Pro Tools Import Apple Event via AEDebugSends=1

AEPtulImport

{ 1 } 'aevt':  Sd2a/SRgn (i386){
          return id: 315 (0x13b)
     transaction id: 0 (0x0)
  interaction level: 32 (0x20)
     reply required: 1 (0x1)
             remote: 0 (0x0)
      for recording: 0 (0x0)
         reply port: 0 (0x0)
  target:
    { 1 } 'sign':  4 bytes {
      'PTul' (Pro Tools)
    }
  fEventSourcePSN: { 0x0,0x2a02a } (Soundminer v4Pro)
  optional attributes:

/* I don't know what these are, I assume they aren't a part of the event soundminer composes, and are attached by the 
operating system post hoc */

    { 1 } 'reco':  - 1 items {
      key 'shas' - 
        { 1 } 'list':  - 1 elements {
          { 1 } 'TEXT':  224 bytes {
            "59d055578f770792f6f0097bfda6985211c5d6a5;00000000;0000000000000020;com.apple.app-sandbox.read-write;00000001;0e00000b;000000000032ec78;/users/mpe_wr/desktop/untitled/audio files/punch, face; light face punch_af08_76_04.m.wav"
          }
        }
    }

  event data:
    { 1 } 'aevt':  - 7 items {
      key 'FILE' - 
        { 1 } 'alis':  564 bytes {

/* An alias to the file soundminer created and transferred to Pro Tools's "Audio Files" folder 
Alias's aren't paths, they're Carbon objects that you create with FSNewAlias* and defined in <CoreServices/CoreServices.h>.

These are deprecated in 10.8 so it's unclear how this will work in the future, if they're ever dropped.

*/

          /Users/MPE_WR/Desktop/untitled/Audio Files/Punch, Face; Light Face Punch_AF08_76_04.M.wav
        }
      key 'Trak' - 
        { 1 } 'shor':  2 bytes {
          -99 (0xffffff9d)    // always -99
        }
      key 'FFrm' - 
        { 1 } 'shor':  2 bytes {
          1 (0x1)             // always 1
        }
      key 'TkOf' - 
        { 1 } 'shor':  2 bytes {
          0 (0x0)             // as this increments, the insertion point steps down tracks
        }
      key 'SMSt' - 
        { 1 } 'long':  4 bytes {
          0 (0x0)             // samples offset after the insertion point
        }
      key 'Strm' - 
        { 1 } 'shor':  2 bytes {
          1 (0x1)             // always 1
        }
      key 'Rgn ' - 
        { 1 } 'reco':  - 3 items {
          key 'Star' - 
            { 1 } 'long':  4 bytes {
              0 (0x0)         // region start from file
            }
          key 'Stop' - 
            { 1 } 'long':  4 bytes {
              5120 (0x1400)   // region end from file
            }
          key 'Name' - 
            { 1 } 'TEXT':  256 bytes {  // always 256 bytes, the first byte is a length field a-la a Pascal string,
                                        // the rest appears to be garbage
              "*Punch, Face; Light Face Punch_AF08_76_04.M`??x???8???L
                                                                      ???Kg

/* This brings Pro Tools to the front */

{ 1 } 'aevt':  misc/actv (i386){
          return id: 316 (0x13c)
     transaction id: 0 (0x0)
  interaction level: 112 (0x70)
     reply required: 0 (0x0)
             remote: 0 (0x0)
      for recording: 0 (0x0)
         reply port: 0 (0x0)
  target:
    { 2 } 'sign':  4 bytes {
      'PTul' (Pro Tools)
    }
  fEventSourcePSN: { 0x0,0x2a02a } (Soundminer v4Pro)
  optional attributes:
    < empty record >
  event data:
    { 1 } 'aevt':  - 0 items {
    }
}

PTSpotToCursor.mm

#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
#import <ApplicationServices/ApplicationServices.h>


#define kSpotToSelectedTrack        (-99)
#define kSpotToRegionList           (0)

/* JHSpotFileToProToolsInsertionPoint()
 *   url               : URL of the file to spot
 *   spottedRegionName : name to use in session, will be flattened to ASCII and
 *                          truncated to the first 255 characters
 *   sampleRange       : region of `url` to spot into session
 *
 *   spotTarget        : Which track to spot the region on:
 *                       - `kSpotToSelectedTrack` spots to the highest track
 *                          that is selected
 *                       - `kSpotToRegionList` spots to the region list
 *                       - Any int > 0 spots to that track, counting from the
 *                           top of the session (the top track is track 1).
 *
 *   trackOffset       : negative vertical offset for track, when 
 *                           spotTarget == kSpotToSelectedTrack
 *                          "0" will spot on track with cursor, "1" will spot 
 *                           one track below the cursor, etc.
 *
 *   cursorPostOffset  : when spotTarget == kSpotToSelectedTrack, samples after 
 *                           insertion point to place region
 *                       when spotTarget > 0, samples after session start to 
 *                           place region
 *
 *   proToolsPID       : kernel pid of Pro Tools
 *
 *   replyDesc         : Return descriptor from Apple Event to Pro Tools
 */

OSStatus JHSpotFileToProToolsInsertionPoint(NSURL *url,
                                            NSString *spottedRegionName,
                                            NSRange sampleRange,
                                            NSInteger spotTarget,
                                            NSUInteger trackOffset,
                                            NSUInteger cursorPostOffset,
                                            pid_t proToolsPID,
                                            NSAppleEventDescriptor **replyDesc);


/* implementation */

/
#ifdef __MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED

NSAppleEventDescriptor *JHCreateAliasDescriptorForURL(NSURL *aURL) {
    NSAppleEventDescriptor *retObj = nil;
    
#if __MAC_OS_X_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED < 1080
    
    FSRef fsReference;
    
    if (CFURLGetFSRef((__bridge CFURLRef)aURL, &fsReference)) {
        AliasHandle aliasHandle = NULL;
        OSStatus err = FSNewAliasMinimal(&fsReference, &aliasHandle);
        if (err == noErr && aliasHandle != NULL) {

            HLock((Handle)aliasHandle);
            retObj = [NSAppleEventDescriptor descriptorWithDescriptorType:typeAlias
                            data:[NSData dataWithBytes:*aliasHandle
                                                length:GetHandleSize((Handle)aliasHandle)]];
            HUnlock((Handle)aliasHandle);
            DisposeHandle((Handle)aliasHandle);
        }
    }

#else
    
    NSData *urlData = [[aURL absoluteString] dataUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
    retObj = [NSAppleEventDescriptor descriptorWithDescriptorType:typeFileURL
                                                             data:urlData];
    
    retObj = [retObj coerceToDescriptorType:typeAlias];
    
#endif
    return retObj;
}

#endif

NSAppleEventDescriptor *JHCreateTEXTDescriptorForString(NSString *str) {
    const NSUInteger textMaxLength = 255;
    const NSUInteger bufferLength = textMaxLength + 1;
    
    // this is for safety's sake, but it's worth an experiment to see if it'd work another way
    NSData *stringData = [str dataUsingEncoding:NSISOLatin1StringEncoding allowLossyConversion:YES];
    stringData = [stringData subdataWithRange:NSMakeRange(0, MIN(textMaxLength, [stringData length]) )];

    char length = (char)[stringData length];
    
    char *buf = calloc(bufferLength,sizeof(char));
    buf[0] = length;
    [stringData getBytes:buf+1 length:length];
    
    NSAppleEventDescriptor *retObj = [NSAppleEventDescriptor descriptorWithDescriptorType:typeChar
                                            bytes:buf
                                            length:bufferLength];

    return retObj;
}

NSAppleEventDescriptor *JHCreateDescriptorForLong(long int value) {
        return [NSAppleEventDescriptor descriptorWithDescriptorType:typeSInt32
                        bytes:&value
                        length:sizeof(value)];
}

NSAppleEventDescriptor *JHCreateDescriptorForShort(short int value) {
        return [NSAppleEventDescriptor descriptorWithDescriptorType:typeSInt16
                        bytes:&value
                        length:sizeof(value)];
}

NSAppleEventDescriptor *JHCreateDescriptorForRegion(NSString *regionName, NSRange sampleRange) {
    NSAppleEventDescriptor *retObj = [NSAppleEventDescriptor recordDescriptor];

    [retObj setDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForLong(sampleRange.location)
            forKeyword:'Star'];

    [retObj setDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForLong(sampleRange.location + sampleRange.length)
            forKeyword:'Stop'];

    [retObj setDescriptor:JHCreateTEXTDescriptorForString(regionName)
            forKeyword:'Name'];

    return retObj;
}

OSStatus JHSpotFileToProToolsInsertionPoint(
        NSURL *url, 
        NSString *spottedRegionName,
        NSRange sampleRange,
        NSInteger spotTarget,
        NSUInteger trackOffset,
        NSUInteger cursorPostOffset,
        pid_t proToolsPID,
        NSAppleEventDescriptor **replyDesc) {
    

    NSAppleEventDescriptor *address = [[NSAppleEventDescriptor alloc] 
                initWithDescriptorType:typeKernelProcessID 
                bytes: &proToolsPID length:sizeof(proToolsPID)];

    NSAppleEventDescriptor *message = [NSAppleEventDescriptor 
                appleEventWithEventClass:   'Sd2a'
                eventID:                    'SRgn'
                targetDescriptor:           address
                returnID:                   kAutoGenerateReturnID
                transactionID:              kAnyTransactionID
    ];

    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateAliasDescriptorForURL(url)
            forKeyword:'FILE'];
    
    
    // setting this to 0 will put the region in the clip list, 1-256 will insert
    // it on a track counting from the top
    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForShort(spotTarget & 0xff)
            forKeyword:'Trak'];

    // dunno
    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForShort(1)
            forKeyword:'FFrm'];

    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForShort(trackOffset & 0xffff)
            forKeyword:'TkOf'];

    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForLong(cursorPostOffset & 0xffffffff)
            forKeyword:'SMSt'];

    // this selects the lane a mono file region will be dropped in
    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForShort(1)
            forKeyword:'Strm'];

    [message setParamDescriptor:JHCreateDescriptorForRegion(spottedRegionName, sampleRange)
            forKeyword:'Rgn '];

    AppleEvent reply;
    OSStatus retVal = AESendMessage([message aeDesc], &reply, kAEWaitReply, kAEDefaultTimeout);

    if (retVal == noErr) {
        *replyDesc = [[NSAppleEventDescriptor alloc] initWithAEDescNoCopy:&reply];
        
    } else {
        *replyDesc = nil;
    }

    return retVal;
}

This is really cool!

Though I had to remove the '& 0xff' mask in line 163 to make spotting-to-cursor work... Obviously, because masking with 0xff would kill a negative number like -99 right?

Cheers!