MASTG-TOOL-0136: plistlib
The plistlib module is part of the Python standard library and allows you to programmatically read, modify, and write .plist (Property List) files. It supports both XML and binary plist formats and provides a native dictionary-based API.
This makes plistlib a cross-platform alternative to PlistBuddy, suitable for scripting or automation use cases.
Reading a Plist File¶
The following example prints the contents of a plist file by loading it into a Python dictionary:
import plistlib
with open("Info.plist", "rb") as f:
plist = plistlib.load(f)
print(plist)
This prints a dictionary representation of the plist, which can be inspected and modified like any other Python dict.
Reading Specific Plist Entries¶
After parsing the plist, you can access dictionary keys and array elements using regular Python syntax. The example below prints the third app icon format:
print(plist["CFBundleIcons~ipad"]["CFBundlePrimaryIcon"]["CFBundleIconFiles"][2])
# Output: AppIcon-140x40
Changing Plist Values¶
To modify an entry such as the CFBundleDisplayName, assign a new value and write the updated dict back to the file using plistlib.dump:
plist["CFBundleDisplayName"] = "My New App Name"
with open("Info.plist", "wb") as f:
plistlib.dump(plist, f)
Adding and Deleting Plist Values¶
New keys can be added or removed using regular Python dict operations:
# Add a new dictionary
plist["CustomDictionary"] = {"CustomProperty": "OWASP MAS"}
# Delete a key
del plist["CustomDictionary"]["CustomProperty"]
# Save the updated plist
with open("Info.plist", "wb") as f:
plistlib.dump(plist, f)