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macOS Keys

The keys in this chapter define assorted functionality related to macOS bundles.

Key Summary

Table 1 contains an alphabetical listing of macOS–specific keys, the corresponding name for that key in the Xcode property list editor, and a high-level description of each key. Detailed information about each key is available in later sections.

**Table 1** Summary of macOS keys
Key	Xcode name	Summary
APInstallerURL	“Installation directory base file URL”	A URL-based path to the files you want to install. See APInstallerURL for details.
APFiles	“Installation files”	An array of dictionaries describing the files or directories that can be installed. See APFiles for details.
ATSApplicationFontsPath	“Application fonts resource path”	The path to a single font file or directory of font files in the bundle’s `Resources` directory. See ATSApplicationFontsPath for details.
CSResourcesFileMapped	“Resources should be file-mapped”	If true, Core Services routines map the bundle’s resource files into memory instead of reading them. See CSResourcesFileMapped for details.
NSMainStoryboardFile	“Main storyboard file base name”	Specifies the name of the app’s storyboard resource file. See NSMainStoryboardFile for details.
QLSandboxUnsupported	None	Specifies that a Quick Look plug-in does not support sandboxing. See for details.
QuartzGLEnable	None	Specifies whether the app uses Quartz GL. See QuartzGLEnable for details.

APInstallerURL

APInstallerURL (String - macOS) identifies the base path to the files you want to install. You must specify this path using the form file://localhost/path/. All installed files must reside within this directory.

APFiles

APFiles (Array - macOS) specifies a file or directory you want to install. You specify this key as a dictionary, the contents of which contains information about the file or directory you want to install. To specify multiple items, nest the APFiles key inside itself to specify files inside of a directory. Table 2 lists the keys for specifying information about a single file or directory.

**Table 2** Keys for APFiles dictionary
Key	Xcode name	Type	Description
APFileDescriptionKey	“Install file description text”	`String`	A short description of the item to display in the Finder’s Info window
APDisplayedAsContainer	“Display with folder icon”	`String`	If “Yes” the item is shown with a folder icon in the Info panel; otherwise, it is shown with a document icon
APFileDestinationPath	“File destination path”	`String`	Where to install the component as a path relative to the app bundle
APFileName	“Install file name”	`String`	The name of the file or directory
APFileSourcePath	“Install file source path”	`String`	The path to the component in the app package relative to the `APInstallerURL` path.
APInstallAction	“File install action”	`String`	The action to take with the component: “Copy” or “Open”

ATSApplicationFontsPath

ATSApplicationFontsPath (String - macOS) identifies the location of a font file or directory of fonts in the bundle’s Resources directory. If present, macOS activates the fonts at the specified path for use by the bundled app. The fonts are activated only for the bundled app and not for the system as a whole. The path itself should be specified as a relative directory of the bundle’s Resources directory. For example, if a directory of fonts was at the path /Applications/MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/Stuff/MyFonts/, you should specify the string Stuff/MyFonts/ for the value of this key.

CSResourcesFileMapped

CSResourcesFileMapped (Boolean - macOS) specifies whether to map this app’s resource files into memory. Otherwise, they are read into memory normally. File mapping can improve performance in situations where you are frequently accessing a small number of resources. However, resources are mapped into memory read-only and cannot be modified.

NSMainStoryboardFile

NSMainStoryboardFile (String - macOS) contains a string with the name of the app’s main storyboard file (minus the .storyboard filename extension). A storyboard file is an Interface Builder archive containing the app’s view controllers, the connections between those view controllers and their immediate views, and the segues between view controllers. When this key is present, the main storyboard file is loaded automatically at launch time and its initial view controller is installed in the app’s window.

This key is mutually exclusive with the NSMainNibFile key. You should include one of these keys in your Info.plist file but not both. This key is supported in macOS 10.10 and later.

QLSandboxUnsupported

QLSandboxUnsupported (Boolean - macOS) allows a Quick Look plug-in to opt out of sandboxing. A code-signed Quick Look plug-in—which includes all plug-ins that are bundled in apps available in the Mac App Store—is sandboxed by default. Use this key to temporarily disable sandboxing while you update your plug-in to be compatible with it.

QuartzGLEnable

QuartzGLEnable (Boolean - macOS) specifies whether this app uses Quartz GL.

Value	Description
`true`	Turn on Quartz GL for the app’s windows. (This works only when the computer has at least 1 GB of RAM).
`false`	Disable Quartz GL. Quartz GL will not be available, even after using `[<NSWindow> setPreferredBackingLocation:]`.

Quartz GL is not supported on computers with more than one video card installed.

To turn on Quartz QL for testing use the Quartz Debug app, located in <Xcode>/Applications.

This key is available in macOS 10.5 and later.

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