macOS C/C++ Code to get folder path to currently running app in Mac OS X

[arvind_dev]

Hi

How can I get the path to currently running executable in C/C++?
I Googled about it but could find code only for Linux/Windows.

Thanks,
Arvind.

 

[chown33]

When I google this:
mac c code path to current executable

the following StackOverflow thread comes up at the top of the search results:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1023306/finding-current-executables-path-without-proc-self-exe

The top answer in that thread shows how to accomplish the goal for several platforms, including Mac OS, Windows, BSD, and Linux. Other replies discuss other approaches, which may also work.


The Mac-specific answer is _NSGetExecutablePath(). Its man page is:
https://developer.apple.com/library...Conceptual/ManPages_iPhoneOS/man3/dyld.3.html

The URL shows _iPhoneOS, but the man page and the function also exist on Mac OS. You can see this using the Terminal command:

man 3 dyld

 

[Senor Cuete]

NSURL *appURL = [[NSBundle mainBundle] bundleURL];

No, this isn't platform independent.

 

[lloyddean]

Remember main has 'argv[0]' containing entire pathname of executable

EDIT: Perhaps useful code

#include <iostream>


int main(int const argc, const char* const argv[], char* envv[])
{
    using std::cout;
    using std::endl;

    // display this executables pathname
    cout << argv[0] << endl;


    // display launch environment variables
    while ( *envv )
    {
        cout << *envv++ << endl;
    }

    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

 

[Senor Cuete]

int main(int argc, const char * argv[])
{
   char *locationString = malloc(strlen(argv[0]));
   strcpy(locationString, argv[0]);

 

[chown33]

Remember main has 'argv[0]' containing entire pathname of executable

Not necessarily. For example, if you put the source you supplied into a file "./test.cpp", then type the command:

make test

It will make the executable 'test' in the current dir (wherever that is, and assuming it's writable).

Now run the executable just made:

./test

Fragment of output:

./test

That is, the executable receives the relative path to itself, without any information about where the current working directory is. Yes, the working dir path can be obtained (man getcwd).

Other relative paths have similar problems, such as ones containing "../".

The whole thing is a bit more of a puzzle than it first seems. Some (or most) of this is mentioned in the answers of the StackExchange thread I linked.

 

[lloyddean]

chown33,
Thanks for that.

I think that last rear-ending is having some on going effects that I'm not noticing until others point it out.
I'll try to resist posting.