Mailmate to OmniFocus -1712 OmniFocus got an error: AppleEvent timed out

OmniFocus: I haven't tried this on Big Sur, but make sure MailMate is allowed to talk to OmniFocus (see Automation I think in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy).

M1: I'm not yet able to compile MailMate for the ARM processor because of some third party dependencies (various libraries) installed using brew. I'm going to wait a few months before looking into it in more detail. I don't have an M1 machine myself, but I don't think that matters much.

Big Sur: I currently recommend using the latest test release. Hold down the option key while clicking “Check Now” in the Software Update preferences pane.

Thank you for the update!

I've updated to the Beta and it was all working well but something has fallen over again. Sorry I can't be more descriptive. Either way - I am sure you are on it.

Hiya

I am still getting the "-1712 OmniFocus got an error: AppleEvent timed out" error with the Beta (Version 1.14 (5742)). Strangely it is sporadic but predominantly doesn't work and simply times out.

I have observed entries being stored in the quick entry dialogue but they do not save. Some also apper in the OF inbox but no URL from Mailmate

Hope this might help?

I've noted to try it out when I'm debugging Big Sur issues. It sounds strange that it only fails some times and I guess that means that the issue is not the Automation permission.

(After the Quick Entry window is shown then the source of the problem should no longer involve MailMate, but maybe I'm wrong.)

It is also only on the M1 mac. My MBP running Big Sur is behaving (thankfully) so I simply process my inbox on that for now

Hi Benny, I am still having the issue with -1712. I contacted OmniFocus too about this and they have given me a few updates to pass on:

At this point, it would probably be a good idea to get back in touch with the person you've talked to with MailMate, to share that script with them and the information that it works. They can take a look at the differences between their implementation and that pared down script and see if there's something they can change to fix things.

It's possible this is an issue outside of MailMate's control, but we don't have enough data to reach a conclusion yet.

Simultaneously, we can suggest one more experiment on your end, if you're comfortable with it.

On your M1 Mac, download the two files I've attached and then in terminal execute the following command:
cd ~/Downloads; osascript ./run_create_task.scpt sample-of-input

The AppleScript is a downloaded copy of the public repository data our developer found here: https://github.com/mailmate/omnifocus.mmbundle/blob/master/Support/...
And the file is just a couple lines of text.

The command simulates what MailMate does, in that it writes some message data to a temporary file, then passes the temp file to the AppleScript which executes some inline shell commands.
MailMate uses a Ruby script to write the file and run the command that we're asking you to do manually.

Try running the Terminal command in both scenarios, one with OmniFocus already launched, the other with OmniFocus closed.

I've checked in with the team about this, and I'm sorry to say we don't have a definitive answer--but we do have more questions and some troubleshooting to suggest. One of our engineers pieced together the basics of how the MailMate code works to call on the OmniFocus Quick Entry window based on what they could find in a public repository. Some of what the script he found does seems like it wouldn't be strictly necessary, but that's neither here nor there.

For troubleshooting, we recommend running the attached script on this M1 Mac, which is a pared down version. You'll want to run it in the following scenarios, and note what happens each time:
▪︎ With OmniFocus already running ▪︎ With OmniFocus closed/not running ▪︎ With OmniFocus active (Command-click on the "Run the Script" toolbar button to keep the OmniFocus window active) ▪︎ With the OmniFocus window not active/foremost

This pared down script attempts to use QuickEntry to add an item with a placeholder title/note, so if it works you'll end up with some sample items in your OmniFocus database.

Let me know if you would like a copy of their scripts too

I am using Mail again in the interim to get my mail over to OF which is far from ideal

Just to let you know: I have the same issue with Version 1.13.2 (5673) on an M1 Mac. I'd be happy to help debugging (e.g. Applescript?) if you can point me somewhere.

This happens to me as well using Version 1.14 (5757) and OmniFocus 3.11.6 (v149.12.0) on an M1 Mac mini.

Could you try the latest test release of MailMate? It's not currently available from Software Update within r5757/r5673, but here is a direct link to r5788. It's a universal build and I suspect the AppleScript issue might be related to Rosetta.

Thanks Benny - I've downloaded and install. Initial quick test and all looks to be working again. I'll test of the coming days and I'll update again next week!

So far so good - couple of reboots, processed some emails and not a fault so far!!

So pleased - thank you!!

Just wanted to share that this also fixed my issue with the Things bundle. The crash I was seeing was only happening with the "Add with Summary" option.