To bring a running application to the front of the screen, allowing the user to interact with it. Compare launch.
A filename extensionclaimed by at least one application registered with Launch Services. Compare valid extension.
An independently executable software program.
A bundle containing the executable code of an application and its associated resources.
A file containing the executable code of an application.
An application bundle presented to the user in the form of a package whose contents are ordinarily inaccessible for browsing.
A launch operation in which control returns immediately to the calling program, without waiting for the launched application to complete its launch sequence. Compare synchronous launch.
The information maintained in the Launch Services database about the kinds of documents and URLs an application is capable of opening.
A preference set by the user specifying the application in which to open a given document or URL.
The rules used by Launch Services to determine an item’s default application according to the binding information in the Launch Services database.
A directory containing executable code and related resources, structured according to conventions defined by Core Foundation Bundle Services.
A unique identifying string used to locate an application’s bundle at runtime.
A collection of key-value pairs giving information about an application, stored in a file named Info.plist in its application bundle.
Said of an application, to declare to Launch Services that it is capable of opening documents or URLs of a given type.
A data object of type CFURLRef specifying a URL.
A four-character code associated with a file that identifies the application that created it or that should be used to open it.
The application selected by Launch Services, according to its own implicit binding rules, in which to open a given document or URL in the absence of an explicit binding preference set by the user.
A file-system object containing zero or more other named objects (files or other directories).
A string used for displaying an item’s name to the user, such as in the Finder or the Dock.
A unit or collection of data, contained in a file or package, that can be operated on by an application.
A file containing a document.
A package containing a document along with related resources.
A family of document files characterized by a given file type, creator signature, or filename extension. Compare URL type.
A string of characters at the end of a filename, preceded by a period (.), that characterizes the nature of the file or the structure of its contents.
A data object of type FSRef designating a file residing on a local or remote file-system volume.
A four-character code associated with a file that characterizes its nature or the structure of its contents.
A directory presented to the user in such a way that its contents are accessible (subject to the appropriate permissions) for browsing. Compare package.
Generically, an application, document, or URL to be operated on by Launch Services.
A data structure of type LSItemInfoRecord, used by Launch Services to return information about an item.
A string used (in the Finder’s Get Info window, for example) to characterize the general nature of an item, such as Application, Folder, Alias, JPEG Picture, QuickTime Movie, or FrameMaker Document.
To start up an application that was not previously running. Compare activate.
A set of flags specifying the manner in which an application is to be opened.
The sequence of operations performed by an application immediately on being launched, indicated visually to the user by the application’s icon “bouncing” in the Dock.
A Mac OS X application programming interface that enables a running program to open other applications, documents, or URLs in a way similar to the Finder or the Dock.
The data structure in which Launch Services records information about available applications and the kinds of documents or URLs they are capable of opening.
A data structure of type LSLaunchFSRefSpec or LSLaunchURLSpec, used to specify to Launch Services the manner in which an item or items are to be opened.
(Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) A protocol used for adding attachments to email messages.
A string designating the type of data in an attachment transmitted via MIME, such as text/plain, image/jpeg, audio/mp3, or video/quicktime.
Generically, to launch or activate an application or to present a document or URL for viewing or editing within an application.
A directory presented to the user so that it appears to be a single file, and whose contents are ordinarily inaccessible for browsing by the user. Compare folder.
The application selected by Launch Services in which to open a given document or URL, either through an explicit binding preference set by the user or, in the absence of such a user preference, by applying Launch Services’ own implicit binding rules for determining the item’s default application.
An arbitrary data item available for use by a program to convey information for its own purposes in an operation or data structure.
To make an application known to Launch Services, copying its binding information into the Launch Services database and making it available for opening documents and URLs.
A characterization (such as Editor or Viewer) of the kinds of operations an application is capable of performing on documents or URLs of a given type.
A parameter specifying the role or roles that an application should claim with respect to a given item in order to be considered a candidate for opening that item.
The component of a uniform resource locator (URL) that identifies the type of resource it represents or the protocol to be used for accessing it, such as http, ftp, mailto, or file.
A dictionary, specified in an application’s bundle information property list, that declares a particular URL type that the application claims to handle. Compare type-definition dictionary.
A launch operation in which control does not return to the calling program until the launched application has completed its launch sequence. Compare asynchronous launch.
A dictionary, specified in an application’s bundle information property list, that declares a particular document type that the application claims to handle. Compare scheme-definition dictionary.
A string, in a standard format, designating a file, Web page, or other resource, typically (but not necessarily) to be accessed via the Internet. Often used loosely in the context of Launch Services to refer to the resource so designated.
A family of URLs characterized by a given scheme component. Compare document type.
A filename extension that does not contain spaces, periods, or characters that are not supported by the underlying file system. Compare active extension.
Last updated: 2009-11-17