We have 4 mac applications that form part of a 'suite', each for use with a different scientific instrument connected via USB.
My colleagues on Windows have developed a splash screen app that lets you choose one of the four separate programs to run, depending on what instrument you are using. On Windows this splash screen app is in the same folder as the other executables and all the dependencies and libraries are included in the same folder as well. So its as easy as clicking the required radio button and then that program will launch.
What I was hoping to do on Mac OS X was to bundle the 4 separate programs into one app bundle and also the splash screen, so that when the application is launched the user will be presented with the splash screen, then when you choose the appropriate app it gets launched automatically.
The dependencies and libraries are common for all the apps.
I'm comfortable building an app bundle with all the dependencies using the mac deployment tool but i'm unsure if its possible to build multiple binaries into one app bundle, and how to set the default app to be launched (the splash screen).
Thanks in advance :)
Mitch
Yes, multiple app bundles inside another app bundle is possible.
how to set the default app to be launched
As you're probably aware, when you build a bundle, the main executable binary file is resident in the bundle's Contents/MacOS folder.
Also in the bundle is the Info.plist file, which is a manifest that OS X uses, amongst other things, to know which binary to execute when the user runs the application. In this case, the key CFBundleExecutable names the binary in the Contents/MacOS folder.
If you copy the other application bundles to the Resources folder, you can then locate them from the Splash Screen app and execute as required.
Related
I have an installer app that gets distributed inside of a notarized disk image. The app is a simple program that performs a few checks on the system and then launches the macOS installer to install a pkg that is contained with the app's bundle.
However, even though this app is inside a mounted disk image, and even though the file it's trying to open is inside its own signed and notarized bundle, it still triggers the "App would like to access files in your Downloads folder" if the dmg is located in the user's Downloads folder, which it almost always will be.
Is there any way to get this app to launch the installer without triggering this message? The entire point of the app is to try and make the installation process as smooth and seamless as possible. The explicit goal is that opening it will go directly into the mac installer with no warning messages, interruptions, or any other sort of dialog box that risks confusing or alarming the user.
Note: just distributing the pkg on its own is not an option, because the purpose of this app is to work around a bug in macOS's installer on Apple Silicon macs. The pkg is Intel only, and if I add a script to it that executes when the pkg opens, then it will confusingly display a warning message to the user twice, once when Installer.app opens as an arm64 process, and then again when it relaunches as an x86_64 process.
This is an annoyingly roundabout workaround, but I managed to do it using launchd.
The gist of the method is to create a plist file in the user's temporary folder specifying a launchd job that starts on demand and just calls /usr/bin/open to open the pkg file inside the application bundle, and then call launchctl to load it. Once the installer is open, remove the launchd job.
I am not new to programming, but I am new to Swift. I have developed a small app that I have no intention of distributing, I just want to use it for myself. Everything works just as desired in XCode and now I want to deploy that app locally. How can I run my app on my machine without needing to have XCode also running? I just want to see my app in my Applications folder and run it when I want. Does XCode put build files somewhere that I can access them and use outside of XCode?
On the Product menu there is an Archive option. Select that to create an archive of your app.
Xcode should then automatically open the Organiser window with the archive of your app selected.
You'll see a big blue button called Upload to App Store on the right with two smaller buttons below it. The one you want is called Export... Press it and you'll get a pane giving you various export options with different kinds of signing.
The bottom option creates an unsigned .app file which you can put in your Applications directory.
NB As Eric D says, you can just drag the app out of the products directory, but unless you edit the scheme, that will give you a debug build with less optimisation and with asserts activated.
Update for Xcode 11.2
As Bell B. Cooper points out, the process has changed slightly. Now when you archive an app, you get a window listing the apps and a big blue "Distribute" button. Pressing this, gets you a dialog box giving you the various options. Which one you choose depends on what you want to do with the executable. With Catalina, unless it's just for your own use, you probably want to go for one of the options that involves signing the app.
Edit: while this answer still works, it targets old Xcode versions and uses the debug version of your executable. For recent Xcode versions, and for using the release version of your executable, see JeremyP's answer.
Each time you build an OS X application with the current scheme, Xcode automatically populates the "Products" folder with the related app bundle.
You can find this folder in the Project Navigator:
Xcode > Project Navigator > "Products" folder
Your .app is in there and ready to be used and/or copied to the /Applications folder.
I can run a FireMonkey Application on Mac OSX with PAServer. But now, I would like to deploy the application Mac OS (something like MSI under Windows). How can I do this?
You'll want to read more about Application Bundles.
Using the application bundle that Delphi creates and deploys via PAServer
Since you're using the PAServer, you'll find that it has already created an application bundle for you. After you run the program via the PAServer, look in the following folder on the Mac for the application bundle:
/Users/[username]/Applications/Embarcadero/PAServer/scratch-dir/[profilename]
If your project is named Project1, you'll see an application bundle in that folder named Project1.
If you read the above wiki article, you'll know that Project1 has a "hidden" extension of .app, and the whole thing is really a folder with all of the required files to run the application.
Go ahead and run this application bundle directly on the Mac. If it complains about missing dylibs, such as libmidas.dylib, simply copy them from the PAServer folder into the application bundle's MacOS folder.
To the Mac OS user, the application bundle appears as a single program file, complete with an icon. The user can double-click the application bundle to run the application, drag it to their dock, etc.
Changing the icon
The application bundle will have the Delphi icon by default, but you can replace it with your own icon. On the Mac, simply right-click on the application bundle in Finder, and select Show Package Contents. In there, look in the Contents/Resources folder for the .icns file.
Use the Icon Composer application that was installed with XCode to create your .icns icon file from existing image files.
Peeking inside the bundle
Peek around inside at the rest of the contents. You'll see the required dylib, your program file, and the Info.plist file, which is a text file with things like application IDs, signatures, and other important things.
More about deployment
If your application can be self contained in an app bundle, the standard method is to put the application bundle inside a disk image .dmg file, which allows the user to drop the application into the applications folder.
If your application requires the installation of additional files, libraries, databases, or frameworks, etc., you should create a package. You can utilize PackageMaker to do this. A package is similar to the "msi" installer on Windows that you mention.
When the user double-clicks the package, it's run by Installer. It has a wizard style interface and walks the user through installing the application. You can also sign the package with your code signing certificate.
If you want to include your application bundle in the app store, you'll need to sign it. You'll also need to sandbox it.
Sandboxing and the Mac App Store - Nov 2, 2011
The vast majority of Mac users have been free from malware and we're
working on technologies to help keep it that way. As of March 1, 2012
all apps submitted to the Mac App Store must implement sandboxing.
Sandboxing your app is a great way to protect systems and users by
limiting the resources apps can access and making it more difficult
for malicious software to compromise users' systems. Learn more by
visiting the App Sandbox page.
You must create an Application Bundle in order to deploy you app on a OSX System .
Check these links for more information
Deploying Your Application (Mac OS X installers )
Application Bundle
Building Fancy DMG Images on Mac OS X
I created a simple testbed app in Delphi XE2, and compiled both a Win32 and OSX version of the application.
I zipped up the OSX version, along with a copy of the libcgunwind dylib runtime file and copied this files to a Mac i have access to.
When I unzipped the file, the mac recognized my OSX application and I double clicked it.
This, in turn, opened up a terminal window for some unknown reason along with my simple app's form.
The application itself ran and behaved just fine, but I'm curious why a terminal window would open up on the Mac?
There is a free tool available for Delphi XE2 that will create the OSX deployment app bundle for you, from Windows, without the need for PAServer.
http://enesce.com/delphiosx_bundler
Check the readme for instructions.
IIRC this happens if you execute the binary directly instead via a bundle
Lazarus/FPC apps had the same problem. IIRC the directly executed binary also didn't get events under those circumstances, but those apps were Carbon based. That problem also went away when running via a bundle setup (which is pretty much a manifest, a few dirs and a symlink)
Your application needs to be run from the application bundle. If you run it directly, you'll get the side effect of seeing the terminal window with the command line that is running the application.
You'll want to read more about Application Bundles.
If you're using PAServer, after you run the program for the first time on the Mac, look in the following folder on the Mac for the application bundle:
/Users/[username]/Applications/Embarcadero/PAServer/scratch-dir/[profilename]
If your project is named Project1, you'll see an application bundle in that folder named Project1.
If you read the above wiki article, you'll know that Project1 has a "hidden" extension of .app, and the whole thing is really a folder with all of the required files to run the application.
To the Mac OS user, the application bundle appears as a single program file, complete with an icon. The user can double-click the application bundle to run the application, drag it to their dock, etc.
The application bundle will have the Delphi icon by default, but you can replace it with your own icon. On the Mac, simply right-click on the application bundle in Finder, and select Show Package Contents. In there, look in the Contents/Resources folder for the .icns file.
Use the Icon Composer application that was installed with XCode to create your .icns icon file from existing image files.
Peek around inside at the rest of the contents. You'll see the required dylib, your program file, and the Info.plist file, which is a text file with things like application IDs, signatures, and other important things.
iPhone Apps built for the simulator are stored here:
/Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/User/Applications
Is it possible to copy the <GUID>.sb and <GUID> directory and install them on a different computer (with Development tools installed)?
This would be very useful for testing/demoing with out having to buy iPhones for all the managers and external clients.
I found a way that requires just a little more setup, but is much easier for non-developers:
Instructions for your users/testers:
Install Xcode following Apple's instructions
Double-click the attached application - the iPhone simulator will launch, install the app and start it automatically.
How to set it up:
Download and unzip (to a folder on your desktop or wherever) 'Simulator Bundler' from: http://github.com/landonf/simlaunch/downloads
Set your XCode build target to the required Simulator configuration (iPad/iPhone/which iOS version)
Do a 'Build and archive'
Find it: select 'Archived applications' in the Organizer, right click the relevant build, select "Reveal archived application in Finder"
Drag the application (yourAppName, no extension) onto the Simulator Bundler app
Done. This will create a self-contained Mac OS X yourAppDisplayName.app file in the same folder (with your app's icon as the icon) that you can stick up on an FTP server or email to your users/testers.
--
I think it's much neater/slicker than having to explain where to copy files, how to launch the simulator and so on.. And if anything gets messed up they can just uninstall via the familiar tap-and-hold + (x) gesture in the simulator UI, then double-click the app you sent them again.
You can also produce several of these packages changing the bundle identifier between builds, allowing them to be installed side by side in your testers' simulators; say for getting some user feedback on different UI designs, or configure one for Production and one for Staging/QA servers, so your content editors can check their changes before they go live or whatever..
The ability to reinstall the app from a desktop icon is also very convenient for localisation testing: launch the simulator, uninstall the app if present, set the required region format and language, double click the icon on your desktop, test; repeat for each required locale. (guarantees a fresh install each time, I've found that switching language with the app installed can result in all sorts of strange behaviour)
Yes, if you send those files to another person, and they put them into that directory, they can test the applications in the iPhone Simulator as well :)