Installation Instructions for Developers

So you’ve created this incredibly useful Spotlight Plug-in, Dashboard Widget, or Automator Action, and you want to share it. What’s the best way to make it accessible to users? Here’s what you need to know.

Spotlight Plug-ins

To ensure a consistent user experience installing Spotlight plug-ins, follow these instructions:

• Deliver your plug-in within its own installer package or include it as part of your application’s install package. Use PackageMaker in Mac OS X Tiger to create an installer.
• Install your Spotlight plug-in in: /Library/Spotlight/
• Have the Spotlight server reindex all the files your plug-in supports by running the following command as part of your installer script:
  
  /usr/bin/mdimport -r /Library/Spotlight/Yourplug-in

Dashboard Widgets

To ensure a consistent user experience installing Dashboard widgets, follow these instructions:

• Widgets are much less complex than applications and should provide a light-weight install experience. The required installation experience is to have widgets delivered in zip archive format and placed on your website for download. Only archive the .wdgt bundle/file itself. When downloaded using Safari it will be automatically unarchived and placed in the user’s /Library/Widgets/ folder. Other web browsers will require users to install the widget manually.
  
  Follow these steps to create a zip archive:
  • Select the widget in the Finder
  • Choose File > Create Archive
  • Upload resulting archived widget to your web server
• Avoid multi-step installations, registration, and purchasing after the widget is downloaded. If registration, purchase, and the display of an End User License Agreement is required, perform these functions locally on your website prior to download. If it’s necessary to communicate with your widget after download, do so using cookies.
• Include the instructions below on your widget download page for users to follow:
  
  

  "Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or later is required. If you’re using Safari, click the download link. When the widget download is complete, show Dashboard, click the Plus sign to display the Widget Bar and click the widget’s icon in the Widget Bar to open it. If you’re using a browser other than Safari, click the download link. When the widget download is complete, unarchive it and place it in /Library/Widgets/ in your home folder. show Dashboard, click the Plus sign to display the Widget Bar and click the widget’s icon in the Widget Bar to open it."

Automator Actions

Automator actions are installed in two possible locations:

• The local library folder: /Library/Automator/
• The user library folder: ~/Library/Automator/

Actions placed in the local library folder will be available to all users of the computer. Actions installed in the user library folder will only be available to the current user.

To ensure a consistent user experience installing Automator Actions, follow these instructions:

• For actions that are installed in the local library folder, use the Apple PackageMaker application to create an installer package for the actions and related materials.
• For actions that are installed in the user library folder, download and unpack this archive and follow the provided instructions to create an installer.

NOTE: Applications can contain actions and definition files that are automatically recognized and displayed by Automator. Simply place actions and any definition files in the Contents > Library > Automator folder within in the application bundle. When the hosting application is installed, the actions will be added to Automator’s list of actions.