What "states" can a program be in?

[chris4565]

Hi guys,

Even though I'm using macOS for quite some time now there's still one little thing that I don't fully understand (I used Windows before) and that's program states. By "states" I mean the following: When e. g. my Todo app (Things) is fully launched it looks like it does on the right:

When it's fully closed (command+q) it of course looks like it does on the left. But whenever I reboot my MacBook it looks like it does in the middle. It still has the black dot but somehow isn't fully launched. What "state" is the program in then?

Thanks and best wishes
Chris

 

[Gregg2]

It's thinking; trying to find something.

My best guess: same State you're in.

 

[chris4565]

Haha, valid answer 😄 Part of why I’m asking this question is that some programs like my calendar app automatically launch when I reboot (the dock icon bounces a few times and then it’s properly launched) but some apps behave like „Things“ where there is the black dot after a reboot but I have to click the icon to properly launch the app.

 

[NoBoMac]

I'm guessing maybe something along @Gregg2 said. Have the save state exit toggled on at shutdown? And if so, program might be in a semi-sleep mode?

Just a guess, as I have my Mac setup to close everything and start fresh at reboot (startup items at start).

 

[chris4565]

When shutting down/rebooting my MacBook I always have the toggle selected to reopen the windows. What I did now is that I manually added „Things“ to the startup items and now it launches properly when I boot up my MacBook 👌