2 MAS Questions

Richard_Summers · June 25, 2015, 3:40pm

Hi,
I have a couple of questions which hopefully someone can confirm for me.

Is a MAS app allowed to write to the SpecialFolder.Temporary folder?
I created the following shell command (used to open the default mail.app and attach a file as an attachment).
Is this also allowed in a MAS app:

Dim EmailAttach as New Shell Dim theFilePath As FolderItem = SpecialFolder.Desktop.Child("file.txt") EmailAttach.Execute("open -a Mail " + theFilePath.ShellPath)

Thank you all in advance.

Sascha_S · June 25, 2015, 4:01pm

[quote=196793:@Richard Summers]Hi,
I have a couple of questions which hopefully someone can confirm for me.

Is a MAS app allowed to write to the SpecialFolder.Temporary folder?

[/quote]

Yes

[quote=196793:@Richard Summers]2) I created the following shell command (used to open the default mail.app and attach a file as an attachment).
Is this also allowed in a MAS app:

Dim EmailAttach as New Shell Dim theFilePath As FolderItem = SpecialFolder.Desktop.Child("file.txt") EmailAttach.Execute("open -a Mail " + theFilePath.ShellPath)[/quote]

No

You’re welcome

Richard_Summers · June 25, 2015, 4:02pm

Oh dear
Thanks Sascha.

Sascha_S · June 25, 2015, 5:06pm

Regarding question 2, i tried to find more info on this restriction but i can’t find it anymore. Maybe they removed it?
Does anyone know for sure?

Norman_P · June 25, 2015, 5:22pm

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/mac/

Not sure if the sandbox will preclude doing the shell script

Michel_Bujardet · June 25, 2015, 5:27pm

[quote=196793:@Richard Summers]2) I created the following shell command (used to open the default mail.app and attach a file as an attachment).
Is this also allowed in a MAS app:

Dim EmailAttach as New Shell
Dim theFilePath As FolderItem = SpecialFolder.Desktop.Child(“file.txt”)
EmailAttach.Execute("open -a Mail " + theFilePath.ShellPath)
[/quote]

[quote=196818:@Norman Palardy]https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/mac/

Not sure if the sandbox will preclude doing the shell script[/quote]

Almost all my 16 MAS apps use shell scripts. I do not know from where the legend that sandbox forbids shell is coming, but it is not true.

Richard_Summers · June 25, 2015, 5:29pm

My issue is not really with using the shell, BUT using the shell to insert a file as an email attachment?
I thought maybe there is some strange reason why an app would not be allowed to insert files into other apps?

Norman_P · June 25, 2015, 5:36pm

Hence why I specifically said
Not sure if the sandbox will preclude doing the shell script

Michel_Bujardet · June 25, 2015, 5:39pm

[quote=196825:@Norman Palardy]Hence why I specifically said
Not sure if the sandbox will preclude doing the shell script[/quote]

You were right. I am sure it does not, that all I was saying. At least as long as one does not try to write to forbidden places.

[quote=196820:@Richard Summers]My issue is not really with using the shell, BUT using the shell to insert a file into an email attachment?
I thought maybe there is some strange reason why an app would not be allowed to insert files into other apps?[/quote]

You know what Richard ? Do like shoes. Try it on. I bet it works just fine.

Richard_Summers · June 25, 2015, 5:40pm

@Michel,
Thanks - I will try my shoes on, and see if my app gets accepted as a result

Richard_Summers · June 25, 2015, 5:49pm

Thanks Michel.
I know that writing files to certain folders is off-limits, so I thought maybe inserting email attachments would also be off-limits?

But when the update is ready, I will submit it and see what happens.

Thanks.

Michel_Bujardet · June 25, 2015, 5:52pm

Looking at your shell code, I am afraid the sandbox will not let you launch Mail as you seem to want to do.

Why don’t you use SMTPSocket with EmailAttachment instead ?

http://documentation.xojo.com/index.php/SMTPSocket
http://documentation.xojo.com/index.php/EmailAttachment

Richard_Summers · June 25, 2015, 5:56pm

That’s what I feared
I guess I will have to look into the 2 links you just posted.

Thanks.

Sascha_S · June 25, 2015, 7:15pm

[quote=196828:@Richard Summers]@Michel,
Thanks - I will try my shoes on, and see if my app gets accepted as a result :)[/quote]

More often then i like, i just did it this way. And more often then i expected, all went fine

Sam_Rowlands · June 26, 2015, 1:46am

[quote=196793:@Richard Summers]2) I created the following shell command (used to open the default mail.app and attach a file as an attachment).
Is this also allowed in a MAS app:[/quote]
I don’t use the console to launch a document in Mail, but you are allowed to do so.

Ideally you should be using NSSharingServices, but that’s broken on Yosemite for 32-Bit applications and is buggy for 64-Bit application as it claims it can’t send anything!

I use the following API from NSWorkspace in MAS applications and haven’t been rejected for it yet.

Function launchWithApp(extends f as folderItem, appName as string) As boolean #if TargetCocoa then Declare Function NSClassFromString Lib "AppKit" (className as CFStringRef) As Ptr declare function sharedWorkspace lib "Cocoa" selector "sharedWorkspace" ( classRef as Ptr ) as Ptr declare function openSeasame lib "Cocoa" selector "openFile:withApplication:" ( wrkSpace as Ptr, filePath as CFStringRef, appName as CFStringRef ) as Boolean Return openSeasame( sharedWorkspace( NSClassFromString( "NSWorkspace" ) ), f.nativePath, appName ) #endif End Function

Richard_Summers · June 26, 2015, 7:55am

@Sam,
Thanks!

I put that code into a method in Window1, then used the following code in a button’s action event:

Dim fi As FolderItem = SpecialFolder.Desktop.Child("test.txt") launchWithApp(fi, mail)

I then got the following 2 error messages:

Sascha_S · June 26, 2015, 9:22am

I am currently not at my Dev.Desk, but how about writing “Mail.app” instead of “mail”? Does it work?

Sam_Rowlands · June 26, 2015, 9:32am

Sorry I didn’t include any instructions.

#1 Try wrapping “Mail” with quotes.

Dim fi As FolderItem = SpecialFolder.Desktop.Child("test.txt") launchWithApp(fi, "Mail")

#2 This function is designed to be stored in a module, not a class. Sorry about that. You can either put it into a module or remove “extends” from the method declaration.

Function launchWithApp(f as folderItem, appName as string) As boolean

Richard_Summers · June 26, 2015, 11:01am

Thanks Sam.

I removed “extends” from the method declaration, (it’s in a method of Window1).
I also put quotes around “mail”, and now I only get this error message:

shao_sean · June 26, 2015, 11:08am

DIM result As Boolean = launchWithApp(fi, “mail”)