Starting a Carbon application at user login

[Jorge]

Hello,

I have recently written some post about how to run daemons in Mac OS
X. I have a Carbon application (using CarbonLib) which tracks
application usage and writes the information to log files. As Eric
Albert told me in a recent post (thank you again Eric), this
application cannot be a daemon because it connects to the window
server ...

Well, I found information in apple website to create a login script
(LoginHook), this is at:

[url]http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/BootingLogin/chapter_4_section_4.html[/url]

I have tried this and finally I was able to create a small script
which launches my Carbon application at user login, and everything
works fine. Now, my question is how can I create an installation
process to install my application? The installation process includes
to login as root, to create folders, to copy files, to modify the
/etc/ttys file, to assign permissions and other steps ...

Any suggestions to install my app? ...
Thanks in advance!

[Miro Jurisic]

In article <4beb34a4.0309191156.24534c00@posting.google.com >,
[email]rgasparini29@yahoo.com[/email] (Jorge) wrote:

> I have tried this and finally I was able to create a small script
> which launches my Carbon application at user login, and everything
> works fine.

That's all wrong. Just add your application to user's login items, after asking
the user for permission. You can do so using a simple AppleScript, which I have
previously posted here and don't feel like looking up since you can find it on
groups.google.com

hth

meeroh

--
If this message helped you, consider buying an item
from my wish list: <http://web.meeroh.org/wishlist>

[Eric Albert]

In article <4beb34a4.0309191156.24534c00@posting.google.com >,
[email]rgasparini29@yahoo.com[/email] (Jorge) wrote:

> Well, I found information in apple website to create a login script
> (LoginHook), this is at:
>
> [url]http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/Boot[/url]
> ingLogin/chapter_4_section_4.html

Wow...I can't believe that's documented. Please don't do that. It's
really not the right way to do what you're trying. Just modify your app
to link against CoreServices instead of Carbon and make it a startup
item, or keep it linking against Carbon and put it in every user's login
items.

-Eric

--
Eric Albert [email]ejalbert@stanford.edu[/email]
[url]http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~ejalbert/[/url]

[Sean McBride]

In article <ejalbert-F59808.00105920092003@news.stanford.edu>,
Eric Albert <ejalbert@stanford.edu> wrote:

> > Well, I found information in apple website to create a login script
> > (LoginHook), this is at:
> >
> > [url]http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/Bo[/url]
> > ot
> > ingLogin/chapter_4_section_4.html

>
> Wow...I can't believe that's documented. Please don't do that.

Am I the only one that wishes there was a ~/Library/LoginItems that
could contain aliases of items to run at login? Like the OS 9 startup
items folder.

[Miro Jurisic]

In article <cwatson-E8CF1E.13301921092003@aeinews.aei.ca>,
Sean McBride <cwatson@cam.org> wrote:

> Am I the only one that wishes there was a ~/Library/LoginItems that
> could contain aliases of items to run at login? Like the OS 9 startup
> items folder.

No, but AppleScripting this is easy enough too.

meeroh

--
If this message helped you, consider buying an item
from my wish list: <http://web.meeroh.org/wishlist>

[Eric Albert]

In article <cwatson-E8CF1E.13301921092003@aeinews.aei.ca>,
Sean McBride <cwatson@cam.org> wrote:

> In article <ejalbert-F59808.00105920092003@news.stanford.edu>,
> Eric Albert <ejalbert@stanford.edu> wrote:
>

> > > Well, I found information in apple website to create a login script
> > > (LoginHook), this is at:
> > >
> > > [url]http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/[/url]
> > > BootingLogin/chapter_4_section_4.html

> >
> > Wow...I can't believe that's documented. Please don't do that.

>
> Am I the only one that wishes there was a ~/Library/LoginItems that
> could contain aliases of items to run at login? Like the OS 9 startup
> items folder.

No, you're not the only one who thinks that. :) That's orthogonal to
this thread, though, since login hooks aren't how login items work.

-Eric

--
Eric Albert [email]ejalbert@stanford.edu[/email]
[url]http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~ejalbert/[/url]

[James W. Walker]

In article <macdev-9B9464.13585821092003@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>,
Miro Jurisic <macdev@meeroh.org> wrote:

> No, but AppleScripting this is easy enough too.

As far as I know, the AppleScript approach was not documented and will
not work under Panther. As for Jaguar, I ran into a case where the
script didn't work. The case in which it doesn't work is if you have
previously used System Events to set a login item, and System Events is
still running. Then there is no error message, but the new item just
doesn't show up in the Login Items preference panel.

[Jim Correia]

In article <macdev-9B9464.13585821092003@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>,
Miro Jurisic <macdev@meeroh.org> wrote:

> In article <cwatson-E8CF1E.13301921092003@aeinews.aei.ca>,
> Sean McBride <cwatson@cam.org> wrote:
>

> > Am I the only one that wishes there was a ~/Library/LoginItems that
> > could contain aliases of items to run at login? Like the OS 9 startup
> > items folder.

>
> No, but AppleScripting this is easy enough too.

FWIW, Apple doesn't recommend that approach because of current bugs.

<[url]http://lists.apple.com/archives/cocoa-dev/2003/Sep/20/loginitems.002.txt[/url]

>

Jim

[Eric Albert]

In article <210920031117073337%osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid >,
"James W. Walker" <osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid> wrote:

> In article <macdev-9B9464.13585821092003@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>,
> Miro Jurisic <macdev@meeroh.org> wrote:
>

> > No, but AppleScripting this is easy enough too.

>
> As far as I know, the AppleScript approach was not documented and will
> not work under Panther.

Why not? I'd expect a login item that's an AppleScript application that
opens everything in ~/Library/LoginItems to work just fine without extra
documentation and without regard to OS changes. If it doesn't, that
sounds like an important bug....

-Eric

--
Eric Albert [email]ejalbert@stanford.edu[/email]
[url]http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~ejalbert/[/url]

[James W. Walker]

In article <ejalbert-9D409B.15012721092003@news.stanford.edu>, Eric
Albert <ejalbert@stanford.edu> wrote:

> In article <210920031117073337%osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid >,
> "James W. Walker" <osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid> wrote:
>

> > In article <macdev-9B9464.13585821092003@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>,
> > Miro Jurisic <macdev@meeroh.org> wrote:
> >

> > > No, but AppleScripting this is easy enough too.

> >
> > As far as I know, the AppleScript approach was not documented and will
> > not work under Panther.

>
> Why not? I'd expect a login item that's an AppleScript application that
> opens everything in ~/Library/LoginItems to work just fine without extra
> documentation and without regard to OS changes. If it doesn't, that
> sounds like an important bug....

No, I believe that Miro Jurisic was referring to a technique of
defining a login item that involves using AppleScript to talk to the
System Events application. But I could be mistaken.

[Miro Jurisic]

In article <210920031823530134%osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid >,
"James W. Walker" <osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid> wrote:

> In article <ejalbert-9D409B.15012721092003@news.stanford.edu>, Eric
> Albert <ejalbert@stanford.edu> wrote:
>

> > In article <210920031117073337%osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid >,
> > "James W. Walker" <osxNOSPAM@jwwalker.com.invalid> wrote:
> >

> > > In article <macdev-9B9464.13585821092003@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>,
> > > Miro Jurisic <macdev@meeroh.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > > No, but AppleScripting this is easy enough too.
> > >
> > > As far as I know, the AppleScript approach was not documented and will
> > > not work under Panther.

> >
> > Why not? I'd expect a login item that's an AppleScript application that
> > opens everything in ~/Library/LoginItems to work just fine without extra
> > documentation and without regard to OS changes. If it doesn't, that
> > sounds like an important bug....

>
> No, I believe that Miro Jurisic was referring to a technique of
> defining a login item that involves using AppleScript to talk to the
> System Events application. But I could be mistaken.

You are right. Thanks for the heads-up for Panther.

meeroh

--
If this message helped you, consider buying an item
from my wish list: <http://web.meeroh.org/wishlist>

[James W. Walker]

In article <macdev-CFDF11.21384221092003@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu>,
Miro Jurisic <macdev@meeroh.org> wrote:

> You are right. Thanks for the heads-up for Panther.

Actually, looks like I was wrong. Maybe it wasn't in some earlier
version of Panther, but it's there now.

[Jorge]

Thanks to everybody, I'm sorry for the late reply.

Eric, I think you are right, this is not the best approach.

I can't use the Login Items option, because this application will run
in several machines and I can't to install it for each user. Besides,
I can't ask for user permission because the app must to run silently.
Remember that it is a tracking app.

I think I should to consider the CoreServices option. I have just one
doubt, can I catch events when an application brings to front with the
CoreServices framework? Because I'm now using CarbonEvents and
installing the event handlers with the "InstallEventHandler" option
and it is not available with CoreServices.

Regards ...!


Eric Albert <ejalbert@stanford.edu> wrote in message news:<ejalbert-F59808.00105920092003@news.stanford.edu>...

> In article <4beb34a4.0309191156.24534c00@posting.google.com >,
> [email]rgasparini29@yahoo.com[/email] (Jorge) wrote:
>

> > Well, I found information in apple website to create a login script
> > (LoginHook), this is at:
> >
> > [url]http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/Boot[/url]
> > ingLogin/chapter_4_section_4.html

>
> Wow...I can't believe that's documented. Please don't do that. It's
> really not the right way to do what you're trying. Just modify your app
> to link against CoreServices instead of Carbon and make it a startup
> item, or keep it linking against Carbon and put it in every user's login
> items.
>
> -Eric