[launchd-dev] Global Login Items

[Quinn]

At 10:29 -0500 21/2/08, Jeremy Reichman wrote:
>A) is there a better list to ask about this?

Not really.  Questions like this typically go to the generic mailing 
lists (like cocoa-dev and carbon-dev), but I don't have the bandwith 
to read those lists (-:

>B) can these be installed/managed the way normal login items are, via a
>plist (loginwindow.plist contains login items in the User Domain) in the
>Local Domain along with supplying the executables it points to?

Pretty much, yes.

>C) how is this support different in 10.5 vs. the editing of
>/Library/Preferences/loginwindow.plist, which has been possible in the past?

Mac OS X 10.5 has a compatibility layer that synchronises the login 
items that you set up the new API with the login items in the 
preferences file.  It works for per-user and global login items.

This compatibility layer will go away in future system software.  Do 
not directly manipulate login items (either global or per-user) if 
the new API is available.

In general, I recommend the following:

o Use the new API if it's available.

o Alternatively, if your needs are simple, use LoginItemsAE.

o If the new API is not available and LoginItemsAE is insufficient, 
then directly manipulate the preferences file.

Just to be clear, if you directly manipulate the preferences file, 
you are likely to break on a post-10.5.x system.

S+E
-- 
Quinn "The Eskimo!"                    <http://www.apple.com/developer/>
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware