4DPop AppMaker

4DPop AppMaker is a 4D development component that automates the full pipeline for building, code-signing, and notarizing 4D applications and components — with a single click from within your project.

Once configured, AppMaker handles all the repetitive tasks that normally require manual intervention: assembling the build, signing the binaries, and submitting to Apple's notarization service.

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Highlights

• One-click build — trigger a full application or component build directly from 4D
• Code signing — automates codesign for macOS distribution
• Notarization — integrates with notarytool to submit and validate notarization with Apple
• Build settings management — reads and applies buildApp.4DSettings automatically
• Environment detection — adapts behavior for headless vs. interactive execution
• Progress feedback — built-in progress reporting during the build pipeline
• Persistent preferences — settings stored per project via XML preferences file

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Installation

Via 4D Dependency Manager (recommended — 4D 21+)

1. Open your 4D project
2. Open the Dependencies panel (Design menu > Dependencies)
3. Click + then select GitHub dependency
4. Enter vdelachaux/4DPop-AppMaker
5. Choose the version and click Add
6. Restart 4D — the component loads automatically

See Adding a GitHub dependency for details.

Binary install (legacy)

Download the latest .4dbase archive from the Releases page and place it in your project's Components/ folder.

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Requirements

• 4D version 21 or later
• macOS (for code-signing and notarization features)
• A valid Apple Developer certificate in the keychain
• A notarise.json credentials file (placed in the project or user preferences folder)

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Usage

AppMaker exposes a cs.AppMaker class. The typical entry point is the companion palette accessible from the 4DPop menu.

You can also invoke it programmatically:

var $maker := cs.AppMaker.new()
$maker.run()        // runs with UI
$maker.run(False)   // headless build

The build pipeline includes:

1. Flushing the cache
2. Loading build settings from buildApp.4DSettings
3. Building the application or component
4. Code-signing (macOS)
5. Notarizing with notarytool (macOS)

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Configuration

File	Location	Purpose
buildApp.4DSettings	Settings/	Standard 4D build configuration
4DPop AppMaker.xml	Project preferences folder	AppMaker-specific preferences
notarise.json	Project or user preferences folder	Apple notarization credentials

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Part of the 4DPop family

4DPop AppMaker is one component of the 4DPop suite — a collection of developer tools integrated into a unified palette within the 4D Design environment.