AppleScript in a Nutshell

Using OSA Menu with OS 9

I mentioned previously that you can run AppleScripts from within Script Editor or save them as applets that can be double-clicked. In Mac OS 9, an application called OSA Menu gives you a third script running option. OSA Menu is a non-Apple system extension that you can install from the OS 9 installation CD-ROM (you can find it in the folder CD Extras:AppleScript Extras). OSA Menu adds its own menu to the upper-right corner of the OS 9 Finder or desktop. Figure 1-9 shows the OSA Menu after it has been activated.

Figure 1-9. Activating the OSA Menu

The OSA Menu shows a list of compiled scripts that can be run straight from the desktop by choosing their filenames from the menu. OSA Menu will show the scripts that are stored in the following folder in OS 9: startup disk:System Folder:Scripts:Universal Scripts. To run properly from this menu, however, the AppleScripts have to be saved in Script Editor as compiled scripts, not applets. Chapter 2 contains more information on these script-saving options.