processing / processing/processing4

Implement reliable getLibraryFolder() and getDocumentsFolder() methods in MacPlatform

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lower priority macos
Dominant language
Java
Stars
494
Forks
183
Avg merge
4h 39m
Merged PRs (30d)
3

Description

Created by: benfry

With the removal of FileManager in JDK 9+ we no longer have a means of getting the Documents and Library folders on macOS.

For now, it's possible to use System.getProperty("user.home") and tack Library or Documents onto the end of that, however I'm guessing that it won't be possible in future OS releases, or perhaps even with a signed version of the app, due to security-related changes to how file system access works.

(Appending these folder names works now even on localized systems, since the native language shown is not what's used internally by the OS.)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating MacPlatform and its getLibraryFolder() and getDocumentsFolder() methods. Research the supported macOS APIs for resolving these folders without FileManager, then verify the result on localized systems and with signed applications; done means both methods reliably return the intended folders on current macOS versions.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
java, macos
Domain
desktop, operating-systems
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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