QMacInstallDialog: Use Authorization Services to install command line to...

[oyarzun]

Use authorization services to install commad line tool symlinks on OSX.
related to bug http://public.kitware.com/Bug/print_bug_page.php?bug_id=10056
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/23849962/cmake-installer-for-mac-fails-to-create-usr-bin-symlinks

[clintonstimpson]

Thanks for looking into this issue.
One concern I have with this patch is the use of the deprecated AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges() which has been deprecated for quite some time.

I understand that the alternative is to have a helper application, which then required code signing.
However, have you looked into using a shell script to solve this problem? /bin/bash should already be code signed and it can simply run the script or commands.
Will that approach work, and also use non-deprecated APIs?

[bradking]

Rather than trying to implement this at all in the GUI, perhaps the menu option should instead just pop up instructions on how to do it via the command line. I expect anyone wanting to install the command line interface is willing to use the command line with sudo /Applications/CMake.app/Contents/bin/cmake-gui --install-command-line or something like that.

FWIW, I just put /Applications/CMake.app/Contents/bin in my PATH.

[oyarzun]

I've updated the pull request to use apple script to install the symlinks as root without using a deprecated api.

[clintonstimpson]

On May 6, 2015 12:16 PM, oyarzun notifications@github.com wrote:

I've updated the pull request to use apple script to install the symlinks as root without using a deprecated api.

That does look better.  Thanks.
Clint

[bradking]

Rather than using system to run the command, please use cmSystemTools::RunSingleCommand (the overload that takes vector<string> as the command line). That allows one to capture the output and check the result of the operation. Use this to restore the message box on failure.

[clintonstimpson]

I too want to see Brad's suggested changes.
One question... if one is already root/administrator, will it still prompt for administrative rights?

[bradking]

if one is already root/administrator, will it still prompt

Furthermore, if one chooses a destination directory that does not require admin rights, we shouldn't prompt for them.

My above suggestion of requiring a manual sudo command line avoids all such complexity.

[oyarzun]

No it will not prompt you again if you are running the GUI as root.

From what I have seen, OSX GUI applications which install command line tools either provide you with a menu option to install the tools or have an pkg installer. The menu will install the tools to either /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin without providing the option to pick a directory. Atom and Unison are ones that use a menu item.

Should I update the pull request to use cmSystemTools::RunSingleCommand? Or just change it to provide the instructions to run the gui with sudo (which to your point would only be required if they wanted it in a dir that required admin rights)?

[bradking]

My preference is to remove the current menu option and add a different one in an appropriate place to get help for installing the symlinks. Then provide instructions for command-line installation, e.g.

sudo /Applications/CMake.app/Contents/bin/cmake-gui --install-command-line[=/custom/dir]

Of course the path in the command line would be computed from the actual location of the executable.

This approach is similar to xcode-select --install for Xcode command-line tools.

[clintonstimpson]

By the way, there is also a way to install Xcode command-line tools from within the Xcode GUI (Xcode Preferences -> Downloads).

However, I like Brad's suggestion over the current patch.

[bradking]

I've implemented the command-line approach in commit 438ce4a and commit 8ea2db2.