I have this macOS app that is launched at login. This app has a space in the name "My App.app".
For that matter, I have created a helper app that loads at login and launches the main app.
I am inside this helper, trying to launch the main app.
For this reason I need to get the main app path. So, I do:
let appName = "My App.app"
let path = "/Applications/" + appName
let newURL = NSURL.fileURL(withPath: path)
when I try to use this
let app = try NSWorkspace.shared.launchApplication(at: newURL,
options:[.withErrorPresentation, .inhibitingBackgroundOnly, .async],
configuration: [:])
I get an error "APPLICATION NOT FOUND".
One of the problems is that the App contains a space in the name "My App.app". I remove the space in the app name and this command successfully launches the app.
But I need the space in the name.
Then I try to launch the app using the bundle identifier.
NSWorkspace.shared.launchApplication(withBundleIdentifier: mainAppBundleIdentifier,
options: [.withErrorPresentation, .inhibitingBackgroundOnly, .async],
additionalEventParamDescriptor: nil,
launchIdentifier: nil)
then I get another error,
MyApp can’t be opened. Move “My App” to the Applications folder and try again.
The problem is that the app is already on the Applications folder.
then I use this, just to check
let path = NSWorkspace.shared.absolutePathForApplication(withBundleIdentifier: mainBundleId)
and I get this
"/Users/myself/Library/Mail/V6/0982138471-EA33/[Gmail].mbox/All
Mail.mbox/871628745618726547816A/Data/2/8/5/Attachments/582584/2/MyAppMac.app"
WTF!!??
Two things wrong about this:
This is a link to an email I have sent yesterday to a tester, sending him the application.
The app mentioned in the link is MyAppMac.app that is the Xcode target name, without localization.
How in the heavens name do I launch an app from another app when the app contains a space in the name and is localized?
How do I get the target name?
The usual way to launch the main application is first to check if it's already running and if not to run the executable and pass a variable to inform the main application that it was launched by the helper
For example
func applicationDidFinishLaunching(_ aNotification: Notification) {
let appName = "Foo"
let bundleIdentifier = "com.spacedog.foo"
if NSRunningApplication.runningApplications(withBundleIdentifier: bundleIdentifier).isEmpty {
let bundleURL = Bundle.main.bundleURL
var pathComponents = bundleURL.pathComponents
pathComponents.removeLast(3)
pathComponents.append(contentsOf: ["MacOS", appName])
let mainAppURL = NSURL.fileURL(withPathComponents:pathComponents)!
let options = [NSWorkspace.LaunchConfigurationKey.arguments : ["launchedAtLogin"]]
_ = try? NSWorkspace.shared.launchApplication(at: mainAppURL as URL, options: .withoutActivation, configuration: options)
}
NSApp.terminate(nil)
}
Related
I'm kind of getting some more understanding with basic SwiftUI but now I wanted to extend my application to actually do some stuff regarding system components for me. Basically I want to run an AppleScript from inside my app which creates a signature in Mac Mail. The script itself is pretty simple:
// Generates a signature in Mac Mail
tell application "Mail"
set newSig to make new signature with properties {name:"The Signature Name"}
set content of newSig to "My New Signature Content"
end tell
I have created a view with a button which should execute the script:
import SwiftUI
struct SomeView: View {
#State var status = ""
var body: some View {
VStack(alignment: .center) {
Button(action: {
let source = """
tell application \"Mail\"
set newSig to make new signature with properties {name: \"The Signature Name\"}
set content of newSig to \"My New Signature Content\"
end tell
"""
var error: NSDictionary?
if let scriptObject = NSAppleScript(source: source) {
if let output: NSAppleEventDescriptor = scriptObject.executeAndReturnError(&error) {
self.status = output.stringValue ?? "some default"
} else if (error != nil) {
self.status = "error: \(error)"
}
}
}) {
Text("Generate").font(.callout)
}
Text("\(self.status)")
}
}
}
struct SomeView_Previews: PreviewProvider {
static var previews: some View {
SomeView()
}
}
Everything executes but I get the error
AppleScript run error = {
NSAppleScriptErrorAppName = Mail;
NSAppleScriptErrorBriefMessage = "Application isn\U2019t running.";
NSAppleScriptErrorMessage = "Mail got an error: Application isn\U2019t running.";
NSAppleScriptErrorNumber = "-600";
NSAppleScriptErrorRange = "NSRange: {0, 0}";
}
After some research i found this article which describes the problem quite well. Apparently this error is because the app is running in a sandbox and within the sandbox Mail is indeed not running. I kind of get Apple's idea not to let applications do whatever they want without the user's consent...
Anyway, unfortunately this article describes the solution using Objective C and this is something I have even less of a clue than SwiftUI.
Can anybody tell me how to run (or copy my script.scpt file to the accessible library folder and the run) a script from within a SwitUI View? This would be so much help!
Thanks!!!
I have played around quite a bit with this manner and after having numerous discussions and trial & errors on that subject, I want to present 2 solutions (until now it seems that these are the only possible solutions for a sandboxed application).
First of all, if you don't consider to distribute your app on the App Store, you can forget about the following, since you just have to deactivate the Sandbox and you are basically free to do whatever you want!
In case your planning to distribute a Sandboxed App, the only way of running a script and interacting with other apps on the user's system is to run a script file from the Application Script folder. This folder is a designated folder in the user library structure: /Users/thisUser/Library/Application Scripts/com.developerName.appName/. Whatever script goes in here you have the right to run from your application appName.
You basically have two options to get your script file into that folder:
Option 1 - Install the Script File
This is (in my opinion) clearly the option you should go for if your script is static (does not require any additional user data from your application). All you have to do is
Select the project (1)
click on Build Phases (2)
add the Copy Files setting (if not already present)
choose the script file location in your app (singing might be a good option when distributing via AppStore)
add the Application Script folder of your application to the destination. Therefore, choose Absolute Path and enter Users/$USER/Library/Application Scripts/$PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER in the Path field.
You can also select the Copy only when installing option if your script is entirely static but in case you have changes on the script when the application is closed and reopened and you want to update the script, leave this option blank (I have not tested this!).
After this is done you can execute the script via NSUserScriptTask. A more detailed description of how you could implement this is given here.
Option 2 - Giving access to the folder and copy the file on demand
This is certainly the solution when your script file updates dynamically according to e.g. user inputs. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a hassle and does not have (in my opinion) satisfying solutions. To do so, you will have to grant access to the folder (in this case Application Scripts/). This is done via NSOpenPanel. A really good tutorial how to implement this is given here.
Per default you will have read permission to that folder only. Since you are trying to copy a file into that folder you will have to change that to read/write in your Capabilities as well.
I hope this will help some people to "shine some light into the dark"! For me this was quite a bit of a journey since there is only very little information out there.
I implemented launch at login for my application using this tutorial:
https://blog.timschroeder.net/2012/07/03/the-launch-at-login-sandbox-project/
Basically you would need to implement a Helper app that will be registered to start at login and the Helper will launch your application.
The problem is that I would like to launch my application hidden and for that I need to pass it one argument. Unfortunately I didn't find any way to do that.
I found these methods to launch an App:
//Works to launch the app but no way to pass arg
var app = SBApplication.FromBundleIdentifier(PackageId);
app?.Activate();
//Same issue here
NSWorkspace.SharedWorkspace.OpenFile("/Applications/HelloWorld.app")
//If you run the code bellow outside of the sandbox it works fine.
//Inside of the sandbox it just launches the app but without args
var aTask = NSTask.LaunchFromPath("/usr/bin/open",
new string[] { "-a","HelloWorld.app", "--args", "--hidden" });
aTask.Launch();
I have an native iOS sample app installed in my iPad and also my sample xamarin.Forms App installed. I want to open native iOS app from Xamarin.forms when clicked on button. I have set URL schema in my native iOS app in info.plist.
How do I open native app from xamarin.forms on click of a button. I already tried
var request = Device.OnPlatform(
string.Format("native app url"),
string.Format("native app url"),
string.Format("native app url"));
Device.OpenUri(new Uri(request));
but its not working.
It's basically how you are doing it.
var url = Device.OnPlatform(iOSUrl, androidUrl, winPhoneUrl);
Device.OpenUri(new Uri(request));
Be aware that each platform have some requirements in the way to url is configured and parameters are sent.
Let say to get the maps app open in each platform you would use these urls schemes:
// iOS doesn't like %s or spaces in their URLs, so manually replace spaces with +s
var iOSUrl = string.Format("http://maps.apple.com/maps?q={0}&sll={1}", name.Replace(' ', '+'), loc);
var androidUrl = string.Format("geo:0,0?q={0}({1})", string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(addr) ? loc : addr, name);
var winPhoneUrl = $"bingmaps:?cp={loc}&q={name}";
var url = Device.OnPlatform(iOSUrl, androidUrl, winPhoneUrl);
Also you cannot open any arbitrary app unless you know its Url scheme.
Anyway, if the Device.OpenUri() doesn't fulfill your requirements you are good to create your own implementations using the native APIs.
Please go through the below link and attached photo
Link:-launch-an-app-from-within-another-iphone
I am using below code in xamarin forms
NSUrl request = new NSUrl("Camera://");
var canOpen = UIApplication.SharedApplication.CanOpenUrl(new NSUrl(request.ToString()));
if (!canOpen)
{ Task.FromResult(false); }
else
{
Task.FromResult(UIApplication.SharedApplication.OpenUrl(new NSUrl(request.ToString())));
}
How to move from one app to another app in iOS.
How to go from one to another app if app exist in device at that moment.
let url = NSURL(string: "NameOfTheAppAsOnAppStrore:")
// canOpenURL will return a bool value checking the presence of app in your device and if app is present, it will open the same.
if UIApplication.sharedApplication().canOpenURL(url!)
UIApplication.sharedApplication().openURL(url!)
}
Some details:
I am not enrolled into Mac Developer program, hence the code is not signed.
I am not sandboxing the app.
It's a status bar only app, no dock or menu will appear.
Here's what I did:
Added a new project for helper app on top my existing main app project.
In main app settings:
Added ServiceManagement.framework framework to my main app.
Set Strip Debug Symbols During Copy to NO
In Build Phases tab, under Copy Files, added Contents/Library/LoginItems as Subpath. And added my Helper App.app
For helper app settings:
Set Application is background only to YES
Under Build Settings, set Skip Install to YES
Hocus Pocus.app is my main app and Hocus Pocus Helper.app is helper app.
In AppDelegate of helper app, my code is:
func applicationDidFinishLaunching(aNotification: NSNotification) {
NSWorkspace.sharedWorkspace().launchApplication("Hocus Pocus.app")
NSApplication.sharedApplication().terminate(self)
}
In AppDelegate of main app:
...
override init() {
self.mainBundle = NSBundle.mainBundle()
let path = mainBundle.bundlePath.stringByAppendingPathComponent(
"Contents/Library/LoginItems/Hocus Pocus Helper.app")
self.helperBundle = NSBundle(path: path)!
super.init()
}
...
...
func makeThisAppStartAtLogin(state: Int) {
let result = SMLoginItemSetEnabled(helperBundle.bundleIdentifier!, Boolean(state))
if result != 0 {
println("success")
}
else {
println("failed")
}
}
It's not working when I call makeThisAppStartAtLogin(1), why?
Apple documentation mentions:
The Boolean enabled state of the helper application. This value is effective only for the currently logged in user. If true, the helper application will be started immediately (and upon subsequent logins) and kept running. If false, the helper application will no longer be kept running.
When I call makeThisAppStartAtLogin(_:), it should start helper app immediately. But it doesn't seem to be doing that.
The if block prints success.
In Helper App code, I also sent the path to launchApplication(_:) instead of app name, it did not make any difference.
I have ran this app from default debug directory and also under /Applications
I have also tried following, it didn't make any difference:
...
let launchDaemon: CFStringRef = "avi.Hocus-Pocus-Helper"
if SMLoginItemSetEnabled(launchDaemon, Boolean(state)) {
...
I have checked that helper app is copied to main app at correct path.
When I launch the helper app manually, either from debug folder or from main app's Contents, it does launches main app and kill itself, as it should.
Here's the full repository, if you are interested. Check loginitems branch.