appify — create the simplest possible Mac app from a shell script

appify

#!/bin/bash

if [ "$1" = "-h" -o "$1" = "--help" -o -z "$1" ]; then cat <<EOF
appify v3.0.1 for Mac OS X - http://mths.be/appify
Creates the simplest possible Mac app from a shell script.

Appify takes a shell script as its first argument:

    `basename "$0"` my-script.sh

Note that you cannot rename appified apps. If you want to give your app
a custom name, use the second argument:

    `basename "$0"` my-script.sh "My App"

Copyright (c) Thomas Aylott <http://subtlegradient.com/>
Modified by Mathias Bynens <http://mathiasbynens.be/>
EOF
exit; fi

APPNAME=${2:-$(basename "$1" ".sh")}
DIR="$APPNAME.app/Contents/MacOS"

if [ -a "$APPNAME.app" ]; then
	echo "$PWD/$APPNAME.app already exists :("
	exit 1
fi

mkdir -p "$DIR"
cp "$1" "$DIR/$APPNAME"
chmod +x "$DIR/$APPNAME"

echo "$PWD/$APPNAME.app"

don't do /Users/--------/Desktop/appify.sh: Permission denied
instead do sh /Users/--------/Desktop/appify.sh

Hi, is there an option to run the app as hidden?

This is the only "appify" script that is working on Catalina. Thanks, friend. Do you want to fork Conky-Mac with me. I have great configs but really haven't done serious code since the 90's in LA.

On an ARM64 Mac, it kept prompting me to install Rosetta; adding the LSArchitecturePriority to the /Contents/Info.plist seems to work (although this is cached somehow, so I had to change the CFBundleIdentifier to get Rosetta to check again):

<?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>run</string>
	<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
	<string>com.testing</string>
	<key>LSArchitecturePriority</key>
	<array>
		<string>arm64</string>
	</array>
	<key>LSRequiresNativeExecution</key>
	<true/>
</dict>
</plist>

Creating lightweight Mac applications from shell scripts is an efficient way to simplify software distribution and improve the user experience. As developers continue building tools for the Apple ecosystem, providing clear installation methods becomes equally important. Resources explaining Direct Install Delta Executor iOS help users understand how compatible iOS applications can be installed quickly, complementing the broader goal of making software deployment faster and more accessible across Apple devices.