Can you run an XPC service inside a plugin? (e.g. a Print Dialog Extension plugin)

I am creating a Print Dialog Extension (PDE) plugin. This plugin is called and displayed when a user Prints from different apps, e.g. TextEdit, Preview, Xcode, etc. Note that the plugin runs on top of the app that called the Print Plugin (for example, TextEdit).

Inside the plugin, I need to run an XPC service. I need an XPC service since the entitlements on the main app might not be sufficient for my needs, e.g. I need to connect to the network, and TextEdit does not have the required entitlements for network connection.

The problem is, I can't create an XPC connection. The handler always fire with XPC_ERROR_CONNECTION_INVALID.

1.) Is this because the PDE Plugin is not inside the main bundle/main app, e.g. Text Edit?
2.) If yes, how can I still run an XPC service within a PDE Plugin?
3.) If no, then why can't I successfully create an XPC connection?

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Can you run an XPC service inside a plugin? (e.g. a Print Dialog Extension plugin)

I am creating a Print Dialog Extension (PDE) plugin. This plugin is called and displayed when a user Prints from different apps, e.g. TextEdit, Preview, Xcode, etc. Note that the plugin runs on top of the app that called the Print Plugin (for example, TextEdit).

Inside the plugin, I need to run an XPC service. I need an XPC service since the entitlements on the main app might not be sufficient for my needs, e.g. I need to connect to the network, and TextEdit does not have the required entitlements for network connection.

The problem is, I can't create an XPC connection. The handler always fire with XPC_ERROR_CONNECTION_INVALID.

1.) Is this because the PDE Plugin is not inside the main bundle/main app, e.g. Text Edit?
2.) If yes, how can I still run an XPC service within a PDE Plugin?
3.) If no, then why can't I successfully create an XPC connection?

View the original article here

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Print Dialog Extension - Connecting to Network when running the PDE on a sandboxed app

I am creating a Print Dialog Extension (PDE) for Mac OSX. In that PDE, I need to connect to the network for authentication.

 

 

However, due to sandboxing, when I tried the PDE in TextEdit, I cannot connect to LDAP. From the console, it says sandboxd denied network-outbound for TextEdit. Apparently, the sandboxed TextEdit does not allow network connections.

 

 

I just like to ask, what is the best way to fix this?

How can I enable network connection in my PDE, even if the app it runs on does not allow it?

Can I also extend the sandbox profile of an app using my PDE (to add network connection entitlements)?

 

 

Any help or tips will be greatly appreciated.

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