NSTextView + NSTextFinder + my separate NSSearchField - cocoa

Question

I am trying to implement searching in NSTextView with search query coming from my custom NSSearchField.
Sounds pretty simple, but I cannot get it working.
So far I've looked through all the Apple Documentation about NSTextFinder, its client and FindBarContainer. The TextFinder simply provides the FindBarView to the container, and container shows it when you activate searching.
All the communication between the client, container and TextFinder is hidden. It just looks like a black-box that is designed to work "as is" without any customisation or interference.
But what about - (void)performAction:(NSTextFinderAction)op method of NSTextFinder? Isn't it for sending custom commands to the TextFinder?
I was trying to assign a new search string to it with the following:
NSPasteboard* pBoard = [NSPasteboard pasteboardWithName:NSFindPboard];
[pBoard declareTypes:[NSArray arrayWithObjects:NSPasteboardTypeString, NSPasteboardTypeTextFinderOptions, nil] owner:nil];
[pBoard setString:_theView.searchField.stringValue forType:NSStringPboardType];
NSDictionary * options = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
[NSNumber numberWithBool:YES], NSTextFinderCaseInsensitiveKey,
[NSNumber numberWithInteger:NSTextFinderMatchingTypeContains], NSTextFinderMatchingTypeKey,
nil];
[pBoard setPropertyList:options forType:NSPasteboardTypeTextFinderOptions];
[textFinder performAction:NSTextFinderActionSetSearchString];
but that doesn't work and simply breaks the normal findBar operation.
I have a strong feeling that I am doing something wrong.
All I want is to have a standard search functionality in my own NSSearchField. Is that possible?
I bet I am not the first one who is not happy with normal findBar.
Your help is very needed and appreciated!

Answer 1

For an NSTextView, NSTextFinder is mostly just a user interface for NSString's func range(of searchString: String, options mask: NSString.CompareOptions = [], range rangeOfReceiverToSearch: NSRange) -> NSRange
If you want to implement your own search on an NSTextView, use that. To search forward, you construct a range starting at the end of the current selections's range and going to the end of the NSTextView's text. To search backward, construct a range starting at 0 and going to the beginning of the current selection's range, and tell NSString to use backwards search.
If NSString returns a .notFound range, implement wrap-around yourself.
If you need startsWith, endsWith or wholeWord you'll need to take the result NSString's func gives you, check to see if it will do, and if not adjust the range and call it again.

Answer 2

You can use NSComboBox. Return search value using below delegate:
- (NSString *)comboBox:(NSComboBox *)aComboBox completedString:(NSString *)substring
{
if ([aComboBox tag] == 101 || [aComboBox tag] == 102) {
NSArray *currentList;
if ([aComboBox tag] == 101) {
NSArray *keyArray = keySuggestions;
currentList = keyArray;
} else {
currentList = [NSArray arrayWithArray:self.valueSuggestions];
}
NSEnumerator *theEnum = [currentList objectEnumerator];
id eachString;
NSInteger maxLength = 0;
NSString *bestMatch = #"";
while (nil != (eachString = [theEnum nextObject])) {
NSString *commonPrefix = [eachString
commonPrefixWithString:substring options:NSCaseInsensitiveSearch];
if ([commonPrefix length] >= [substring length] && [commonPrefix
length] > maxLength)
{
maxLength = [commonPrefix length];
bestMatch = eachString;
break;
}
}
return bestMatch;
}
return substring;
}