How do I get the details of an application using Objective-C?

Question

I have the following code to detect the current window. How can I get 1) application internal name, 2) location, 3) publisher and 4) description of the window/application?

NSAutoreleasePool *pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];

//Get info about the currently active application.
NSWorkspace* workspace            = [NSWorkspace sharedWorkspace];
NSDictionary* currentAppInfo      = [workspace activeApplication];

//Get the PSN of the current application.
UInt32 lowLong                    = [[currentAppInfo objectForKey:@"NSApplicationProcessSerialNumberLow"] longValue];
UInt32 highLong                   = [[currentAppInfo objectForKey:@"NSApplicationProcessSerialNumberHigh"] longValue];
ProcessSerialNumber currentAppPSN = {highLong,lowLong};

//Grab window information from the window server.
CFArrayRef windowList             = CGWindowListCopyWindowInfo(kCGWindowListOptionOnScreenOnly, kCGNullWindowID);
ProcessSerialNumber myPSN         = {kNoProcess, kNoProcess};

//Loop through the windows, the window list is ordered from front to back.
for (NSMutableDictionary* entry in (NSArray*) windowList)
{
 int pid = [[entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowOwnerPID] intValue];
 GetProcessForPID(pid, &myPSN);

 //If the process of the current window in the list matches our process, get the front window number.
 if(myPSN.lowLongOfPSN == currentAppPSN.lowLongOfPSN && myPSN.highLongOfPSN == currentAppPSN.highLongOfPSN)
 {
  NSNumber *windowNumber    = [entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowNumber];
  windowNumber = [entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowNumber];
  NSString* applicationName = [entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowOwnerName];
  NSLog(@"Capture the window: %@ with window ID: %@.",applicationName,windowNumber);
  return applicationName;

  //Break because we only want the front window.
  break;
 }
}
CFRelease(windowList);
[pool release];

Answer 1

You should use the ProcessInformationCopyDictionary function from the Process Manager API. Give it &myPSN and kProcessDictionaryIncludeAllInformationMask as arguments and you will get the information you are looking for.

Answer 2

Hi, I was looking for something related with this topic. I need a WindowRef of the window or window part at a certain location (mouse position) and it has to be over all the windows of all running applications...

I´ve tried it with Carbon (´Cos my App is entirely written in C++) but I´ve found that Some Carbon Functions Doesn´t work properly (MacFindWindow, FindWindow, HIWindowFindAtLocation, FindWindowOfClass, HIWindowGetCGWindowID...)

Maybe I´m doing it wrong, It´s difficult to believe that those Carbon functions won´t work any more in 64 bits architectures...

So, related with your question I found the same code and I tried this but it isn´t what I need, I hope it helps you in any way and I´ll keep searching and trying till I get it (If the O.S can do it everybody should).

//if the process of the current window in the list matches our process, get the front window number
    if(myPSN.lowLongOfPSN == currentAppPSN.lowLongOfPSN && myPSN.highLongOfPSN == currentAppPSN.highLongOfPSN)
    {
        NSNumber* windowNumber    = [entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowNumber];
        NSString* applicationName = [entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowOwnerName];
        NSLog(@"The current app is %@ and the window number of its front window is %@.",applicationName,windowNumber);
        CGRect bounds;
        CGRectMakeWithDictionaryRepresentation((CFDictionaryRef)[entry objectForKey:(id)kCGWindowBounds], &bounds);
        NSLog(@"WINDOW RECT BOUNDS; (x,y,width, height) = (%d,%d, %d, %d)", bounds.origin.x, bounds.origin.y, bounds.size.width, bounds.size.height);


        break;
    }

Also, follow this link, I´t will help you. I´m sure:

http://code.google.com/p/blazingstars/source/browse/trunk/PokerHK/HKLowLevel.m?r=70