Retrospect 6.1.230 is not scriptable?

[webdeck]

I noticed that the Retrospect application installed with the 6.1.230 installer is not scriptable through AppleScript. When I try to open its dictionary with Script Editor, I am told that it is unable to open the dictionary because it is not scriptable.

 

However, Retrospect 6.1.138 is scriptable and has a dictionary.

 

Was this an intentional change, or an error? I have some scripts that poll Retrospect status and update a web page with it, and those scripts now fail with 6.1.230.

 

Thanks.

[rhwalker]

Sure about that? Works for me (see attached screenshot). Perhaps your install was bad, or something else is causing the problem. Perhaps some configuration information on your end would be helpful, too:

 

(1) flavor of Mac OS X (server, non-server)

(2) version of Mac OS X (10.x.x)

(3) Architecture of the Retrospect machine (Intel, PPC)

 

I have some scripts that poll Retrospect status and update a web page with it, and those scripts now fail with 6.1.230.

Is this on the same machine for which it previously worked? Unchanged version of Mac OS?

 

Russ

[webdeck]

Okay, it's not 6.1.230 - it's something wrong with my Mac. It's running 10.5.5 on Mac OS X (not server) on Intel (Mac Pro.)

 

I tried re-installing, and I get the same problem. I even removed the whole Retrospect 6.1 folder and reinstalled and got the same problem. I tried installing it on a different Mac (running 10.6.2 on a Mac Pro), and it doesn't have the problem. I even tried copying the Retrospect application from that Mac back to the first one, and it still has the problem.

 

This may have started when I installed the 8.x Retrospect engine and client on this Mac, but I'm not sure. The 6.1 installer removed the 8.x client when I reinstalled it.

 

Any ideas? Thanks!

[rhwalker]

I tried installing it on a different Mac (running 10.6.2 on a Mac Pro), and it doesn't have the problem.

Well, that's an unsupported and non-working configuration. Retrospect 6.1 doesn't work on Snow Leopard and never will:

Snow Leopard Compatibility Statement

 

Okay, it's not 6.1.230 - it's something wrong with my Mac. It's running 10.5.5 on Mac OS X (not server) on Intel (Mac Pro.)

 

I tried re-installing, and I get the same problem.

 

...

 

Any ideas? Thanks!

Yes, now that I see your configuration.

 

I think it has to do with the fact that Retrospect 6.1 is PPC code using the Carbon API running under Rosetta on your Intel Mac. There have been reports in these forums (well, I would guess during 2007 or 2008 because there hasn't been a lot of Retrospect 6.x activity since January 2009) regarding use of the Retrospect Event Handler ("REH" - it's just AppleScript and is probably the usual interaction with Retrospect's AppleScript suite) on the Intel architecture, and I suspect that yours is a related issue.

 

I seem to recall that people were having difficulty in using the Script Editor to make changes to the REH, and that the resulting REH wouldn't work with Retrospect 6.x (which was running emulated under Rosetta).

 

I seem to recall that the solution was to run the Script Editor under Rosetta (as PPC) or some such while making the changes. Seems to be some byte order issue with the compiled code or some such.

 

Search these forums for the past few years for "Retrospect Event Handler". I seem to recall that CallMeDave provided the solution.

 

Edit: Here's a thread with a discussion and the solution. It's not the original thread where the problem and solution were discussed, but should point you in the right direction:

Retrospect AppleScript on Intel issues and solution

 

Russ

Edited January 1, 2010 by Guest
link to thread with solution

[webdeck]

Actually, I don't have any issues with the Retrospect Event Handler - that is working just fine (and yes, long ago I had to do the editing trick you described for that file.)

 

The problem I'm having is running a separate AppleScript to talk to Retrospect. The script itself is quite simple:

 

tell application "Retrospect"

Retrospect status

end tell

 

So, I opened Get Info on Script Editor and checked the box for it to open in Rosetta, and now I can edit that script and run it correctly. Now I just need to figure out how to do that from the command line with osascript...

 

-Mike

[rhwalker]

I understood that your issue wasn't with REH, but I believe that this is related to the REH issues discussed previously.

 

Again, I think it has to do with byte order, Rosetta, and the Carbon API - convergence of a "triple threat".

 

Perhaps if osascript was able to run as PPC code under Rosetta, or something like that. You might try experimenting, or getting an old PPC copy of that code.

 

Good luck.

 

Russ

[webdeck]

I figured it out - using the Rosetta Script Editor, save it as a script, and then the Intel osascript will run it just fine. Thanks for all your help!

 

I guess Apple fixed at least part of this bug in Snow Leopard, since the 10.6 machine's Script Editor was able to work fine running as an Intel app.

 

-Mike

 

Edited January 1, 2010 by Guest