I have an issue with bindings between an NSComboBox element and an NSArrayController.
All bindings are setup in IB.
The NSComboBox element has the following bindings:
Content: bound to the NSArrayController instance, key: arrangedObjects
Content Values: bound to the NSArrayController instance, key: arrangedObjects.name
The NSArrayController element is bound in the following way:
Content Array: bound to File's Owner, key path: availableProperties (which is an NSMutableArray
In the code, I have a method which is called when the window opens and after some event fires.
The code is the following:
NSMutableArray* newAvailable = ...; //compute the new properties to be displayed.
//now I want to replace all the properties with the new one
if ([self.availableProperties count] > 0)
[self.availablePropertiesController removeObjects:self.availableProperties];
[self.availablePropertiesController addObjects:newAvailables];
where self.availableProperties is the NSMutableArray (the model) and self.availablePropertiesController is the NSArrayController
When the window opens the combo box is properly populated.
But when the event fires I execute the above statements, I can see the backing array correctly filled, but the combo box is completely empty.
Some ideas?
You’re close, you should just do:
NSMutableArray* newAvailable = ...; //compute the new properties to be displayed.
self.availableProperties = newAvailable;
You’ve already bound the arrayController’s to your ‘availableProperties’ variable, so all you have to do to change the UI is change your variable. That’s the beauty of bindings.
Also, your ‘availableProperties' should probably be an NSArray, not a NSMutableArray, because if you accidentally insert an object in the middle of the NSMutableArray the arrayController’s binding isn’t going to notice—it’ll only notice when the entire ‘availableProperties’ instance variable changes, not when something inside it mutates.
Related
I have a coredata app with an Entity called Product.
In my interface I have an array controller for this entity called ProductAC. I have bound a table view and text fields to the array controller and can see the details, and I can add objects to it.
Now I want to create an export file for some of the objects. In the tableview I can select them, and then in the code I have this:
NSArray *uploadProducts = [ProductAC selectedObjects];
NSEnumerator *loop = [uploadProducts objectEnumerator];
This produces a nil value for the uploadProducts array.
How do I select the items to further process them? I have cleaned the file, closed and re-opened Xcode but I cannot seem to 'grab' the selected objects from the tableview?
thanks
Make sure you have the table view selectionIndexes property bound to the corresponding property on your array controller.
I have an NSPopupButton whose content is bound to an NSArray, let’s say the array is
#[
#"Option 1",
#"Option 2"
];
Its selected object is bound to User Defaults Controller, and is written to a preference file by the user defaults system.
In my code I check whether the preference is set to #"Option 1" or not, and perform actions accordingly.
This all worked well (though I did feel a little uneasy checking for what is essentially a UI value, but whatever...) until I needed to localize.
Because the value is the label, I’m having an issue.
If my user is in France, his preferences file will say #"L’option 1", which is not equal to #"Option 1". I need to abstract the presentation from the meaning and it's proving pretty difficult.
I split up the binding into two arrays, let's call them values and labels.
Let’s say they look like this:
values = #[
#"option_1",
#"option_2"
];
labels = #[
NSLocalizedString(#"Option 1", nil),
NSLocalizedString(#"Option 2", nil)
];
I’ve bound the NSPopUpButton’s Content binding to values and its Content Values binding to labels. However, the popup list is showing option_1 and option_2, it does not seem to want to use the labels array to label the items in the popup button.
How do I get the NSPopUpButton to use values internally and store that in the preferences file, but display labels to the user?
It doesn’t have to be architected this way, if you can think of a better solution. The point is I want to store and check one value, and have that value associated with a label that gets localized appropriately.
Cocoa bindings work very well with value transformers, because you can apply them directly in the bindings window, for example
#implementation LocalizeTransformer
+ (Class)transformedValueClass
{
return [NSArray class];
}
+ (BOOL)allowsReverseTransformation
{
return NO;
}
- (id)transformedValue:(id)value {
if (![value isKindOfClass:[NSArray class]]) return nil;
NSMutableArray *output = [NSMutableArray arrayWithCapacity:[value count]];
for (NSString *string in value) {
[output addObject:NSLocalizedString(string, nil)];
}
return [output copy];
}
#end
you have to register the transformer in awakeFromNib or better in +initialize
NSValueTransformer *localizeTransformer = [[LocalizeTransformer alloc] init];
[NSValueTransformer setValueTransformer:localizeTransformer
forName:#"LocalizeTransformer"];
then it appears in the popup menu of value transformers
Bind Selected Tag to your User Defaults Controller instead of Selected Object.
If the NSPopupButton choices are fixed add the NSMenuItems in Interface Builder and set their Tags. Otherwise bind an array of NSMenuItem, again with proper Tags.
Selected Index would also work but only until you change the order.
I have a NSCollectionView based master-detail interface,
where I want to display Boards in the master and Lists+Cards in the detail view.
Board, holds a NSMutableArray property lists of type List
List, holds a NSArray property cards of type Card
Card, has a NSString property name
The relationship is thus Board --> to-many List --> to-many Card
The master interface is fine.
The detail interface gets populated with corresponding Lists' titles
for a Board. Within the detail interface I also want to populate a NSPopupButton with the
cards for every list.
Problem: the NSPopupButton is empty.
Output: [<__NSArrayI 0x60000007b240> addObserver:forKeyPath:options:context:] is not supported. Key path: name
So after reading KVO, KVC and the Bindings documentation I am not sure if I need to do manual KVO for this sort of hierarchical model. Also the output hints that the name property is not KVC/KVO compliant, but it's just a NSString?
Do you suggest using an NSTreeController for this?
Bindings are setup like so:
BoardArrayController -> bound to File's owner
** Model key path: boards
ListArrayController -> bound to BoardArrayController
** Controller key: arrangedObjects
** Model key path: lists
** Mode: Class
CardArrayController -> bound to ListArrayController
** Controller key: arranged Objects
** Model key path: cards
** Mode: Class
The NSPopupButton has
Controller key for Content: arrangedObjects
Controller key for Content Value: arrangedObjects and model key path: name
Suggestions please
If I understand properly, in the master interface, the user selects a Board. Then, the detail interface should show the selected Board's lists. If so, the ListArrayController should be bound to BoardArrayController, controller key selection (not arrangedObjects), model key path lists.
Similarly, the CardArrayController should be bound to ListArrayController, controller key selection, model key path cards. Although it's not clear to me if the user has to first select a List and then sees a pop-up with that List's cards or if the pop-up is present in each item in the second collection view. If that's the case, then you'll need a separate array controller for each item, which is easiest if the item view is in a separate NIB.
If each list is the representedObject for each view item in the collection view, then you can populate each popupButton with a readonly NSArray property dependent upon the cards array that is in each list. In the List class add arrangedCards as a property.
- (NSArray *)arrangedCards
{
return [[self valueForKey:#"cards"] sortedArrayUsingDescriptors:
[self arrangedCardsSortDescriptors]];
}
Use the sort you want for the popup. This arranges by name.
- (NSArray *)arrangedCardsSortDescriptors
{
NSSortDescriptor *sortByName = [[NSSortDescriptor alloc] initWithKey:
#"name" ascending:YES];
return #[sortByName];
}
Bind the Content of the popup to the NSCollectionViewItem.
Model Key Path is representedObject.arrangedCards.
Use representedObject.arrangedCards.name as the Content Values.
I tried a very simple implementation, like this:
#implementation ScrollingTextField
- (void)scrollWheel:(NSEvent *)event {
self.doubleValue -= event.scrollingDeltaY;
}
#end
I bound the value of the scrolling text field to some other object. Scrolling now updates the visible text on the text field just fine. However, the bound value does not change.
Why does the bound value not change?
Or: How can I make the bound value recognize the change?
The bound value doesn't change by Apple's design. To propagate the value to the model yourself after a change, adapt this code:
NSDictionary *bindingInfo = [self infoForBinding:NSValueBinding];
[[bindingInfo valueForKey:NSObservedObjectKey] setValue:self.doubleValue
forKeyPath:[bindingInfo valueForKey:NSObservedKeyPathKey]];
(Thanks #DrummerB for that Apple link!)
Sorting Bound Data in NSTableColumn using IB binding.
Keys: NSTableColumn , sorting, NSArrayController, Content Set
A contentSet serves like a data source for a TableColumn
This deals with a SplitView with two single column NSTableViews
The names of the TableViews are BookCategory and
Books.
The Books Table has a single column with book_titles.
The Class BookCategory has a one to many relationship
to Book.
The BookCategory Table is sorted at load using:
#implementation MyBookCategoryController
- (id)init
{
self = [super init];
if (self) {
// Initialization code here.
NSSortDescriptor *descript =
[NSSortDescriptor sortDescriptorWithKey:#"name"
ascending:YES selector:#selector(caseInsensitiveCompare:)];
[self setSortDescriptors:[[NSArray arrayWithObject:descript] autorelease] ];
}
return self;
}
This same approach fails to sort the BookTitle table at load. !!
The BookTitle table/column loads unsorted.
For the TableColumn the Attributes Inspector has
Sort Key:title
Selector: caseInsensitiveCompare:
Order: Ascending
This appears to enable the sorting when one clicks
on the column header.
I want the data sorted when the view loads.
The binding inspector for this book_title column has:
Value : BookCategoryArrayController.arrangedObjects.name
The BookTitleArrayController in binding inspector shows
Content Set: Book Category ArrayController.selection.books
To restate the problem, the tableview with the book titles
load unsorted. It sorts only after the user's FIRST click on the
column header.
Say there are three book categories Art, History, Sports.
When the app loads the left table in the splitview is sorted,
that is :
Art
History
Sports
When the user selects ANY category, titles for all books
in the category appear in the right tableView but unsorted.
If the user clicks on the Header of the book_title TableColumn
the initial sorting is done on the column. Thereafter
the selection of ANY book category causes a sorted display
of book_titles in the right tableView. That is, ONLY the first
selection of a category results in an Unsorted book title list.
Thanks a lot for reading, Mark
This is an outline of what finally worked for me.
Sorting with CategoryArrayController (NSArrayController)
Bindings Inspector
Content Set Bind to: CategoryArrayController.selection.books
SortDescriptors Bind to: ShareUserDefaultsController
Controller Key: values
sortDescriptors (note: exclamation point)
NSUnarchiveFromData
Shared User Defaults Controller
Referencing Outlets
userDefaultsController -- AppController (C:AppController)
Referencing Bindings
values.sortDescriptors -- Sort Descriptors Rx Array Controller (C:NSArrayController)
-- Sort Descriptors Category Array Controller (C:NSArrayController)
Clicking on Category Header does no sort. Selects all in Cats, and empties Recipe Table
Comments on the above welcome.
TableViewCat (NSTableController)
Attributes Inspector
TableView
Selection
Empty,Column,Type Select
Control
State.Enabled
Connections Inspec
None
Bindings Inspec
None
TableColumn -Category (NSTableColumn)
Attributes Inspec
Sort Key : None
Bindings Inspec
Value -- Category Array Controller.arrangedObjects.name
Sorting with RxArrayController (C:NSArrayController)
Attributes Inspec
Array Controller: 1-5 of 6
Object Controller
EntityName: Recipe
Prepares Content
Editable
Connections Inspector
Referencing Bindings
arrangedObjects.name -- Value - Table Column Recipe
selectedObjects -- Double Click Argument - Table View Book
Bindings Inspector
Controller Content
Content Set
Category Array Controller.selection.books
Controller Content Parameters
Sort Descriptors Bind to: ShareUserDefaultsController
Controller Key: values
sortDescriptors (note: exclamation point)
NSUnarchiveFromData
Parameters
Managed Object Context(App Delegate.manangedObjectContext
TableView Book (NSTableView)
Attributes Inspector
TableView
Selection Empty,Column,Type Select
Control
State.Enabled
Connections Inspec
Bindings
DoubleClick Argument -- Book Array Controller.selectedObjects
Double Click Target -- App Delegate.self
Bindings Inspec
Double Click Argument (Book Array Controller.selectedObjects)
Double Click Target (App Delegate.self)
Bind To: App Delegate
Model Key Path: self (Repeats ?)
Selector Name: newBookAction:
Conditionally Sets Enabled
TableColumn - Book (NSTableColumn)
Attributes Inspec
Sort Key : None
Connections Inspec
Bindings
Value -- Book Array Controller.arrangedObjects.name
Bindings Inspec
Value -- Book Array Controller.arrangedObjects.name