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

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