[Pythonmac-SIG] Should Python.app be an LSUIElement = 1 app?

Bill Janssen janssen at parc.com
Mon Feb 2 17:58:28 CET 2009


I'm thinking that the right thing to do about rocket-in-the-dock should
be to change the Info.plist of Python.app, to include the setting
"LSUIElement: 1".  Here's the doc from Apple:

``LSUIElement (String). If this key is set to '1', Launch Services runs
the application as an agent application. Agent applications do not
appear in the Dock or in the Force Quit window. Although they typically
run as background applications, they can come to the foreground to
present a user interface if desired. A click on a window belonging to an
agent application brings that application forward to handle events.The
Dock and loginwindow are two applications that run as agent
applications.''

It seems to me that this is what we want for the Python interpreter
proper.  Applications (like IDLE) that are indeed proper foreground apps
can always call TransformProcessType() to override this setting and get
a dock icon for themselves.

Bill


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