Classic Mode Scripting Reliable?

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

I’ve only been scripting about a year so I’ve never really done any scripting for OS 9 and previous. However, where I am there is still plenty of work for OS 9 folks, particularly in the print industry. I have a few opportunities for automation jobs for OS 9 workflows but the only machines I have access to are new Macs running Panther. I do have an old 7200 but it’s a little too ancient to use as a good dev/test machine.

Anyway, I was curious about the reliability of scripting with the old Script Editor in Classic Mode. I have all the necessary third party software that I can install for Classic such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign etc. They don’t run optimally, obviously, but it’s not too bad. Will I be able to write reliable scripts for use on OS 9 native systems from within Classic Mode and the old Script Editor? Furthermore, what goes for the same regarding FaceSpan? I know 3.5 will run in Classic Mode, but will it work properly and compile reliably? Any info is great.

Thanks :slight_smile:

#2

I have no experience scripting classic from X, but I would try booting from a OS 9 partition, then working in a clean OS 9 environment, just to avoid conflicts. → just an idea

#3

of course this would be ideal but unfortunately all of the macs i own are too new and do not have the ability to boot into OS 9.

#4

If you have time enough, you can format one of your new macs with two partitions: one for X, one for 9. Same disk, same HD space, two OSs. I needed recently run OS 9 nativelly, so I bougth an external HD (I also needed some extra GBs) and created two partitions for two different OSs, so I can boot now in three different OSs (when I need it). Making some tests, when I boot in OSX and run Classic, the AppleScript extension in OS 9 is disabled, so I can’t launch the OS 9 Script Editor nor run applescripts nativelly. When I try running them from Script Manager XT or ScriptMaster XT Demo (yes, damn Quark 4 is the guilty!), it simply crashes. So, I run the scripts from X, targetting classic apps.
If this behaviour is true around the world, my advice is “be careful”. Some chunks of code which work under the OS X environment won’t work under a native OS 9. Event, a native OS 9 script may not run properly under 8.6 (not to talk about previous versions).

#5

i was under the impression that new Macs, as in ones being sold currently by Apple, are not physically able to boot in to OS 9 at all. aren’t all the new machines “locked” in hardware or firmware from booting into anything other than X?

#6

Hmmm… I ignore such detail… I own two g4’s, and installed OS 9 in a partition in an external disk, so I can’t confirm… :?

[edit]

Just googled it, and you are true: G5 can’t boot in OS 9.

#7

i thought you were hiding a secret! yeah, as of about a year now new Macs are unable to boot OS 9. they removed key ROM support and other things. it require nothing short of a serious hardware hack. i’m going to see what i can get done in Classic mode. maybe even my atom-splitting 75mhz 7200. :shock:

#8

I’ve been scripting Cumulus 5 (running in Classic) from OS X for some time. I’ve never had an issue and it has worked remarkably well. However, I can’t speak to other applications’ reliability in classic.

#9

That’s good to know. Thanks, from one T.J. to another. :slight_smile:

#10

You don’t say?
I knew only one other T.J. in my life. We were in elementary school together. About 20 years ago.

Nice to meet you, T.J.
:slight_smile:

#11

cheers. heh, i had the honor of growing up around 4 other T.J.s as a kid. and come to think of it we’re all kind of cut from the same cloth.
T.J. is Thee J!