OpenRocket QuickLook Preview (macOS)

This project builds a QuickLook preview plugin for OpenRocket project files on macOS and integrates it into the existing Install4j-generated OpenRocket DMG.

Because Install4j cannot build, sign, or notarize macOS QuickLook plugins, this repository provides an external signing + notarization workflow and a helper script to inject the signed plugin into the final DMG.

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Overview of the Build Flow

Where things happen:

Step	Tool
Build the QuickLook plugin	Xcode
Sign & notarize the plugin	Command line (runit script)
Build the main OpenRocket app	install4j
Merge plugin into final DMG	Command line (runit script)

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1. Build the QuickLook Plugin (Xcode)

Where: Xcode or Terminal (see below)

1. Open the Xcode project.
2. Select the project (top-level entry in the navigator).
3. For each target:
   • Go to Signing & Capabilities
   • Set:
     • Team → your Apple Developer team
     • Signing Certificate → Developer ID Application
4. Build the target normally (⌘B).

No need to commit signing changes.

Where: Terminal

From the root dir:

xcodebuild -target "OpenRocket QuickLook Preview" -configuration Release -scheme "OpenRocket QuickLook Preview"

Built app location:

build/DerivedData/Build/Products/Release/OpenRocket QuickLook Preview.app

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2. Apple Developer Prerequisites (One-Time)

Where: Apple Developer portal + command line

You must have:

• A Developer ID Application certificate
• An App-Specific Password for notarization

Store notarization credentials in Keychain

Where: Terminal

xcrun notarytool store-credentials "AppPwdNotarizID" \
  --apple-id "[email protected]" \
  --team-id YOURTEAMID \
  --password "app-specific-password"

• The string "AppPwdNotarizID" becomes your keychain profile name
• This avoids storing passwords in scripts

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3. Prepare the Install4j DMG

Where: install4j

1. Build the standard OpenRocket macOS DMG using install4j.
2. Ensure:
   • Code signing is enabled
   • Notarization is enabled
3. Keep the resulting DMG — it will be modified, not rebuilt.

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4. Configure the runit Script

Where: Xcode or any text editor

Open the runit shell script and set the following variables (lines 3–5):

KEYCHAIN_PROFILE="AppPwdNotarizID"
ORIGINAL_DMG="/full/path/to/OpenRocket-original.dmg"
MODIFIED_DMG="/full/path/to/OpenRocket-with-QuickLook.dmg"

What these mean:

• KEYCHAIN_PROFILE
  → Name used in notarytool store-credentials
• ORIGINAL_DMG
  → DMG produced by Install4j
• MODIFIED_DMG
  → Output DMG with the signed QuickLook plugin added

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5. Run the Signing + Notarization Script

Where: Terminal

cd path/to/project
./runit

The script will:

1. Sign the QuickLook plugin
2. Notarize it with Apple
3. Insert it into the Install4j DMG
4. Re-sign and re-notarize the modified DMG

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6. Understanding / Debugging the Script

Where: Xcode

• Open runit in Xcode to inspect each step
• All signing and notarization commands are explicit and linear
• No install4j involvement at this stage

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Summary

• install4j builds and notarizes the main OpenRocket app
• Xcode builds the QuickLook plugin
• runit bridges the gap by signing, notarizing, and merging the plugin
• The final result is a Gatekeeper-clean DMG with a working QuickLook preview

This setup exists purely because macOS treats QuickLook plugins as separate executables, and Install4j does not support them.