Platypus is a powerful developer tool for creating application wrappers around scripts, i.e. MacOS X applications that execute a bundled script. Scripts can thus be run seamlessly from the graphical window environment, easily making elegant Mac OS X-native applications from scripts.
Here are some of the features Platypus has to offer:
• Supports shell scripts, Perl, Python, PHP, Ruby, Expect, Tcl, AppleScript
• Supports arbitrary interpreter — thus support for any script type
• Executing scripts with root privileges via Apple’s Security Framework
• Drag and drop files, which are passed to the script as arguments
• Graphical feedback of script execution: progress bar or text window with script output
• Can create applications which run in the background
• Sophisticated app bundle configuration for associated file types, identifier, version etc.
• Graphical interface for bundling support files with script
• Built-in script editor, or linking with external editor of choice
• Set own application icon or select from presets
• Command line tool for automating script application bundling
Creating installers, maintenance applications, login items, launchers, automations and droplets is very easy using Platypus.
Platypus is free, open-source software and is distributed under the terms and conditions of the Free Software Foundation’s GNU General Public License. Platypus is written for the Cocoa application programming interfaces.
What’s new:
Version 4.0:
• Now both Platypus and Platypus-generated apps require Mac OS X 10.4 or later.
• Interface streamlined and improved
• Overhauled entire source code backend.
• Optimized binaries of Platypus and Platypus-generated apps. Both are now leaner, meaner and slimmer than before.
• New file-based Profiles feature
• New application icon and new icon presets for generated apps
• New Web Output mode. Scripts can generate HTML which is rendered in a WebKit view in the Platypus-generated application
• New option to configure text size, font and color for Text Output mode
• New option to send arguments to script interpreter
• New option to disable passing path to app as first argument to script
• New “Secure script” encryption method
• Command line tool now has complete feature parity with the Platypus app
• Command line tool can now load Platypus profiles
• Command line tool now installed/uninstalled through Platypus Preferences
• New “Estimated final app size” reporting feature
• “Show Shell Command” option now correctly adds icon parameters
• Fixed bug where “Run Script in Terminal” option failed to escape script path
• Fixed bug with reversed LSMinimumSystemVersion property in Info.plist of generated applications
• Fixed bug where the same file could be added multiple times to Bundled Files list
• Fixed memory leak in Platypus-generated apps where a large amount of text output would cause the application to crash
• New and better man page for command line tool
• Updated and improved documentation
• Updated to latest IconFamily class code for icon generation
