you can do it via applescript. When dosbox is running you can just have it (AppleScript) execute keystrokes...

(and Qbix way might be better for what you are looking for)

with drag and drop no.
with a commandline itself yes.
just check the readme on the commandline parameters of dosbox. (check -c)

I wish there was a cross-platform way for DOSBox to detect when it is launched by drag-n-dropping something onto it, so that it could refuse to run.

I've even seen sites out there where they recommend that people use DOSBox in this way 🙁

Qbix wrote:

with drag and drop no.
with a commandline itself yes.
just check the readme on the commandline parameters of dosbox. (check -c)

<slap on forehead> Of course, yes! I was so focused on the "name" parameter that I didn't think of doing this instead.

To HunterZ: Of course I am not foolish enough to try to run DOSBox by dropping a file on top of the DOSBox executable - I'm running it by dropping a file on an AppleScript application bundle that contains a copy of the DOSBox executable. This actually does work. The AppleScript can pass the name of the dropped file as a parameter to a unix command-line command.

drag drop works in most cases. There is nothing to detect as drag drop is simply (by the operating system)
translated to dosbox nameofdroppedexeuctable

however games that need more complex mount constructs don't work this way.