NSDocument based app takes each command line argument as a filename

[silvercircle]

For each argument I supply on the command line I get a message that the application can't open files of that type.
It is an NSDocument based application for OSX.
I want to use the arguments later on via [[NSProcessInfo processInfo] arguments], but how do I avoid that each argument is taken as a file to open?

[Senor Cuete]

An NSDocument application is not designed to be used as a command line application. Mac OS X is a UNIX based OS. The main() function in a Mac OS app looks like this:

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    return NSApplicationMain(argc, (const char **) argv);
}

The NSDocument application thinks you are opening it by dragging a file and dropping it on the app's icon with the finder. Open and run the app by using the run button in the upper left corner of the XCode window.

[chown33]

Originally Posted by silvercircle

... but how do I avoid that each argument is taken as a file to open?

You could write some code in main() that parses the argc/argv it's been given, and saves it for later using your own code. Then call NSApplicationMain() with a fake argc/argv that prevents NSApplicationMain() from treating the real argc/argv as filenames to open.

Using Senor Cuete's code as an illustration:

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
   // Your new code goes here.

   // Make fake argc/argv here.

    return NSApplicationMain( fake_argc, fake_argv);
}

There are some real and important args passed to NSDocument-based applications, so this isn't as simple as it may seem. It's possibly you won't be able to come up with a satisfactory solution. In that case, don't use the NSDocument application as a command-line tool, and instead write a separate command-line tool. It can reside in the same sub-dir as the application executable, or it can reside under Resources. I think TextWrangler and BBEdit have bundled command-line tools, so look at them.

[silvercircle]

Originally Posted by chown33

You could write some code in main() that parses the argc/argv it's been given, and saves it for later using your own code. Then call NSApplicationMain() with a fake argc/argv that prevents NSApplicationMain() from treating the real argc/argv as filenames to open.

Using Senor Cuete's code as an illustration:

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
   // Your new code goes here.

   // Make fake argc/argv here.

    return NSApplicationMain( fake_argc, fake_argv);
}

There are some real and important args passed to NSDocument-based applications, so this isn't as simple as it may seem. It's possibly you won't be able to come up with a satisfactory solution. In that case, don't use the NSDocument application as a command-line tool, and instead write a separate command-line tool. It can reside in the same sub-dir as the application executable, or it can reside under Resources. I think TextWrangler and BBEdit have bundled command-line tools, so look at them.

I guess you are right, adding a command-line tool might be the best way to go.
Calling NSApplicationMain() with fake argc/argv is indeed not that simple, the args passed are not documented (as fas as I know). So not easy to filter them out.
Thanks for putting me on the right track!