macOS Apps

Designware allows you to create and update macOS desktop applications.

About macOS Desktop Apps:

• App Filetype: .dmg

• Compatibility: macOS 10.7 Lion or later

• Distribution Methods: Direct Install

Creating an macOS App

1. Make sure the project has an App subscription plan.

2. In the navbar, press the Publish button to open the Publish Menu.

3. Go to the macOS tab and press ➕.

4. Configure the app settings:

   • Icon—the app icon.

   • Name—the name appearing alongside the icon and in the app's menu bar.

   • Initial Size—the app viewport on launch, with options for Fullscreen, Maximized (window is the size of available screen space), Minimized (window isn't showing), or Window.

   • Window Size—the Width and Height in pixels, as applicable to the Initial Size or user size toggling.

   • Resizable—toggles whether users can resize the window.

5. Press Build to begin compiling the app, which can take several minutes.

Once fully compiled you can download it from the Publish Menu by hovering over the app version and selecting ••• › Download.

Deploying a macOS App

Installation

Once the app (.dmg) installer file is downloaded from Designware, it is ready for install on any compatible Mac (with macOS 10.7 Lion or later). Double-click the .dmg file and complete the installation steps. The application data will be installed to the system's Applications folder unless otherwise specified, and the launchable app can typically be found in Launchpad.

Security

macOS will prompt that the app cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified. To remedy this:

1. In macOS, open System Preferences › Security & Preferences, and click the lock icon to make changes.

2. Verify the action by entering the System Password or using Touch ID.

3. In the General tab, select Open anyway next to the app. The app can now be launched.

Updating a Live macOS App

To update a website, web app, and all native app formats together, in the navbar press the Publish dropdown button › Push Content Update.

To update just macOS apps:

1. Press the Publish button in the navbar to open the Publish Menu.

2. Go to the macOS tab.

3. Press Push Content Update.

Content updates can take several minutes to appear live.