repair broken Finder aliases

This is a fast AppleScriptObjC version, basically it uses a similar way as the linked GitHub project


use AppleScript version "2.4" -- Yosemite (10.10) or later
use scripting additions

use framework "Foundation"

set allAliasFiles to do shell script "mdfind \"kMDItemKind == 'Alias'\""
set brokenAliasPaths to {}
repeat with anAlias in (get paragraphs of allAliasFiles)
	set aliasURL to (current application's NSURL's fileURLWithPath:anAlias)
	set {originalFile, theError} to (current application's NSURL's URLByResolvingAliasFileAtURL:aliasURL options:0 |error|:(reference))
	if theError is not missing value and theError's code() is 4 then
		set end of brokenAliasPaths to contents of anAlias
	end if
end repeat
set {TID, text item delimiters} to {text item delimiters, return}
set brokenAliases to brokenAliasPaths as text
set text item delimiters to TID

set fileDescriptor to open for access ((path to desktop as text) & "FinderBrokenAliases.txt") with write permission
write brokenAliases as text to fileDescriptor
close access fileDescriptor

For some reason your script is returning this here:

error “The variable theOriginal is not defined.” number -2753 from “theOriginal”

Stefan’s solution is ideal, but if you need to support 10.9 and are happy to use a script library, this handler uses the same technique as the project referenced by the original poster:

use AppleScript version "2.3" -- 10.9 or later (must be in script lib for 10.9)
use framework "Foundation"
use scripting additions

my pathToOriginalFor:(POSIX path of (choose file))

on pathToOriginalFor:posixPath
	-- make URL and check it is an alias
	set fileURL to current application's |NSURL|'s fileURLWithPath:posixPath
	set {theResult, isAlias, theError} to fileURL's getResourceValue:(reference) forKey:(current application's NSURLIsAliasFileKey) |error|:(reference)
	if isAlias as boolean then
		-- it's an alias; get bookmark data
		set {theData, theError} to current application's |NSURL|'s bookmarkDataWithContentsOfURL:fileURL |error|:(reference)
		if theData = missing value then error theError's localizedDescription() as text
		-- get path from bookmark data
		set theValues to current application's |NSURL|'s resourceValuesForKeys:{current application's NSURLPathKey} fromBookmarkData:theData
		set originalPath to theValues's objectForKey:(current application's NSURLPathKey)
		return originalPath as text
	else
		-- not an alias; return original path
		return posixPath
	end if
end pathToOriginalFor:

Stefan’s code uses a newer, simpler method.

@Yvan Koenig, thanks but for such type of operations, particularly repetitive, I rather avoid UI scripting — and I don’t think that would work with hidden files in Finder.

@StefanK, thanks, any way to make that binding work on 10.8?

May you retry with the edited version available in message #2.

Yvan KOENIG running Sierra 10.12.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mardi 25 juillet 2017 14:35:47

I see the problem: in French it presumably says “Original :”, but here it uses English punctuation style, meaning no space before the colon: “Original:”.

On my machine “hidden files” are always visible so I never faced this problem
No hope to use ASObjC code on 10.8.

My own question :

When I run StefanK’s script I get the list of the broken aliases, not the list of original files which is - to my understanding - what you want to get.

Yvan KOENIG running Sierra 10.12.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mardi 25 juillet 2017 14:45:54

Any other workaround with plain AS, besides UI scripting?

I already get the broken aliases with my script. I’d like to get both.

If an alias file is broken, there is no original file.

There is the path to the broken Finder alias and the original location as seen in Get Info pane of that same alias. The code Iinked to in #1 retrieves the latter.

I understand.

I compiled the code in the linked project and added the -b switch to print only the broken alias files along with the original paths.

You can download it here: AliasPath.zip

The binary is code-signed and the development target is 10.8

Save the binary somewhere, replace /Full/Path/To/AliasPath in the script with the real full POSIX path to the binary - if the path contains space characters wrap the full path in single quotes – and use it:

set allAliasFiles to paragraphs of (do shell script "mdfind \"kMDItemKind == 'Alias'\"")
set {TID, text item delimiters} to {text item delimiters, "' '"}
set aliasFilePaths to "'" & (allAliasFiles as text) & "'"
set text item delimiters to TID

set brokenAliases to do shell script "/Full/Path/To/AliasPath -b " & aliasFilePaths
set fileDescriptor to open for access ((path to desktop as text) & "FinderBrokenAliases.txt") with write permission
write brokenAliases to fileDescriptor
close access fileDescriptor

Keep in mind that StefanK has an point here. Maybe not useful for msh but for future viewers:

Alias is an “union” of symbolic link and hard link. Since Mac OS X 10.2 every time an alias needs to be resolved it will first try the symbolic link and then the hard link if the first one fails. However these alias data requires updates when an file is moved or renamed which doesn’t happen in real time (when the alias is used for instance). With that in mind, the original file returned by the alias doesn’t have to be the latest location of the file. The “orginal file” can be any location where the file has ever been stored.

Why the get info pane shows original location is unclear to me. Just move, rename and remove the file and the info pane will show wrong location.

Hi Stefan

To get your script running flawlessly I converted an objet in quoted form

set brokenAliases to do shell script "/Users/admin/bin/AliasPath -b " & quoted form of aliasFilePaths

When I ran it I discovered that it is useless.
It returns a list of the path of the broken aliases, no less, no more.
In fact I’m not surprised because I get the same behavior when I try to use ASObjC to get the original of broken aliases.

So I decided to re-work my proposal. At this time, it is :

tell application "Finder"
	set theWindows to every window
	repeat with awindow in theWindows
		# Close every info window once so we will not have to do it in the handler
		if class of awindow is information window then close awindow
	end repeat
end tell

set l to do shell script "mdfind \"kMDItemKind == 'Alias'\""
set y to ""
set n to ""
set pass to 0
repeat with e in paragraphs of l
	set pass to pass + 1
	log e
	set p to POSIX file e
	log p
	try
		tell application "Finder"
			set a to p as alias
			if original item of a exists then
				set theOriginal to my getOriginal(e) # here e is a POSIX path
				set y to y & e & tab & theOriginal & linefeed # Add path2alias & path2original in y
			else
				set theOriginal to my getOriginal(e) # here e is a POSIX path
				set n to n & e & tab & theOriginal & linefeed # Add path2alias & path2original in n
				log "***try"
			end if
		end tell
	on error
		set n to n & e & tab & "***error" & linefeed # Here, I get that with aliases appearing as greyed in the Finder window
		log "***error"
	end try
	--if pass = 50 then exit repeat # active only during tests
end repeat

# Save the list of broken aliases
set f to open for access (path to desktop as text) & "FinderBrokenAliasesXXX.txt" with write permission
write n as text to f
close access f
# Save the list of correct aliases
set f to open for access (path to desktop as text) & "FinderCorrectAliasesXXX.txt" with write permission
write y as text to f
close access f

on getOriginal(brokenAliasPOSIXPath)
	set aFile to POSIX file brokenAliasPOSIXPath
	
	tell application "Finder"
		(*
		set theWindows to every window
		repeat with awindow in theWindows
			# Close every info window
			if class of awindow is information window then close awindow
		end repeat
		*)
		select aFile # open the window of the folder containing the alias
		
		set aFile to aFile as text
		
		repeat 10 times
			if ((get selection) as text) = aFile then exit repeat # Wait for the window containing the file
			delay 0.2
		end repeat
	end tell
	
	tell application "System Events" to tell process "Finder"
		set frontmost to true
		keystroke "i" using {command down} # Ask for Info window
		tell application "Finder"
			repeat 10 times # Wait for the new info window
				delay 0.2
				if class of window 1 is information window then exit repeat
			end repeat
		end tell
		tell window 1
			--class of UI elements --> {scroll area, button, button, button, image, static text}
			tell scroll area 1
				--class of UI elements --> {image, static text, static text, static text, static text, scroll area, UI element, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, static text, button, checkbox, UI element, static text, static text, UI element, static text, text field, checkbox, UI element, static text, UI element, static text, UI element, static text, static text, scroll area, button, button, menu button, checkbox}
				set theTexts to value of static texts
				repeat with i from 1 to count theTexts
					if theTexts's item i is in {"Original :", "Original:"} then
						set theOriginal to theTexts's item (i + 1)
						exit repeat
					end if
				end repeat
			end tell
			-- subrole of buttons --> {"AXCloseButton", "AXZoomButton", "AXMinimizeButton"}
			click button 1 # Close the Infos window
			if i = (count theTexts) then set theOriginal to "?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿" # The window doesn't display an original, build a fake string
		end tell # window 1
		tell application "Finder" to close window 1
	end tell
	return theOriginal --> "/Important/Téléchargements/ téléchargés pour Leopard/maj_Apple"
end getOriginal

I’m not satisfied because :
(1) at this time it works only with French and English localization
(2) I’m not satisfied by the treatment of aliases generation the message “***error”
Here, these aliases are greyed in their Finder window and it’s that which generate the error. It’s boring because when I open their Info window by hand, I see that their original is defined.

Yvan KOENIG running Sierra 10.12.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mardi 25 juillet 2017 23:40:21

Yvan,

the CLI is supposed to return the path of the alias file and the original separated by : in one line for each found path and the arguments are supposed to be passed in format ‘path1’ ‘path2’ ‘path3’ each in single quotes and separated by a space (the text item delimiter is single quote + space + single quote).

Mostly. Apple has said the method used in alias resolution is opaque and subject to change, and I’m pretty sure it was the other way around at one stage.

Correct, before Mac OS X 10.2 it was the other way around.

It seems that “supposed” is the important word.

If I run the script with the syntax proposed in your message:

set allAliasFiles to paragraphs of (do shell script "mdfind \"kMDItemKind == 'Alias'\"")
set {TID, text item delimiters} to {text item delimiters, "' '"}
set aliasFilePaths to "'" & (allAliasFiles as text) & "'"
set text item delimiters to TID

set brokenAliases to do shell script "/Users/admin/bin/AliasPath -b " & aliasFilePaths
set fileDescriptor to open for access ((path to desktop as text) & "FinderBrokenAliasesLast.txt") with write permission
write brokenAliases to fileDescriptor
close access fileDescriptor

I get the error :
error "sh: -c: line 0: syntax error near unexpected token (' sh: -c: line 0: /Users/admin/bin/AliasPath -b ‘/Users/???/Library/Speech/Speakable Items/Application Speakable Items/Safari/Target Application Alias’ ‘/Library/Fonts/Monospaced ƒ/Andale Mono.ttf’ ‘/Library/Fonts/disabled ƒ/Cursives/SchoolHouse Cursive B.dfont’ ‘/Library/Fonts/disabled ƒ/Cursives/Santa Fe LET Fonts.dfont’ ‘/Applications/Adobe Acrobat DC/Acrobat Uninstaller’ ‘/Users/???/Downloads/Developer/Tools’ ‘/Users/???/Downloads/Developer/Documentation/DocSets’ ‘/Users/???/Downloads/Developer/Library/Xcode/Xcode’ ‘/Users/???/Downloads/Developer/Library/Xcode/PrivateFrameworks’ ‘/Users/???/Downloads/Developer/Library/Xcode/Frameworks’ ‘/Users/???/Downloads/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform’ …

I’m not too surprising by the issued error because as you may see, the path to broken aliases may contain space or “ƒ” characters and, but you can’t see that, they may also contain characters like “…”, “œ”,“é” and some other non ASCII ones.

Trying to get rid of that, I edited the shell instruction as :

set brokenAliases to do shell script "/Users/admin/bin/AliasPath -b " & quoted form of aliasFilePaths

Alas, I got :
path to desktop as text
→ “SSD 500:Users:???:desktop:
open for access “SSD 500:Users:???:desktop:FinderBrokenAliasesLast.txt” with write permission
→ 114
write “” to 114
close access 114

Yes, write nothing.
As the script doesn’t set EOF to 0 before writing, it doesn’t change an existing file.
This is why, yesterdays I retrieved the list of broken aliases in the file.
To get rid of that, I added one instruction:

set eof of fileDescriptor to 0

before the write one.

As I can’t post a screenshot I added instructions checking the availability of the CLI in the named folder.
Here is the relevant part of the history:

/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Developer/Library/Frameworks/CPlusTest.framework
/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Developer/Library/PrivateFrameworks/IDEBundleInjection.framework"
end tell
tell application "System Events"
	exists file "/Users/admin/bin/AliasPath"
		--> true
	(*true*)
end tell
tell current application
	do shell script "/Users/admin/bin/AliasPath -b ''\\''/Users/

As some paths may look surprising, I repeat that I don’t boot from “Macintosh HD” but from an external SSD.
Macintosh HD (mechanical HD) contain a replica of the SSD used as a backup.
Booting from the SSD fasten everything.

Yvan KOENIG running Sierra 10.12.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mercredi 26 juillet 2017 11:19:25

Yvan,

I’m not sure of the point you are making, but perhaps you should try:

write brokenAliases to fileDescriptor as «class utf8»

The quoting of StefanK is tricky because it doesn’t use quoted form so if a path contains a single quote it will break down.

set allAliasFiles to paragraphs of (do shell script "mdfind \"kMDItemKind == 'Alias'\"")
repeat with i from 1 to count allAliasFiles
	set item i of allAliasFiles to quoted form of item i of allAliasFiles
end repeat
tell AppleScript
	set oldTIDs to text item delimiters
	set text item delimiters to space
	set bashList to allAliasFiles as string
	set text item delimiters to oldTIDs
end tell

set brokenAliases to do shell script "/Users/admin/bin/AliasPath -b " & aliasFilePaths
set fileDescriptor to open for access ((path to desktop as text) & "FinderBrokenAliasesLast.txt") with write permission
write brokenAliases to fileDescriptor
close access fileDescriptor

Using a different encoding is not relevant here, it’s the data to save which is an empty string ( “” )

Yvan KOENIG running Sierra 10.12.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mercredi 26 juillet 2017 14:37:08