Cocoa: Making NSTextField editable after a click and short delay (like renaming in Finder) - macos

Question

I cannot find a simple example of how to use an NSTextField to edit it's contents in place.
Exactly like in the Finder - you're able to click, and with a short delay the text field becomes editable.
It seems like it's some combination of the textField, it's cell, and the fieldEditor? Problem is I can't find the most basic example of how to do it.
I've tried subclassing NSTextField with a couple different tests but it hasn't worked:
#import "GWTextField.h"
#implementation GWTextField
- (id) initWithFrame:(NSRect)frameRect {
self = [super initWithFrame:frameRect];
return self;
}
- (void) mouseDown:(NSEvent *)theEvent {
[super mouseDown:theEvent];
[self.cell editWithFrame:self.frame inView:self.superview editor:[self.cell fieldEditorForView:self] delegate:self event:theEvent];
//[self setEditable:TRUE];
//[self setSelectable:TRUE];
//[self selectText:nil];
[NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:.3 target:self selector:#selector(edit:) userInfo:nil repeats:FALSE];
}
- (void) edit:(id) sende {
NSLog(#"edit");
[[NSApplication sharedApplication].mainWindow makeFirstResponder:self];
[self selectText:nil];
}
#end
Any ideas?

Answer 1

Here's another solution with no NSCell - one user pointed out that NSCell is deprecated and will at some point be gone.
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>
#interface EditTextField : NSTextField <NSTextDelegate,NSTextViewDelegate,NSTextFieldDelegate>
#property BOOL isEditing;
#property BOOL commitChangesOnEscapeKey;
#property BOOL editAfterDelay;
#property CGFloat delay;
#end
----
#import "EditTextField.h"
#interface EditTextField ()
#property NSObject <NSTextFieldDelegate,NSTextViewDelegate> * userDelegate;
#property NSString * originalStringValue;
#property NSTimer * editTimer;
#property NSTrackingArea * editTrackingArea;
#end
#implementation EditTextField
- (id) initWithCoder:(NSCoder *)coder {
self = [super initWithCoder:coder];
[self defaultInit];
return self;
}
- (id) initWithFrame:(NSRect)frameRect {
self = [super initWithFrame:frameRect];
[self defaultInit];
return self;
}
- (id) init {
self = [super init];
[self defaultInit];
return self;
}
- (void) defaultInit {
self.delay = .8;
}
- (void) mouseDown:(NSEvent *) theEvent {
if(theEvent.clickCount == 2) {
[self startEditing];
} else {
[super mouseDown:theEvent];
if(self.editAfterDelay) {
[self startTracking];
self.editTimer = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:.8 target:self selector:#selector(startEditing) userInfo:nil repeats:FALSE];
}
}
}
- (void) startTracking {
if(!self.editTrackingArea) {
self.editTrackingArea = [[NSTrackingArea alloc] initWithRect:self.bounds options:NSTrackingMouseEnteredAndExited|NSTrackingMouseMoved|NSTrackingActiveInActiveApp|NSTrackingAssumeInside|NSTrackingInVisibleRect owner:self userInfo:nil];
}
[self addTrackingArea:self.editTrackingArea];
}
- (void) mouseExited:(NSEvent *)theEvent {
[self.editTimer invalidate];
self.editTimer = nil;
}
- (void) mouseMoved:(NSEvent *) theEvent {
[self.editTimer invalidate];
self.editTimer = nil;
}
- (void) startEditing {
id firstResponder = self.window.firstResponder;
if([firstResponder isKindOfClass:[NSTextView class]]) {
NSTextView * tv = (NSTextView *)firstResponder;
if(tv.delegate && [tv.delegate isKindOfClass:[EditTextField class]]) {
EditTextField * fr = (EditTextField *)tv.delegate;
[fr stopEditingCommitChanges:FALSE clearFirstResponder:FALSE];
}
}
if(self.delegate != self) {
self.userDelegate = (NSObject <NSTextFieldDelegate,NSTextViewDelegate> *)self.delegate;
}
self.isEditing = TRUE;
self.delegate = self;
self.editable = TRUE;
self.originalStringValue = self.stringValue;
[self.window makeFirstResponder:self];
}
- (void) stopEditingCommitChanges:(BOOL) commitChanges clearFirstResponder:(BOOL) clearFirstResponder {
self.editable = FALSE;
self.isEditing = FALSE;
self.delegate = nil;
[self removeTrackingArea:self.editTrackingArea];
if(!commitChanges) {
self.stringValue = self.originalStringValue;
}
if(clearFirstResponder) {
[self.window makeFirstResponder:nil];
}
}
- (void) cancelOperation:(id) sender {
if(self.commitChangesOnEscapeKey) {
[self stopEditingCommitChanges:TRUE clearFirstResponder:TRUE];
} else {
[self stopEditingCommitChanges:FALSE clearFirstResponder:TRUE];
}
}
- (BOOL) textView:(NSTextView *) textView doCommandBySelector:(SEL) commandSelector {
BOOL handlesCommand = FALSE;
NSString * selector = NSStringFromSelector(commandSelector);
if(self.userDelegate) {
if([self.userDelegate respondsToSelector:#selector(control:textView:doCommandBySelector:)]) {
handlesCommand = [self.userDelegate control:self textView:textView doCommandBySelector:commandSelector];
} else if([self.userDelegate respondsToSelector:#selector(textView:doCommandBySelector:)]) {
handlesCommand = [self.userDelegate textView:textView doCommandBySelector:commandSelector];
}
if(!handlesCommand) {
if([selector isEqualToString:#"insertNewline:"]) {
[self stopEditingCommitChanges:TRUE clearFirstResponder:TRUE];
handlesCommand = TRUE;
}
if([selector isEqualToString:#"insertTab:"]) {
[self stopEditingCommitChanges:TRUE clearFirstResponder:FALSE];
handlesCommand = FALSE;
}
}
} else {
if([selector isEqualToString:#"insertNewline:"]) {
[self stopEditingCommitChanges:TRUE clearFirstResponder:TRUE];
handlesCommand = TRUE;
}
if([selector isEqualToString:#"insertTab:"]) {
[self stopEditingCommitChanges:TRUE clearFirstResponder:FALSE];
handlesCommand = FALSE;
}
}
return handlesCommand;
}
#end

Answer 2

I built a re-usable NSTextField subclass you can use for edit in place functionality. http://pastebin.com/QymunMYB

Answer 3

I came up with a better solution to the edit in place problem. I believe this is how to properly do edit in place with NSCell. Please show and tell if this is wrong.
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>
#interface EditTextField : NSTextField <NSTextDelegate>
#end
---
#import "EditTextField.h"
#implementation EditTextField
- (void) mouseDown:(NSEvent *)theEvent {
if(theEvent.clickCount == 2) {
self.editable = TRUE;
NSText * fieldEditor = [self.window fieldEditor:TRUE forObject:self];
[self.cell editWithFrame:self.bounds inView:self editor:fieldEditor delegate:self event:theEvent];
} else {
[super mouseDown:theEvent];
}
}
- (void) cancelOperation:(id)sender {
[self.cell endEditing:nil];
self.editable = FALSE;
}
- (BOOL) textView:(NSTextView *) textView doCommandBySelector:(SEL) commandSelector {
NSString * selector = NSStringFromSelector(commandSelector);
if([selector isEqualToString:#"insertNewline:"]) {
NSText * fieldEditor = [self.window fieldEditor:TRUE forObject:self];
[self.cell endEditing:fieldEditor];
self.editable = FALSE;
return TRUE;
}
return FALSE;
}
#end

Answer 4

In my application I have two text fields - one non editable, and second, hidden, editable, and activates title editing by calling:
[self addSubview:windowTitle];
[windowTitleLabel removeFromSuperview];
[self.window makeFirstResponder:windowTitle];
This is called from mouseUp: on view behind the label.
I don't remember why I needed to have two text fields (i didn't know Cocoa good that time), probably it will work even without label swapping.