Learn how to export your ebook as a Mac Desktop App.
Why export as a Desktop App?
Exporting your ebook as a Desktop App allows your readers to view your book from their computers. Instructional ebooks, particularly ones with complex diagrams are better viewed on a wide screen. That's why desktop apps are commonly used in schools, training centers, libraries etc.
Export a Mac App
Kotobee Author allows you to export desktop Mac apps, in the form of app bundles (.app file format). The ebook app can be run by simply double-clicking on the bundle app.
To export Desktop Apps:
- Click on Export in the header bar to go to the export screen.
- Click on Export Desktop App in the left column.
- Fill in an Application Name.
- Add an App logo if you'd like to create a shortcut icon for your desktop app.
- Choose Macintosh.
- Click on Create to choose where you want to save it, then Save.
- Optimize will help you decrease the size of your ebook by removing unused images and files. If you've manually added images through the file manager and will access them using Javascript, you shouldn't optimize your ebook.
In order for an .app bundle to run properly on a Mac, all the files and folders contained within must have a file/directory permission of 0755. If you are publishing from Kotobee Author on a Mac, this will be handled for you.
However, if you are creating a Mac app on a Windows machine, you will need to change the file/directory permissions yourself (on a Mac machine) before running the app. Note you will only need to do this once.
- Open the terminal. Press ctrl and space. Then type in terminal.
- Enter the following line in the terminal. Note: path/to should be replaced with the path of the app bundle. If you're not certain where the app bundle is type in the Terminal "which" and the app file name. The location of the file will appear. Revise the following line of code accordingly and enter it in the Terminal.
chmod -R 0755 path/to/bundle.app- Press Enter.
If you want to distribute your ebook app privately or for sale, you'll need Kotobee Cloud Services. For more information on this feature, please refer to Understand Cloud Ebooks.