CD menu problem

edjhann

Registered
Hello. It's been a couple years since I worked with a Mac.

I am making a CD of images and pdf files in Windows7. I have created a menu/splash page that works fine with AutoRun in Windows, but I want something similar to work on a Mac. (I assume OSX)

What I'd like to do is when the CD icon appears on the desktop and is double-clicked it would open up either a Flash menu I have created, or a similar HTML menu so the user can choose which files to open on the disk, rather than having the disk open as a folder. How can I do this?

Thanks.
 
Thanks. I've pretty much given up on doing an autostart thing on the Mac, and I don't want to redo the whole disk. All I need is to have a program start when someone double-clicks on the icon on the desktop. Surely that can't be too difficult?
 
Many installers work just like that: The CD mounts, and volume opens to show you whatever is at the root level of that CD volume - and you double-click the installer, or whatever app is there.
Not exactly the same as autorun - but if OS X senses pictures, videos, or music files on that disk, the application that can use those files may launch - allowing you to import photos, or listen to audio files, etc. If the images are at the root level of the hard drive, then that should launch iPhoto, for example - or another image viewing app, depending on the settings in the user's Mac.
 
I guess I could move everything but the Flash Menu from the root level. Would it ignore the Windows autostart files that have to be there?

Do most Mac users have Flash capabilities on their machines? Or maybe I should dump the Flash menu and rely on the HTML menu? I don't want pdf files to be launched right off the bat. Any way to control the order of things being sensed, by renaming then or whatever?

Whatever I do, I guess it would require re-linking a lot of things.

Thanks for your patience.
 
I guess I could move everything but the Flash Menu from the root level. Would it ignore the Windows autostart files that have to be there?

Do most Mac users have Flash capabilities on their machines? Or maybe I should dump the Flash menu and rely on the HTML menu? I don't want pdf files to be launched right off the bat. Any way to control the order of things being sensed, by renaming then or whatever?

Whatever I do, I guess it would require re-linking a lot of things.

Thanks for your patience.
You are barking up the wrong tree. How a Mac handles an inserted CD is determined by how MacOS X is setup by the user in advance, not by any application on the CD. The only way that I know to run an application from removable storage--CD, DVD, Flash, etc.--on a Mac is to boot the Mac from the removable storage volume. This is a design decision that makes it virtually impossible to distribute MacOS X malware via removable storage.
 
You are barking up the wrong tree. How a Mac handles an inserted CD is determined by how MacOS X is setup by the user in advance, not by any application on the CD. The only way that I know to run an application from removable storage--CD, DVD, Flash, etc.--on a Mac is to boot the Mac from the removable storage volume. This is a design decision that makes it virtually impossible to distribute MacOS X malware via removable storage.

I understand that, but it's not a question of what happens when the disk is inserted ( a drive icon is mounted on the desktop, right?) but what happens when you double-click on that icon.

Maybe it's an unsolvable problem and I'll just have to put really clear instructions on the sleeve.

Thanks
 
Double-clicking an icon in OS X will do one of about three things:

1) If the icon is a file, the file will open in its default application (if any).
2) If the icon is an application bundle, the application will launch.
3) If the icon is a volume, a new Finder window will open to display the contents of the volume.

You cannot change the double-click behavior of OS X and volumes -- all volumes that are double-clicked will open a Finder window, and there's no way around that. Autostarting an application from removable media when it's inserted is both annoying and a security risk.

It truly is an unsolvable problem, but I think there's an acceptable workaround: have the disk automatically open a Finder window that is stylized with a nice background image, and a big icon of the program you want to launch. Let the user decide if they wish to double-click and have the app start. Many applications do this already: it's elegant, apparent, and secure.
 
Double-clicking an icon in OS X will do one of about three things:

1) If the icon is a file, the file will open in its default application (if any).
2) If the icon is an application bundle, the application will launch.
3) If the icon is a volume, a new Finder window will open to display the contents of the volume.

You cannot change the double-click behavior of OS X and volumes -- all volumes that are double-clicked will open a Finder window, and there's no way around that. Autostarting an application from removable media when it's inserted is both annoying and a security risk.

It truly is an unsolvable problem, but I think there's an acceptable workaround: have the disk automatically open a Finder window that is stylized with a nice background image, and a big icon of the program you want to launch. Let the user decide if they wish to double-click and have the app start. Many applications do this already: it's elegant, apparent, and secure.

Okay. I can do that I think. Thanks.
 
Double-clicking an icon in OS X will do one of about three things:

1) If the icon is a file, the file will open in its default application (if any).
2) If the icon is an application bundle, the application will launch.
3) If the icon is a volume, a new Finder window will open to display the contents of the volume.

You cannot change the double-click behavior of OS X and volumes -- all volumes that are double-clicked will open a Finder window, and there's no way around that. Autostarting an application from removable media when it's inserted is both annoying and a security risk.

It truly is an unsolvable problem, but I think there's an acceptable workaround: have the disk automatically open a Finder window that is stylized with a nice background image, and a big icon of the program you want to launch. Let the user decide if they wish to double-click and have the app start. Many applications do this already: it's elegant, apparent, and secure.
Actually, I don't think I can do that in Windows and have it carry over to the Mac.

Oh well. Thanks
 
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