wxMaxima unable to access save / load dialogs in MacOS 15.5 (Sequoia)

[christopherMills]

Installed with the command

brew install maxima wxmaxima

The software seems unable to trigger the save / load dialog boxes when save / load is clicked from the GUI.

The program has no problem opening .wxm files from Finder, so the file association is working.

However, manually opening the application from Finder (which normally forces the OS to see the binary as a program) does not seem to trigger the normal 'x program wishes to access your Documents directory' kind of message that I'd expect upon clicking 'save'.

Additionally, when closing an edited new unsaved file, it triggers a 'Do you want to save' dialog, but when you click 'don't save' you get multiple successive modal dialogs talking about the workspace taking control of the pointer/cursor.

Feels like this is a Sequoia issue since I can't find another report about this.

[daute]

There were other similar reports (#2020 and #2013) - but I hoped, that is solved? Not?

[DrBuhu]

same problem here

[christopherMills]

It would seem not - I think it might be worth testing on a Mac with the latest OS.

edit: to use the wording of #2013 it 'fails silently'

@DrBuhu could you add anything to this for the benefit of @daute? The way you installed it, your OS version, etc

[DrBuhu]

brew, Sequoia 15.5, mac m1

[nathanqueija]

Same issue here.

Maxima version: 5.47.0
WxMaxima version: 25.04.0

Installed via Homebrew.

OS: MacBook Air M2 Sequoia 15.4.1

[daute]

A Mac wxMaxima-developer would really be useful.
Can one of you check, if the current development version (with changes to the mysterious "Info.plist" file (e.g #2013 (comment) or whatever else)) saves the issue?

Wolfgang

[nathanqueija]

I just tried these steps by building it locally and manage to make the save dialog work:

• On macOS 15 (Sequoia), the Save/Open file dialog in wxMaxima does not appear when using the Homebrew-installed version (CLI build, not .dmg).
• The root cause is that macOS 15 requires a valid CFBundleIdentifier in the app bundle’s Info.plist for native file dialogs to work. Homebrew’s CLI build does not provide a .app bundle with this identifier.
• Attempts to build from source with Homebrew fail due to missing C++ standard library headers (<thread>, <iosfwd>) even though the headers exist in the Command Line Tools SDK. This is due to Homebrew’s superenv not correctly passing SDK/include paths on macOS 15.

---

Solution/Workaround

Manual Build Outside Homebrew (No Xcode Required):

1. Clone the wxMaxima repository:

   git clone https://github.com/wxMaxima-developers/wxmaxima.git
   cd wxmaxima
   mkdir build
   cd build

2. Configure the build with explicit SDK and C++ include path:

   cmake .. \
     -DCMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX15.5.sdk \
     -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX15.5.sdk/usr/include/c++/v1 \
     -DCPACK_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER=io.homebrew.wxmaxima

3. Build:

   make -j$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)

4. (Optional but recommended) Add a bundle identifier and sign the app:

   sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy \
     -c "Add :CFBundleIdentifier string io.homebrew.wxmaxima" \
     /Users/yourusername/wxmaxima/build/src/wxmaxima.app/Contents/Info.plist
   
   sudo codesign --force --deep -s - /Users/yourusername/wxmaxima/build/src/wxmaxima.app

5. Move the app to Applications (optional):

   mv /Users/yourusername/wxmaxima/build/src/wxmaxima.app /Applications/wxmaxima.app

6. Launch the app:

   open /Applications/wxmaxima.app

   or

   open /Users/yourusername/wxmaxima/build/src/wxmaxima.app

7. Result:
   The Save/Open dialog now works as expected.

---

Key Points

• Homebrew’s CLI build cannot be patched for this issue due to superenv limitations on macOS 15.
• Manual build with explicit SDK/include paths works and does not require full Xcode.
• Adding a CFBundleIdentifier and signing the app bundle is essential for file dialogs to work on Sequoia.

[nathanqueija]

I will check the current dev version soon @daute. Can give you an update here as soon as I am back on my computer.

[nathanqueija]

I can confirm. The development snapshot works without any issues.

[chrisjsmith]

@nathanqueija confirmed your build steps work. Thanks for getting us out of the stick 👍

[Neil1961]

Hi All,

I have the same problem regarding get save dialog box not showing up. I tried Nathan's solution but at the second command "cmake" I get the following error. [ ](zsh: command not found: cmake).

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers
Neil

[Neil1961]

Hi All,

I have the same problem regarding get save dialog box not showing up. I tried Nathan's solution but at the second command "cmake" I get the following error. [ ](zsh: command not found: cmake).

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers Neil

Apologies All,

I found instructions on installing make on a Mac. Once I had done that - Nathans instructions worked perfectly.

Cheers
Neil

[melerroskya-dotcom]

Hello! I have the same issue, how can I use maxima properly?? Thanks!!

[DrBuhu]

@melerroskya-dotcom
copy and paste commands provided in:

#2026 (comment)

and install missing dependencies