OS X 10.9 Applescript changes: using the `move` command in the "System Events" context to move a file

Question

I went to run an old script and it broke after the 10.9 update. I used to move files with system events with the following code.

set Somefilepath to "Design_005_HD:Users:Design_005:Desktop:Start:TextFile.txt"
set somefolderpath to "Design_005_HD:Users:Design_005:Desktop:End:"

tell application "System Events"
move file (Somefilepath) to folder (somefolderpath)
end tell

Now it gives me the following error.

error "System Events got an error: Can’t make file \"Design_005_HD:Users:Design_005:Desktop:Start:TextFile.txt\" into type integer." number -1700 from file "Design_005_HD:Users:Design_005:Desktop:Start:TextFile.txt" to integer

I know I can swap it out and use finder but I rather not use it. What changed that is no longer works?

Update 4/2/14

I have tried this in every way of giving the file/folder location to system events and it doesn't work. I am glad it is just not me who cannot get it to work. I will update this post if I find an answer or a working update is made.

Update 4/3/14

It seems this is just a bug that system events can't move files. I have reported it here http://bugreport.apple.com/ and everyone else should too.

Please do not take my code to heart, it is just where things ended up when I couldn't get it to work. I have working code for 10.8.5 and it is what is shown above minus the folder tag in the system events tell block. No idea why it works with out the folder tag but it does. Tested on multiple comps. If it isn't broken don't fuss over it. Noted it and moved on.

Update 10/20/14

For anyone interested. I have received an e-mail stating my ticket has been closed/resolved. So mavericks will for ever be broken but there might be light for Yosemite when it comes out.

Answer 1

In general, Applescript works with colon delimited paths (:) not slash delimited paths (/). I say in general because some applications will work with slashes but all programs will work with colons. For an example of what the colon paths look like try this code and look at the result...

set colonPath to (path to desktop as text) & "untitled folder 2:"

So first I would convert your slashes to the colon style.

Also to applescript these are just strings not paths. To make applescript understand they are paths we can do a few things. First you can add the words file or folder in front of them as appropriate. I notice in your code you are using "file" in front of the file string but you aren't using "folder" in front of the folder string. So try that. Second you can just use "alias" in front of the strings whether they're files or folders. There are other ways as well but I'll stop here. Either of those ways should work.

UPDATE: with all of the above being said, it seems System Events in 10.9 still has trouble with the move command. As such here's 2 alternatives for you. I used slash style paths since that's what you're using.

set somefilepath to POSIX file "/Users/Design_005/Desktop/Start/TextFile.txt"
set somefolderpath to POSIX file "/Users/Design_005/Desktop/End"

tell application "Finder"
    move somefilepath to somefolderpath
end tell

or

set somefilepath to "/Users/Design_005/Desktop/Start/TextFile.txt"
set somefolderpath to "/Users/Design_005/Desktop/End"

do shell script "mv " & quoted form of somefilepath & space & quoted form of somefolderpath

Good luck.

Answer 2

You can’t do that. System Events can delete and open, but not move. Here’s a simple example in case it helps someone else find a better answer in a future OS. System Events appears to treat move differently than delete and open.

tell application "System Events"
    set myFile to file "Macintosh HD:Users:velma:Desktop:Test.png"
    set myFolder to folder "Macintosh HD:Users:velma:Desktop:Test"

    --delete works! with both type “file/folder” and type “disk item”
    --delete myFile
    --delete myFolder

    --open works!
    open myFile
    open myFolder

    --move fails!
    move myFile to myFolder
end tell

The error it’s returning, in this case, is “Can’t get file”, number -1728.

Answer 3

There appears to be bug in the move command in the "System Events" context in OX 10.9 (and possibly 10.8).

The workaround is the to use the "Finder" context instead:

Using HFS-style paths (separator is :)

set somefilepath to "Design_005_HD:Users:Design_005:Desktop:Start:TextFile.txt"
set somefolderpath to "Design_005_HD:Users:Design_005:Desktop:End:"

tell application "Finder"
    move file somefilepath to folder somefolderpath
end tell

---

Using POSIX-style paths (separator is /) - as in the original question

set somefilepath to "/Users/Design_005/Desktop/Start/TextFile.txt"
set somefolderpath to "/Users/Design_005/Desktop/End"

# Note that we use `as POSIX file` even in the case of the *folder*
# - this works, however.
tell application "Finder"
    move somefilepath as POSIX file to somefolderpath as POSIX file
end tell

Note:

• as POSIX file returns a file object in both cases, but Finder still handles the move properly - it is fine to use POSIX file with both files and folders.
• Note that using the prefix form of POSIX file- e.g., POSIX file "/Library", only works with a path string literal; if you try to build the path string as an expression, it breaks (in the "Finder" context, but NOT in the AppleScript context(!)): POSIX file ("/" & "Library") - by contrast, "/" & "Library" as POSIX file works (in both contexts) - go figure. To be safe, always use the postfix form: ... as POSIX file
• A downside of using as POSIX file - at least as of OS X 10.9 - is that the error messages are cryptic if a file/folder doesn't exist: you'll see Finder got an error: Handler can’t handle objects of this class. and Finder got an error: AppleEvent handler failed. - both with number -10000.
• (Using folder directly with a POSIX path, as in an earlier version of the question - e.g., folder "/Library" - ONLY works in a "System Events" context, and is therefore NOT an option in the "Finder" context.)

---

As for what changed in AppleScript OS X 10.9:

The behavior you see appears to be a bug (also see @Jerry Stratton's answer); nothing in the AppleScript release notes for 10.9 indicates a change in that area.

I now think that the problem affects OS X 10.8 as well.

I encourage you to submit a bug report to Apple at http://bugreport.apple.com, as I already have.

Sadly, handling files, folders, and aliases in AppleScript has always been a mess, with confusion stemming from classes of the same name from different dictionaries (AppleScript itself, System Events, Finder) with subtly different behavior.

A general recommendation: for file-system manipulation, use the tell application "Finder" context.

The "System Events" dictionary, in its Disk-Folder-File Suite, duplicates some of Finder's file-system manipulation functionality, but only some - a curious omission is a file copy command, for instance.