Enumerate a property list item array using AppleScript

Question

I am attempting to enumerate the RecentApplication > CustomListItems property-list item's array of a property-list file (.plist), but am having some difficulty with the syntax:

tell application "System Events"

  set the plist_path to "~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.recentitems.plist"
  set the plist_file to property list file plist_path

  set itemNodes to property list item "CustomListItems" of property list item "RecentApplications" of plist_file

  repeat with i from 1 to number of items in itemNodes

    set itemNode to item i of itemNodes

    display dialog text of property list item "Name" of property list item itemNode

  end repeat

end tell

I get an error that reads:

"System Events got an error: Can’t make every text of property list item \"Name\" of property list item (property list item \"CustomListItems\" of property list item \"RecentApplications\" of contents of property list file \"Macintosh HD:Users:craibuc:Library:Preferences:com.apple.recentitems.plist\") into type string." number -1700 from every text of property list item "Name" of property list item (property list item "CustomListItems" of property list item "RecentApplications" of contents of property list file "Macintosh HD:Users:craibuc:Library:Preferences:com.apple.recentitems.plist") to string

Moreover, if I change the code to:

  repeat with i from 1 to number of items in itemNodes

    display dialog i

  end repeat

I get a single dialog. In other words, it doesn't seem to be examining the array itself.

What is the correct way to capture the PLI's array?

Answer 1

The correct syntax is:

set itemNodes to property list items of property list item "CustomListItems" of property list item "RecentApplications" of plist_file

I needed to add 'property list items of'.