Can a web application use AppleScript to control an application on a remote machine?

AMC1954 · 07-06-2009, 06:09 PM

I have written a web application (back-end software for my company) that needs to print labels on a DYMO LabelWriter Duo printer.

The printer can be controlled with AppleScript and I have written scripts that successfully print labels when the script files are launched manually on my MAC.

Nothing at all happens when my web application generates the same script and runs it on the local machine.

I have heard that for security reasons it is not possible for a web application to run ApplesScript. I have also heard that it would be possible to do what I need to do if I write a Firefox plugin.

Can someone please provide guidance? And if writing a Firefox plugin is a solution, what would the plugin need to do?

Best Regards,
Annette

shuuhen · 07-06-2009, 07:05 PM

I'm sure it's possible. VMware Server 2 uses web interfaces for all the administration of a virtual machine (even a graphical interface to interacting with the VM - this part via a plugin though). If they can allow you to administrate virtual machines and interact with them completely via a web interface, I don't see why running a script on a local machine would not be possible.

What OS (and version) is the Mac running?

You could probably do a Ruby on Rails interface fairly easily. It's been a few years since I did anything web-related, but Rails can do some impressive stuff. There's also a Python framework, but I've never looked into what things have been implementedd with it.

Will the web server reside on the Mac or on another machine? Would the client computer need to transfer files to the Mac?

As far as a web application not running AppleScripts, whoever told you that probably meant you cannot embed one in a web page. Embedding one in a web page would also result in running the script on whatever computer navigated to the site - thus a potential security issue. What you can do is have either a web application hosted on the Mac run the script, or some small server on the Mac that waits for a signal and possibly data from whatever server hosts the web interface.

07-06-2009, 06:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
AMC1954 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1 OS: Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 1	Can a web application use AppleScript to control an application on a remote machine? I have written a web application (back-end software for my company) that needs to print labels on a DYMO LabelWriter Duo printer. The printer can be controlled with AppleScript and I have written scripts that successfully print labels when the script files are launched manually on my MAC. Nothing at all happens when my web application generates the same script and runs it on the local machine. I have heard that for security reasons it is not possible for a web application to run ApplesScript. I have also heard that it would be possible to do what I need to do if I write a Firefox plugin. Can someone please provide guidance? And if writing a Firefox plugin is a solution, what would the plugin need to do? Best Regards, Annette

07-06-2009, 07:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
shuuhen Manager Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,008 OS: Gentoo Linux, Mac OS X 10.6.2, FreeBSD 6.0 My System	Re: Can a web application use AppleScript to control an application on a remote machi I'm sure it's possible. VMware Server 2 uses web interfaces for all the administration of a virtual machine (even a graphical interface to interacting with the VM - this part via a plugin though). If they can allow you to administrate virtual machines and interact with them completely via a web interface, I don't see why running a script on a local machine would not be possible. What OS (and version) is the Mac running? You could probably do a Ruby on Rails interface fairly easily. It's been a few years since I did anything web-related, but Rails can do some impressive stuff. There's also a Python framework, but I've never looked into what things have been implementedd with it. Will the web server reside on the Mac or on another machine? Would the client computer need to transfer files to the Mac? As far as a web application not running AppleScripts, whoever told you that probably meant you cannot embed one in a web page. Embedding one in a web page would also result in running the script on whatever computer navigated to the site - thus a potential security issue. What you can do is have either a web application hosted on the Mac run the script, or some small server on the Mac that waits for a signal and possibly data from whatever server hosts the web interface. __________________ Has it been a few days since I replied to your thread? Don't panic! I'm a busy college student and may forget a post if I'm extra busy (or it might just take me a while to be able to do a decent reply). If you still need help and are awaiting my reply after a few days, PM me about it. When posting what errors you get, please give the full message. It makes helping you much easier. Last edited by shuuhen; 07-06-2009 at 07:16 PM.