P0-03: Proper .icns app icon and bundle metadata

[hybridmachine]

Description

Create multi-resolution .icns icon. Update Info.plist with proper bundle metadata.

Implementation

• Create .icns with 16x16, 32x32, 128x128, 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024 variants
• Update MacNoteInfo.plist.in: CFBundleIconFile, NSHumanReadableCopyright, LSMinimumSystemVersion (13.0), LSApplicationCategoryType (public.app-category.developer-tools)
• Add icon file to CMakeLists.txt RESOURCE list

Key Files

• macos/platform/MacNoteInfo.plist.in
• macos/CMakeLists.txt

Sprint

Sprint 2 - macOS Native Feel

[hybridmachine]

Detailed Implementation Plan

Overview

Replace the runtime PNG-based dock icon with a proper .icns file in the app bundle. Update Info.plist with standard macOS bundle metadata. This makes the app display correctly in Finder, Dock, Spotlight, and "Open With" menus.

---

1. Generate .icns from logo.png

Create a build-time step using iconutil (ships with Xcode) to produce AppIcon.icns from the existing logo.png (583x612px source).

CMake build step (add before the packaging target):

# Generate .icns from logo.png via iconset
set(ICONSET_DIR "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/AppIcon.iconset")
add_custom_command(
    OUTPUT "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/AppIcon.icns"
    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E make_directory "${ICONSET_DIR}"
    COMMAND sips -z 16 16     "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_16x16.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 32 32     "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_16x16@2x.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 32 32     "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_32x32.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 64 64     "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_32x32@2x.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 128 128   "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_128x128.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 256 256   "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_128x128@2x.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 256 256   "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_256x256.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 512 512   "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_256x256@2x.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 512 512   "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_512x512.png"
    COMMAND sips -z 1024 1024 "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png" --out "${ICONSET_DIR}/icon_512x512@2x.png"
    COMMAND iconutil -c icns "${ICONSET_DIR}" -o "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/AppIcon.icns"
    DEPENDS "${NPP_ROOT}/logo.png"
    COMMENT "Generating AppIcon.icns from logo.png"
)
add_custom_target(AppIcon DEPENDS "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/AppIcon.icns")
add_dependencies(MacOSNotePP AppIcon)

Uses sips (macOS built-in) for resizing and iconutil for .iconset → .icns conversion. No third-party tools needed.

---

2. Update MacNoteInfo.plist.in

Current state is minimal. Add standard macOS app metadata:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
 "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
    <string>MacOSNotePP</string>
    <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
    <string>com.softcentral.macnotepp</string>
    <key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
    <string>AppIcon</string>                          <!-- was logo.png -->
    <key>CFBundleName</key>
    <string>MacNote++</string>
    <key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>
    <string>MacNote++</string>                        <!-- NEW -->
    <key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
    <string>APPL</string>
    <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
    <string>1.0.0</string>
    <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
    <string>1.0.0</string>
    <key>NSHighResolutionCapable</key>
    <true/>
    <key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
    <string>en</string>
    <key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
    <string>6.0</string>
    <key>NSHumanReadableCopyright</key>
    <string>Copyright © 2024-2026. Based on Notepad++ by Don Ho.</string>  <!-- NEW -->
    <key>LSMinimumSystemVersion</key>
    <string>13.0</string>                             <!-- NEW: macOS Ventura -->
    <key>LSApplicationCategoryType</key>
    <string>public.app-category.developer-tools</string>  <!-- NEW -->
</dict>
</plist>

Key change: CFBundleIconFile → AppIcon (no extension — macOS looks for AppIcon.icns in Resources).

---

3. Update CMakeLists.txt — Copy .icns to Bundle

Modify the packaging target to copy AppIcon.icns instead of (or in addition to) logo.png:

# In MacOSNotePP_package target:
# Copy AppIcon.icns to Resources/
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
    "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/AppIcon.icns"
    "${APP_RESOURCES}/AppIcon.icns"

Also update the post-build copy for development builds:

# Copy AppIcon.icns alongside executable for development
add_custom_command(TARGET MacOSNotePP POST_BUILD
    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
        "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/AppIcon.icns"
        "$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:MacOSNotePP>/AppIcon.icns"
    COMMENT "Copying AppIcon.icns for development"
)

Keep copying logo.png too — it's still used by setDockIconFromLogo() in app_delegate.mm and by the About dialog (#10).

---

4. Update app_delegate.mm — Simplify Dock Icon (Optional)

With a proper .icns in the bundle, setDockIconFromLogo() may no longer be needed for packaged builds (macOS reads .icns automatically). However, keep it as a fallback for development builds where the app bundle may not be fully formed:

static void setDockIconFromLogo()
{
    // In a proper app bundle, macOS sets the icon from Info.plist automatically.
    // This fallback is for development builds run outside a bundle.
    if ([[NSBundle mainBundle] objectForInfoDictionaryKey:@"CFBundleIconFile"])
    {
        NSImage* bundleIcon = [NSApp applicationIconImage];
        if (bundleIcon && bundleIcon.size.width > 32)
            return;  // Bundle icon already loaded
    }
    // ... existing fallback code ...
}

---

5. Add PkgInfo File (Optional Enhancement)

Create Contents/PkgInfo containing APPL???? — a macOS convention for faster bundle identification:

# In packaging target:
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "APPL????" > "${APP_CONTENTS}/PkgInfo"

---

Edge Cases

Scenario	Behavior
logo.png source < 1024px	sips upscales; acceptable for v1, recommend higher-res source later
Build without Xcode tools	iconutil requires Xcode CLI tools; fail with clear error
Development build (no bundle)	setDockIconFromLogo() fallback loads PNG at runtime
Finder "Get Info" icon	Reads from .icns in bundle — will work automatically

---

Testing Plan

• Build produces AppIcon.icns in build directory
• MacNote++.app/Contents/Resources/AppIcon.icns exists after packaging
• App icon appears in Finder (not generic white document icon)
• App icon appears in Dock when running
• App icon appears in Cmd+Tab app switcher
• "Get Info" on app bundle shows the icon
• Spotlight search shows app with icon
• Info.plist metadata visible in Finder's "Get Info" panel

---

File Change Summary

File	Action
macos/platform/MacNoteInfo.plist.in	MODIFY — update CFBundleIconFile, add metadata keys
macos/CMakeLists.txt	MODIFY — add .icns generation, update packaging
macos/platform/app_delegate.mm	MODIFY — optional: simplify dock icon fallback

No new source files — all changes are build config and plist metadata.

Estimated Size: Small (S)

~30 lines of CMake additions + ~10 lines of plist updates.

[hybridmachine]

Reviewed — strong plan overall; suggested corrections:

• Prevent setDockIconFromLogo() from overriding the bundle .icns icon in packaged builds (use PNG only as fallback).
• Ensure AppIcon.icns lands in Contents/Resources for both dev and packaged workflows.
• Add a clear build failure message/path when sips/iconutil is unavailable.
• Keep CFBundleIconFile exactly aligned with produced icon name (AppIcon) to avoid lookup mismatches.
• Since logo.png is sub-1024 source, capture icon quality risk and track a higher-resolution source follow-up.