How to detect if ancestor is focused in tvOS? - uikit

I have a custom UIView subclass and want to detect when its ancestor is in focus. But this class itself cannot be focused.
Basically, I want to do something similar to UIImageView when adjustsImageWhenAncestorFocused is set to true.
I'm hoping for a solution that doesn't require the ancestor to communicate when focus changes.

You could implement the didUpdateFocusInContext and check if the target view is your ancestor:
override func didUpdateFocusInContext(context: UIFocusUpdateContext, withAnimationCoordinator coordinator: UIFocusAnimationCoordinator)
{
if let target = context.nextFocusedView
where self.isDescendantOfView(target)
{
// one of your ancestors has received focus
}
}

We can't use didUpdateFocus(in:with:), because it isn't called for all views of hierarchy, from the documentation:
the focus engine calls this method on all focus environments that contain either the previously focused view, the next focused view, or both
So if the view return false for canBecomeFocused, this method can't be called on it.
The adequate way is to observe UIFocusSystem.didUpdateNotification, if you're using Combine it's something like this:
NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: UIFocusSystem.didUpdateNotification).sink { [weak self] notification in
guard let context = notification.userInfo?[UIFocusSystem.focusUpdateContextUserInfoKey] as? UIFocusUpdateContext,
let next = context.nextFocusedView, self?.isDescendant(of: next) ?? false else {
print("is NOT descendant")
return
}
print("is descendant")
}.store(in: &cancelBag)

Related

Handling NSMenuDelegate menuWillOpen for changing targets

There are lots of related answers about using menuWillOpen. They all explain that one needs to set the menu's delegate first.
This is easy when I have just one target, like a Preferences window or the main application.
But what if I have a document based app, and I need to have the active document handle menuWillOpen? Then the delegate isn't a constant any more.
What's the proper way to handle this? Do I have to set the delegate to a single object (like the AppDelegate) and then forward the call to the active view controller (but how is that done correctly)? Or is there some other elegant way?
I came up with this code which appears to work:
// This is in my AppDelegate class, and the NSMenu's delegate points to it:
- (void)menuWillOpen:(NSMenu *)menu {
// Forward to active document controller
NSWindow *mainWindow = [NSApplication sharedApplication].mainWindow;
NSResponder *r = mainWindow.firstResponder;
while (r) {
if ([r respondsToSelector:_cmd]) {
[(id<NSMenuDelegate>)r menuWillOpen:menu];
return;
}
r = r.nextResponder;
}
}
It assumes that a controller down the responder chain implements menuWillOpen:

NSView with a KVC property in Swift

I have a custom NSView class defined as:
class MyView: NSView
{
var someText: NSString
override func didChangeValueForKey(key: String)
{
println( key )
super.didChangeValueForKey( key )
}
// other stuff
}
What I want to be able to do is from outside of this class change the value of someText and have didChangeValueForKey notice that someText has changed so I can, for example, set needsDisplay to true for the view and do some other work.
How an I do this?
Are you sure you need KVC for this? KVC works fine in Swift, but there’s an easier way:
var SomeText: NSString {
didSet {
// do some work every time SomeText is set
}
}
There is no KVC mechanism for this because this isn't what KVC is for.
In Objective-C, you would implement the setter explicitly (or override if the property is originally from a superclass) and do your work there.
In Swift, the proper approach is the didSet mechanism.
didChangeValueForKey() is not part of KVC, it's part of KVO (Key-Value Observing). It is not intended to be overridden. It's intended to be called when one is implementing manual change notification (as a pair with willChangeValueForKey()).
More importantly, though, there's no reason to believe that it will be called at all for a property which is not being observed by anything. KVO swizzles the class in order to hook into the setters and other mutating accessors for those properties which are actually being observed. When such a property is changed (and supports automatic change notification), KVO calls willChangeValueForKey() and didChangeValueForKey() automatically. But for non-observed properties, those methods are not called.
Finally, in some cases, such as the indexed collection mutation accessors, KVO will use different change notification methods, such as willChange(_:valuesAtIndexes:forKey:) and didChange(_:valuesAtIndexes:forKey:).
If you really don't want to use didSet for some reason, you would use KVO to observe self for changes in the someText property and handle changes in observeValueForKeyPath(_:ofObject:change:context:). But this is a bad, clumsy, error-prone, inefficient way of doing a simple thing.
KVO and didSet are not mutually exclusive:
import Foundation
class C: NSObject {
dynamic var someText: String = "" {
didSet {
print("changed to \(someText)")
}
}
}
let c = C()
c.someText = "hi" // prints "changed to hi"
class Observer: NSObject {
init(_ c: C) {
super.init()
c.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "someText", options: [], context: nil)
}
override func observeValueForKeyPath(keyPath: String?, ofObject object: AnyObject?, change: [String : AnyObject]?, context: UnsafeMutablePointer<Void>) {
print("observed change to \(object!.valueForKeyPath(keyPath!))")
}
}
let o = Observer(c)
c.someText = "test" // prints "changed to test" and "observed change to test"
I would add to Jaanus's answer that to make the property KVC compliant, you should declare it as dynamic var someText: NSString.
But if you don't need all the bells and whistles oh KVC, didSet is the way to go.
Update
As for didChangeValueForKey: – it is intended for the opposite, for you to notify value for key has changed (if it is not due to one of the cases covered by Foundation). You should use addObserver(_:forKeyPath:options:context:) and override observeValueForKeyPath(_:ofObject:change:context:) to be notified of changes.
Alternatively you can use one of many 3rd party solutions such as ReactiveCococa or Facebook's KVOController

NSCollectionView does show nothing

I've tried to follow this guide:
Quick Start for Collection Views
using an NSImageView in the Collection View Item.
Nothing shows up, neither if i set the image with a Image Well neither if i set the array via code.
So i tried to do it programmatically, using
func representedObject(representedObject: AnyObject)
{
super.representedObject = representedObject
photoImageView.image = (representedObject as! NSImage)
println("\(representedObject)")
}
in the Collection View Item (subclassed).
If I don't subclass Collection View Item Xcode tells me that there is no prototype set, if i subclass it it tells that "could not load the nibName"... (it's in the storyboard with correct identity set)
I can't have this Collection View to work :-(
Anyway, i like the bindings... so i'd like to achieve the correct result with bindings..
I checked and rechecked every passage in the document at the link and everything seems fine. the main difference is that the document uses the app delegate, i'm using a view controller.
i translated KVC methods in swift, i think they are correct since i know them have been called. Here them are:
func insertObject(p: ClientPhoto, inClientPhotoArrayAtIndex index: Int) {
images.insertObject(p, atIndex: index)
}
func removeObjectFromClientPhotoArrayAtIndex(index: Int) {
images.removeObjectAtIndex(index)
}
func setClientPhotoArray(a: NSMutableArray) {
images = a
}
func clientPhotoArray() -> NSArray {
return images
}
Their are basically 2 ways to work with NSCollectionView. 1 is to set the itemPrototype property and the other is to override newItemForRepresentedObject. The override method is more flexible and has the advantage that you using the technique below you can create the nscollectionviewitem in storyboard and all the outlets will be set correctly. Here is an example of how I use it:
class TagsCollectionView: NSCollectionView {
// ...
override func newItemForRepresentedObject(object: AnyObject!) -> NSCollectionViewItem! {
let viewItem = MainStoryboard.instantiateControllerWithIdentifier("tagCollectionViewItem") as! TagCollectionViewItem
viewItem.representedObject = object
return viewItem
}

An NSArrayController changes its selection : what is the best way to catch this event?

One can put an observer on the selectedIndex method of NSArrayController. This method has some drawbacks I think :
what will happen when the arrangedObjects is rearranged ? I admit this is not a very important problem
if we ask the observer to remember the old value of selectedIndex, it doesn't work. It is known but I cannot find again the link.
Why doesn't NSArrayController have a delegate ?
Is there another way to achieve what I want to do : launching some methods when the selection changes ?
Observe selection key of the NSArrayController (it is inherited from NSObjectController).
It will return either NSMultipleValuesMarker (when many objects are selected), NSNoSelectionMarker (when nothing is selected), or a proxy representing the selected object which can then be queried for the original object value through self key.
It will not change if rearranging objects did not actually change the selection.
You can also observe selectedObjects; in that case you won't need to deal with markers.
Providing hamstergene's excellent solution, in Swift 4.
In viewDidLoad, observe the key path.
arrayController.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "selectedObjects", options: .new, context: nil)
In the view controller,
override func observeValue(forKeyPath keyPath: String?, of object: Any?, change: [NSKeyValueChangeKey : Any]?, context: UnsafeMutableRawPointer?) {
guard let keyPath = keyPath else { return }
switch keyPath {
case "selectedObjects":
// arrayController.selectedObjects has changed
default:
break
}
}

Can I receive a callback whenever an NSPasteboard is written to?

I've read Apple's Pasteboard Programming Guide, but it doesn't answer a particular question I have.
I'm trying to write a Cocoa application (for OS X, not iOS) that will keep track of everything that is written to the general pasteboard (so, whenever any application copies and pastes, but not, say, drags-and-drops, which also makes use of NSPasteboard). I could (almost) accomplish this by basically polling the general pasteboard on a background thread constantly, and checking changeCount. Of course, doing this would make me feel very dirty on the inside.
My question is, is there a way to ask the Pasteboard server to notify me through some sort of callback any time a change is made to the general pasteboard? I couldn't find anything in the NSPasteboard class reference, but I'm hoping it lurks somewhere else.
Another way I could imagine accomplishing this is if there was a way to swap out the general pasteboard implementation with a subclass of NSPasteboard that I could define myself to issue a callback. Maybe something like this is possible?
I would greatly prefer if this were possible with public, App Store-legal APIs, but if using a private API is necessary, I'll take that too.
Thanks!
Unfortunately the only available method is by polling (booo!). There are no notifications and there's nothing to observe for changed pasteboard contents. Check out Apple's ClipboardViewer sample code to see how they deal with inspecting the clipboard. Add a (hopefully not overzealous) timer to keep checking for differences and you've got a basic (if clunky) solution that should be App-Store-Friendly.
File an enhancement request at bugreporter.apple.com to request notifications or some other callback. Unfortunately it wouldn't help you until the next major OS release at the earliest but for now it's polling until we all ask them to give us something better.
There was once a post on a mailing list where the decision against a notification api was described. I can't find it right now though. The bottom line was that probably too many applications would register for that api even though they really wouldn't need to. If you then copy something the whole system goes through the new clipboard content like crazy, creating lots of work for the computer. So i don't think they'll change that behavior anytime soon. The whole NSPasteboard API is internally built around using the changeCount, too. So even your custom subclass of NSPasteboard would still have to keep polling.
If you really want to check if the pasteboard changed, just keep observing the changeCount very half second. Comparing integers is really fast so there's really no performance issue here.
Based on answer provided by Joshua I came up with similar implementation but in swift, here is the link to its gist: PasteboardWatcher.swift
Code snippet from same:
class PasteboardWatcher : NSObject {
// assigning a pasteboard object
private let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.generalPasteboard()
// to keep track of count of objects currently copied
// also helps in determining if a new object is copied
private var changeCount : Int
// used to perform polling to identify if url with desired kind is copied
private var timer: NSTimer?
// the delegate which will be notified when desired link is copied
weak var delegate: PasteboardWatcherDelegate?
// the kinds of files for which if url is copied the delegate is notified
private let fileKinds : [String]
/// initializer which should be used to initialize object of this class
/// - Parameter fileKinds: an array containing the desired file kinds
init(fileKinds: [String]) {
// assigning current pasteboard changeCount so that it can be compared later to identify changes
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
// assigning passed desired file kinds to respective instance variable
self.fileKinds = fileKinds
super.init()
}
/// starts polling to identify if url with desired kind is copied
/// - Note: uses an NSTimer for polling
func startPolling () {
// setup and start of timer
timer = NSTimer.scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval(2, target: self, selector: Selector("checkForChangesInPasteboard"), userInfo: nil, repeats: true)
}
/// method invoked continuously by timer
/// - Note: To keep this method as private I referred this answer at stackoverflow - [Swift - NSTimer does not invoke a private func as selector](http://stackoverflow.com/a/30947182/217586)
#objc private func checkForChangesInPasteboard() {
// check if there is any new item copied
// also check if kind of copied item is string
if let copiedString = pasteboard.stringForType(NSPasteboardTypeString) where pasteboard.changeCount != changeCount {
// obtain url from copied link if its path extension is one of the desired extensions
if let fileUrl = NSURL(string: copiedString) where self.fileKinds.contains(fileUrl.pathExtension!){
// invoke appropriate method on delegate
self.delegate?.newlyCopiedUrlObtained(copiedUrl: fileUrl)
}
// assign new change count to instance variable for later comparison
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
}
}
}
Note: in the shared code I am trying to identify if user has copied a
file url or not, the provided code can easily be modified for other general
purposes.
For those who need simplified version of code snippet that gets the job done in Swift 5.7,
it just works (base on #Devarshi code):
func watch(using closure: #escaping (_ copiedString: String) -> Void) {
let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.general
var changeCount = NSPasteboard.general.changeCount
Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 1.0, repeats: true) { _ in
guard let copiedString = pasteboard.string(forType: .string),
pasteboard.changeCount != changeCount else { return }
defer {
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
}
closure(copiedString)
}
}
how to use is as below:
watch {
print("detected : \($0)")
}
then if you attempt copy any text in your pasteboard, it will watch and print out to the console like below..
detected : your copied message in pasteboard
detected : your copied message in pasteboard
in case, full code sample for how to use it for example in SwiftUI:
import SwiftUI
#main
struct TestApp: App {
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup {
ContentView()
.onAppear {
watch {
print("detect : \($0)")
}
}
}
}
func watch(using closure: #escaping (_ copiedString: String) -> Void) {
let pasteboard = NSPasteboard.general
var changeCount = NSPasteboard.general.changeCount
Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 1.0, repeats: true) { _ in
guard let copiedString = pasteboard.string(forType: .string),
pasteboard.changeCount != changeCount else { return }
defer {
changeCount = pasteboard.changeCount
}
closure(copiedString)
}
}
}
It's not necessary to poll. Pasteboard would generally only be changed by the current view is inactive or does not have focus. Pasteboard has a counter that is incremented when contents change. When window regains focus (windowDidBecomeKey), check if changeCount has changed then process accordingly.
This does not capture every change, but lets your application respond if the Pasteboard is different when it becomes active.
In Swift...
var pasteboardChangeCount = NSPasteboard.general().changeCount
func windowDidBecomeKey(_ notification: Notification)
{ Swift.print("windowDidBecomeKey")
if pasteboardChangeCount != NSPasteboard.general().changeCount
{ viewController.checkPasteboard()
pasteboardChangeCount = NSPasteboard.general().changeCount
}
}
I have a solution for more strict case: detecting when your content in NSPasteboard was replaced by something else.
If you create a class that conforms to NSPasteboardWriting and pass it to -writeObjects: along with the actual content, NSPasteboard will retain this object until its content is replaced. If there are no other strong references to this object, it get deallocated.
Deallocation of this object is the moment when new NSPasteboard got new content.

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