michelcrypt4d4mus
commented
1 month ago fwiw i have implemented this feature as part of my briefcase app. while there are a few ways to do it and theoretically the preferred method these days is via Apple's SMJobBless() that approach requires the execution of Swift or objective C code, which could require compiling an entirely separate small app in the bundle.
i used the old method, which involves a postinstall script to execute two steps:
- copying an appropriate
.plistfile (which is already in the app bundle atContents/Library/LaunchAgents) to~/Library/LaunchAgents - calling
launchctl bootstrap
If it's helpful here's the contents of my postinstall script which will install an app in user space (gui/501). it should work for a system level daemon as well with some changes.
#!/bin/bash
# Create .plist file in ~/Library/LaunchAgents and bootstrap. Output of this script can be seen in /var/log/install.log
set -e
# Arg list: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2184714?sortBy=best
# $1 is the full path of the .pkg file
# $2 is the path to the installed app, usually just '/Applications/'
# $3 is the mountpoint of the installer disk, usually just '/'
# $4 is root directory of currently booted system, usually just '/'
APP_BASENAME='IllmaticApp'
BUNDLE_ID='com.illmatic.app'
APP_EXECUTABLE_PATH="$2/$APP_BASENAME.app/Contents/Macos/$APP_BASENAME"
INSTALLED_LAUNCH_AGENT_PATH="$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/$BUNDLE_ID.plist"
# In the env vars accessed by this script $USER = the_actual_user but $UID = 0 (root).
INSTALLING_USER_UID=$(id -u "$USER")
LAUNCHD_DOMAIN="gui/$INSTALLING_USER_UID"
echo "Post installation process started by user $USER..."
echo "-> Checking for and removing existing service..."
INSTALLED_SERVICE=$(launchctl print $LAUNCHD_DOMAIN | grep $BUNDLE_ID | awk '{print $3}')
if [ ! -z $INSTALLED_SERVICE ]; then
echo " -> Existing service found; running launchctl bootout $DOMAIN/$BUNDLE_ID"
launchctl bootout "$DOMAIN/$BUNDLE_ID"
fi
echo "-> Generating .plist at $INSTALLED_LAUNCH_AGENT_PATH"
"$APP_EXECUTABLE_PATH" --generate-plist
echo "-> Running: chown $USER $INSTALLED_LAUNCH_AGENT_PATH"
chown "$USER" "$INSTALLED_LAUNCH_AGENT_PATH"
echo "-> Running: launchctl bootstrap $LAUNCHD_DOMAIN $INSTALLED_LAUNCH_AGENT_PATH"
launchctl bootstrap "$LAUNCHD_DOMAIN" "$INSTALLED_LAUNCH_AGENT_PATH"
echo "Post installation process finished."The .plist file is generated by postinstall calling to the just installed app ("$APP_EXECUTABLE_PATH" --generate-plist) which has something like this in app.py:
def main():
if args.generate_plist:
generate_briefcase_plist()
returnand this in plist_helper.py:
import plistlib
from os.path import join, expanduser
from .app_metadata_helper import MAIN_APP_NAME, get_app_name, get_bundle_identifier, installed_executable_path
# Directories
LAUNCHAGENTS_DIR = expanduser(f"~/Library/LaunchAgents")
LAUNCHAGENT_PLIST_PATH = join(LAUNCHAGENTS_DIR, get_bundle_identifier() + '.plist')
APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR = expanduser(f"~/Library/Application Support/{MAIN_APP_NAME}")
APPLICATION_LOG_DIR = join(APPLICATION_SUPPORT_DIR, 'log')
def generate_briefcase_plist():
"""Run with briefcase run -u -- --generate-plist"""
build_logfile_path = lambda stream: join(APPLICATION_LOG_DIR, f"{get_app_name()}.{stream}.log")
plist_contents = {
"EnvironmentVariables": {
"PATH": f"{installed_executable_path().parent}:/usr/bin:/bin",
},
"KeepAlive": True,
"Label": get_bundle_identifier(),
"ProgramArguments": [str(installed_executable_path())],
"RunAtLoad": True,
"StandardErrorPath": build_logfile_path("stderr"),
"StandardOutPath": build_logfile_path("stdout"),
"WorkingDirectory": str(installed_executable_path().parent),
}
with open(LAUNCHAGENT_PLIST_PATH, "w") as _plist_file:
_plist_file.write(plistlib.dumps(plist_contents).decode())
print(f"Wrote {get_app_name()} .plist config to '{LAUNCHAGENT_PLIST_PATH}'")And here's the generated .plist file (launchctl is very finicky)
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
<dict>
<key>PATH</key>
<string>/Applications/IllmaticApp.app/Contents/MacOS:/usr/bin:/bin</string>
</dict>
<key>KeepAlive</key>
<true/>
<key>Label</key>
<string>com.illmatic.app</string>
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/Applications/IllmaticApp.app/Contents/MacOS/IllmaticApp</string>
</array>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
<key>StandardErrorPath</key>
<string>/Users/uzor/Library/Application Support/IllmaticApp/log/IllmaticApp.stderr.log</string>
<key>StandardOutPath</key>
<string>/Users/uzor/Library/Application Support/IllmaticApp/log/IllmaticApp.stdout.log</string>
<key>WorkingDirectory</key>
<string>/Applications/IllmaticApp.app/Contents/MacOS</string>
</dict>
</plist>As far as i can tell the main advantage of SMJobBless is that you can add a login item without copying the .plist to ~/Library/LaunchAgents.
freakboy3742
What is the problem or limitation you are having?
Some apps (in particular server and toolbar style apps) need to add themselves to the startup items list. Briefcase should be able to produce apps that can install themselves in the startup item list
Describe the solution you'd like
Apps should have a configuration option so that when an app is installed, it is added to the startup items for the platform - e.g.,
On macOS, this will require the use of a .pkg installer (see #1781) On Windows, it will require an MSI installer Linux packages will result in the app being added to systemd/initd.
It might be desirable to add this in a way that the user can opt-in, rather than it being a forced requirement on installation.
Describe alternatives you've considered
None.
Additional context
No response