In the Apple
macOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...
operating system, a package is a
file system directory that is normally displayed to the user by the
Finder
Finder may refer to:
* Finder (surname)
* Finder (software), part of the Apple Macintosh operating system
* ''Finder'' (comics), a comic book series by Carla Speed McNeil
* ''Finder'' (novel), a 1994 novel by Emma Bull
* Finder Wyvernspur, a fi ...
as if it were a single file.
Such a directory may be the top-level of a directory tree of objects stored as files, or it may be other archives of files or objects for various purposes, such as installer packages, or backup archives.
Definition
The package is a common file system abstraction used by Apple operating systems, such as macOS and iOS. It is a directory that may contain a hierarchy of files or objects that represent a preserved, organized state. A package is displayed to users like a single file in the Finder application to avoid being changed by the user. However, the content of packages may be accessed through special keyboard and mouse combination events. For this purpose, the control-click, or right-click, menu displays a directive ''Show Package Contents''.
Some documents may be represented as packages:
*
Rich Text Format
)
As an example, the following RTF code
would be rendered as follows:
This is some bold text.
Character encoding
A standard RTF file can only consist of 7-bit ASCII characters, but can use escape sequences to encode other characters. T ...
documents with images, which carry the extension;
*
Dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business).
A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the driv ...
widgets;
*Partially downloaded files in
Safari
A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...
, which carry the extension;
*Final Cut Pro X Camera Archives, which contain multiple QuickTime videos and carry the .fcarch extension;
*project files in
GarageBand
GarageBand is a line of digital audio workstations developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or podcasts. GarageBand is developed by Apple for macOS, and was