GUI wrapper for command line application

On Mon, 1 Mar 2004, Carlo Noben wrote:

> searchTask=[[TaskWrapper alloc] initWithController:self arguments:[NSArray
> arrayWithObjects:
> @"/Volumes/Titanium/Applications/guitool/build/guitool/Contents/tool",
> [findTextField stringValue], nil]];

Unless you're being really nonstandard, you're missing the ".app"
extension from your application's bundle name. What you see in the Finder
doesn't always match what the filesystem actually contains.

The right way to do this is to put the tool in your bundle's Resources
folder, and then use [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:ofType:] to
get its path. That way it will work even if you move the app, and you
don't run the risk of making typos or forgetting extensions.

> Sorry for not being more specific right away.

No problem, just keep in mind that if we have no idea what's going on, we
can't help very much.

in article 20040301104725.G8539.DeleteThis@agamemnon.twistedsys.net, Michael Ash at
mikeash.DeleteThis@mikeash.com wrote on 3/1/04 4:49 PM:

> On Mon, 1 Mar 2004, Carlo Noben wrote:
>
>> I'm trying to write a GUI wrapper for a command line application and am
>> following Apple's Moriarity example.
>>
>> Launching the command line app works fine as long as I put it anywhere *but*
>> the GUI application bundle.
>>
>> If I put it in the bundle (as I would like the program to be self-contained)
>> I get a "not found" error.
>
> Details. What is giving you a 'not found' error? Where are you putting it
> in the bundle? How are you starting it?

This is how Apple's code does it:

searchTask=[[TaskWrapper alloc] initWithController:self arguments:[NSArray
arrayWithObjects:@"/usr/bin/locate",[findTextField stringValue],nil]];

So I thought I'd put the command line app called 'tool' into the Contents
folder of the GUI wrapper bundle (called 'guitool') and invoke it with the
following command:

searchTask=[[TaskWrapper alloc] initWithController:self arguments:[NSArray
arrayWithObjects:
@"/Volumes/Titanium/Applications/guitool/build/guitool/Contents/tool",
[findTextField stringValue], nil]];

But as I said in my initial message this doesn't work and gives me the
following error in Xcode:

2004-03-01 17:12:55.157 tool[454] launch path not accessible

when clicking the 'Start' button in the GUI wrapper.


Sorry for not being more specific right away.


Carlo

in article 20040301112344.U8539 DeleteThis @agamemnon.twistedsys.net, Michael Ash at
mikeash DeleteThis @mikeash.com wrote on 3/1/04 5:30 PM:

> On Mon, 1 Mar 2004, Carlo Noben wrote:
>
>> searchTask=[[TaskWrapper alloc] initWithController:self arguments:[NSArray
>> arrayWithObjects:
>> @"/Volumes/Titanium/Applications/guitool/build/guitool/Contents/tool",
>> [findTextField stringValue], nil]];
>
> Unless you're being really nonstandard, you're missing the ".app"
> extension from your application's bundle name. What you see in the Finder
> doesn't always match what the filesystem actually contains.
>

Oops, I feel really stupid now. Indeed, I forgot to add the .app extension.
It works perfectly now.

> The right way to do this is to put the tool in your bundle's Resources
> folder, and then use [[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:ofType:] to
> get its path. That way it will work even if you move the app, and you
> don't run the risk of making typos or forgetting extensions.

Incidentally, I tried this first, but couldn't get it to work either. So I
wanted to try it a hard coded path first. I just found out that I omitted
the ofType:@"" parameter (as command line tools normally don't have a
Creator nor Type, so I just made it empty). Now that version works
perfectly, too.


Thank you very much for your help!

Carlo

In article <BC692042.49E9%carlo.noben@education.lu>,
Carlo Noben <carlo.noben.DeleteThis@education.lu> wrote:

> So I thought I'd put the command line app called 'tool' into the Contents
> folder of the GUI wrapper bundle (called 'guitool')

Don't put it in /Contents. Put it in /Contents/Resources/ (or was that
/Contents/MacOS/ ?).

> searchTask=[[TaskWrapper alloc] initWithController:self arguments:[NSArray
> arrayWithObjects:
> @"/Volumes/Titanium/Applications/guitool/build/guitool/Contents/tool",
> [findTextField stringValue], nil]];

Your application isn't named guitool. It is named guitool.app. That's
why it can't be found. And don't hard-code the path, instead use:

[[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForAuxiliaryExecutable: @"tool"]

or

[[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource: @"tool" ofType: @""]

Cheers,
-- Uli
http://www.zathras.de

In article <witness-B27B0A.23510301032004 DeleteThis @news.t-online.com>,
Uli Kusterer <witness DeleteThis @t-online.de> wrote:

> In article <BC692042.49E9%carlo.noben@education.lu>,
> Carlo Noben <carlo.noben DeleteThis @education.lu> wrote:
>
> > So I thought I'd put the command line app called 'tool' into the Contents
> > folder of the GUI wrapper bundle (called 'guitool')
>
> Don't put it in /Contents. Put it in /Contents/Resources/ (or was that
> /Contents/MacOS/ ?).

Contents/MacOS if it's architecture-specific, Contents/Resources if it's not
(i.e. a shell script)

meeroh

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