Open Radar

 
Area:
Something not on this list


Summary:
Other POSIXes have a C/kernel API to change the current process name, to differentiate it from the name by which it was launched (either p_comm or p_name in the kernel proc_t). This is useful for several situations:

- Scripting-language based programs that want to change their ps name from e.g. `python' to `server name'.
- Programs that use fork() to create a worker pool of processes, with a master parent process controlling the children, to differentiate the different processes.
- Add additional status information to the `ps` line.

Other BSDs provide this functionality via setproctitle() https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=setproctitle&sektion=3, and Linux provides it via prctl(PR_SET_NAME) http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/prctl.2.html. Setting the main thread's title via pthread_setname_np() does not alter the process name, as it does on Linux.

This is a request for an API similar to setproctitle() on macOS.


Steps to Reproduce:
Want to change the process name (in the output of `ps` and Activity Monitor.app) after it is already running.


Expected Results:
An API like setproctitle() to change the process title.


Observed Results:
There is no API to change the process title after a process is running.


Version:
Mac OS X 10.12.5 (16F73)