From: Nick <devel@...>
Date: 2004-12-17T07:48:26+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby Cocoa (OS X) questions: deployment & interface builder


Actually, I've wrapped a number of ruby apps. If done right, ruby apps 
can look just like Mac OS X applications.

The trick is that you need some PPC binary in the Contents/MacOS 
directory. I wrote a wrapper that links to the ruby static library, 
figures out where the Resources directory of the bundle is, and then 
executes "start.rb" in the resources directory. You can download it at:

	http://www.nicreations.com/boot.cpp

To build it, use

	g++ -c -I<ruby include dir> -x objective-c++ -framework Cocoa main.cpp
	g++ -o boot -L<ruby lib dir> -lruby-static -framework Cocoa boot.o

An app is just a set of directories:

Root.app
+ Contents
     Info.plist
   + MacOS
       boot (output binary)
   + Resources
       Ruby scripts and extensions

The first script needs to be named "start.rb". Any extensions need to be 
  put into the Resources directory. For example, I put the wxruby.bundle 
in the Resources directory, and it allows me to create full GUI apps on 
the Mac. However, wxruby is a 4 mb library. RubyCocoa uses an external 
framework and would be better suited for application-wrapping.

Finally, you need to create a Info.plist file in the Contents directory. 
It is a simple XML file OS X uses to get properties about your 
application. Here is a sample:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist SYSTEM 
"file://localhost/System/Library/DTDs/PropertyList.dtd">
<plist version="0.9">
<dict>
         <key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
         <string>6.0</string>
         <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
         <string>org.ruby.your.app.name.here</string>
         <key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
         <string>English</string>
         <key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
         <string>boot</string>
         <key>CFBundleName</key>
         <string>Your App Name</string>
         <key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
         <string>APPL</string>
         <key>CFBundleSignature</key>
         <string>????</string>
         <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
         <string>1.0</string>
         <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
         <string>1.0</string>
         <key>CFBundleGetInfoString</key>
         <string>Your App Name (c) 2004 Your Name</string>
         <key>CFBundleLongVersionString</key>
         <string>Your App Name (c) 2004 Your Name</string>
         <key>NSHumanReadableCopyright</key>
         <string>Copyright 2004 Your Name</string>
         <key>LSRequiresCarbon</key>
         <true/>
         <key>CSResourcesFileMapped</key>
         <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

You should change CFBundleIdentifier, CFBundleName, 
CFBundleGetInfoString, CFBundleLongVersionString, 
NSHumanReadableCopyright for your own application.

If you take this approach, your ruby app will look and feel exactly like 
any other Mac application - and no one needs to know that your 
development time was one tenth everybody elses for using a better 
language. :-)

Nick


Michael DeHaan wrote:
> Folks,
> 
> I'm interested in Mac/Cocoa development.
> 
> Are there tools available for .app packaging of Ruby/Cocoa apps?    
> Can this be done w/o reliance on the downlevel Ruby 1.6 included in
> Panther?
> 
> Anyhow, any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> I guess, bottom line, is that i'd like to write applications that
> other people can use -- so I'm a bit concerned about deployment
> considerations.
> 
> On a somewhat related note, is there a way of using interface files
> w/o reliance on XCode and interface builder?    I can't see any
> documentation to the effect that it is possible, but it must be
> possible somehow...   Coding in vim is preferable to me than using
> XCode, it's yet another interface to deal with and I like my
> terminals!   :)
> 
> (Yes, I've asked about Ruby/Tk and Tcl/Tk Aqua before -- Tcl/Tk Aqua
> does look awesome ... but that's even a greater deployment problem,
> IMHO... I was having substantial trouble setting it up even on my box
> to work with Ruby per the Ruby Garden article)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> --Michael DeHaan
> 
> 
> 
>