Setting Application User Model ID of other process - windows-7

I have a launcher app that starts another app. For the other App to play nicely with Windows 7's taskbars, I have to set the Application User Model ID.
Usually a process has to set this id for itself, by calling SetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID(), but in this specific case I do not have control about the other apps startup code, so I have to set this externally, at best by using some kind of ShellExecute which passes the ID to the app.
Is this possible?

Windows will auto generate a id for the process if it does not call SetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID, this should be enough for the recent files jumplist section.
If you for whatever reason really want to set a specific id for a 3rd party app, I would try one of these (I have not tried any of these suggestions)
use SHGetPropertyStoreForWindow on the apps window (I have never tried to set the id like this, but I know you can read the id of another process this way)
Create a temporary shortcut that launches the app with a specific id
Inject into the process and call SetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID

Related

How to make a Finder Sync Extension change badges in response to outside events

I have a Finder Sync Extension that will display a badge on a file based on the state of a local database. It's straightforward enough to query this database in the requestBadgeIdentifierForURL function, but what if I want the badge to change for a Finder item that's already visible if the state of that database has changed (which can be via a notification through any variety of mechanisms). The documentation (https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/General/Conceptual/ExtensibilityPG/Finder.html) would seem to imply this is possible with this statement:
You might also want to track these URLs, in order to update their
badges whenever their state changes.
The only ways I can imagine this would be possible (and most seem wrong) would be:
call setBadgeIdentifier:forURL from another application that is aware of the change
Launch a thread in the init function of my extension which listens for notifications and calls setBadgeIdentifier:forURL when it receives them
Call some OS API that prompts Finder that the extension should be triggered via requestBadgeIdentifierForURL.
Only the last one seems feasible, and could be managed via the extension informing the outside resource what needs refreshing via the beginObservingDirectoryAtURL/endObservingDirectoryAtURL callbacks, but i don't know what mechanism could do this.

AppleScript application can't get rights in Accessibility

I'm having trouble with my own AppleScript applications and Accessibility in "Security & Privacy".
I've written an application called "open cubase" that I've granted accessibility rights. I used Apple's advice on how to prevent repeated re-authorization (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5914). But now even when the application is listed and selected in the Accessibility list, it says that it doesn't have assistive access.
And when I'm using
sudo sqlite3 /Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.TCC/Tcc.db 'SELECT * FROM access WHERE client LIKE "%%"'
to check what's going on, I can see this:
kTCCServiceAccessibility|com.atonus.open-cubase|0|1|0|??
Why is there ?? at the end of that? Is there anyone who would know how to resolve this?
I'm using OSX 10.9.2.
Update, based on feedback from the OP:
The OP's issue is not the use of property statements that normally cause an AppleScript-based application to self-modify the application bundle's embedded Contents/Resources/Scripts/main.scpt script file when property values change at runtime.
However, Apple's workaround at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5914
IS specifically meant to address not requiring re-authorization as a result of this self-modification issue for a given version of an application.
is NOT meant to allow updating the app (changing its source code or resources) without re-authorization.
For security reasons there is NO way to grant one-time authorization to an app based on its bundle ID and then keep it authorized no matter how it changes (e.g., through updates).
You have two options:
Either: Re-authorize the application every time you update it.
After updating your app, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility and toggle the checkmark next to the list item representing your application (if you application isn't there, drag it there).
Note: With Apple's workaround in place - which for security reasons is NOT a good idea unless you truly need to use property statements that persist their values - it may be sufficient to re-sign the application - haven't verified that.
Or: Use a workaround - not recommended for security reasons:
Make your app an unchanging wrapper that loads the true script code at runtime from a location OUTSIDE the app bundle - that way, the app stays the same and doesn't require re-authorization even if the script file loaded at runtime changes.
Example: Say your true script code - involving code requiring assistive access - is stored as ~/Desktop.test.scpt; your wrapper application, once authorized, can then invoke that script with run script file ((path to home folder as text) & "Desktop:test.scpt")
I don't have a specific explanation, but a recommendation:
Do not use properties (e.g., property FNAME : "Input.txt") in your AppleScript-based applications: AppleScript persists these automatically (preserves their values between runs), but the feature is implemented awkwardly (the persisted values are written to the *.scpt file itself - this is what causes the repeated authorization problem) and flimsily (if you modify your application and save (the *.scpt file at the heart of the) application again, previously persistent values are lost).
If you stay away from properties, the problem with repeated authorization simply goes away (unless you update your application). You can roll your own persistence, e.g., via AppleScript's support for .plist (property-list) files (see the System Events dictionary).
You also won't need the workaround described in the linked support article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5914), which is also a plus, given that the workaround is based on opening up a security hole.
As for your specific question:
The ?? is the - unhelpful - representation of the csreq columnn value from the TCC.db database and is not a problem per se; OSX manages that column behind the scenes; it contains a fingerprint of sorts identifying the application in its specific current form (similar to an MD5 hash, though I have no idea what is actually being used), so as to be able to detect tampering later.
However, I suspect you may be looking at the wrong database entry:
I'm puzzled by your bundle ID being com.atonus.open-cubase: if your app is an AppleScript-based *.app bundle, its bundle ID would have the fixed prefix com.apple.ScriptEditor.id., e.g., com.apple.ScriptEditor.id.open-cubase. Did you manually modify the bundle ID via the bundle's Info.plist file, or am I missing something?
When the OS determines tampering/a change in an authorized application:
It resets the allowed column value to 0, i.e., revokes authorization
It resets the csreq column value to NULL.
Thus, after you've seen the ... is not allowed assistive access dialog, the database entry should be reported as kTCCServiceAccessibility|com.atonus.open-cubase|0|0|1| - note the changed Boolean flags and the absence of the ?? at the end.

Launching a GUI application from Windows service

I have read this post and I had little success with the given answer. It said to
use WTSEnumerateSessions to find the right desktop
but all I got was the station name in the WTS_SESSION_INFO struct. The names I saw (e.g. "console", "service") were nothing like the station/desktop names like "Winsta0\default". The answer proceed to state
then CreateProcessAsUser to start the application on that desktop (you pass it the handle of the desktop as part of the STARTUPINFO structure)
I don't think it's referring to a HANDLE variable for the desktop since STARTUPINFO has no members for that. What I think it's referring to is the lpDesktop member which allows you to specify the station/desktop name. Using names returned by WTSEnumerateSessions failed to launch any visible UI, whereas "Winsta0\default" did.
What did I do wrong?
Just tried WTSEnumerateSessions on Windows Seven: my user session (session 1) is named "Console".

Re-render/refresh application on runtime

I have the following question:
I have an application that I'm using Marionette.Layout and this Layout has regions.
I want to add the option to the user to change language(on run time), meaning after the application is already render and the user is working, he can change the language and all the application should be change it to the selected language.
My Question:
1. I need to 'refresh/re-render' all the application, how is this done, I didn't found or I miss it, how to re-render the application?
I already have a a mechanism that the 'templates' are like:
https://github.com/janl/mustache.js/issues/216
This is working when the application is started, the first time, I need on run time to re-render/refresh with the new data
Unfortunately there isn't anything in the Marionette to do this for you. You will have to write the code to re-render the entire application with the new language setting, yourself.

How can a Mac app determine the method used to launch it?

I have a Mac OS X application that is also a protocol handler (just as, for example, Safari is a protocol handler for the HTTP and HTTPS protocols). So when a user clicks a link of the form myscheme://some-kind-of-info in any application at all, my application launches to handle the link.
Now I need to be able to determine if the application was launched by such a link click, or if it was launched by any other method. In other words, it was launched by any method besides a link click. (In those cases, I want the app to stay open, but if it was launched by a link it should quit and ignore the link. This way it only operates when already running.)
Is there some way within the app at startup to introspect and find out that it was launched by a standard method rather than by an AppleScript GetURL event? I'd like to find out through a documented method, rather than - for example - just have my app only open these links after it's been running for a half a second.
You can register a handler for each of the possible Apple Events you'll get on launch, and make note of which one you receive first.
If the application is launched without documents, you'll get kAEOpenApplication.
If it's launched with documents, you'll get kAEOpenDocuments (or
kAEPrintDocuments).
If it's launched with a URL, then (obviously) you'll get kAEGetURL.
There's also kAEOpenContents, but I wasn't able to trigger it easily in my test app; it's probably worth supporting no matter what.
How Cocoa Applications Handle Apple Events documents all of this stuff.
There is one error in there, though; it says that AppleScript's "launch" will send kAEOpenApplication. It won't, it'll send ascr/noop (kASAppleScriptSuite/kASLaunchEvent, defined in ASRegistry.h). I couldn't get the usual Cocoa event handler mechanism to trap this event, so you may need to do some more digging there.
One way you can check if the event is sent at launch is to register the event handlers in your application delegate's applicationWillFinishLaunching: method; they should deliver by the time applicationDidFinishLaunching: is invoked. With that method, you could potentially only check for kAEGetURL.

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