Weird properties for every UI element in Storyboard Xcode - xcode

In all my storyboards and XIB attribute inspector, there are weird properties "View" in every UI (UIView, UIButton, UILabel, etc) I created.
My Top
My Leading
until
Clear Float
But it doesn't appear in new project I created. May I know what is the function of these properties, and how to get rid of this if they are unnecessary ?

Somewhere in your project you have extension UIView with those custom properties.
It will probably look something like this:
#IBDesignable
extension UIView {
#IBInspectable
public var myTop: CGFloat
{
set (myTop) {
// some code here...
}
get {
return self.myTop
}
}
#IBInspectable
public var myLeading: CGFloat
{
set (myBottom) {
// some code here...
}
get {
return self.myLeading
}
}
#IBInspectable
public var myBottom: CGFloat
{
set (myBottom) {
// some code here...
}
get {
return self.myBottom
}
}
// and so on....
}
Do a text search in your project for extension UIView and you should find it.

Related

How to observe for modifier key pressed (e.g. option, shift) with NSNotification in SwiftUI macOS project?

I want to have a Bool property, that represents that option key is pressed #Publised var isOptionPressed = false. I would use it for changing SwiftUI View.
For that, I think, that I should use Combine to observe for key pressure.
I tried to find an NSNotification for that event, but it seems to me that there are no any NSNotification, that could be useful to me.
Since you are working through SwiftUI, I would recommend taking things just a step beyond watching a Publisher and put the state of the modifier flags in the SwiftUI Environment. It is my opinion that it will fit in nicely with SwiftUI's declarative syntax.
I had another implementation of this, but took the solution you found and adapted it.
import Cocoa
import SwiftUI
import Combine
struct KeyModifierFlags: EnvironmentKey {
static let defaultValue = NSEvent.ModifierFlags([])
}
extension EnvironmentValues {
var keyModifierFlags: NSEvent.ModifierFlags {
get { self[KeyModifierFlags.self] }
set { self[KeyModifierFlags.self] = newValue }
}
}
struct ModifierFlagEnvironment<Content>: View where Content:View {
#StateObject var flagState = ModifierFlags()
let content: Content;
init(#ViewBuilder content: () -> Content) {
self.content = content();
}
var body: some View {
content
.environment(\.keyModifierFlags, flagState.modifierFlags)
}
}
final class ModifierFlags: ObservableObject {
#Published var modifierFlags = NSEvent.ModifierFlags([])
init() {
NSEvent.addLocalMonitorForEvents(matching: .flagsChanged) { [weak self] event in
self?.modifierFlags = event.modifierFlags
return event;
}
}
}
Note that my event closure is returning the event passed in. If you return nil you will prevent the event from going farther and someone else in the system may want to see it.
The struct KeyModifierFlags sets up a new item to be added to the view Environment. The extension to EnvironmentValues lets us store and
retrieve the current flags from the environment.
Finally there is the ModifierFlagEnvironment view. It has no content of its own - that is passed to the initializer in an #ViewBuilder function. What it does do is provide the StateObject that contains the state monitor, and it passes it's current value for the modifier flags into the Environment of the content.
To use the ModifierFlagEnvironment you wrap a top-level view in your hierarchy with it. In a simple Cocoa app built from the default Xcode template, I changed the application SwiftUI content to be:
struct KeyWatcherApp: App {
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup {
ModifierFlagEnvironment {
ContentView()
}
}
}
}
So all of the views in the application could watch the flags.
Then to make use of it you could do:
struct ContentView: View {
#Environment(\.keyModifierFlags) var modifierFlags: NSEvent.ModifierFlags
var body: some View {
VStack {
Image(systemName: "globe")
.imageScale(.large)
.foregroundColor(.accentColor)
if(modifierFlags.contains(.option)) {
Text("Option is pressed")
} else {
Text("Option is up")
}
}
.padding()
}
}
Here the content view watches the environment for the flags and the view makes decisions on what to show using the current modifiers.
Ok, I found easy solution for my problem:
class KeyPressedController: ObservableObject {
#Published var isOptionPressed = false
init() {
NSEvent.addLocalMonitorForEvents(matching: .flagsChanged) { [weak self] event -> NSEvent? in
if event.modifierFlags.contains(.option) {
self?.isOptionPressed = true
} else {
self?.isOptionPressed = false
}
return nil
}
}
}

Document-based app where the top-level document represents the window, not tab

When I use Xcode 12 to create a "Document App", the app template that is generated is one where the CoreData-backed "Document" represents the current tab, as seen below:
So basically if I hit cmd-S, the semantics are the to save the content of that one currently-active tab.
However, what if I wanted the "Document" to represent all the tabs in that window? Given that these default window tabs are sort of baked in, is Cocoa flexible enough to fit my design criteria?
The sample you've posted contains multiple documents (Untitled, Untitled 2, ..) inside a single window. Each of these tabs is a separate document with the tabbed interface handled transparently by macOS.
If you'd like to use tabs inside a single document - like e.g. sheets in a Numbers document - you'd have to implement that functionality on your own.
When a window tab is moved, the tabGroup property of the window changes. The tabGroup property is observable but this is not documented. Window controllers can be moved to another document with addWindowController. I don't know how to prevent a new document from opening in a tab in another document. Accessing the tabGroup seems to work but it's a hack. Switching NSWindow.allowsAutomaticWindowTabbing off and on also seems to work. Here's my test app (Xcode app template, document based, XIB. Add a WindowController subclass and change the class of the file's owner in Document.xib.)
class Document: NSDocument {
var documentData: [String]? // String per window
func addWindowTab(_ data: String?) {
let windowController = WindowController(windowNibName: NSNib.Name("Document"))
if let text = data {
windowController.text = text
}
if let otherWindowController = windowControllers.first, // document has other window(s)
let tabgroup = otherWindowController.window?.tabGroup,
let newWindow = windowController.window {
tabgroup.addWindow(newWindow)
}
else {
_ = windowController.window?.tabGroup // access tabGroup to open new documents in a new window
windowController.showWindow(self)
}
addWindowController(windowController)
}
override func makeWindowControllers() {
if let data = documentData {
for windowData in data {
addWindowTab(windowData)
}
}
else {
addWindowTab(nil)
}
}
func windowControllerDidChangeTabGroup(_ windowController: NSWindowController) {
var destinationDocument: Document?
// check if the window is in a tabgroup with windows of another document
if let tabGroup = windowController.window?.tabGroup,
tabGroup.windows.count > 1 {
for otherWindow in tabGroup.windows {
if let otherWindowController = otherWindow.delegate as? WindowController,
otherWindowController.document !== self {
destinationDocument = otherWindowController.document as? Document
break;
}
}
}
// check if this document has other windows
else if windowControllers.count > 1 {
destinationDocument = Document()
NSDocumentController.shared.addDocument(destinationDocument!)
}
if let destinationDocument = destinationDocument,
destinationDocument !== self {
destinationDocument.addWindowController(windowController) // removes windowController from self
if windowControllers.count == 0 {
close()
}
}
}
}
class WindowController: NSWindowController {
var tabObservation: NSKeyValueObservation?
override func windowDidLoad() {
super.windowDidLoad()
tabObservation = window?.observe(\.tabGroup, options: []) { object, change in
if let document = self.document as? Document {
// accessing tabGroup can change tabGroup and cause recursion, schedule on runloop
DispatchQueue.main.async{
document.windowControllerDidChangeTabGroup(self)
}
}
}
}
override func newWindowForTab(_ sender: Any?) {
if let document = document as? Document {
document.addWindowTab(nil)
}
}
}

Getting round Button With User Defined Runtime Attributes

First i'm working with swift . Second i have made the CAlayer extension
extension CALayer
{
func borderUIColor() -> UIColor? {
return borderColor != nil ? UIColor(CGColor: borderColor!) : nil
}
func setBorderUIColor(color: UIColor) {
borderColor = color.CGColor
}
}
and here are the results with this attributes
results:
I get those corner kind of spikes which of the layers properties can help me. Do I Shift bounds or deal with content or something.
Replace your extension methods with a computed property, like so:
extension CALayer
{
var borderUIColor(): UIColor? {
get {
return borderColor
}
set {
borderColor = borderUIColor
}
}
}
As you can see, you really don't need an extension at all--just use the layer's borderColor. Replace your layer.borderUIColor runtime attribute with layer.borderColor, and, for best effect, add layer.masksToBounds as true.

Where I should put code to customize Cancel button in UISearchBar?

I trying to change Cancel button color in UISearchBar implemented with UISearchController (iOS 8 and greater). This is a code I use:
if self.resultSearchController.active {
for subView in self.resultSearchController.searchBar.subviews {
for subsubView in subView.subviews {
if subsubView.isKindOfClass(UIButton) {
subsubView.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
}
}
}
}
If I paste it in viewDidLoad, it doesn't work, cause I think Cancel button initialize only when SearchController becomes Active.
If I paste code in viewDidLayoutSubviews everything work great, but I'm not sure its a correct way.
So, where I should put this code in TableViewController?
Also, I don't understand, how I can receive notification in my TableViewController that SearchController becomes inactive. In other words where I should put code like this:
if self.resultSearchController.active == false {
//Do something
}
First you should insert delegate methods :-
class HomeViewController: UIViewController,UISearchResultsUpdating, UISearchBarDelegate {
var searchController: UISearchController!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
searchController = UISearchController(searchResultsController: nil)
searchController.searchResultsUpdater = self
searchController.dimsBackgroundDuringPresentation = false
searchController.searchBar.placeholder = "Search here..."
searchController.searchBar.delegate = self
searchController.searchBar.sizeToFit()
searchController.hidesNavigationBarDuringPresentation = true
tableView.tableHeaderView = searchController.searchBar
searchController.searchBar.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
}
func searchBarTextDidBeginEditing(searchBar: UISearchBar) {
}
func searchBarCancelButtonClicked(searchBar: UISearchBar) {
}
func searchBarSearchButtonClicked(searchBar: UISearchBar) {
}
func updateSearchResultsForSearchController(searchController: UISearchController) {
}
}
then used delegate methods and change cancel button colors and thing what you want
You can try this in AppDelegate's didFinishLaunchWithOptions:.
UIBarButtonItem.appearanceWhenContainedInInstancesOfClasses([UISearchBar.self]).tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
PS: This is a generic method and would affect UIBarButtonItem in UISearchBar across app.
Swift 4.2, 4.0+ An answer is added here for a custom search bar that can be customized as below,
You can check the usage of SearchBar class.

Storyboard/XIB and localization best practice

The officially recommended method for XIB/Storyboard localization is to create .xib and .storyboard files inside xx.lproj (where xx is the two letter language ID) for each localization you want to support.
This creates a problem because you have multiple files that in many cases share the same UI, that are prone to change. If you wanted to re-design the UI for one view, you'll have to do it multiple times (worse if you entered the localizable string values in the xib itself). This goes against the DRY principle.
It seems way more efficient to call NSLocalizedString() where you need it, and just use one XIB or Storyboard for one base localization.
So, why should(n't) I create localized XIB/Storyboard files?
You can make a category on UILabel, UIButton etc. like this:
#import "UILabel+Localization.h"
#implementation UILabel (Localization)
- (void)setLocalizeKey:(NSString*)key
{
self.text = NSLocalizedString(key, nil);
}
#end
and after that on your xib file use User Defined Runtime Attributes to link the UILabel (or UIButton etc.) to a key saved in your Localizable.strings file
This way you can have all your strings in one file and you do not have to create a separate xib for each language.
For just changing text labels I did something like this
+(void) replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView:(UIView*)view
{
for (UIView* v in view.subviews)
{
if (v.subviews.count > 0)
{
[self replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView:v];
}
if ([v isKindOfClass:[UILabel class]])
{
UILabel* l = (UILabel*)v;
l.text = NSLocalizedString(l.text, nil);
[l sizeToFit];
}
if ([v isKindOfClass:[UIButton class]])
{
UIButton* b = (UIButton*)v;
[b setTitle:NSLocalizedString(b.titleLabel.text, nil) forState:UIControlStateNormal];
}
}
}
call this function in your viewDidLoad: like this:
[[self class] replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView:self.view];
It saved me a lot of work declaring and connecting IBOutlets when all you want is localized labels.
Flax's solution works well, one thing to note is that if you have UILabels or UIButtons which are are contained in UICollectionViewCells in UICollectionViews (or similar) and these collections change frequently in the current view, eg due to user action or being populated by an asynchronous request, then to keep the labels updated with the correct localization strings you can call the localization function in viewDidLayoutSubviews instead of viewDidLoad (which is called only once):
- (void)viewDidLayoutSubviews
{
[LocalizationHelper replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView:self.view];
}
As can be seen from this code, I keep the localization method in a static helper class (as the other chap suggested):
#implementation LocalizationHelper
+(void) replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView:(UIView*)view
{
for (UIView* v in view.subviews)
... <code from above> ...
}
#end
Would have added this as a comment to the above solution, but I ain't got no 'rep!
As explained by Leszek S you can create a category.
Here I'll give you an example in swift 3 with extension for UILabel and UIButton:
First of all create a "StringExtension.swift" file
Add on it this code:
extension String {
func localized() -> String {
let bundle = Bundle.main
return NSLocalizedString(self, tableName: nil, bundle: bundle, value: "", comment: "")
}
}
Then create another new file with the name you want (for example) "LocalizableObjectsExtensions.swift"
Add on it an extension for UIButton and one for UILabel like this (of course you can create extension for what you want, UITextField...):
extension UIButton {
var localizedText: String {
set (key) { setTitle(key.localized(), for: .normal) }
get { return titleLabel!.text! }
}
}
extension UILabel {
var localizedText: String {
set (key) { text = key.localized() }
get { return text! }
}
}
Now go in your Storyboard and for your button and/or you label that you want localize just add in the identity inspector of you object this:
FYI: here Key Path it's the name of the function you added in your extensions (UIlabel and UIButton) and Value is the name of the key that you want translate automatically which is in your Localizable.strings file. For example in your Localizable.strings (French) you have the key/value "ourOffers" = "NOS OFFRES";
Now build & Run. Your Object will be translated in the language of your device if you have the key/value in your Localizable.string. Enjoy :)
you can automate a lot of it with ibtool. this is a decent introduction: http://www.bdunagan.com/2009/03/15/ibtool-localization-made-easy/
Every place I look says that you have to replicate the entire xib file for each localization instance, even though you really only wanted to rip the text out and replicate the text in a different language for each localization instance.
If anyone knows of a method to replicate only the user visible text of an xib (in a different language) without replicating the entire xib file for each language, please let us know.
Useful post, much easier than multiple XIBs. I extended the code to handle UISegmentedControl:
if ([v isKindOfClass:[UISegmentedControl class]]) {
UISegmentedControl* s = (UISegmentedControl*)v;
for (int i = 0; i < s.numberOfSegments; i++) {
[s setTitle:NSLocalizedString([s titleForSegmentAtIndex:i],nil) forSegmentAtIndex:i];
}
}
I was looking for the exactly answer given by Flax, marked as right, but I needed it in Swift. So I translated into it. Thanks Flax.
func replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView(view: UIView) {
for v in view.subviews {
if v.subviews.count > 0 {
self.replaceTextWithLocalizedTextInSubviewsForView(v)
}
if (v.isKindOfClass(UILabel)) {
let myLabel: UILabel = v as! UILabel
myLabel.text = NSLocalizedString(myLabel.text!, comment: "Text to translate.")
myLabel.sizeToFit()
}
if (v.isKindOfClass(UIButton)) {
let myButton: UIButton = v as! UIButton
myButton.setTitle(NSLocalizedString((myButton.titleLabel?.text)!, comment: "Text to translate.") as String, forState: .Normal)
myButton.sizeToFit()
}
}
}
That works for Swift 2.1
I used a similar approach as Leszek Szary described for my views in Swift.
Using a Boolean value as opposed to the localization keys, I added an "On/Off" drop down menu that determines whether the initial text values should be localized or not. This allows for the Storyboard to be kept clean without any extra upkeep.
When a value is selected, a single Runtime Attribute is added to the view and is used as a condition from within it's setter.
Here is the code from my .swift file which extends UIButton, UILabel, UITabBarItem and UITextField, including the text field placeholder and button control states:
import UIKit
extension String {
public var localize: String {
return NSLocalizedString(self, comment: "")
}
}
extension UIButton {
#IBInspectable public var Localize: Bool {
get { return false }
set { if (newValue) {
setTitle( title(for:.normal)?.localize, for:.normal)
setTitle( title(for:.highlighted)?.localize, for:.highlighted)
setTitle( title(for:.selected)?.localize, for:.selected)
setTitle( title(for:.disabled)?.localize, for:.disabled)
}}
}
}
extension UILabel {
#IBInspectable public var Localize: Bool {
get { return false }
set { if (newValue) { text = text?.localize }}
}
}
extension UITabBarItem {
#IBInspectable public var Localize: Bool {
get { return false }
set { if (newValue) { title = title?.localize }}
}
}
extension UITextField {
#IBInspectable public var Localize: Bool {
get { return false }
set { if (newValue) {
placeholder = placeholder?.localize
text = text?.localize
}}
}
}
You could also use the new property to easily translate values that are set while your program is running like this:
let button = UIButton()
button.setTitle("Normal Text", for: .normal)
button.setTitle("Selected Text", for: .selected)
button.Localize = true
I came across this post and several others while trying to make xib localization easier for myself. I posted my method of including IBOutles for labels/buttons on this question, worked great for me, keeps all changes limited to the Localization.strings files.
https://stackoverflow.com/a/15485572/1449834
IMHO Xcode has one among the worst localization features available around...
I really don't like developing for Android but I must admit Android Studio has a better localization system.
That said, because I really cannot stand anymore to recreate Storyboard.strings after each mod (you know, Xcode won't update them for you...), this is how I do :
I have a couple of extensions to loop subviews (and subviews of subviews) and I deal with each of the main objects (labels, textfield, buttons...) by localizing their main properties (text, placeholde...) through a simple helper (AltoUtil.ls) which is a "short" version for NSLocalizedString.
Then I insert texts and placeholders with underscores (for example "_first_name", "_email_address") in my storyboard/xibs and I add those strings to each Localizable.strings file.
Now I just need to call the localize() function in viewDidLoad (or whereber I need it) so that I can have the whole view controller localized. For cells I just call the localize() inside the awakeFromNib() method for example.
I'm sure this is not the fastest method (due to subviews loop) but I don't get any slowdown compared to other methods I used to use and it's pretty productive.
import UIKit
extension UIView {
func localize()
{
for view in self.allSubviews()
{
if let label = view as? UILabel
{
label.text = AltoUtil.ls(label.text)
}
else if let textField = view as? UITextField
{
textField.text = AltoUtil.ls(textField.text)
textField.placeholder = AltoUtil.ls(textField.placeholder)
}
else if let button = view as? UIButton
{
button.setTitle(AltoUtil.ls(button.title(for: UIControl.State.normal)), for: UIControl.State.normal)
}
else if let searchBar = view as? UISearchBar
{
searchBar.placeholder = AltoUtil.ls(searchBar.placeholder)
}
}
}
func allSubviews() -> [UIView]
{
return subviews + subviews.flatMap { $0.allSubviews() }
}
}
The second extension is needed to localize view controllers title and tab bar items in view controllers. You can add any item you need to localize.
import UIKit
extension UIViewController {
func localize()
{
self.title = AltoUtil.ls(self.navigationItem.title)
self.tabBarItem?.title = AltoUtil.ls(self.tabBarItem?.title)
self.view.localize()
}
}

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