Glossary

• activate  

  To bring a running application to the front of the screen, allowing the user to interact with it. Compare launch.



• active extension  

  A filename extensionclaimed by at least one application registered with Launch Services. Compare valid extension.



• application  

  An independently executable software program.



• application bundle  

  A bundle containing the executable code of an application and its associated resources.



• application file  

  A file containing the executable code of an application.



• application package  

  An application bundle presented to the user in the form of a package whose contents are ordinarily inaccessible for browsing.



• asynchronous launch  

  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.



• binding information  

  The information maintained in the Launch Services database about the kinds of documents and URLs an application is capable of opening.



• binding preference  

  A preference set by the user specifying the application in which to open a given document or URL.



• binding rules  

  The rules used by Launch Services to determine an item’s default application according to the binding information in the Launch Services database.



• bundle  

  A directory containing executable code and related resources, structured according to conventions defined by Core Foundation Bundle Services.



• bundle identifier  

  A unique identifying string used to locate an application’s bundle at runtime.



• bundle information property list  

  A collection of key-value pairs giving information about an application, stored in a file named Info.plist in its application bundle.



• claim  

  Said of an application, to declare to Launch Services that it is capable of opening documents or URLs of a given type.



• Core Foundation URL reference  

  A data object of type CFURLRef specifying a URL.



• creator signature  

  A four-character code associated with a file that identifies the application that created it or that should be used to open it.



• default application  

  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.



• directory  

  A file-system object containing zero or more other named objects (files or other directories).



• display name  

  A string used for displaying an item’s name to the user, such as in the Finder or the Dock.



• document  

  A unit or collection of data, contained in a file or package, that can be operated on by an application.



• document file  

  A file containing a document.



• document package  

  A package containing a document along with related resources.



• document type  

  A family of document files characterized by a given file type, creator signature, or filename extension. Compare URL type.



• filename extension  

  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.



• file-system reference  

  A data object of type FSRef designating a file residing on a local or remote file-system volume.



• file type  

  A four-character code associated with a file that characterizes its nature or the structure of its contents.



• folder  

  A directory presented to the user in such a way that its contents are accessible (subject to the appropriate permissions) for browsing. Compare package.



• item  

  Generically, an application, document, or URL to be operated on by Launch Services.



• item information record  

  A data structure of type LSItemInfoRecord, used by Launch Services to return information about an item.



• kind string  

  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.



• launch  

  To start up an application that was not previously running. Compare activate.



• launch options  

  A set of flags specifying the manner in which an application is to be opened.



• launch sequence  

  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.



• Launch Services  

  A Mac app programming interface that enables a running program to open other applications, documents, or URLs in a way similar to the Finder or the Dock.



• Launch Services database  

  The data structure in which Launch Services records information about available applications and the kinds of documents or URLs they are capable of opening.



• launch specification  

  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.



• MIME  

  (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) A protocol used for adding attachments to email messages.



• MIME type  

  A string designating the type of data in an attachment transmitted via MIME, such as text/plain, image/jpeg, audio/mp3, or video/quicktime.



• open  

  Generically, to launch or activate an application or to present a document or URL for viewing or editing within an application.



• package  

  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.



• preferred application  

  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.



• reference constant  

  An arbitrary data item available for use by a program to convey information for its own purposes in an operation or data structure.



• register  

  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.



• role  

  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.



• role mask  

  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.



• scheme  

  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.



• scheme-definition dictionary  

  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.



• synchronous launch  

  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.



• type-definition dictionary  

  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.



• uniform resource locator  

  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.



• URL  

  See uniform resource locator.



• URL type  

  A family of URLs characterized by a given scheme component. Compare document type.



• valid extension  

  A filename extension that does not contain spaces, periods, or characters that are not supported by the underlying file system. Compare active extension.