How do I find the application name to open a file using AppleScript? I find the AppleScript method of opening a file convenient but often cannot guess at the application name to use when I do not want the default options.  

As an example, I have installed Foxit PDF Reader to directly annotate a PDF.  I have not been able to guess what to use in the open -a ??? my.pdf command.  

How could I find this for any general application?  Perhaps there is some way to get a list of all available options?
You can use -b option and use Bundle Identifier instead of using Application name. For example, to get Bundle Identifier from Safari:

plutil -p /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep BundleIdentifier


as a result You'll get "CFBundleIdentifier" =&gt; "com.apple.Safari"

Then You use it like this:

open -b com.apple.Safari /path/to/file


Generally, You'll need to get Bundle Indentifier from Info.plist file located inside Application.app/Contents/ directory.

Or if You want, You can get the app name with this:

plutil -p /Applications/PaintCode\ Trial.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep BundleName


output:

"CFBundleName" =&gt; "PaintCode Trial"