MacOS .APP Builder template + Scripts

Folder structure

• icon: Icon generation script + icon assets
• YourApp.app: the application and it's content
• YourApp.app/Contents/MacOS: this is where your executable binaries is places along with the launcher
• YourApp.app/Contents/Resources: this is where additional resources are place, f.x. the icon set.
• YourApp.app/Contents: this is considered the root folder for your application. The info.plist is located here

Generating icons

To generate icons use the "generate-iconset.sh" script

• the icon generator requires sips and iconutil to be installed.
• The original icon.png needs to be 1024x1024
• Replace the "icons/icon.png" file with your custom icon

$ ./generate-icons.sh

The script will generate icons inside the "/icon/icons.iconset" folder, then turn those icons into an .icns collection and then move the .icns collection into your .app

The .plist file

There are a few variables that you need to change in the .plist file

• DO NOT CHANGE THE CFBundleExecutable name

_{APP_NAME}_
_{COMPANY}_
_{VERSION}_
_{COPYRIGHTS}_

Where to put your Application ?

Place your executable/binary inside "YourApp.app/Contents/MacOS" under the name "application". The launcher will automatically launch any executable name "application" inside the MacOS directory.

Code Signing and Notarizing

To properly code sign and notarize your app, follow these steps in order from top to bottom:

• Run the codesign tool

$./codesign.sh [YOUR_DEVELOPER_ID]
# Example: ./codesigh.sh "Developer ID Application: Tunnels EHF (K824A68KH8)"

• Run the notarize tool

$ ./notarize.sh [APPLE_ID] [TEAM_ID] [APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD]
#Example: ./notarize.sh [email protected] K824A68KH8 sdfs-sdsd-sdfs-ssdf

• Once apple finishes notarizing your application it will place a CodeSignature inside your .zip.
• At this point YourApp.zip is ready for shipping!
• NOTE: you probably want to upload the .zip instead of .app, some platforms like google drive can damage the contents of the .app

The Launcher

You do not need to build the launcher yourself, it is included in the YourApp.app package

building the launcher

$ gcc -o launcher launcher.c -framework Security -framework CoreFoundation