Sparkle framework fails to load inside iPhoto plugin

This is a really weird problem with embedded frameworks on OS X. When you build the framework, you have to tell it where it's going to be relative to the executable using the installation path. Normally, one uses something like @executable_path/../Frameworks, but for a plugin, that's obviously going to be incorrect.

Update the Sparkle framework target's installation path to be appropriate to your app, then it should work just fine.

I'd not sure I'd go as far as saying it's a problem - much less weird. @executable_path is a macro that returns the app that the bundle is running under.

To make Sparkle work in bundles, set the installation path to: @loader_path/../Frameworks

This will make it work in applications, bundles, frameworks, etc.

A fix is to add a "Run Script" build phase with:

install_name_tool -change \
 "@executable_path/../Frameworks/Sparkle.framework/Versions/A/Sparkle" \
 "@loader_path/../Frameworks/Sparkle.framework/Versions/A/Sparkle" \
 "$INSTALL_PATH/$EXECUTABLE_PATH"

I'm using this for a System Preferences Panel which technically is a plugin to the System Preferences application.

Thanks for the heads up on this. I have Sparkle.framework in my Copy Bundle Resources phase for my System Preference (per the other thread you commented on). When I create this run script you pasted above, I get the following error when running the System Preference:

7/27/08 1:28:24 AM System Preferences[10613] Error loading /Users/tornado/Library/PreferencePanes/FlexCal.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/FlexCal: dlopen(/Users/tornado/Library/PreferencePanes/FlexCal.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/FlexCal, 265): Library not loaded: @executable_path/../Frameworks/Sparkle.framework/Versions/A/Sparkle
  Referenced from: /Users/tornado/Library/PreferencePanes/FlexCal.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/FlexCal
  Reason: image not found

When I open my Sys pref Package, my executable is of course in the MacOS folder. Shouldn't the @executable_path you set above instead be

 "@executable_path/../Resources/Sparkle.framework/Versions/A/Sparkle" \

(as that is where the Sparkle Framework lives in my package). Regardless I still get the same error above when I have it like yours or with my modification above. Any thoughts? Thanks.

tornado:

Instead of adding Sparkle to the "Copy Bundle Resources" build phase, you should create a "Copy Files" build phase and set the destination popup to "FrameWorks" (get info for the phase). This makes Sparkle.framework go into a "Frameworks" folder instead of the "Resources" folder.

The "Copy Files" phase must come before the "Run Script" phase from the previous comment.

The "@executable_path" macro expands to the path of the application's (i.e. System Preferences.app) executable and not yours, as the linker regards it as a shared library and not an executable. Therefore, the macro used to point to the sparkle framework must be @loader_path as this is relative to your bundle and not the application bundle.

You can verify which macro is used by running
otool -L path/to/your/Contents/MacOS/file

The "install_name_tool ..." command should have changed it from @executable_path to @loader_path

(!) It worked (!) Thank you so much for the clarification!

-Joe

P.S. Since you've written a System Preference with Sparkle integration, do you have any idea about my question about notification (I need to kill a bg process before sparkle relaunches my new system pref after it updates). The thread # is 37318. Again, thank you for the help on this Copy Files issue.

I think I spoke too quickly here Peter. I had it working but I've found that when I do NOT have my System Preference already in the ~/Library/System Preferences folder, I get this error when I'm building in Xcode:

Running custom shell script (1 error)
install_name_tool: can't open file: /Users/tornado/Library/PreferencePanes/FlexCal.prefPane/Contents/MacOS/FlexCal (No such file or directory)

Is there a reason that Xcode would look to /Users/tornado/Library/PreferencePanes/

during this phase?

Thanks.

Joe

Thanks for the solution Peter! I never knew about install_name_tool...

tornado: it sounds like the "Run Script" phase comes before the "Link Binary" phase. Try dragging it to the end so it's the last phase.
I presume the prefs panel do get installed without futher ado as /Users/tornado/Library/PreferencePanes/FlexCal.prefPane when you build in Xcode?

I figured it out. I had the phases in corrector order. It was the following that was making it look to the $INSTALL_PATH /$EXECUTABLE_PATH variable that was making it look to ~/Library/PreferencePanes directory. I switched it to $BUILT_PRODUCTS_DIR/$EXECUTABLE_PATH and all is good.

Take care.