macOS Replacing the Finder

[yod9999]

Hi

I know that I can replace the Finder as the default application that's run by loginwindow by doing the following:

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow Finder /Applications/MyApplication.app

but does anyone know if it's possible to pass parameter to the application. I've got an app which I want to run instead of the Finder, but I need to tell it to write it's output to a log file, otherewise it just goes to standard out and is lost.

Cheers

yod

 

[ATG]

Maybe you could write a shell script or a tool to do this

 

[72930]

I'm not certain about this, but my gut feeling is that this could have bad consequences (if possible at all), as the finder is used all over OS X, in places like Save As windows...

 

[yod9999]

it's actually for the AppleTV, to enable me to run MythTV. see here: http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Installing_MythFrontend_on_an_AppleTV

it's mentioned in this apple document, but the linked document is missing:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2002/tn2062.html#Section3

i want to be able to tell MythFrontend to log to a file, but i can't work out how to do it

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I'm not certain about this, but my gut feeling is that this could have bad consequences (if possible at all), as the finder is used all over OS X, in places like Save As windows...

Huh...?

The Open File and Save As windows work fine from any app even if you've quit the Finder**...

** add Quit menu item using TinkerTool or similar, or just type 'defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool yes' in Terminal and restart.

 

[mkrishnan]

Does the app really write to standard out? Not very many Aqua / GUI Mac apps that I've seen do that. If it does, can you perhaps replace the call to /applications/myapp.app with a call to an executable script file that has in it something along the lines of:

open /applications/myapp.app > logfile.log

?

 

[elppa]

Huh...?

The Open File and Save As windows work fine from any app even if you've quit the Finder**...

** add Quit menu item using TinkerTool or similar, or just type 'defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool yes' in Terminal and restart.

Thanks so much.

That actually works as a remarkably good way of hiding files on my desktop w/o paying for a shareware app which uses additional resources. Genius!

BTW: Did you solve that form-within-a-form problem you had the other day? What did you do?

 

[72930]

Huh...?

The Open File and Save As windows work fine from any app even if you've quit the Finder**...

** add Quit menu item using TinkerTool or similar, or just type 'defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool yes' in Terminal and restart.

Oopsy daisy...I just assumed...it seemed to me that the Finder (like Quicktime) is used system-wide and should not be messed with...

 

[iMeowbot]

Oopsy daisy...I just assumed...it seemed to me that the Finder (like Quicktime) is used system-wide and should not be messed with...

It can be necessary for things that use OSA (Applescript), but if Finder is needed in those cases, it will be started up when required. So, deleting or otherwise making Finder inaccessible would be a bad plan, and it shouldn't be messed with in that sense.

 

[yod9999]

Does the app really write to standard out? Not very many Aqua / GUI Mac apps that I've seen do that.

it certainly does. it's not really a proper mac app, it's been ported over from linux.

If it does, can you perhaps replace the call to /applications/myapp.app with a call to an executable script file that has in it something along the lines of:

open /applications/myapp.app > logfile.log

?

i was going to try something like this, i was just wondering if someone knew of a better/proper way of doing it

cheers

 

[savar]

it certainly does. it's not really a proper mac app, it's been ported over from linux.



i was going to try something like this, i was just wondering if someone knew of a better/proper way of doing it

cheers

I don't know of any "good" way to do this -- I don't think Apple really supports replacing the Finder. Writing a shell script is probably your best bet, although I don't know if Window Manager can launch a non GUI application.