Gregory Weston
2011-06-30 22:30:44 UTC
In a new app I'm writing I want to provide the user with a checkbox to have the app launch at login. Traditionally, I'd add an entry to the login items list for this, but I'm under the impression that the modern, enlightened coder uses a well-formed plist in ~/Library/LaunchAgents. This seemed like a good idea, given that I'd like to pass it arguments when it's launched that way as well.
From reading various documents, I have the notion in my head that I'm supposed to *just* be able to put that plist out there. For example, Apple says (at http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystemStartup/Articles/LaunchOnDemandDaemons.html):
| When a user logs in, a per-user launchd is started. It does the following:
| • It loads the parameters for each launch-on-demand user agent from the property list files found in
| /System/Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchAgents, and the user’s individual Library/LaunchAgents
| directory.
And Big Nerd Ranch's "Advanced Mac OS X Programming" says (on page 477):
| There are two mechanisms for getting your configuration plist onto launchd's list of dameons.
| The first is putting your plist into one of a number of pre-defined directories, and the other
| is via the launchctl command-line utility.
But as you probably know, or have guessed since I'm writing, this appears not to be the case. My plist is not recognized on login, or even after a reboot. If I invoke launchctl it works fine, but doing that from code seems bizarrely tedious for something that a lot of software seems to do. Even if I do that I'm faced with the annoying behavior that if I use launchctl unload from within my app (when the user unchecks the box) it will cause the app to exit. Am I going about this the wrong way? Am I missing something that should be obvious? Should I go back to a login item entry?
Thanks in advance for any pointers.
From reading various documents, I have the notion in my head that I'm supposed to *just* be able to put that plist out there. For example, Apple says (at http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystemStartup/Articles/LaunchOnDemandDaemons.html):
| When a user logs in, a per-user launchd is started. It does the following:
| • It loads the parameters for each launch-on-demand user agent from the property list files found in
| /System/Library/LaunchAgents, /Library/LaunchAgents, and the user’s individual Library/LaunchAgents
| directory.
And Big Nerd Ranch's "Advanced Mac OS X Programming" says (on page 477):
| There are two mechanisms for getting your configuration plist onto launchd's list of dameons.
| The first is putting your plist into one of a number of pre-defined directories, and the other
| is via the launchctl command-line utility.
But as you probably know, or have guessed since I'm writing, this appears not to be the case. My plist is not recognized on login, or even after a reboot. If I invoke launchctl it works fine, but doing that from code seems bizarrely tedious for something that a lot of software seems to do. Even if I do that I'm faced with the annoying behavior that if I use launchctl unload from within my app (when the user unchecks the box) it will cause the app to exit. Am I going about this the wrong way? Am I missing something that should be obvious? Should I go back to a login item entry?
Thanks in advance for any pointers.