AppKit for iOS Developers

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@kattrali Delisa Mason

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AppKit - gui framework for os x - perspective of ios developers branching out - familiar to uikit users - reﬁnements and cruft of age - not all UI to NS

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Pitfalls - assumptions and common pitfalls to cover - frame in common classes to encounter - not necessarily about porting

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? why? - less constraints on distribution and memory usage - more intensive computation - it is cool

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- better companion experiences to ios apps

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Designing Your App - ask how is it most useful to users

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˒  - something a user wants while in multiple apps? - persistent utility - maybe launches at start up

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˒  ? TheApp - accomplishes particular task - front and center - may be single use; disappear with the window

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? - an experience requiring the entire screen all the time - game - system-altering utilities

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1 2 3 - design a view ﬂow - make a nib

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@interface MyViewController : NSViewController @end @implementation MyViewController - (void) viewDidLoad { // initialize some stuff } @end - lay out some code - does nothing

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NSViewController?

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NSViewController • commitEditingWithDelegate:didCommitSelector:contextInfo: • commitEditing • discardEditing • initWithNibName:bundle: • loadView • nibBundle • nibName • representedObject • setRepresentedObject: • setTitle: • setView: • title • view - instance methods - no view loading stage selectors - willLoad, didAppear

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NSViewController? - not the controller

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NSViewController

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NSWindowController •manages a window, usually loaded from a nib •has window loading stage selectors •windowDidLoad •windowWillLoad

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1 2 3 - change to windows

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1 2 3 - link them up with nsnavigationcontroller ......?

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NSNavigationController? where it at?

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NSNavigationController there’s no nsnavigationcontroller! - how often do you have desktop apps change context entirely? - is it a good experience?

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 TheApp - focus should remain task or document - taking away context is unexpected

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 TheApp Subview subviews slide in to add additional functionality while preserving context

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 TheApp NSPanel nspanels add additional contextual tooling

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 TheApp Stuff NSMenu maybe no window at all - menus for comprehensive lists of actions

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 TheApp HUD-style NSWindow huds for ephemeral views, like previewing

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NSWindow ≠ UIWindow SIDEBAR - nswindows have more sizes, shapes, types - not always full screen - not always focused - people close them, - app keeps running

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Displays Multiple Sizes, Resolutions, Pixel Densities - windows on many more types of displays - keep in mind when designing interactions - that said, favorite interaction

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Presenting Users with Choices for which they need to select from big list

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Making a Selection •Segmented Controls •Sliders •Combo Buttons •Radio Groups •Table Views - several controls suited to users performing a selection - focus on table view

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Making a Selection •Segmented Controls •Sliders •Combo Buttons •Radio Groups •Table Views - ios use is common - handy and unnecessarily complex ﬂow chart

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Use NSTableView? Does the list need to be visible for a while? Sure NOPE yes no

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Use NSTableView? Complex sidebar Persistent lists Spreadsheets - customized sidebar, not better served by a source list, a la ﬁnder - or central focus on a dataset is purpose of the app

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NSTableView •Cell-based or view-based content modes •Columns nstableview is well-suited to these kinds of functions - cell-based, as in cell in a spreadsheet, plain text - view-based, as in it has subviews, and probably custom layout - different delegate methods by content mode - more than one column, concern for cell population - sometimes easily built by bindings

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Bindings favorite things to love and hate

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Bindings •Connects data and presentation •Integrates into interface builder •Can reduce “glue code” •Alternately invoked via bind:toObject:withKeyPath:options: - reﬂects changes bidirectionally - content and most interface elements connect controller property or model

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Bindings key-value observing key-value coding - not magic - layer on top of kvo/kvc - good to remember for debugging horribly wrong connections - refer cocoa bindings programming reference

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General Advice

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1. Read the OS X HIG its a bit lengthy - covers usage of interface elements in depth - deﬁnitely not the same as the iOS HIG

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2. Get down with Core Graphics or you will never ﬁgure out how to change the background color of an nsview

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3. Use documentation if nothing else, for naming conventions nsalert, nsmakerect, webview

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Thank you!