How to take text value of NSButton? - objective-c

how should i take NSButton text value , e.g if i use 2 buttons with text Click and Cancel, i want to check which button is clicked and then show a message with NSRunAlertPanel(...) which button i have clicked..what code should i write for it when the button is clicked.

In you action method you get an argument, usually named 'sender', which is the button. So you could do something like:
- (IBAction)buttonClicked:(id)sender
{
if ([[sender title] isEqualToString:#"Click"]) {
NSLog(#"Click clicked.");
} else if ([[sender title] isEqualToString:#"Cancel"]) {
NSLog(#"Cancel clicked.");
}
}
It's better not to use the title for checking the button, since the title could change in different localizations. You could specify the tag instead, which is simply an int and which can be used to identify different senders.

The way this is typically implemented is that each button would call a different action, thus there would be no need to check the text of the button. See The Target-Action Mechanism.
In general it is almost always a bad idea to use the user visible text to control program logic because that makes localization harder.
You might also want to describe your situation further. Are you using Interface Builder to create your interface? Are these buttons in a modal dialog or a document window?

You could give the button a name in the class info tab of the inspector window in Interface Builder, then declare it as an IBOutlet in your app delegate.
AppDelegate.h:
IBOutlet NSButton *ClickButton;
IBOutlet NSButton *CancelButton;
Then hook up the outlet in Interface Builder, and just check to see which button is the sender in your method:
- (IBAction)buttonClicked:(id)sender
{
if (sender == ClickButton) {
NSLog(#"Click clicked.");
}
else {
NSLog(#"Cancel clicked.");
}
}

Related

NSWindow, press key ENTER: how to limit the key listening to the focused NSControl?

I have an NSWindow with a main "OK" button. This button has as "key equivalent" property in interface builder, the key ENTER i.e ↵.
It works good, but now I have a new NSComboBox, which is supposed to invoke a method when the user selects a list item, or he preses Enter / ↵.
However, when I press Enter, the main Button receive the notification and the window close. How to prevent this?
This is the normal behavior what you are getting, but you can hack a bit, by removing and adding the key-equivalent.
Add following delegates of NSComboBox:
- (void)comboBoxWillPopUp:(NSNotification *)notification;{
[self.closeButton setKeyEquivalent:#""];
}
- (void)comboBoxWillDismiss:(NSNotification *)notification;{
[self.closeButton setKeyEquivalent:#"\r"];
}
One way you can workaround for prevent enter notification is like that below:-
//Connect this action method to your combobbox and inside that set one BOOL flag to yes
- (IBAction)comBoxItm:(id)sender
{
self.isEnterCalled=YES;
}
//Now check this flag to your some method where close window is called
-(void)someMethod
{
//Check the flag value if it is yes then just ignore it
if (!self.isEnterCalled)
{
//Close window logic
}
self.isEnterCalled=NO;
}
Ran into the same problem. Had "hot key" which I'd like to switch off while editing some text fields. I found solution for myself. There's no need in override lots of NSTextField base methods.
Firstly, I removed all the "key equivalents". I used to detect Enter key down with the + (void)addLocalMonitorForEventsMatchingMask:(NSEventMask)mask handler:(NSEvent *(^)(NSEvent *))block class method of NSEvent. You pass block as a parameter, where you can check for some conditions. The first parameter is the event mask. For your task it would be NSKeyDownMask, look for other masks at the NSEvent Reference Page
The parameter block will perform each time the user pushes the button. You should check if it is right button pushed, and - generally - if the current window first responder isn't some editable control. For that purposes we need NSWindow category class just not to implement this code each time we deal with NSKeyDownMasked local monitors.
NSWindow+Responders class listing:
#interface NSWindow (Responders)
- (BOOL)isEditableFirstResponder;
#end
#implementation NSWindow (Responders)
- (BOOL)isEditableFirstResponder
{
if (!self.firstResponder)
return NO; // no first responder at all
if ([self.firstResponder isKindOfClass:[NSTextField class]]) // NSComboBox is NSTextField subclass
{
NSTextField *field=(NSTextField *)self.firstResponder;
return field.isEditable;
}
if ([self.firstResponder isKindOfClass:[NSButton class]]) // yep, buttons may be responders
return YES;
return NO; // the first responder is not NSTextField or NSButton subclass - not editable
}
#end
Don't know if there's another way to check if we are now editing some text field or combo box. So, there's at least the part you add the local monitor somewhere in your class (NSWindow, NSView, some controller etc.).
- (void)someMethod
{
id monitor=[NSEvent addLocalMonitorForEventsMatchingMask:NSKeyDownMask handler:(NSEvent *)^(NSEvent *theEvent){
if (theEvent.keyCode==/*Enter key code*/ && ![self.window.isEditableFirstResponder]) // you should check the key modifiers too
{
// your code here
}
return theEvent; // you may return the event to pass the key to the receiver
}];
}
Local monitors is safe remedy about the Apple rules. It works only inside your application. For global key down events you may use addGlobalMonitor but Apple may reject your app from the AppStore.
And don't forget to remove the monitor when there's no need in it.
- (void)viewControllerShutdownMethod
{
[NSEvent removeMonitor:monitor];
}
Good luck.

How to enable the next textfield in Objective C

I have two textfields (a username and a password) field and I remember that sometimes the keyboard has a little < or > to navigate through the textfields and I was wondering if there is an option or code that would allow me to do this natively in my app. Any tips or hints are appreciated. Thanks!
If you would like an acceptable solution that doesn't involve implementing a third party library, you can do it like the following:
Set the return button on the virtual keyboard to be a "Next" button for the username field, and a "Go" button for the password field, and make your view controller a UITextFieldDelegate. Set your view controller as the delegate for both text fields, then implement the textFieldShouldReturn: like the following:
- (BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField
{
if (textField == self.username) {
[self.password becomeFirstResponder];
}
else if (textField == self.password) {
[self.password resignFirstResponder];
[self signInPressed];
}
return YES;
}
This will make it so if you have the username field selected, the "Next" button on the keyboard will advance to the password field, and when the password field is selected, the "Go" button will call the signInPressed method, which you just change to whatever you have your sign in method named.
There's no builtin way to add these buttons.
Look into inputAccessoryView to understand how to extend the keyboard.

Hiding a button Obj-C

I'm looking to hide a button on my i-phone app and then by clicking another button it will appear. I've managed to make the button disappear with a click but can't figure out the opposite. I'm also new to Objective-C as you can probably tell so any tips on improving my code would be helpful. Thanks!
.h :
#property(nonatomic,retain) IBOutlet UIButton* button1 ;
-(IBAction)buttonTouch:(id)sender ;
.m :
#synthesize button1=_button1;
-(BOOL)hideOutlets {
_button1.hidden=TRUE;
}
-(void)buttonTouch:(id)sender {
_button1.hidden = !_button1.hidden;
}
Well to start from scratch, if you want to hide a button set its property hidden to YES,
else if you want to make it reappear then set the property to NO.
Example:
button1.hidden=YES;
button1.hidden=NO;
Your code is basically correct
-(void)buttonTouch:(id)sender {
_button1.hidden = !_button1.hidden;
}
This code will hide your button when it's shown and show it when it's hidden. This should be correct.
You are saying
then by clicking another button it will appear
Are you sure both buttons have the touch-up-inside event properly connected to this action? I guess your problem will be that the buttonTouch: is not called when you touch the other button.
#synthesize button1=_button1;
-(BOOL)hideOutlets {
_button1.hidden=TRUE;
}
-(void)buttonTouch:(id)sender {
_button1.hidden = FALSE; //Or "NO" or "0", it's a boolean
}
In addition, its weird setting a button hidden with a BOOL. If you want to have them hidden on load, go put _button1.hidden = YES; if you want it to hide it only when you have it visible, use
-(void)buttonTouch:(id)sender {
if(_button1.hidden == YES)
{
_button1.hidden = NO;
}
else { _button1.hidden = YES; }
}
I'll try to answer the question correctly as I understand it.
2 buttons, button1 and button2. Pressing button1 hides itself and shows button2. Pressing button2 hides itself and shows button1 again.
-(IBAction)button1Pressed:(id)sender {
// button1 can only be pressed when not hidden, so we can dispense with checks for hidden
[button1 setHidden:YES];
[button2 setHidden:NO]; // assuming this button was hidden at startup
}
-(IBAction)button2Pressed:(id)sender {
// button2 can only be pressed when not hidden, so no need to check for hidden
[button2 setHidden:YES];
[button1 setHidden:NO];
}
This should allow you to flip back and forth between buttons having them hide/show opposite of each other.
Two obvious problems with the code presented.
1) Cocoa uses YES and NO for boolean values not TRUE and FALSE.
2) You've declared a property, so you should use it in preference to the synthesised instance variable.
3) You're button touch method should return IBAction in the implementation as well as the interface.
Don't know if that'll fix your problem, but it's the first step to fix up your code.
#synthesize button1=_button1;
-(BOOL)hideOutlets {
self.button1.hidden=YES;
}
-(IBAction)buttonTouch:(id)sender {
self.button1.hidden = !self.button1.hidden;
}

Disable menu highlight when pressing shortcut key

I would like to disable the Application "menu highlight" that happens when you press a shortcut key assigned to an NSMenuItem that belongs to the specific menu in question.
The issue is that in the application you use the keyboard quite a bit and having the menus becoming highlighted all the time becomes a bit annoying but I still want to have the menus (including the shortcuts) there as it shows the user which actions that can be used.
Declare a custom NSMenuItem subclass and start using that custom class instead of NSMenuItem.
In this class you should override this method:
- (BOOL)isHighlighted
{
return NO;
}
This way you will not have the menu item highlighted.
EDIT
Try this:
[item setOnStateImage: item.offStateImage];
FFR: Look up the following methods in the docs:
- (BOOL)validateMenuItem:(NSMenuItem *)menuItem
Will work for both selecting the menu item and the associated command key.
Within your NSDocument provide a body for validateMenuItem
such as,
- (BOOL)validateMenuItem:(NSMenuItem *)menuItem
{
SEL theAction = [menuItem action];
if (theAction == #selector(openPreferencesPanel:)) {
return !_isCurrentlyModal; //A BOOL in MyDocument
}
return [super validateMenuItem:menuItem]; // Keep this for proper cut, paste, etc validation
}
In your case, the above selector might be highlight:. Check the nib/xib and inspect it. It might be attached to the First Responder. Copy the method name.
Also have a gander at for more general items (buttons, etc) and also includes menu items.
- (BOOL)validateUserInterfaceItem:(id <NSValidatedUserInterfaceItem>)anItem

Toggle-style button : how to toggle title in this case?

I have a CoreData app presenting data with a TableView, textfields, buttons... It deals with people situations and one of the button is a toggle-style button with title "Close". When we consider the user's case closed, we press and it changes the state of a boolean-type attribute in the entity, representing the closed/open state of the case, using a simple binding to the attribute value. The button title also becomes "Reopen" as the case may be reopened in the future.
Then additional things had to be done with the data on pressing the button, so I had to create an IBAction method instead of simply use the former binding. Problem: when button is pressed, the action is done, but the button title is not toggled. It makes sense since nothing tells it to toggle anymore.
I decided to remove the action on the boolean from the IBAction and use again the value binding, so the boolean change is performed by the binding and the other operations are performed by the IBAction. Problem: it modifies the data unexpectedly, sometimes working fine, sometimes not doing all things in a coherent way as expected.
So I'm back with all changes handled by the IBAction and this time, I'm using the Title/Alternate title bindings instead of the value binding. Now the button title toggles, but instead of displaying the word "Close" and "Reopen", it displays the boolean values "0" and "1".
I should perhaps handle the button title change in the IBAction as well, using "setTitle", but then I see a new problem coming. On app start-up, how will it pick the appropriate entity record for reference? And what if the table is in a "No Selection" situation? Looks like a quite extensive piece of code to handle such a small issue...
Any advice on a short, more direct way of handling this is welcome. Thanks.
Sounds like you probably have a couple of different options.
This first option is a bit more involved than the others, but is still good to know for the record. This option basically would not use bindings for the close/re-open button, but instead, set the title, etc. programmatically. The basic game plan would be as follows:
The close/re-open button's initial title when the document opens is set in the nib file (e.g. Close).
Optionally, when the document opens, you could disable the button in -awakeFromNib, since the table view will have no initial selection.
The only actions that would necessitate the button's title or enabled state to be changed is 1) when the tableview's selection is changed, and 2) when you've clicked the close/re-open button to toggle the case's state.
To achieve the desired result, you'd create an IBOutlet to the close/re-open button if you don't already have one. You'd then connect up the tableview's delegate outlet to your controller class, which will let your controller class know when the tableview's selection has been changed (via the - (void)tableViewSelectionDidChange:(NSNotification *)notification <NSTableViewDelegate> protocol method). You would also need to update the close/reopen IBAction method to make sure it switches the title on the button after being clicked (since the tableview selection wouldn't change during that operation). The controller class's code might look something like this:
// add this declaration to avoid compiler warnings:
#interface LHController (LHPrivate)
- (void)updateCloseReopenButtonTitle;
#end
- (void)awakeFromNib {
[self updateCloseReopenButtonTitle];
}
- (void)tableViewSelectionDidChange:(NSNotification *)notification {
[self updateCloseReopenButtonTitle];
}
- (IBAction)toggleCloseReopenButton:(id)sender {
// do your existing code here and then add:
[self updateCloseReopenButtonTitle];
}
- (void)updateCloseReopenButtonTitle {
// assuming 'casesController' is an IBOutlet to your NSArrayController
NSArray *selectedObjects = [casesController selectedObjects];
// loop through the selected cases to determine whether
// they're all closed, all open, or mixed to set
// the title of the button appropriately
BOOL allClosed = YES;
for (LHCase *case in selectedCases) {
if ([case isOpen]) {
allClosed = NO;
break;
}
}
[closeReopenButton setTitle:(allClosed ? #"Reopen" : #"Close")];
[closeReopenButton setEnabled:[selectedObjects count] > 0];
}
Before bindings came along, this is how we used to have to do things.
Another option might be reconsidering your user interface: maybe rather than a push/toggle button whose title you need to toggle, you could instead just have a checkbox titled Closed, which would signify whether the selected cases were closed or not. You could use bindings for the checkbox's state, like shown in the image below:
You could then have an IBAction method that handles the extra stuff that needs processing. You can ask the casesController for the -selectedObjects and then loop through them. As long as you make sure the checkbox Allows Mixed states, it has the added advantage of better representing mixed-case scenarios, in case of a selection of cases with mixed open/closed states (the checkbox a dash instead of a full check).
Another option if you want to stick with a toggle button is to create and specify a custom NSValueTransformer for the title and alternate title bindings. This value transformer would take in the boolean closed/open state of the case and turn it into a string more fitting than just 0 or 1 (which is what's being displayed now). It might look something like this:
+ (Class)transformedValueClass {
return [NSString class];
}
+ (BOOL)allowsReverseTransformation {
return NO;
}
- (id)transformedValue:(id)value {
BOOL isClosed;
if (value == nil) return nil;
// Attempt to get a reasonable value from the
// value object.
if ([value respondsToSelector: #selector(boolValue)]) {
isClosed = [value boolValue];
} else {
[NSException raise: NSInternalInconsistencyException
format: #"Value (%#) does not respond to -boolValue.",
[value class]];
}
return (isClosed ? #"Reopen" : #"Close");
}