Acorn and Xcode

First, download the sample plugins: SampleAcornPlugins.zip∞

You'll find a folder named "XcodeTemplate" in there, and within that, you'll find a folder named "Acorn Plugin". Put that folder in:
~/Library/Application Support/Apple/Developer Tools/Project Templates/Bundle/ (for 10.4)
or
/Developer/Library/Xcode/Project Templates/Bundle (for 10.5)

If you don't already have that folder, make it. "Acorn Plugin" should now show up in the New Project window in Xcode undler the Bundle section.

After you make your new project, you're going to want to add Acorn as a custom executable. Choose "New Custom Executable" from the Project menu, type "Acorn" in the Executable Name field, and for the Executable Path, choose the Acorn application.

Next, build your plugin and run. Notice how your new plugin isn't anywhere to be found in the Filter window. This is because Acorn doesn't know about it yet. Let's fix that.

Open up Terminal.app and cd into ~/Library/Application Support/Acorn/Plug-Ins/ folder. We're going to create a symlink to your built plugin. The easy way is to type:

"ln -s " with a space at the end (and without pressing return just yet) and then going back to Xcode, finding your plugin under the Products group in the project window, and performing a drag and drop to the terminal window. You'll end up with something like:

ln -s /Users/mylogin/Projects/MyGreatAcornPlugin/build/Release/MyGreatAcornPlugin.acplugin/

Don't press enter yet. We need to get rid of that last /. So delete it, and you'll have this:

ln -s /Users/mylogin/Projects/MyGreatAcornPlugin/build/Release/MyGreatAcornPlugin.acplugin

Now press enter. Tada. Run Acorn and you should now see your plugin in Filter/Color Adjustment/MyGreatAcornPlugin.

If you're a visual person, here's a movie: http://flyingmeat.com/fs/contrib/acorn/AcornPluginSetup.mov∞

Back to Acorn -> Acorn Plugins