Payload-Free-Package-Creator

OS Compatibility:

The current release of Payload-Free Package Creator.app has been tested and verified to run on the following versions of macOS:

• 12.3.1
• 11.6.5
• 10.15.7

Not tested on the following versions of macOS:

• 10.14.6 or earlier

============================

Using Payload-Free Package Creator.app

1. As needed, download the Payload-Free_Package_Creator_Application.zip file from the application directory in this GitHub repo.

2. Once downloaded and unzipped, double-click on the Payload-Free Package Creator application.

3. You'll be prompted to select the script that you want to create a payload-free package from.

4. Once you've selected the script, you'll be prompted to name the payload-free package. By default, the name filled in will be Payload-Free Installer Package, but this name can be changed as desired.

5. Once you've entered a name for the installer package, you'll be prompted for a package identifier. By default, the name filled in will be com.github.payload_free, but this name should be changed to be something unique.

6. Once you’ve entered an identifier for the installer package, you’ll be prompted for a version number. By default, the value filled in will be 1.0, but this value should be changed to be something unique.

7. Once the package name, package identifier and package version number have been set, Payload-Free Package Creator.app will prompt for an administrator's username and password.

8. Once the admin username and password are provided, Payload-Free Package Creator.app will create the payload-free package and prompt you when it's finished.

9. Click OK at the prompt and a new Finder window will open and display the newly-created payload-free package.

10. Payload-Free Package Creator.app will automatically exit.

How Payload-Free Package Creator.app works

Payload-Free Package Creator.app is an Automator application that uses AppleScript, shell scripting and pkgbuild behind the scenes to create payload-free packages. When a script is selected, the following process takes place:

1. The script is copied to /tmp and renamed to postinstall, to match the name that pkgbuild is expecting for a post-installation script.

2. After the package name and package identifier are chosen, /tmp is checked to make sure that there is not an existing directory that is named the same as the chosen name. If a matching directory is found, it is removed.

3. A new directory is created in /tmp that matches the chosen name of the package.

4. Next, a scripts directory and an empty directory named nopayload are created inside of /tmp/package_name_here. The nopayload directory provides the empty directory for pkgbuild's --root option

5. The postinstall script is moved to /tmp/package_name_here/scripts

6. The payload-free package is built by pkgbuild using the postinstall script stored in /tmp/package_name_here/scripts

7. The finished payload-free package is stored in /tmp/package_name_here and the user is prompted that the process is finished.

8. Once the user is notified and clicks OK, a new Finder window opens for /tmp/package_name_here

Blog posts: https://derflounder.wordpress.com/category/payload-free-package-creator/