How to access bookmark url in macOS

Issue #624

By default the approaches above grant you access while the app remains open. When you quit the app, any folder access you had is lost.

To gain persistent access to a folder even on subsequent launches, we’ll have to take advantage of a system called Security-Scoped Bookmarks.

Add entitlements

Use of app-scoped bookmarks and URLs

<key>com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-only</key>
<true/>
<key>com.apple.security.files.bookmarks.app-scope</key>
<true/>

Enabling Security-Scoped Bookmark and URL Access

If you want to provide your sandboxed app with persistent access to file system resources, you must enable security-scoped bookmark and URL access. Security-scoped bookmarks are available starting in macOS v10.7.3.

To add the bookmarks.app-scope or bookmarks.document-scope entitlement, edit the target’s .entitlements property list file using the Xcode property list editor. Use the entitlement keys shown in Table 4-4, depending on which type of access you want. Use a value of for each entitlement you want to enable. You can enable either or both entitlements.

func saveBookmark(item: ShortcutItem) {
    guard let url = item.fileUrl else { return  }
    do {
        let bookmarkData = try url.bookmarkData(
            options: .withSecurityScope,
            includingResourceValuesForKeys: nil,
            relativeTo: nil
        )

        item.bookmark = bookmarkData
    } catch {
        print("Failed to save bookmark data for \(url)", error)
    }
}

func loadBookmark(item: ShortcutItem) -> URL? {
    guard let data = item.bookmark else { return nil }
    do {
        var isStale = false
        let url = try URL(
            resolvingBookmarkData: data,
            options: .withSecurityScope,
            relativeTo: nil,
            bookmarkDataIsStale: &isStale
        )
        if isStale {
            saveBookmark(item: item)
        }
        return url
    } catch {
        print("Error resolving bookmark:", error)
        return nil
    }
}


_ = url.startAccessingSecurityScopedResource()
NSWorkspace.shared.open(url)
url.stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource()

_ = url.startAccessingSecurityScopedResource()
NSWorkspace.shared.selectFile(
    url.path,
    inFileViewerRootedAtPath: url.deletingLastPathComponent().path
)
url.stopAccessingSecurityScopedResource()

Read more

• Modern AppKit File Permissions
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/42179567/what-does-startaccessingsecurityscopedresource-actually-do
• Enabling App Sandbox