mac app programming guide

By Some app operations are more likely to be targets of malicious exploitation. | 04 Oct 16. This guide introduces you to the most important technologies that go into writing an app. Listing 1-1 shows an example of how to retrieve the base path to the Application Support directory and then append a custom app directory to it. To get the path to this directory use the NSApplicationSupportDirectory search path key with the NSLocalDomainMask domain. For detailed information about the underlying environment of OS X, see Kernel and Device Drivers Layer in Mac Technology Overview. When you adopt App Sandbox, you must code sign your app. This combination of Mach and BSD provides the following system-level support for your apps: Preemptive multitasking—All processes share the CPU efficiently. You should consider providing your users with an immersive, full-screen experience by implementing a full-screen version of your user interface. where is your application's bundle identifier, its name, or your company’s name. 2. See Document-Based App Programming Guide for Mac. Apps should support automatic termination so that the user never has to quit them. If the resources apply to all users on the system, such as document templates, place them in /Library/Application Support. App Sandbox provides a last line of defense against stolen, corrupted, or deleted user data if malicious code exploits your app. Its strategy is twofold: App Sandbox enables you to describe how your app interacts with the system. Programming is one the greatest skills you can possess in the modern world. The app life cycle is the progress of an app from its launch through its termination. (Apps can share part of their memory space to implement fast interprocess communication but take responsibility for synchronizing and locking that memory appropriately.). This directory is typically hidden from the user. For example, there are entitlement keys to indicate that your app needs access to the camera, the network, and user data such as the Address Book. There is no functional connection between an iCloud container and an App Sandbox container. How to convert graphics file types. You secure your app against attack from malware by following the practices recommended in Secure Coding Guide. The latest version of Xamarin.Mac and Visual Studio for Mac. OS X automatically loads high-resolution image resources when an app runs on a screen whose scaling factor is greater than 1.0. iOS Note: Because it is not for user documents, an OS X container differs from an iOS container which, in iOS, is the one and only location for user documents. Rather than expose the entire file system to the user through the open and save panels, some apps, in the manner of iPhoto and iTunes, can provide a better user experience by presenting the user’s content in a simplified browser designed specifically for the app’s content. A Mac computer running macOS 10.7 or greater. You can then add any custom directory and filename information to the returned URL object to complete the path. To get the path to this directory use the NSCachesDirectory search path key with the NSUserDomainMask domain. As you design your app, you should think about the tasks that users normally perform and find ways to make them easier. In particular, this chapter describes some of the important ease-of-use technologies introduced in OS X v10.7. Any time another process attempts to touch one of those items, your app is given a chance to respond. You should always use keychain to store sensitive credentials for your app. Integrating these features into your app architecture can have an impact on the user experience: accessibility, preferences, Spotlight, services, resolution independence, fast user switching, and the Dock. before you send us your feedback. To submit a product bug or enhancement request, please visit the The mechanism works as follows: After the system creates a container for an app, each time an app with the same bundle ID launches, the system checks that the app’s code signature matches a code signature expected by the container. To browse this guide, click Table of Contents near the top of this page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field. The Temporary directory is where you store files that do not need to persist between launches of your app. 3. Including such image resources makes your app’s graphics look even sharper and crisper on those higher-resolution screens. Therefore, when specifying filenames and directories in your code, it is best to assume case-sensitivity. GCD and operation objects are an alternative to raw threads that simplify or eliminate many of the problems normally associated with threaded programming, such as synchronization and locking. Please read Apple's Unsolicited Idea Submission Policy Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. And for a broader overview, take a look at our Complete guide to Mac programming, which looks at a range of coding languages you can use in macOS. Bookmark this page for reference. The Caches directory is where you store cache files and other temporary data that your app can re-create as needed. Table 1-1 lists the directories with which apps commonly interact. All OS X path-finding APIs, above the POSIX layer, are relative to the container instead of to the user’s home directory. To develop an iOS or Mac app you will need the following: Membership of the Apple Developer Program. page. Your sandboxed app can access paths outside of its container in the following three ways: By you configuring your app with entitlements for specific file-system locations, such as the Movies folder, When a path is in any of certain directories that are world readable. Gestures provide simple shortcuts for common tasks and can be used to supplement existing controls and menu commands. You should not use GCD or operations for work requiring time-sensitive data processing (such as audio or video playback), but you can use them for most other types of tasks. For more information about the sandbox, see App Sandbox and XPC. For a general survey of OS X technologies, see Mac Technology Overview. For information on how to use the FSEvents API, see File System Events Programming Guide. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. If your application manages libraries of pictures, music, or movies, the application may also write to the following directories: If the user explicitly chooses to save data in an alternate location (using a Save As dialog), your application may write to the chosen location. App Sandbox also minimizes the damage from coding errors. If you're a complete newcomer to coding, then you probably have lots of questions to ask. This chapter covers the key parts of OS X that help you create great apps. App Sandbox allows the user to transparently grant your app additional access by way of Open and Save dialogs, drag and drop, and other familiar user interactions. For a complete explanation of App Sandbox and how to use it, read App Sandbox Design Guide. For apps running outside of a sandbox (including those running in versions of OS X before 10.7), the home directory is the user-specific subdirectory of /Users that contains the user’s files. On the other hand, if you're writing a library-style (or “shoebox”) app, you must use the file coordination interfaces directly, as described in File System Programming Guide.