UIView nested in UIViewController top buttons - xcode

I want to create some "template" view using Interface Builder, in my storyboard, I dragged and dropped a UIView on top of a UIViewController like that :
I modified it (in IB) and than made a custom subclass of UIView (and "linked" it by specifying that the view class is my custom class.
The problem is when I try to use it somewhere else in my code, such as :
let a = MyCustomView()
a.myLabel.text = "This is a test"
myLabel outlet is nil, even if I linked it from IB by ctrl+dragging, what should I do ?
Is it a good practice to create reusable views this way ? Or is it just not possible at all to do that ?
Thank you.

Related

Creating an outlet for a NSProgressIndicator inside a NSToolbar

I have this OSX storyboard-based application that starts with a NSSplitViewController like this:
This splitViewController has two viewControllers: master and detail.
Inside the window I have a NSToolbar. I dragged a NSProgressIndicator to that toolbar and Xcode embedded it inside a NSToolbarItem.
Now I need to create an outlet (not an action as explained on other stackoverflow questions) from the NSProgressIndicator to some class. First question is which one?
Xcode will not let I create an outlet. I have tried these options:
dragged from the ToolbarItem to masterController class file, detailController class file and to NSSplitViewController class.
dragged from the ToolbarItem to the delegate class.
dragged from the NSProgressIndicator to masterController class file, detailController class file and to NSSplitViewController class.
dragged from the NSProgressIndicator to the delegate class.
dragged from both the NSToolbarItem and from the NSProgressIndicator to the Window Controller First Responder.
In all cases dragging does not make a window appear to allow me to create the outlet.
For heavens sake, how do I create an outlet like that? To which class I drag it and how do I do that?
I'll assume your setup is more like this image:
Your Window scene is backed, by default, by an NSWindowController, to which you cannot add new outlets. You need to create a subclass of that, associate it with your Window and then you should be able to create outlets in that.
File > New File > Cocoa Class
Specify a name like "SpaceDogsWindowController", as a subclass of NSWindowController.
Then use select the window controller icon (blue circle) and select the Identity Inspector in Xcode. (CMD+ALT+3). Specify the name of your new class in the "Class" field.
Then try to hookup an outlet:
1) Show the Assistant Editor
2) Use the Jump Bar to ensure your custom class is visible (It's at the top of the assistant editor pane, it should say Automatic and you can tap that to then select your new class; If it says 'Manual', change it to Automatic).
3) If your are control-dragging and it's still not offering to make a connection, try dragging from the document outline (also shown in the screen shot).
You could then edit that progress indicator from other view controllers, which are descendants of that window's view hierarchy, using code like this:
if let windowController = self.view.window?.windowController() as? CustomWindowController {
windowController.progressIndicator.doubleValue = 0.4
}
or, in Objective-C, something like this:
CustomWindowController *myWindowControllerSubclass = self.view.window.windowController;
windowController.progressIndicator.doubleValue = 0.4;
Hope that helps.

How to use NSToolBar in Xcode 6 and Storyboard?

I've been trying to build on a Cocoa app that uses Swift and Storyboard in Xcode 6, but how can I use NSToolbar there?
In Xcode 5 and xib, you can add NSToolbar from within Object Library to any .xib files and then click on the added toolbar to expand it and drag and drop a connection from any items there to a AppDelegate.h file. In this way you can create a IBAction or IBOutlet connection. I confirmed that this can also be done if you use Swift and non-storyboard in Xcode 6. However, it looks like this is not the case in Xcode 6 and Storyboard environment.
I first created a project that uses Storyboard in Xcode 6, but then, I wasn't able to add a NSToolbar from within Object Library to a View Controller in Storyboard. So I added it to Window Controller's Window object in Storyboard. However, in this way I cannot create those connections from any items in the expanded toolbar to either AppDelegate.swift or ViewController.swift.
So my question is:
Is it feasible to create a storyboard app that uses NSToolbar?
If it is feasible, is the addition of NSToolbar to the Window Controller the proper way to use NSToolBar in Storyboard?
Finally, how can I create #IBOutlet and #IBAction connections there?
UPDATE
I found that the accepted answer by #GeorgeVillasboas only works for #IBAction. I am still looking for how to create an #IBOutlet connection...
I had this very same problem.
The solution works for both Objective-C and Swift projects.
Working with Storyboards on OSX, it creates an instance of NSWindow and segues to another NSViewController as its Window Content Segue, as you described.
On your ViewController, create a standard IBAction to receive the action when the toolbar is clicked. To wire it up with the NSToolbar, just control-drag (or leftClick-drag) from your NSToolbarItem to the FirstResponder object, as shown on the picture below.
This will open a HUGE list of available connections. Your IBAction will be on that list.
Just selected it and you're good to go.
Hope this helps!
Here's an answer that doesn't rely on run-time hook-ups - #cdalvaro's answer gets most of the way there for some applications, but isn't full, and it requires the ViewController to know about the artificial NSWindowController, which doesn't feel right.
Like #cdalvaro, the first step is to build your own subclass of NSWindowController, and to set the Storyboard WC to that class. You can then create all of your connections to and from the NSToolbar (both #IBOutlets & #IBActions) in the new WindowController. So far so good.
The last step, which I haven't seen anywhere else, is how to refer to the ViewController in the WindowController - you can't create an #IBOutlet to it - for the same reasons that we got here in the first place - you can't create references across scenes in the Storyboard. However, the WindowController must have a reference to the ViewController, and it does... self.window!.contentViewController! as! ViewController
Here's a complete WindowController with a checkbox that sets values in the ViewController, without the ViewController having to know anything...
class MyWindowController: NSWindowController {
var viewController: ViewController {
get {
return self.window!.contentViewController! as! ViewController
}
}
#IBOutlet weak var aSwitch: NSButton!
#IBAction func toolbarActionA(sender: AnyObject) {
println("toolbarActionA")
self.viewController.a = !self.viewController.a
self.aSwitch.state = self.viewController.a ? NSOnState : NSOffState
}
}
This helped me for the IBOutlet solution you are looking for:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/27555237/3398062
Update (explanation)
I discovered this thread because I was trying to create a Circular Progress Indicator inside the toolbar and I didn't know how to animate it from the ViewController since the IBOutlet was declared inside a custom WindowController.
Finally, I found the post that I have added above which describes how to access to IBOutlets from other classes.
In essence what I have done is the following:
Create a custom NSWindowController subclass (CustomWindowController) for the Window Controller so I can add the IBOutlet for the ProgressIndicator:
Code Example:
#interface CustomWindowController : NSWindowController
#property (weak) IBOutlet NSProgressIndicator *progressIndicator;
#end
Then in the ViewController class, in the method I want to use to update the state of the Progress Indicator, I create and object of the custom Window Controller.
Code Example:
CustomWindowController *customWindowController = self.view.window.windowController;`
Finally, to change the state of the Progress Indicator there is only to call the method from the created custom object.
Code Example:
[customWindowController.progressIndicator startAnimation:sender];
or
[customWindowController.progressIndicator stopAnimation:sender];
This video helped me how to create a toolbar without writing a single line of code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSQocHG3IjA
You can add the 'Window Controller' item from the Object Library (if you don't have one), connect to a View Controller (where you want your toolbar to display) and follow the video! For custom Toolbar buttons add 'Image Button' item to the Toolbar just by dragging from the Object Library. Then you can pick an image for a button, set the size and so on...
Here is a general solution for the outlets and actions. it allows you to preform all the the same functions as an iboutlet would for a tool bar item and also allows you to set the button to a function instead of creating an ibaction. hope it helps :P
override func viewDidLayout() {
var x = self.view.window?.toolbar?.items[1].label
println(x)
if(self.view.window?.toolbar?.items[0].label! != "Check")
{
toobarediting()
}
println("didlay")
}
func toobarediting() {
self.view.window?.toolbar?.insertItemWithItemIdentifier("Check", atIndex: 0)
}
func toolbarcheck(functiontoset: Selector) {
var y = self.view.window?.toolbar?.items[0] as NSToolbarItem
y.action = functiontoset
if(functiontoset != nil)
{
y.enabled = true
}
}
Here is a link to my question attempting to get a cleaner answer
http://www.stackoverflow.com/questions/27371439/use-nstoolbar-outlet-xcode-6-and-storyboard/27374449
but it looks like from the answers i have gotten so far this is the best option.
The same problem of IBOutlets also applies to KVO. One of the features of the NSSplitViewController is the canCollapse property for each split view item which supports KVO, but this is unusable in IB just like IBOutlets.
The only workaround I can see is to add a NSObjectController to each scene and when the scene loads, set the object controller's object to the object in the other scene (already loaded) that you want to reference.

How to set view outlet for a UITableViewController?

I created an empty xib, I dragged a UITableViewController, set Custom class to my class that extends from UITableViewController at both the UITableViewController and File's Owner.
When I run, it says:
'A view can only be associated with at most one view controller at a time! View ; layer = ; contentOffset: {0, 0}> is associated with . Clear this association before associating this view with .'
At connections inspector I see that the UITableViewController element has:
tableView - Table View
view - Table View (greyed)
dataSource - Table View
delegate - Table View
First Responder has nothing.
File's Owner has:
tableView is not attached to anything
view - Table View
If I remove the view connection at File's Owner, it claims that the view outlet is not set.
It is difficult to imagine what happens based on the information provided. However:
The error message says that you have a UIView, and you try at runtime to connect this UIView to two UIViewControllers, which is not possible.
If you just subclass a UITableViewController, without adding properties or implementing methods, then setup a UITableViewController in an empty storyboard, and set the class of this UITableViewController to your subclass, you have only a single UITableViewController, and you will not get this error.
So somewhere in your project you must instantiate a second UITableViewController programmatically, and set its UIView property (which is a UITableView) to the UIView of the other UITableViewController.
You should ensure that you have only a single UITableViewController, namely your custom subclass.
I guess the correct answer is DON'T drag UITableViewController to the interface builder. Have 2 IBOutlets connected, one for the view, one for the table. DO drag a UITableView instead.
Hope this helps other people.

Can I use NSViewController to provide a reusable NSTableView with defined columns and data?

I'm fairly new to Xcode and Cocoa development, so please excuse me if I use the wrong terminology.
I have a window which has an NSTableView bound to a NSArrayController. The NSTableView has some predefined columns and the NSArrayController is populated with data when my window is loaded.
This all works fine, but I now need to re-use the functionality in a number of other windows.
After much reading I think and NSViewController is what I need, to provide an object that I can re-use in different windows in multiple .xib.
So what I have done is created a new NSViewController sub class in Xcode which also created a new xib for that controller.
The xib contains a custom view, where I have placed my NSTableView.
#interface KeyViewController : NSViewController
#property (weak) IBOutlet NSTableView *keyTable;
#end
The files owner class is set to the KeyViewController, and the view outlet is set to the files owner.
I then placed a ViewController object into the original window and hooked up the view to a new custom view in the window
I then set the nib name for the ViewController in its properties.
The new view never gets displayed and the view controller initWithNibName never gets called.
Am I missing something vital or missing the plot completely. Should you be able to do this just with interface builder or do I need to alloc and init the view in code?
If I do have to do it in code, whats the purpose of the ViewController object in IB and the Nib Name property for it?
Thanks..

point of UIViewController in IB

What exactly is the point of adding a UIViewController in IB? There is no way to add code like you can if you create a viewController in Xcode? And if you can what is the advantage of doing it in IB.
And isn't the whole point of a MVC to seperate code into "modular" parts so why would add a ViewController in IB
Sometimes all you need is a UIViewController. But most times you would create a UIViewController subclass of your own (in IB).

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