macOS Sandbox AppStore for mac software question

[lukas100]

Does anybody know if the app installed from AppStore can:
1. ... be a service / be installed as service?
2. ... install additional software and launch it automatically right after downloaded?
3. ... get a root permission (by asking for that the user?) and if yes will macos save answer (credential for my app?)
4. ... can open default web browser with help page? OR non default browser if found (for example Opera)?

Thank you for reply in advance.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Does anybody know if the app installed from AppStore can:
1. ... be a service / be installed as service?
2. ... install additional software and launch it automatically right after downloaded?
3. ... get a root permission (by asking for that the user?) and if yes will macos save answer (credential for my app?)
4. ... can open default web browser with help page? OR non default browser if found (for example Opera)?

Thank you for reply in advance.

1 - Not quite sure what makes something a service. I have distributed an app on the App Store which doesn't have an icon in the dock, doesn't show up in the Force Quit menu, doesn't ever take control of the left side of the menubar... The only UI it had was a drop down menu on the right side of the menubar. I could have given it less of a UI than that and I think it would have still been accepted. It set itself to launch on login. Does that count as a service?

2 - Pretty sure the answer is no. You can download additional resources but I don't think additional executable code would be okay.

3 - Pretty sure the answer is no, again. Apple used to allow your app to have certificates to bypass some or all restrictions of sand boxing... I'm not sure if those still exist or not. Apple had said they would be phased out eventually when I last used them 3 years ago. Do you actually need to be root to do whatever, though?

4 - You can definitely open the default web browser. The sandbox will make it hard to find out whether other apps are installed or not, though, so telling it to open another specific app will be difficult if you don't have some kind of cooperation between the two apps.

 

[superscape]

Does anybody know if the app installed from AppStore can:
4. ... can open default web browser with help page? OR non default browser if found (for example Opera)?.

An alternative method would be to create your own WebView and load a page up into that. That way you don't need to worry about what browser the user may or may not have installed. If you want to load a page up hosted remotely, you'll have to make sure your app has the relevant entitlements, but that's not hard to do.

 

[hiddenmarkov]

3 - Pretty sure the answer is no, again. Apple used to allow your app to have certificates to bypass some or all restrictions of sand boxing... I'm not sure if those still exist or not. Apple had said they would be phased out eventually when I last used them 3 years ago. Do you actually need to be root to do whatever, though?

I am also thinking this may conflict with apple stores dislike of CLI interaction. If memory serves you can't get CLI functionality with app store apps. this would be the reason Bbedit users have to go to the vendor for the CLI tools as I recall. You can get the text editor on the store. The cli apps....nope.

Scripts/macros (if not applescript anyway), elevated rights for root (which I am assuming apple disables in install since *nix security 101....you create a user with sudo to get the same job done) may leak into this grey area.


You or other devs more familiar with apple release rules (via the store, not direct download) free to correct it wrong here ofc.