Can't launch .app but exec works fine

[donolsch]

Hi all,

I spent 2 days trying to find a solution for my problem. Without success. I've checked the posts of users with similar issues but still couldn't get it to work.

The issue:
I've created a Mac .app file with pyinstaller (--noconsole). When trying to launch the .app the program attempts to launch but immediately closes after a second. I've enabled debugging but even when trying to open the .app from the Terminal, same problem. It opens but closes immediately. No errors in the terminal. I also wrapped the entire code in a try, except statement. Nothing comes up in the error.log

Launching the exec file from within the .app (MyApp.app > Contents > MacOs > MyApp) works perfectly fine.

import logging

logging.basicConfig(filename='error.log', level=logging.ERROR)

try:
    my code

except Exception as e:
    # Log the error
    logging.error(str(e))

Launching the exec file from within the .app (MyApp.app > Contents > MacOs > MyApp) works perfectly fine.

Here is my .spec file.

# -*- mode: python ; coding: utf-8 -*-


a = Analysis(
    ['main.py'],
    pathex=['/Users/webmojo/PycharmProjects/WM-Final-Mac'],
    binaries=[],
    datas=[('licensing.py', '.'), ('validation.py', '.'), ('WM.icns', '.')],
    hiddenimports=[
        'ttkthemes',
        'requests',
        'py_machineid',
        'keyring',
    ],
    hookspath=[],
    hooksconfig={},
    runtime_hooks=[],
    excludes=[],
    noarchive=False,
    py_modules=['licensing', 'validation'],
)
pyz = PYZ(a.pure, a.zipped_data)

exe = EXE(
    pyz,
    a.scripts,
    [],
    exclude_binaries=True,
    name='WM',
    debug=True,
    bootloader_ignore_signals=False,
    strip=False,
    upx=True,
    console=False,
    disable_windowed_traceback=False,
    argv_emulation=True,
    target_arch=None,
    codesign_identity=None,
    entitlements_file=None,
    icon=['WM.icns'],
    onefile=True,
    windowed=True,
)
coll = COLLECT(
    exe,
    a.binaries,
    a.datas,
    strip=False,
    upx=True,
    upx_exclude=[],
    name='WM',
)
app = BUNDLE(
    coll,
    name='WM.app',
    icon='WM.icns',
    bundle_identifier=None,
)

Any guidance and help would be much appreciated.
Thank you!

[rokm]

import logging

logging.basicConfig(filename='error.log', level=logging.ERROR)

try:
   my code

except Exception as e:
   # Log the error
   logging.error(str(e))

You seem to be trying to write your error.login the current working directory. When you "open" an .app bundle, your current working directory is most likely not writable (I think it is / , but it could also be the temporary read-only location where the OS translocates untrusted .app bundles), so your exception handling probably raises an exception itself.

For the purposes of debugging, try to hard-code the error.log path to be an absolute path in your user's home directory, as was suggested in other similar issues (#5154 (comment), #6992 (comment)).

[donolsch]

Amazing, thank you so much for your fast reply!
The error.log finally worked after your nudge in the right direction. I could work out the issue from there myself. The .app is now working! Yay!
Thanks for the great support! Would like to shout you a coffee!

[ap4499]

Thank you so much for the above - this helped me to debug my problem.

For anyone else struggling with a Unix Executable that runs fine, but a .app that does not run (MacOS).

My issue was the difference in where files are located:

.app:
bundle_dir = Path(file).parent
original_folder = Path.cwd() / bundle_dir / 'contents'

Unix executable:
bundle_dir = Path(file).parent
original_folder = Path.cwd() / bundle_dir /

The only change being "contents"

System:
Mac OS 14 (14.6.1 (23G93))
Python 12.5
PyInstaller 6.10.0