Mac OSX - HELP!

I finally got an iBook and I want to start porting my games
to Mac. They use SDL and C++, and some custom Python build
scripts to make Linux (natively) and Win32 (cross-compiler)
binaries. I’d like to port this environment to the iBook.

I downloaded and installed XCode, so I have gcc. I also
downloaded Fink and I’m installing the SDL libs right now.

The big question is, what next? I hope to run my Python scripts
(which basically call g++) and be able to build Mac binaries. I
want them to run in OS X and up.

Some additional questions… sorry if you consider them off topic
but I couldn’t find a good “tutorial” on this.

How do I distribute an app built this way? In Win32 and Linux I
distribute the executable, the SDL shared libs, and some resource
files. In Mac I find I can install an “application” which seems
to be a whole directory tree. How are these things built? It’s just
a directory whose name ends in “.app”?

Another one, how do I build an installer? Is there any Mac-specific
"official" way, or people use third-party installer builders (the
equivalent of NSIS, for example)

Thanks a lot,
–Gabriel

Ing. Gabriel Gambetta
ARTech - GeneXus Development Team
ggambett at artech.com.uy

Gabriel Gambetta wrote:

Some additional questions… sorry if you consider them off topic
but I couldn’t find a good “tutorial” on this.

How do I distribute an app built this way? In Win32 and Linux I
distribute the executable, the SDL shared libs, and some resource
files. In Mac I find I can install an “application” which seems
to be a whole directory tree. How are these things built? It’s just
a directory whose name ends in “.app”?

Another one, how do I build an installer? Is there any Mac-specific
"official" way, or people use third-party installer builders (the
equivalent of NSIS, for example)

Some reading that might answer your questions:

<file:///Developer/Documentation/DeveloperTools/Conceptual/SoftwareDistribution/index.html>
or
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/DeveloperTools/Conceptual/SoftwareDistribution/index.html

and

<file:///Developer/Documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/index.html>
or
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/SystemOverview/index.html

(especially the “Bundles” and “Application Packaging” chapters, although
it might be a good idea to browse through the whole book if you’re serious
about programming for Mac OS X)

Hope that helps

-Christian

Hi,

Gabriel Gambetta wrote:

The big question is, what next? I hope to run my Python scripts
(which basically call g++) and be able to build Mac binaries. I
want them to run in OS X and up.

The best example of building a Mac OS X app from a cross-platform SDL
commandline environment I know of is ScummVM (http://www.scummvm.org),
you can examine their build scripts for all the information you should need.

Another one, how do I build an installer? Is there any Mac-specific
"official" way, or people use third-party installer builders (the
equivalent of NSIS, for example)

Ideally you don’t want an installer. See other replies for details.

Fred