Another problem variation on the "using terms from"

Question

Using either Script Editor.app or Script Debugger, the following pasted into the editor window works:
set AppName2 to "Finder"
set WinName2 to "Photos"
tell application AppName2
set WinBnds to bounds of window WinName2
end tell
(as long as there is a window "Photos" open)
BUT
if the very same code appears, isolated, in a handler of a script, there's a "can't make bounds into type reference" error. None of the tricks discussed earlier (using terms from) changes that.
So I assume there must be some special approach for doing this within a handler. I also assume the problem is to somehow pass the terms of Finder.app to the handler. If so, how might that be done?
(In this test, AppName2 and WinName2 are being defined as shown, in the handler)

Answer 1

Hello Noaks,
My first and only guess is that you're using a repeat loop in the form — 'repeat with loopVariable in <list>' — and using the loopVariable directly without de-referencing it. This sort of loopVariable is indeed 'a reference to item k of <list>', not the 'item k of <list>' itself, and it will cause problem when used directly in equality test and also it may cause error -1700 when used directly in application's object specifier:
-1700 errAECoercionFail Data could not be coerced to the requested descriptor type
-1700 errOSACantCoerce A value can't be coerced to the desired type.
The solution is to de-reference it by getting its 'contents' explicitly.
E.g., run the following code with and without the line marked with '-- # required' and see the results. Here it's assumes there're at least two Finder windows open.
--SAMPLE CODE
tell application "Finder"
set {n1, n2} to name of windows
end tell
return getBounds("Finder", n1, n2)
on getBounds(appn, n1, n2)
set rr to {}
tell application appn
repeat with n in {n1, n2}
--set n to n's contents -- # required
try
set end of rr to {name, bounds} of window n
on error errs number errn from erob
set end of rr to {errs, errn, erob}
end try
end repeat
end tell
return rr
end getBounds
--END OF SAMPLE CODE
cf.
ASLG > Control Statements > repeat Statements > repeat with loopVariable (in list)
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangG uide/
If this is not the case, I have no idea about what is going on in your script.
Cheers,
H