How to extract UI elements from XCODE? - xcode

I'm looking to get a PNG (or other image format supporting alpha transparency) version of the UI builder (sliders, togglers, buttons etc.) elements from XCODE. Does anyone know how to do this/where the files containing these are located?

I suppose you are looking for GUI kits in the form of PSDs...
If yes, check this handy link http://speckyboy.com/2010/04/30/iphone-and-ipad-development-gui-kits-stencils-and-icons/
The author has linked to various resources available on the net.
Hope this answers your question.

Related

Generate custom Finder thumbnails for some file types

I'd like to be able to generate my own thumbnails for some image files with custom extensions (say, a .canon file that is really a TIFF), so that Finder would use them.
I don't want to change the file contents (nor am I interested in the embedded tiff thumbnail).
Creating the thumbnail from the file's contents would be easy, the tricky part is integration. Does anyone know if it's possible?
The custom extensions won't be associated to any/other app.
I've done a lot of iOS development but know very little about OS X components.
If it's not possible to use Finder at all, is it at least possible to store the thumbnails in resource forks and have them used by, say, a custom filesystem browser?
File thumbnails, as well as full-size previews (which are displayed when you tap the space bar), can be generated dynamically by Quick Look plugins for any file type that they're registered for. The thumbnails do not need to be stored in the file, although you can certainly use pregenerated thumbnails if they're already in there.
For more information on Quick Look, please refer to Apple's Quick Look Programming Guide.

How do I add a .chm help file to my application built in Lazarus?

The only documentation I can find online points me to a demo application called Ihelp which doesn't appear to exist in my version of Lazarus (v1.2.4).
I've created my .chm help file and just want to make it available when the user presses F1 (or selects 'Help' from a popup menu).
There is a CHM component in the FCL but I can't figure out how to use it.
Also the Form appears to have various Help related parameters but again I cannot figure out how to use them - all examples seem to point to separate HTML files rather than a compiled HTML help file.
There's a wiki page about it in the Lazarus/FreePascal wiki:
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Add_Help_to_Your_Application
As far as my knowledge Lazarus provides help files as HTML files by default, anyway CHM files are supported too.
There's a sample program in your Lazarus installation:
${lazarusdir}/components/chmhelp/democontrol/.
This demo shows how to set up a context- sensitive help button (F1 usually).
Be sure to check the documentation about lhelp, the default Lazarus CHM viewer too, described here:
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/lhelp
I think Lazarus has a HtmlHelp API as well in packages\winunits-base\tests/hhex*
This forum discussion has more details about it:
http://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,25492.msg154922.html?PHPSESSID=68463ec6cc0de1a479b6c03165b817e3#msg154922

Guide for Carrot2 in PDF

Could you please say if there is a pdf (or doc) version of the documentation? If yes, where can I find it?
If such does not exist, I guess it would be great to create such.
PDF allows reading the file in Mendeley Desktop program, underlining parts that are important for me and putting comments. THis would be a great advantage to compare with the html version of the guide.
If you're using Chrome, just go to the Carrot2 online help manual and choose "Print...". In the "Destination" box on the left-hand side change it to "Save as PDF" and click OK. This functionality is built-in to Chrome by default.
For other browsers I'm sure there are add-ins/plugins you can find or you can always use a third-party PDF driver like PrimoPDF.

How to approach implementing a layout editor using Cocoa

I want to build an OS X application, in which one of the requirements is for the user to be able to generate PDF output according to a layout that they, the user, will create. Typical items on the page would be things like a corporate logo (a JPEG or PNG), an address (a block of text) and a narrative (another block of text).
I'd like the user to be able to move and resize the items using the mouse to drag handles around on-screen.
Is there an Interface Builder object that will let me do that, or some third-party library that exists for this purpose?
Try GCDrawKit if you're looking for a drop-in solution. It's still in beta (and has been for ages) but you might find it useful.
You seem to be looking for an all-encompassing, self-contained "Pages" control or some sort of reporting suite. That's asking a bit much.
There is nothing in the Cocoa frameworks that gives you this. Unfortunately, there's no Cocoa equivalent of Crystal Reports either. You'll have to roll your own.
I suggest using standard CSS / HTML templates with WebKit. The only drawback is WebKit doesn't yet support CSS pagination, so there's no concept of "8.5"x11" page 1...15" but it's the closest you'll come without writing your own Pages application (NOT an easy project by any stretch of the imagination).

Windows Visual Themes: Gallery of Parts and States?

Microsoft Windows lets programmers draw GUI elements using the look and feel of the current theme using functions like DrawThemeBackground and DrawThemeText. The elements are specified by Class, Part, and State, as described at the Parts and States page at MSDN.
Unfortunately, the page is not very informative (at all!). So the question is: is there somewhere a reference of all these parts and states, preferably with images of the elements (in the default Windows Vista/7 theme)?
I have created a small Windows application, programmed with the table at Parts and States. This application lets the programmer browse and explore all parts and states, using the current OS theme.
(High-Res)
It can be downloaded at
https://privat.rejbrand.se/UxExplore.exe
The (Delphi, Win32 API) source, which is too long to be posted here (due to hundreds of constants) is found at
https://privat.rejbrand.se/UxExplore.zip
https://privat.rejbrand.se/UxExploreMain.html
https://privat.rejbrand.se/UxExploreConsts.html
You're looking for this.
Mike Lische, who wrote the first Theme support for Delphi (which was later absorbed by Borland) has a very good Theme Explorer demo application:
It's not been updated to support new Windows 7 common controls, but its parts/states explorer is very pretty.
And if i may say, Andreas, a design you might want to copy for yours :)
Much more comprehensive theme explorer: mCtrl Theme Explorer

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