How to create a simple service in Leopard?
-
Hello,
I'm having some problems writing and then installing my own service
and would be grateful if anyone could help. I've followed the OS X
documentation but still can't seem to get my custom "hello world"
service to work.
I'm creating a new project in Xcode using the Foundation Tool as I
don't need an interface. My main.m looks like this:
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
#import "MyService.h"
int main (int argc, const char * argv[]) {
NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
MyService * myService = [[MyService alloc] init];
NSRegisterServicesProvider(myService, @"MyService");
[[NSRunLoop currentRunLoop] run];
[myService release];
[pool drain];
return 0;
}
Then I create the MyService class and just add the method given in the
OS X documentation almost verbatim (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/SysServices/Tasks
/providing.html#/
/apple_ref/doc/uid/20000853). I don't need to return anything back so
I just take a string from the pasteboard. All I'm doing here is
printing the pasteboard string to the console using this method
signature:
- (void)doMyService:(NSPasteboard *)pboard userData:(NSString
*)userData error:(NSString **)error;
Now, when I advertise the service, I need to add the NSServices entry
(as given in the link above) to the Info.plist file. However, there
isn't one for a plain foundation tool template -- nor is there a
package wrapper. So, I just add another target (loadable bundle) and
add all the target information to the loadable bundle, and enter the
NSServices entry into the auto-generated ...-Info.plist file. I make
this bundle the active target, change the wrapper to a .service
extension in the configuration options, and build it successfully.
Then I place this service bundle into ~/Library/Services, log out, and
log back in. And voila, my menu item doesn't even appear in the
Services menu.
Any ideas how to get such a simple non-gui service to work?
BTW, I tried to two examples in /Developer/Examples/Appit/
SimpleService & SimpleImageFilter, and I can't get these to work either.
I'm running Leopard 10.5.6 on Intel.
Best,
Dalmazio -
Hello,
Whoops, actually SimpleService does work... my mistake. I'll have a
closer look at this example.
Best,
Dalmazio
On 4-Jan-09, at 2:41 AM, Dalmazio Brisinda wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm having some problems writing and then installing my own service
> and would be grateful if anyone could help. I've followed the OS X
> documentation but still can't seem to get my custom "hello world"
> service to work.
>
> I'm creating a new project in Xcode using the Foundation Tool as I
> don't need an interface. My main.m looks like this:
>
> #import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
> #import "MyService.h"
>
> int main (int argc, const char * argv[]) {
> NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
>
> MyService * myService = [[MyService alloc] init];
> NSRegisterServicesProvider(myService, @"MyService");
> [[NSRunLoop currentRunLoop] run];
> [myService release];
>
> [pool drain];
> return 0;
> }
>
> Then I create the MyService class and just add the method given in
> the OS X documentation almost verbatim (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/SysServices/Tasks
/providing.html#/
> /apple_ref/doc/uid/20000853). I don't need to return anything back
> so I just take a string from the pasteboard. All I'm doing here is
> printing the pasteboard string to the console using this method
> signature:
>
> - (void)doMyService:(NSPasteboard *)pboard userData:(NSString
> *)userData error:(NSString **)error;
>
> Now, when I advertise the service, I need to add the NSServices
> entry (as given in the link above) to the Info.plist file. However,
> there isn't one for a plain foundation tool template -- nor is there
> a package wrapper. So, I just add another target (loadable bundle)
> and add all the target information to the loadable bundle, and enter
> the NSServices entry into the auto-generated ...-Info.plist file. I
> make this bundle the active target, change the wrapper to a .service
> extension in the configuration options, and build it successfully.
> Then I place this service bundle into ~/Library/Services, log out,
> and log back in. And voila, my menu item doesn't even appear in the
> Services menu.
>
> Any ideas how to get such a simple non-gui service to work?
>
> BTW, I tried to two examples in /Developer/Examples/Appit/
> SimpleService & SimpleImageFilter, and I can't get these to work
> either.
>
> I'm running Leopard 10.5.6 on Intel.
>
> Best,
> Dalmazio
>
-
Hello,
Okay, a bit of weirdness is going on.
For the Info.plist file, It seems that Xcode generates the key for the
menu item as "Menu item title" instead of "default" after a build --
even when it appears as "default" in Xcode. If I manually edit the
Info.plist file and make it "default" everything works fine.
Looks like an Xcode bug to me.
Best,
Dalmazio
On 4-Jan-09, at 2:50 AM, Dalmazio Brisinda wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Whoops, actually SimpleService does work... my mistake. I'll have a
> closer look at this example.
>
> Best,
> Dalmazio
>
>
>
> On 4-Jan-09, at 2:41 AM, Dalmazio Brisinda wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I'm having some problems writing and then installing my own service
>> and would be grateful if anyone could help. I've followed the OS X
>> documentation but still can't seem to get my custom "hello world"
>> service to work.
>>
>> I'm creating a new project in Xcode using the Foundation Tool as I
>> don't need an interface. My main.m looks like this:
>>
>> #import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
>> #import "MyService.h"
>>
>> int main (int argc, const char * argv[]) {
>> NSAutoreleasePool * pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
>>
>> MyService * myService = [[MyService alloc] init];
>> NSRegisterServicesProvider(myService, @"MyService");
>> [[NSRunLoop currentRunLoop] run];
>> [myService release];
>>
>> [pool drain];
>> return 0;
>> }
>>
>> Then I create the MyService class and just add the method given in
>> the OS X documentation almost verbatim (http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/SysServices/Tasks
/providing.html#/
>> /apple_ref/doc/uid/20000853). I don't need to return anything back
>> so I just take a string from the pasteboard. All I'm doing here is
>> printing the pasteboard string to the console using this method
>> signature:
>>
>> - (void)doMyService:(NSPasteboard *)pboard userData:(NSString
>> *)userData error:(NSString **)error;
>>
>> Now, when I advertise the service, I need to add the NSServices
>> entry (as given in the link above) to the Info.plist file. However,
>> there isn't one for a plain foundation tool template -- nor is
>> there a package wrapper. So, I just add another target (loadable
>> bundle) and add all the target information to the loadable bundle,
>> and enter the NSServices entry into the auto-generated ...-
>> Info.plist file. I make this bundle the active target, change the
>> wrapper to a .service extension in the configuration options, and
>> build it successfully. Then I place this service bundle into ~/
>> Library/Services, log out, and log back in. And voila, my menu item
>> doesn't even appear in the Services menu.
>>
>> Any ideas how to get such a simple non-gui service to work?
>>
>> BTW, I tried to two examples in /Developer/Examples/Appit/
>> SimpleService & SimpleImageFilter, and I can't get these to work
>> either.
>>
>> I'm running Leopard 10.5.6 on Intel.
>>
>> Best,
>> Dalmazio
>>
>
