TITLE
    Mac OS 8.5: Finder AppleScript Dictionary No Longer Has 'obsolete' Suffix For Properties
Article ID:
Created:
Modified:
60243
4/14/99
4/19/99

TOPIC

    The 'obsolete' keywords in the Finder's AppleScript Dictionary are no longer present. Has this compatibility feature been removed?


DISCUSSION

    Structural changes in the Finder between System 7 and Mac OS 8 required special script coding to maintain compatibility for the "locked", "file type", "creation date", "modification date", and "folder" properties of an item.

    The word 'obsolete' was placed after these properties in scripts written within Mac OS 8 in order to have them work with the System 7.x Finder. The terminology in the Mac OS 8.0 and Mac OS 8.1 Finder dictionary contained references to this technique.

    The 'obsolete' parameter is still usable with Mac OS 8.5. However, the Finder dictionary in Mac OS 8.5 no longer contains the 'obsolete' parameters.

    The following script is an example showing how to write AppleScripts for the Finder, accessing these properties, that are compatible across System 7.x and Mac OS 8.x.


    set SysFldrPath to path to system folder as text -- some item, here the System folder
    set SystemPath to SysFldrPath & "System" as text

    tell application "Finder"
    get the version -- of the Finder
    set FinderVersion to the result as text

    if FinderVersion is less than "8.0" then
    -- Pre Mac OS 8
    get locked obsolete of SystemPath -- file property
    get file type obsolete of SystemPath -- file property

    get the creation date obsolete of alias SysFldrPath -- item property
    get the modification date obsolete of alias SysFldrPath -- item property
    else
    -- Mac OS 8
    get locked obsolete of SystemPath -- file property
    get file type obsolete of SystemPath -- file property

    get the creation date of alias SysFldrPath -- item property
    get the modification date of alias SysFldrPath -- item property
    end if
    end tell


Document Information
Product Area: Mac OS System Software
Category: Mac OS 8.5
Sub Category: System Software Components

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