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1:mod:`MacOS` --- Access to Mac OS interpreter features
2======================================================
3
4.. module:: MacOS
5   :platform: Mac
6   :synopsis: Access to Mac OS-specific interpreter features.
7   :deprecated:
8
9
10This module provides access to MacOS specific functionality in the Python
11interpreter, such as how the interpreter eventloop functions and the like. Use
12with care.
13
14.. note::
15
16   This module has been removed in Python 3.x.
17
18Note the capitalization of the module name; this is a historical artifact.
19
20
21.. data:: runtimemodel
22
23   Always ``'macho'``, from Python 2.4 on. In earlier versions of Python the value
24   could also be ``'ppc'`` for the classic Mac OS 8 runtime model or ``'carbon'``
25   for the Mac OS 9 runtime model.
26
27
28.. data:: linkmodel
29
30   The way the interpreter has been linked. As extension modules may be
31   incompatible between linking models, packages could use this information to give
32   more decent error messages. The value is one of ``'static'`` for a statically
33   linked Python, ``'framework'`` for Python in a Mac OS X framework, ``'shared'``
34   for Python in a standard Unix shared library. Older Pythons could also have the
35   value ``'cfm'`` for Mac OS 9-compatible Python.
36
37
38.. exception:: Error
39
40   .. index:: module: macerrors
41
42   This exception is raised on MacOS generated errors, either from functions in
43   this module or from other mac-specific modules like the toolbox interfaces. The
44   arguments are the integer error code (the :c:data:`OSErr` value) and a textual
45   description of the error code. Symbolic names for all known error codes are
46   defined in the standard module :mod:`macerrors`.
47
48
49.. function:: GetErrorString(errno)
50
51   Return the textual description of MacOS error code *errno*.
52
53
54.. function:: DebugStr(message [, object])
55
56   On Mac OS X the string is simply printed to stderr (on older Mac OS systems more
57   elaborate functionality was available), but it provides a convenient location to
58   attach a breakpoint in a low-level debugger like :program:`gdb`.
59
60   .. note::
61
62      Not available in 64-bit mode.
63
64
65.. function:: SysBeep()
66
67   Ring the bell.
68
69   .. note::
70
71      Not available in 64-bit mode.
72
73
74.. function:: GetTicks()
75
76   Get the number of clock ticks (1/60th of a second) since system boot.
77
78
79.. function:: GetCreatorAndType(file)
80
81   Return the file creator and file type as two four-character strings. The *file*
82   parameter can be a pathname or an ``FSSpec`` or  ``FSRef`` object.
83
84   .. note::
85
86      It is not possible to use an ``FSSpec`` in 64-bit mode.
87
88
89.. function:: SetCreatorAndType(file, creator, type)
90
91   Set the file creator and file type. The *file* parameter can be a pathname or an
92   ``FSSpec`` or  ``FSRef`` object. *creator* and *type* must be four character
93   strings.
94
95   .. note::
96
97      It is not possible to use an ``FSSpec`` in 64-bit mode.
98
99.. function:: openrf(name [, mode])
100
101   Open the resource fork of a file. Arguments are the same as for the built-in
102   function :func:`open`. The object returned has file-like semantics, but it is
103   not a Python file object, so there may be subtle differences.
104
105
106.. function:: WMAvailable()
107
108   Checks whether the current process has access to the window manager. The method
109   will return ``False`` if the window manager is not available, for instance when
110   running on Mac OS X Server or when logged in via ssh, or when the current
111   interpreter is not running from a fullblown application bundle. A script runs
112   from an application bundle either when it has been started with
113   :program:`pythonw` instead of :program:`python` or when running  as an applet.
114
115.. function:: splash([resourceid])
116
117   Opens a splash screen by resource id. Use resourceid ``0`` to close
118   the splash screen.
119
120   .. note::
121
122      Not available in 64-bit mode.
123
124