What are error -10004 and error -10000 in Applescript

Question

I have an Applescript that is working on my computer, but not on my colleague's. I get two errors when manipulating paths: -10004 and -10000. I have an idea on how to solve this, but first I'd like to understand those error codes.

Here is the script (I removed useless part, the full version is on github):

-- export all layers to image files

-- Settings
property exportFileExtension : "png"
property ADD_CANVAS_NUMBER : true
-- End of Settings

on file_exists(FileOrFolderToCheckString)
   try
       alias FileOrFolderToCheckString
       return true
   on error
       return false
   end try
end file_exists

tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 5"
    set theWindow to front window
    set theDocument to document of theWindow
    set theFilename to name of theDocument
    -- remove .graffle
    -- FIRST ERROR IS HERE -10004
    set theFilename to text 1 thru ((offset of "." in theFilename) - 1) of theFilename

    set export_folder to (choose folder with prompt "Pick the destination folder") as string
    set export_folder to export_folder & theFilename & ":"

    -- create folder
    if file_exists(export_folder) of me then
        try
            display alert "The file already exists. Do you want to replace it?" buttons {"Cancel", "Erase"} cancel button 1
        on error errText number errNum
            if (errNum is equal to -128) then
                return
            end if
        end try

        -- deletes the folder (necessary because some layers may have been renamed
        do shell script "rm -rf " & quoted form of POSIX path of export_folder

    else
        -- creates the folder
        do shell script "mkdir -p " & quoted form of POSIX path of export_folder
    end if

    set canvasCount to count of canvases of theDocument

    set i to 0
    repeat with canvasNumber from 1 to canvasCount
        set theCanvas to canvas canvasNumber of theDocument
        set canvas_name to name of theCanvas
        set canvas of theWindow to theCanvas
        set layerCount to count of layers of theCanvas

        -- ...

        set area type of current export settings to current canvas
        set draws background of current export settings to false
        set include border of current export settings to false

        set canvas_filename to ""
        -- ...
        set canvas_filename to canvas_filename & canvas_name

        repeat with layerNumber from 1 to layerCount
            set theLayer to layer layerNumber of theCanvas

            if (theLayer is prints) and (class of theLayer is not shared layer) then
                set layer_name to name of theLayer as string
                set filename to canvas_filename & " - " & layer_name & "." & exportFileExtension
                set export_filename to export_folder & filename

                -- show the layer, export, then hide the layer
                if character 1 of layer_name is not "*" then
                    set visible of theLayer to true
                    -- SECOND ERROR IS HERE -1000
                    save theDocument in export_filename
                    set visible of theLayer to false
                end if

            end if

        end repeat

    end repeat
end tell

Here is the log:

tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 5"
   get window 1
       --> window id 5032
   get document of window id 5032
       --> document "MSD.graffle"
   get name of document "MSD.graffle"
       --> "MSD.graffle"
   offset of "." in "MSD.graffle"
       --> error number -10004
end tell
tell current application
   offset of "." in "MSD.graffle"
       --> 4
end tell
tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 5"
   choose folder with prompt "Pick the destination folder"
       --> alias "Macintosh HD:Users:Romain:Desktop:Temp:"
   display alert "The file already exists. Do you want to replace it?" buttons {"Cancel", "Erase"} cancel button 1
       --> {button returned:"Erase"}
   do shell script "rm -rf '/Users/Romain/Desktop/Temp/MSD/'"
       --> error number -10004
end tell
tell current application
   do shell script "rm -rf '/Users/Romain/Desktop/Temp/MSD/'"
       --> ""
end tell
tell application "OmniGraffle Professional 5"
...
...
   save document "MSD.graffle" in "Macintosh HD:Users:Romain:Desktop:Temp:MSD:1- Navigation - 1Layout.png"
       --> error number -10000
Result:
error "OmniGraffle Professional 5 got an error: AppleEvent handler failed." number -10000

Thanks!

---

I updated the script but I still get error -10000. Here are the modified lines:

save theDocument in file exportFilename

and

-- Create folder if does not exist, remove it otherwise
-- Shell script should not be executed inside tell application block
if file_exists(export_folder) of me then
    try
        display alert "The file already exists. Do you want to replace it?" buttons {"Cancel", "Erase"} cancel button 1
    on error errText number errNum
        if (errNum is equal to -128) then
            return
        end if
    end try

    tell me
        -- Delete the folder
        do shell script "rm -rf " & quoted form of POSIX path of export_folder
    end tell

else
    tell me
        -- Create the folder
        do shell script "mkdir -p " & quoted form of POSIX path of export_folder
    end tell
end if

Answer 1

Errors -10000 - -10015 are event registry errors.

Error -10000 is not a target error per se, because it will throw an -1708 in those cases mostly. most of the time it is not a target error but an incomplete command or wrong usage of brackets. What if you use:

save theDocument in file export_filename

Error -10004 is a privilege violation error, which mean you're doing something with the file that isn't allowed. Probably you're not allowed to remove the file and do shell script command should always be used outside tell application blocks. The problem is that the target application can run as another user than the script. I'm not saying it is the error but there is a chance that it this is the problem. Otherwise you simply heve not enough privileges and you need to ask the user for administrator privileges.

do shell script "do something" with administrator privileges.

Answer 2

I haven't found where those error codes are documented, but they mainly deal with events that the targeted application isn't able to do. The first two errors -10004 are from using a Standard Additions command inside an application tell statement (offset and do shell script) - the application doesn't know what those commands are, passes the error up the chain to AppleScript, but AppleScript knows what they are and does it.

I don't have OmniGraffle, but the last error is telling you that the save command couldn't be performed, probably due to a problem with the destination not being a file specifier - it is just a text string, so you will probably have to coerce it into something that the command wants.