macotron.plist

Read a property list file, or parse plist text or bytes, into plain JavaScript objects. Binary, XML, and OpenStep plists all work, with no plutil or defaults in between.

// The version of an installed app, straight from its Info.plist.
const info = macotron.plist.read("/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info.plist");
console.log(info?.CFBundleShortVersionString);

Values

Dictionaries become objects, arrays become arrays, and strings, numbers, and booleans stay as they are. A date becomes a number of milliseconds since 1970, so new Date(value) turns it back into a date. Data becomes a base64 string.

Some apps store a whole plist as a Data value inside another plist. Pass that base64 string to parse({ base64 }) to read the inner one.

Reading

read(path: string): any | null

The parsed contents of the file. A leading ~ expands to your home folder. Returns null when the file is missing, cannot be read, or is not a plist. The call is synchronous.

parse(text: string): any | null

Parses an XML or OpenStep plist given as text. Returns null when the text is not a plist.

parse({ base64: string }): any | null

Parses plist bytes given as base64, in any format, binary included.

// Screen Sharing keeps its saved computers as a binary plist inside its prefs.
const prefs = macotron.plist.read(
  "~/Library/Containers/com.apple.ScreenSharing/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.ScreenSharing.plist");
const store = prefs && macotron.plist.parse({ base64: prefs.connectionsStore });
console.log(Object.keys(store?.connectionDetails || {}).length, "saved computers");