How to execute command after mac app opened

Question

I want to execute a command after my app opens the system terminal app. I open the terminal app with the following:

let url = NSURL(fileURLWithPath: "/System/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app", isDirectory: true) as URL
let configuration = NSWorkspace.OpenConfiguration()
NSWorkspace.shared.openApplication(at: url, configuration: configuration, completionHandler: { app, error in
    //app.executeMyCommand("echo hello")
})

And after it opened I want to execute the command "echo hello", as shown in the completionHandler. How can achieve this?

Answer 1

Another solution:

Send a do script Apple event to Terminal:

let terminalScript = "echo hello"
if let url = NSWorkspace.shared.urlForApplication(withBundleIdentifier: "com.apple.Terminal") {
    let configuration = NSWorkspace.OpenConfiguration()
    let doScriptEvent = NSAppleEventDescriptor(eventClass: kAECoreSuite,
        eventID: kAEDoScript, targetDescriptor: nil, returnID: AEReturnID(kAutoGenerateReturnID),
        transactionID: AETransactionID(kAnyTransactionID))
    doScriptEvent.setParam(NSAppleEventDescriptor(string: terminalScript), forKeyword:keyDirectObject)
    configuration.appleEvent = doScriptEvent
    NSWorkspace.shared.openApplication(at: url, configuration: configuration, completionHandler: { app, error in
        if error != nil {
            print("Error: \(String(describing: error))")
        }
    })
}

To allow sending Apple events:

• under 'Signing & Capabilities', 'Hardened runtime', check 'Apple Events'
• in info.plist add a line 'Privacy - AppleEvents Sending Usage Description'
• in entitlements add a line 'com.apple.security.temporary-exception.apple-events' and item 'com.apple.Terminal'

Answer 2

One possibility would be to use 'AppleScriptObjc' to control the terminal via an AppleScript from Swift.

Here a complete self-contained example:

ViewController.swift

import Cocoa
import AppleScriptObjC

class ViewController: NSViewController {

    var terminalBridge: TerminalBridging?

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        Bundle.main.loadAppleScriptObjectiveCScripts()
        let terminalBridgeClass: AnyClass = NSClassFromString("TerminalBridge")!
        self.terminalBridge = terminalBridgeClass.alloc() as? TerminalBridging
    }

    @IBAction func onExecute(_ sender: Any) {
        self.terminalBridge?.executeCommand("echo hello")
    }
    
}

TerminalBriding.swift

import Cocoa

@objc(NSObject) protocol  TerminalBridging {

    func executeCommand(_ cmd: String)
    
}

TerminalBridge.applescript

Note the suffix .applescript is important. Customize it to your preferences.

script TerminalBridge

    property parent : class "NSObject"

    to executeCommand:cmd
        tell application "Terminal"
            do script (cmd as text)
        end tell
    end executeCommand:

end script

Setup Project in Xcode

• in XCode select the root node in the project navigator
• then select the target and under 'Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content' add 'AppleScriptObjC.framework' with defult 'Do Not Embed' setting
• under 'Signing & Capabilities' remove 'App Sandbox' and add 'Hardened Runtime' instead
• scroll down and under 'Resource Access' choose 'Apple Events'
• in project navigator select 'Info.plist'
• add 'NSAppleEventsUsageDescription' key with some useful explaination

Demo

On first run you would see:

If you press 'OK' an entry is added automatically to 'System Preferences/Security & Privacy/Privacy' on first run. Afterward the command is executed.