LSAPPINFO(8) LSAPPINFO(8)
NAME
lsappinfo - Control and query CoreApplicationServices about the app state on the system
SYNOPSIS
lsappinfo [options] [ command [command options] ] ...
COMMON COMMANDS
o front Show the front application.
o find [ key=value ]+
Show the ASN of all applications which have the given key/value present in their application information. For key the actual CFString
value for the key can be used, or any of the aliases described below under Key Strings. For value, see the rules below under Key Val-
ues.
o info [-only information-item-key] [-app app-specifier] [-long][app-specifier]
Show the information for the application app-specifier
o list
Show the application list and information about each running application
o listen [+notificationcode]* [-notificationcode]* [-addasn asn] [-removeasn asn] [ -id # ] duration [--]
Listen for the given notifications ( those with '+', excluding those with '-' ) and display each one and its payload. Notifications are
displayed when they receive when this tool is executing a wait or forever command.
o launch [[launch-modifier=value]+ [launch-option=value]+ [-arg argument] [path-to-bundle] [--]
Launch an application with CoreApplicationServices in LaunchServices. At the minimum, the execpath must be included as one of the
launch-options or -poseas and a path-to-bundle. This is a fairly low level operation and does not handle a number of conditions that
the higher level functions do.
o metainfo
Show the meta information, which is the session-wide information which CoreApplicationServices maintains for each login session.
o processList
Show the application list, in ascending ASN order.
o restart
Ask the launchservicesd to restart. The requestor must be privileged.
o sharedmemory
Show the shared memory information page for this session.
o unlisten [ -id ID ] [ -all ]
Unlisten to all notifications on notification ID.
o visibleProcessList
Show the visible ( front-to-back ) application list.
UNCOMMON COMMANDS
o allocateASN Ask launchservicesd to allocate an ASN, and print it out.
o createFile PATH Create a file at the given path
o file path Open the file at path and read lines, treating each one as if it were passed to lsappinfo on the command line.
o forever Wait forever before executing the next command
o log [ -d | -i | -n | -w | -e | -c | -a ] [ -B ] [ -sender *processname* ] [ string ... -- ] If an option is given, dump any LaunchSer-
vices logging information on the system until the process is terminated with control-C. If a string is provided, log that string to
syslog.
o removeFile PATH Remove the file at the given path
o server [ -xpcservicename ARG ] [ -local ] [ -duration *DURATION* ] [ -file *FILEPATH* ] [ -gone FILEGONEPATH ] [ -forever ] Start up
the launchservicesd server in process, with the optional given xpc service name or if -local then processing xpc requests from future
commands for this same process. Terminate the server after the given DURATION seconds, or when the file at FILEPATH exists, or the file
at path FILEPATHFONE is deleted, or never if -forever.
o setinfo [-app app-specifier] [app-info-item=value]+ [--] Set the values for the given application information items in the specified
application.
o setmetainfo [meta-info-item=value]+ [--]
o wait [ -duration duration ] [ -file FILEPATH ] [ -gone FILEPATHGONE ] duration Wait for duration seconds before executing the next com-
mand, or if FILEPATH is given until that file exists, or if FILEPATHGONE is given until that file no longer exists.
o writePIDToFile PATH Write the current processes pid to a file at PATH.
OPTIONS
o -v | --verbose Be more verbose about many operations
o -q | --quiet Be less verbose about many operations
o -defaultSession Use kLSDefaultSessionID as the sessionID passed to all calls (the default)
o -currentSession Use kLSCurrentSessionID as the sessionID passed to all calls
o -debug | -info | -notice | -warning | -err | -critical | -alert | -emergency Set the log level for this process to the given level
APPLICATION SPECIFIERS
There are different ways to indicate what application the commands operate on, collectively called the app-specifier. This may be one of
the following.
o "ASN:0xAAAA:0xBBBB:" where AAAA and BBBB are the values for an application ASN.
o "0xBBBB" where BBBB are the values from the lower part of an application ASN for which the upper part of the ASN is 0x0
o "#" where # is a decimal value above 10, representing the application with the pid #
o "name" where name is the display name of a running application
o "bundleid" where bundleid is the bundle id of a running application
o "me" the asn of the lsappinfo tool
KEY STRINGS
Any string from this set will map to the corresponding constant from the LaunchServices header files.
kCFBundleNameKey
kLSASNKey
kLSASNToBringForwardAtNextApplicationExitKey
kLSAllowedToBecomeFrontmostKey
kLSApplicationBackgroundOnlyTypeKey
kLSApplicationBackgroundPriorityKey
kLSApplicationCountKey
kLSApplicationDesiresAttentionKey,
kLSApplicationForegroundPriorityKey
kLSApplicationForegroundTypeKey
kLSApplicationHasRegisteredKey
kLSApplicationHasSignalledItIsReadyKey
kLSApplicationInStoppedStateKey
kLSApplicationInThrottledStateAfterLaunchKey
kLSApplicationInformationSeedKey
kLSApplicationIsHiddenKey
kLSApplicationListSeedKey
kLSApplicationReadyToBeFrontableKey
kLSApplicationTypeKey
kLSApplicationTypeToRestoreKey
kLSApplicationUIElementTypeKey
kLSApplicationVersionKey
kLSApplicationWasTerminatedByTALKey
kLSApplicationWouldBeTerminatedByTALKey
kLSArchitectureKey
kLSBundleIdentifierLowerCaseKey
kLSBundlePathDeviceIDKey
kLSBundlePathINodeKey
kLSBundlePathKey
kLSCheckInTimeKey
kLSDebugLevelKey
kLSDisplayNameKey
kLSExecutableFormatCFMKey
kLSExecutableFormatKey
kLSExecutableFormatMachOKey
kLSExecutableFormatPoundBangKey
kLSExecutablePathDeviceIDKey
kLSExecutablePathINodeKey
kLSExecutablePathKey
kLSExitStatusKey
kLSFileCreatorKey
kLSFileTypeKey
kLSFlavorKey
kLSFrontApplicationSeedKey
kLSHiddenApplicationCountKey
kLSLaunchTimeKey
kLSLaunchedByLaunchServicesKey
kLSLaunchedByLaunchServicesThruForkExecKey
kLSLaunchedByLaunchServicesThruLaunchDKey
kLSLaunchedByLaunchServicesThruSessionLauncherKey
kLSLaunchedInQuarantineKey
kLSMenuBarOwnerApplicationSeedKey
kLSModifierLaunchedForPersistenceKey
kLSModifierRefConKey
kLSNotifyBecameFrontmostAnotherLaunchKey
kLSNotifyBecameFrontmostFirstActivationKey
kLSNotifyLaunchRequestLaunchModifiersKey
kLSOriginalExecutablePathDeviceIDKey
kLSOriginalExecutablePathINodeKey
kLSOriginalExecutablePathKey
kLSOriginalPIDKey
kLSPIDKey
kLSParentASNKey
kLSParentASNWasInferredKey
kLSPersistenceSuppressRelaunchAtLoginKey
kLSPreviousASNKey
kLSPreviousPresentationModeKey
kLSPreviousValueKey
kLSRecordingAppleEventsKey
kLSRequiresCarbonKey
kLSRequiresClassicKey
kLSSessionIDKey
kLSShellExecutablePathKey
kLSUIDsInSessionKey
kLSUIPresentationModeAllHiddenValue
kLSUIPresentationModeAllSuppressedValue
kLSUIPresentationModeContentHiddenValue
kLSUIPresentationModeContentSuppressedValue
kLSUIPresentationModeKey
kLSUIPresentationModeNormalValue
kLSUIPresentationOptionsKey
kLSUnhiddenApplicationCountKey
kLSVisibleApplicationCountKey
kLSVisibleApplicationListSeedKey
kLSWantsToComeForwardAtRegistrationTimeKey
launchedThrottled
Likewise, these short strings also make to the corresponding constants.
allowedtobecomefrontmost
applicationTypeToRestore
applicationWasTerminatedByTAL
applicationtype
arch
asn
bundleid
bundlelastcomponent
bundlename
bundlenamelc
bundlepath
changecount
creator
debuglevel
displayname
execpath
executablepath
filecreator
filename
filetype
hidden
isconnectedtowindowserver
isready
isregistered
isstopped
isthrottled
launchedForPersistence
launchedinquarantine
name
parentasn
pid
presentationmode
presentationoptions
psn
recordingAppleEvents
session
shellpath
supressRelaunch
version
KEY VALUES
In numerous places a key can be set to a value. The format of value can be any of the following
o "string" A string, surrounded by double quotes.
o numeric-digits | -numeric-digits | numeric-digits.numeric-digits[E]numeric-digits A numeric value, either an integer type or a double
floating point type.
o $hex-digits A numeric value given by the hex value hex-digits.
o "ASN:0xAAAA:0xBBBB:" An ASN, where AAAA and BBBB are the values for an application ASN.
o App:str An ASN, where str matches one of the application-specifier formats.
o ( [[str,] str] ) A CFArrayRef, where each str is converted as if it were a key value.
o true The kCFBooleanTrue value.
o false The kCFBooleanFalse value.
o null The kCFNull value.
o Any of the application information item, or launch modifier strings The equivalent, exported LaunchServices CFStringRef key for the
item or launch modifier.
APPLICATION INFORMATION ITEM KEYS
o asn An application ASN, which is unique identifier assigned to each application when the application is launched and persists until the
application exits, and likely is unique for the entire time a user is logged in. When displayed, an ASN looks like "ASN:0x0-0x1f01f:".
o parentasn The ASN of the application which launched this application.
o bundlename The bundle name, if one exists, for the application.
o bundlenamelc The bundle name, if one exists, for the application, but with every upper case character converted into the equivalent
lower case character.
o bundlepath The bundle path, if the application is bundled
o executablepath The executable path of the application
o filetype The file type of the application, if it has one.
o filecreator The creator type of the application, if it has one.
o pid The pid of the application.
o filename The filename of the executable (the last component of the executable path), converted into a lowercase string
o bundlelastcomponent The last component of the bundle path, converted into a lowercase string.
o displayname | name The display name of this application
o bundleid The bundle identifier of the application, if one exists.
o applicationtype The type of the application (generally "Foreground", "Background", or "UIElement")
o allowedtobecomefrontmost The application is allowed to be frontmost.
o version The version string for the application, if it has one
o presentationmode The UIPresentationMode for this application (only for foreground applications), generally one of "Normal", "ContentSu-
pressed", "ContentHidden", "Suppressed", "AllHidden"
o presentationoptions
o session A number indicating which audit session this application is running in.
o hidden If this application is a foreground application, then if it is hidden, "true", or "false" if it is not hidden
o changecount A number which changes whenever any items in the application's information dictionary is changed.
o debuglevel
o isregistered If this application has registered, then "true", otherwise "false".
o isready If this application has entered its main runloop and is able to respond to requests to hide or show itself, "true", otherwise
"false".
o isstopped If this application was launched stopped, and if it has not been started yet, then "true", otherwise "false" or not present.
o launchedinquarantine If this application was launched in a quarantined state, then "true", otherwise "false" or not present.
o arch The architecture of the code running this application, generally "x86_64" or "i386".
o recordingAppleEvents If this application is recording AppleEvents, then "true", otherwise "false" or not present.
o supressRelaunch If this application should not be re-launched after a logout and login, then "true", otherwise "false" or not present.
o applicationTypeToRestore
o applicationWasTerminatedByTAL
o isthrottled If this application was launched in the throttled state, and if it has not been unthrottled, then "true", otherwise false
or not present.
o applicationWouldBeTerminatedByTALKey
o launchedhidden If the application was launched hidden, then "true", otherwise "false" or not present. This is not whether the applica-
tion is currently hidden, just whether at the time it was launched the request was to have it hide itself.
o launchandhideothers If the application was launched and asked to hide all other application, then "true", otherwise "false" or not
present. This is not whether the application is currently hidden, just whether at the time it was launched the request was to have it
hide all other applications.
o launchForPersistence If the application was launched with launchForPersistence=true, then "true", otherwise "false" or not present.
LAUNCHMODIFIER KEYS
o async=[true|false] Launch asynchronously
o refcon=[#] Launch with the given numeric refcon.
o nofront=[true|false] If true, do not bring the application to the front when it finishes launching
o stopped=[true|false] Launch the process but do not start it.
o launchandhide=[true|false] Launch the process and cause it to hide itself when it finishes launching
o launchandhideothers`=[true|false] Launch the process and couse it to hide all other applications when it finishes launching
o launchForPersistence=[true|false]
o launchWithASLRDisabled=[true|false]
NOTIFICATION CODES
Notifications are sent out by LaunchServices when various conditions arrive. Each notification has a type, called the notification-code, a
dictionary of data items which are specific to the notification, a time the notification was sent, and an optional affected ASN.
o launch
Sent when an application is launched
o creation
Sent when an entry for an application is created on the system and associated with an ASN.
o birth
Sent when an
o death
Sent when an application exits.
o abnormaldeath
Sent when an application exits with a non-zero exit status.
o childDeath
Sent when an application exits, with affected ASN set to the parent ASN of the application which exited.
o abnormalChildDeath
Sent when an application exits with a non-zero exit status, with affected ASN set to the parent ASN of the application which exited.
o launchFailure
Sent when an application launch fails, after a launch notification has been sent out.
o appCreation
Sent when an application is "created", which happens immediately after the application is created and certain items are added into the
application information dictionary.
o childAppCreation
Sent when an application is "created", which happens immediately after the application is created and certain items are added into the
application information dictionary, with affected ASN set to the asn of the parent ASN of this application.
o appReady
Sent when an applications signals to LaunchServices that it is ready to accept hide/show events, generally when it has entered its main
runloop.
o childAppReady
Sent when an applications signals to LaunchServices that it is ready to accept hide/show events, generally when it has entered its main
runloop, with affected ASN set to the parent ASN of the application which signalled ready.
o readyToAcceptAppleEvents
Sent when an application signals that it is ready to accept AppleEvents.
o launchTimedOut
o launchFinished
o allTALAppsRegistered
Sent when talagentd decides that all applications which were launched for persistence have registered.
o becameFrontmost
Sent when an application is made into the front application.
o lostFrontmost
Sent when an application which previously was the front application is no longer the front application.
o orderChanged
Sent when the front-to-back order of the application list changes.
o bringForwardRequest
Someone has requested that the application with affected ASN make itself frontmost.
o menuBarAcquired
Sent when the application which is responsible for drawing the menu bar (generally the frontmost foreground application) changes
o menuBarLost
Sent when the application which was responsible for drawing the menu bar (generally the frontmost foreground application) is no longer
responsible
o hidden
Sent when the application is hidden
o shown
Sent when the application is shown
o showRequest
Someone has requested that the application with the affected application asn should show (un-hide) itself.
o hideRequest
Someone has requested that the application with the affected application asn should hide itself.
o pullwindowsforward
Someone has requested that the application with the affected application asn should show itself and pull all of its windows forward.
o appInfoChanged
Sent when the information for the application is changed.
o appInfoKeyAdded
Sent when a key is added to the information for the application. The data for the notification will include the key being added and its
value.
o appInfoKeyChanged
Sent when a value for an item in the application information is changed. The data for the notification will include the key being changes
and its new and old value.
o appInfoKeyRemoved
Sent when the value for an item in the application information is removed. The data for the notification will include the key being removed
and its value.
o appTypeChanged
Sent when the "ApplicationType" key in the application information is changed.
o appNameChanged
Sent when the application name in the application information is changed.
o wantsAttentionChanged
Sent when the LSWantsAttention key in the application information is changed.
o presentationModeChanged
Sent when an application changes its presentation mode.
o pidChanged
Sent when an application changes its pid. In practice this can never happen, except when LaunchServices launches a process which itself
forks or spawns a new process, and then checks-in from that new pid.
o frontPresentationModeChanged
Sent when the presentation mode of the system changes, generally when the foreground application changes its own presentation mode or when
the front application changes and the old and new applications have different presentation modes.
o presentationModeChangedBecauseFrontApplicationChanged
Sent when the presentation mode of the system changes only because the front application changed and the old and new applications have dif-
ferent presentation modes.
o launchrequest
o started
Sent when a formally stopped application is started.
o sessionLauncherRegister
Sent when the ASN of the session launcher application registers with LaunchServices.
o sessionLauncherUnregistered
Sent when the application registered as the session launcher unregisters or exits.
o nextAppToBringForwardAtQuitRegistered
Sent when the meta-information item for the next application to bring forward ASN is changed
o nextAppToBringForwardAtQuitUnregistered
o systemProcessRegistered
Sent when the system process (generally loginwindow) registers with LaunchServices.
o systemProcessUnregistered
Sent when the system process (generally loginwindow) unregisters with LaunchServices.
o frontReservationCreated
Sent when a front-reservation is created.
o frontReservationDestroyed
Sent when a front reservation is destroyed.
o permittedFrontASNsChanged
Sent when the array of permitted-front-applications changes.
o suppressRelaunch
Sent when an application changes its "LSSupressRelaunch" key.
o terminatedByTALChanged
Sent when an application changes its "TerminatedByTAL" key.
o launchedThrottledChanged
Sent when an application changes * applicationWouldBeTerminatedByTALChanged * applicationProgressValueChanged * applicationVisualNotifica-
tion * wakeup
Request that the application with affected ASN resume running its main runloop.
o sessionCreated
Sent when a session is created, generally when the first application registers inside the session. Affected ASN is always NULL, since this
does not refer to any particular application.
o sessionDestroyed
Sent when a session is destroyed. Affected ASN is always NULL, since this does not refer to any particular application.
o invalid
This represents an invalid notification code, and is never sent.
o all
This represents all notification codes, and is never sent, but gets used when specifying which notifications to listen for.
EXAMPLES
o List all of the running applications
lsappinfo list
o Show all the notifications which are being sent out
lsappinfo listen +all forever
o Show the notifications sent out whenever the front application is changed, for the next 60 seconds
lsappinfo listen +becameFrontmost wait 60
o Launch TextEdit.app, asyncronously, and don't bring it to the front
lsappinfo launch nofront=true async=true /Applications/TextEdit.app/
o Find the ASN for the running application "TextEdit", by bundle id
lsappinfo find bundleid=com.apple.TextEdit
o Find the ASN for the running application "TextEdit", by name
lsappinfo find name="TextEdit"
o Show the information for the running application "TextEdit"
lsappinfo info "TextEdit"
April 2013 LSAPPINFO(8)