Overview

This project provides C# bindings for the macOS Accessibility API, specifically from the Application Services framework and the AXUIElement.h header file. It includes elements such as the AXUIElement struct and the AXUIElementCreateApplication(pid) function. These bindings enable developers to interact with the macOS Accessibility API in a simplified and managed way, avoiding the need to work directly with low-level native APIs.

Quick Start and Examples

Adding the Bindings to Your Project

Currently, there is no NuGet package available. To use the bindings, follow these steps:

1. Download the source code.
2. Add the AccessibilityBindings.csproj project to your solution.
3. Reference the AccessibilityBindings.csproj project in your consuming project by adding the following reference:

   <ProjectReference Include="..\AccessibilityBindings\AccessibilityBindings.csproj" />

4. Use the API in your code (see examples below).

Basic Usage

To interact with accessibility UI elements, follow these steps:

1. Check and Request Permissions
   Ensure your application has the required accessibility permissions. If not, request the user to grant them:

   if (!AccessibilityBindings.Accessibility.IsProcessTrusted(true))
   {
       // Permissions not granted. Request the user to grant them and wait for confirmation.
   }

2. Obtain the Process ID (pid)
   Identify the process ID of the application you want to interact with. For example, locate the running application using its bundle identifier:

   const string safariAppBundleId = "com.apple.Safari";
   AxUiElement safariPid = NSRunningApplication.GetRunningApplications(safariAppBundleId)
                            .FirstOrDefault()?.ProcessIdentifier;

3. Create the Root AXUIElement Instance
   Use the AXUIElementCreateApplication() function to create an instance representing the application's root object:

   AxUiElement axApp = AxUiElement.CreateApplication(safariPid);

4. Traverse and Manipulate the UI Element Tree
   Once you have the root element, you can access and manipulate the application's UI elements:

   AxUiElement mainWindow = axApp.GetMainWindow(); // Get the main window
   NSArray<AxUiElement> windows = axApp.GetWindows(); // Get all application windows
   NSArray<AxUiElement> childElements = mainWindow.GetChildren(); // Get child elements (e.g., labels, buttons)
   NSString title = mainWindow.CopyAttributeValue<NSString>(AXAttribute.Title); // Get the title attribute value
   NSString title = mainWindow.GetTitle(); // Shortcut to get the title attribute value

Examples

1. SafariSample
   Launches Safari, scans the UI element tree to locate the address bar, and navigates Safari to a specified URL. Requests accessibility permissions if required.

2. SafariWithUiSample
   Similar to SafariSample, but includes a full-featured UI using View, ViewController, etc. This demonstrates handling permission checks in applications with complex user interfaces.

3. PhotoshopSample
   Detects specific modal dialogs (e.g., error or warning dialogs) in Adobe Photoshop and automatically clicks specified buttons within these dialogs by sending the AXPress action to the button elements.

Debugging Notes

• If you are debugging with Rider, grant accessibility permissions to Rider, not to the application being debugged.
• When running the application outside of Rider, ensure that the application itself has the required permissions.

Related work in the Xamarin.Mac repository

There is an issue about adding such a functionality to the standard library of the Xamarin.Mac (net-macos).