[JW Lua] macOS: Starting plug-ins with the ExecuteOSMenuCommand/MenuPositionCommand doesn't work

[Robert Patterson]

Follow up: I think I know what this problem is now, and I'll try to offer a
fix in the next version of RGP Lua.

On Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 10:02 AM Robert Patterson <
robert at robertgpatterson.com> wrote:

> Another thing to try is to see if you can execute the menu item from a
> script with no plugin window present. If that doesn't work, then it may be
> that there is a problem with the menu command. If you can get a simple
> script like that to fail, I'll have a look at it.
>
> On Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 9:57 AM Robert Patterson <
> robert at robertgpatterson.com> wrote:
>
>> For most menu commands to work on macOS, the dialog window must be in
>> focus when the menu is executed. I changed some of the mac-side APIs for
>> control activation in 0.72, and it may have
>> affected ActivateDocumentWindow. If you haven't tried v0.72, you might try
>> that first (though I don't believe it actually changed for
>> ActivateDocumentWindow).
>>
>> It may be that activation of the document window is not sufficient and
>> that Finale has to get control in order to reactivate menu items, so it
>> might work to activate the window and then execute the menu item from a
>> subsequent timer callback.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 9:45 AM Jan Angermüller <jan at angermueller.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Has anybody found a solution to the issue that on macOS some Finale
>>> plug-ins can't be called from within Lua?
>>> (described in details the old emails below)
>>>
>>> I am trying to call the "Change default to whole note rests" plug-in
>>> from within a lua script.
>>> It works fine on Windows. But on MacOS calling ExecuteOSMenuCommand has
>>> no effect.
>>> However, the result of the ExecuteOSMenuCommand call is true on macOS.
>>>
>>> To set the focus I have tried different variations of
>>> finenv.UI():ActivateDocumentWindow ()  and/or
>>> finenv.UI():MenuCommand(finale.MENUCMD_SELECTIONTOOL) directly before
>>> ExecuteOSMenuCommand .
>>> But still it doesn't work.
>>>
>>> finenv.UI():GetOSMenuCommandFromItemText works fine on both Windows and
>>> macOS.
>>>
>>> Jan
>>>
>>> Am 11.11.2022 um 14:30 schrieb Robert Patterson:
>>>
>>> Most likely it is the focus issue, especially if you are using a dialog
>>> box, and I don't know of a way to resolve it. I've never tried to use
>>> execute menu item for plugins.
>>>
>>> If you are trying to activate another Lua script, you could use
>>> FCLuaScriptItem(s) instead.
>>>
>>> On Fri, Nov 11, 2022 at 6:05 AM Jan Angermüller <jan at angermueller.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Robert,
>>>>
>>>> is there any trick for starting plug-ins from within a lua script with
>>>> the finenv.UI():ExecuteOSMenuCommand *on macOS*?
>>>>
>>>> On macOS I haven't succeeded neither with ExecuteOSMenuCommand nor with
>>>> MenuPositionCommand.
>>>> On Windows both functions works fine.
>>>>
>>>> finenv.UI():GetOSMenuCommandFromItemText seems to work fine on macOS.
>>>> Or it least it returns a value that seems to be valid (2033201231).
>>>>
>>>> In the documentation it says that on macOS the Finale *document window
>>>> must be in focus*.
>>>> Is this the problem? Can I force the document to be in focus?
>>>> I have tried finenv.UI():ActivateDocumentWindow ()  or
>>>> finenv.UI():MenuCommand(finale.MENUCMD_SELECTIONTOOL) directly before
>>>> finenv.UI():ExecuteOSMenuCommand.
>>>> It doesn't work.
>>>>
>>>> Do you have a working example lua script to start any plug-in from the
>>>> Finale Plug-ins menu on macOS?
>>>>
>>>> This topic has already been twice on the mailing list for
>>>> MenuPositionCommand() (see below).
>>>> But with no answers yet.
>>>>
>>>> I had an interesting request for which I developed a working Windows
>>>> script. But it doesn't work on macOS yet.
>>>> The request was for a script that starts another plug-in, but applies
>>>> the plug-in only to all parts, not to the score.
>>>>
>>>> Jan
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Am 02.03.2020 um 15:47 schrieb Jan Angermüller:
>>>>
>>>> Hi Simon,
>>>>
>>>> did you find a solution for this?
>>>> I encountered the same issue.
>>>> It works fine on Windows, but on MacOS I can't access the Plug-ins menu
>>>> via MenuPositionCommand() either.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>> Jan
>>>>
>>>> Am 28.01.2017 um 18:09 schrieb Simon Leclerc:
>>>>
>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>
>>>> I’m trying to access the menu “Plug-ins” (as in “File”, “Edit”,
>>>> “Utilities”, etc…) using the ui:MenuPositionCommand(), but to no avail.
>>>>
>>>> I have access to all the other menus and sub-menus, but the “Plug-in”
>>>> one, which should be #7 on a Mac system, seems not possible to be invoked.
>>>>
>>>> I tried many combinations, the zero-based concept not being true all
>>>> the time, but could not find the right one.
>>>>
>>>> Any clue?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks to all.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> JWLua at jwmusic.nu
>>> http://jwmusic.nu/mailman/listinfo/jwlua_jwmusic.nu
>>>
>>
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