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[Q] How to add a program as a login item after installing?
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[Q] How to add a program as a login item after installing?


  • Subject: [Q] How to add a program as a login item after installing?
  • From: JongAm Park <email@hidden>
  • Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:21:56 -0700


Thanks for the quick response.

Well, in my case, we wanted to avoid such workflow.
We want installing & running the special app to be transparent from users.
The program will add a status bar menu item and that's all. It should run transparent.


I know that there is a way to put Objective-C /Carbon code into the app and when it is once launched, it registers itself as a login item.
However, under that scenario, a user should launch it for himself at least.


If current approach is not possible, it may be better to put an AppleScript file on the user's desktop and guide him to launch it.

By the way, do you think that running the AppleScript in root privilege in the installer package can be the cause of my problem?

Thank you.

On Jun 21, 2008, at 11:08 PM, Peelman Nick wrote:

I would have MyTroubledApp prompt the first time it runs and ask the user if they wanted it to become a login item, then use the internal Cocoa methods to set it. As i said, setting something like that transparently with a package is _BAD_ form. The process should be done by the user, with their consent. Apple added the functionality to add login items via applescript so that USERS could script things like that, not so that developers could do it. They have much better methods built into Cocoa to do things like that.

That's just me, design principles from Apple, and the dozens of other programs that already do things that way talking though...

-nick

--
Nick Peelman
email@hidden


"The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures."

On Jun 22, 2008, at 2:03, JongAm Park wrote:

Hello.

Thank you for having interest in this issue.

I don't understand your first (A) statement.

What I would like to do is to install a Cocoa program, called MyTroubledApp.
And using an AppleScript or whatever method, I would like to add the MyTroubledApp to the login item of the user who runs the installer.


On Jun 21, 2008, at 9:15 PM, Peelman Nick wrote:

I'm not sure I follow what you're doing...are you:

A) trying to have that applescript even fire as part of the automated task list of the package

or

B) Trying to use a package install that app which is actually just an applescript saved as a .app?

in the case of A i recommend using a different method, as apps that silently and without permission install themselves as a login item is generally a _bad_ thing unless there is a very specific reason for it. They can also cause problems with automated deployments using Apple Remote Desktop or other 'pushing' distrubtion methods as if the machine is at a login window it can start a menubar, dock, and sometimes even Finder, all of which are owned by root UNDER the login window, and fully usable by anybody who sits at the console, effectively rooting that box without the person ever have to do anything.

in teh case of B you may be missing resource forks, as those always bit me in the ass when trying to push a saved applescript. Then i started using Iceberg and my life got a whole lot simpler (no i'm serious, if you can use something as complicated and un- friendly as PM you can use Iceberg and building the same package will take you a fraction of the time and frustration, i promise).

If i completely missed the ball let me know and if i can get on the same page i'll try to present more applicable help!

-nick


-- Nick Peelman email@hidden

Let's agree to respect each others views, no matter how wrong yours may be


On Jun 20, 2008, at 19:34, JongAm Park wrote:

Hello, all.

I'm trying hard to wrap an application program using the PackageMaker.
By searching on the Apple site, I could copy & paste this AppleScript :


tell application "System Events"
make new login item at end with properties { path:"/Library/ Application Support/Final Cut Pro System Support/Plugins/blah blah.app", hidden:false}
end tell


It is saved as an application and also added to the package.

After choosing the whole packages heading and I added the Apple Script app as a post installation item.
However, it doesn't add the blahblah.app to the login item.


If I double click the file in the Finder, it adds the interested app to the login item successfully.

Can anyone help me to solve this problem?

Thank you.
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