm for
FileMaker Pro.  Over the last couple days I've built a
script that could prove to be pretty handy for other things.

Here's the idea:

I wrote an AppleScript to pull some data from a FMP
database, and used Capture AE to see the equivalent Apple
Event.  I copied the Apple Event from Capture AE and pasted
it into the __DATA__ part of this MacPerl script which
converts the output from Capture AE into the equivalent
MacPerl Apple Event and sends it.

I've formatted my output in this version so I can cut and
paste the results for use in building MacPerl modules.

I've tried to generalize the script so it could be used for
more than just my FMP hacking, and Darryl suggested I post
it here.

One other thing.  I'm making a couple of assumptions about
what MacPerl wants.  I'm new to Apple Events and to
MacPerl's corresponding modules.  Would you folks who
actually know this stuff double check my work here?  I've
only tested it with FileMaker Pro.

Credit where it's due:  this code is heavily borrowed from
the examples in Chris Nandor's macperlcat.pod
(thank's Chris!).

Enjoy, and I welcome your feedback.
-Eric




Here's a test AppleScript:
tell application "FileMaker Pro"
    every record of database "data.fp3" Â
        whose cell "field1" contains "ox"
end tell

which returns:
{{"00005", "knox", "sox"}, {"00006", "fox", "box"}}

Capture AE formats this as a single line even tho' my
email will hard wrap it:
Process("FileMaker Pro").SendAE "core,getd,'----':obj
{form:test, want:type(crow), from:obj {form:name,
want:type(cDB ), seld:"data.fp3", from:'null'()},
seld:cmpd{relo:cont, 'obj1':obj {form:name, want:type(ccel),
seld:"field1", from:'exmn'()}, 'obj2':"ox"}}, &cons:[case]"


My two assumptions (this is the stuff that really needs
confirmation from someone with a better handle on MacPerl
Apple Events):
1.  Where Capture AE gives "form:xyz", MacPerl wants
"form:enum(xyz)"

2.  Capture AE's output includes ", &cons:[case]" on the
end.  MacPerl doesn't seem to like that, so my script
strips it off.


Here's the output from my script (hard wrapped again):
$target = 'FMP3'
$class  = 'core'
$id     = 'getd'
$params = "'----':obj {form:enum(test), want:type(crow),
from:obj {form:enum(name), want:type(cDB ), seld:"data.fp3",
from:'null'()}, seld:cmpd{relo:cont, 'obj1':obj
{form:enum(name), want:type(ccel), seld:"field1",
from:'exmn'()}, 'obj2':"ox"}}"

core\getd{'----':obj {form:test, want:type(crow), from:obj
{form:name, want:type(cDB ), seld:"data.fp3",
from:'null'()}, seld:cmpd{relo:cont, 'obj1':obj {form:name,
want:type(ccel), seld:"field1", from:'exmn'()},
'obj2':"ox"}}, &inte:cans, &timo:3600}
aevt\ansr{'----':[["00005", "knox", "sox"], ["00006", "fox",
"box"]]}



Last but not least, here's the script itself (with the above
line from Capture AE included after __DATA__, hard wrapped
by my emailer):

#!perl -w

use Mac::AppleEvents;
use Mac::Processes;

while(<DATA>) {
    if (m/^Process\("([^"]+)"\)\.SendAE /) {

        foreach $psi (values %Process) {
            next if ($1 ne $psi->processName());
            $target = $psi->processSignature();
            last;
        }
        die($^E) unless ($target);

        s/^Process\("[^"]+"\)\.SendAE //;

        m/^"([^,]+),([^,]+),(.*)"$/;

        $class  = $1;
        $id     = $2;

        $params = $3;
        $params =~ s/form:([A-Za-z0-9_]+),/form:enum(\1),/g;

        $params =~ s/},*[^,]*$/}/;
    }
}

printf "\$target = \'%s\'\n",   $target;
printf "\$class  = \'%s\'\n",   $class;
printf "\$id     = \'%s\'\n",   $id;
printf "\$params = \"%s\"\n\n", $params;

$event  = AEBuildAppleEvent(
  $class, $id, 'sign',
  $target,0, 0, $params
) || die($^E);
$reply  = AESend($event, kAEWaitReply) || die($^E);
print AEPrint($event), "\n";
print AEPrint($reply), "\n";
AEDisposeDesc($event);
AEDisposeDesc($reply);


__DATA__
Process("FileMaker Pro").SendAE "core,getd,'----':obj
{form:test, want:type(crow), from:obj {form:name,
want:type(cDB ), seld:"data.fp3", from:'null'()},
seld:cmpd{relo:cont, 'obj1':obj {form:name, want:type(ccel),
seld:"field1", from:'exmn'()}, 'obj2':"ox"}}, &cons:[case]"



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