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NSTabView


Inherits from:
NSView : NSResponder : NSObject
Package:
com.apple.yellow.application


Class Description



Note: The NSTabView class and its supporting class NSTabViewItem are under development. If you want to use these classes, you will have to instantiate them programmatically because Interface Builder does not yet include support for them.

An NSTabView provides a convenient mechanism for presenting information in a multi-page format. The view is distinguished by a row of tabs that give the visual appearance of folder tabs, as shown in the figure below. The user selects the desired page by clicking the appropriate tab or using the arrow keys to move between pages. Each page displays a view hierarchy provided by your application.

[image: Art/TabView.gif]

An NSTabView can support a multi-page format without visible tabs. For example, instead of tabs, you might use a pop-up menu or radio buttons, similar to those shown in the illustration, to let the user select from several view pages. When a tab view is drawn with tabs (the default), the border must be bezeled. When a tab view is drawn without tabs, the view can have a bezeled border, a lined border, or no border.

An NSTabView keeps a zero-based array of NSTabViewItems, one per tab in the view. A tab view item provides access to a tab's color, state, label text, initial first responder, and associated view.Your application can supply each tab view item with an optional identifier object to customize tab handling. For more information, see the documentation for NSTabViewItem.

Tab label text defaults to the default font and font size used for standard interface items, such as button labels and menu items. When you invoke setFont to change the tab view's font, tab height and width is adjusted automatically to accommodate a new font size. If the view allows truncating, tab labels are truncated as needed.


Delegate Messages


NSTabView defines delegate messages to allow the delegate to control or react to changes in selection and changes in the number of tabs:




Constants


These constants specify the tab view's type:


Constant Description
TopTabsBezelBorder The view includes tabs and has a bezeled border (the default)
NoTabsBezelBorder The view does not include tabs and has a bezeled border
NoTabsLineBorder The view does not include tabs and has a lined border
NoTabsNoBorder The view does not include tabs and has no border
BackgroundTab Description forthcoming.
BottomTabsBezelBorder Description forthcoming.
LeftTabsBezelBorder Description forthcoming.
PressedTab Description forthcoming.
RightTabsBezelBorder Description forthcoming.
SelectedTab Description forthcoming.



Method Types


Constructors
NSTabView
Adding and removing tabs
addTabViewItem
insertTabViewItem
removeTabViewItem
Accessing tabs
indexOfTabViewItem
indexOfTabViewItemWithIdentifier
numberOfTabViewItems
tabViewItemAtIndex
tabViewItems
Selecting a tab
selectFirstTabViewItem
selectLastTabViewItem
selectNextTabViewItem
selectPreviousTabViewItem
selectedTabViewItem
selectTabViewItemAtIndex
takeSelectedTabViewItemFromSender
Modifying the font
font
setFont
Modifying the tab type
setTabViewType
tabViewType
Manipulating the background
drawsBackground
setDrawsBackground
Determining the size
minimumSize
contentRect
Truncating tab labels
allowsTruncatedLabels
setAllowsTruncatedLabels
Assigning a delegate
setDelegate
delegate
Event handling
tabViewItemAtPoint:


Constructors



NSTabView

public NSTabView()

Description forthcoming.

public NSTabView(NSRect frameRect)

Description forthcoming.


Instance Methods



addTabViewItem

public void addTabViewItem(NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Adds the tab item specified by tabViewItem. The item is added at the end of the array of tab items, so the new tab appears on the right side of the view. If the delegate supports it, invokes the delegate's tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems method.

See Also: insertTabViewItem, numberOfTabViewItems, removeTabViewItem, tabViewItemAtIndex, tabViewItems



allowsTruncatedLabels

public boolean allowsTruncatedLabels()

Returns true if the tab view allows truncating for labels that don't fit on a tab. The default is false. When truncating is allowed, the tab view inserts an ellipsis, if necessary, to fit a label in the tab.

See Also: setAllowsTruncatedLabels



contentRect

public NSRect contentRect()

Returns the rectangle describing the content area of a tab view. This area does not include the space required for the tab view's tabs or borders (if any).

delegate

public Object delegate()

Returns the tab view's delegate.

See Also: setDelegate



drawsBackground

public boolean drawsBackground()

Returns true if the tab view draws a background color when the tab view type is NoTabsNoBorder. If the tab view uses bezeled edges or a line border, the appropriate background color for that border is used.

See Also: setTabViewType, setDrawsBackground



font

public NSFont font()

Returns the font for tab label text.

See Also: setFont



indexOfTabViewItem

public int indexOfTabViewItem(NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Returns the index of the item that matches tabViewItem, or NSArray.NotFound if the item is not found. A tab view keeps an array containing one tab view item for each tab in the view-this is the array that is searched. The returned index is base 0.

See Also: indexOfTabViewItemWithIdentifier, insertTabViewItem, numberOfTabViewItems, tabViewItemAtIndex



indexOfTabViewItemWithIdentifier

public int indexOfTabViewItemWithIdentifier(Object identifier)

Returns the index of the item that matches identifier, or NSArray.NotFound if the item is not found. A tab view keeps an array containing one tab view item for each tab in the view-this is the array that is searched. The returned index is base 0.

See Also: indexOfTabViewItem, insertTabViewItem, numberOfTabViewItems, tabViewItemAtIndex



insertTabViewItem

public void insertTabViewItem( NSTabViewItem tabViewItem, int index)

Inserts tabViewItem into the tab view's array of tab view items at index. The index parameter is base 0. If there is a delegate and the delegate supports it, sends the delegate the tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems message.

See Also: indexOfTabViewItem, indexOfTabViewItemWithIdentifier, numberOfTabViewItems, tabViewItemAtIndex



minimumSize

public NSSize minimumSize()

Returns the minimum size necessary for the view to display tabs in a useful way. You can use the value returned by this method to limit how much a user can resize a tab view.

See Also: setTabViewType



numberOfTabViewItems

public int numberOfTabViewItems()

Returns the number of items in the tab view's array of tab view items. Because there is one item in the array for each tab in the view, this is equivalent to the number of tabs in the view.

See Also: indexOfTabViewItem, tabViewItems



removeTabViewItem

public void removeTabViewItem(NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Removes the item specified by tabViewItem from the tab view's array of tab view items. If there is a delegate and the delegate supports it, sends the delegate the tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems message.

See Also: addTabViewItem, insertTabViewItem, tabViewItems



selectFirstTabViewItem

public void selectFirstTabViewItem(Object sender)

Selects the first tab view item.

See Also: selectTabViewItem



selectLastTabViewItem

public void selectLastTabViewItem(Object sender)

Selects the last tab view item.

See Also: selectTabViewItem



selectNextTabViewItem

public void selectNextTabViewItem(Object sender)

Selects the next tab view item in the sequence. If the currently visible item is the last item in the sequence, this method does nothing and the last page remains displayed.

See Also: selectTabViewItem



selectPreviousTabViewItem

public void selectPreviousTabViewItem(Object sender)

Selects the previous tab view item in the sequence. If the currently visible item is the first item in the sequence, this method does nothing and the first page remains displayed.

See Also: selectTabViewItem



selectTabViewItem

public void selectTabViewItem(NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Selects the tab view item specified by tabViewItem. If there is a delegate and the delegate supports it, sends the delegate the tabViewShouldSelectTabViewItem message.

See Also: insertTabViewItem, selectedTabViewItem



selectTabViewItemAtIndex

public void selectTabViewItemAtIndex(int index)

Selects the tab view item specified by index. The index parameter is base 0.

See Also: insertTabViewItem, selectedTabViewItem



selectTabViewItemWithIdentifier

public void selectTabViewItemWithIdentifier(Object identifier)

Selects the tab view item specified by identifier.

See Also: setIdentifier (NSTabViewItem), identifier (NSTabViewItem), selectTabViewItemAtIndex, selectedTabViewItem



selectedTabViewItem

public NSTabViewItem selectedTabViewItem()

Returns the tab view item for the currently-selected tab, or null if no item is selected. If there is a delegate and the delegate supports it, sends the delegate the tabViewShouldSelectTabViewItem message.

See Also: selectTabViewItemAtIndex



setAllowsTruncatedLabels

public void setAllowsTruncatedLabels(boolean allowTruncatedLabels)

Controls whether the tab view allows truncating for names that don't fit on a tab.

See Also: allowsTruncatedLabels



setDelegate

public void setDelegate(Object anObject)

Sets the tab view's delegate to anObject.

See Also: delegate



setDrawsBackground

public void setDrawsBackground(boolean flag)

Sets whether a background is drawn when the view type is NoTabsNoBorder. If the tab view has a bezeled border or a line border the appropriate background for that border is used.

See Also: setTabViewType, drawsBackground



setFont

public void setFont(NSFont font)

Sets the font for tab label text to font. Tab height is adjusted automatically to accommodate a new font size. If the view allows truncating, tab labels are truncated as needed.

See Also: allowsTruncatedLabels, font, setAllowsTruncatedLabels



setTabViewType

public void setTabViewType(int tabViewType)

Sets the tab type to tabViewType. The available types are:
Constant Description
TopTabsBezelBorder The view includes tabs and has a bezeled border (the default)
NoTabsBezelBorder The view does not include tabs and has a bezeled border
NoTabsLineBorder The view does not include tabs and has a lined border
NoTabsNoBorder The view does not include tabs and has no border

See Also: tabViewType



tabViewItemAtIndex

public NSTabViewItem tabViewItemAtIndex(int index)

Returns the tab view item at index in the tab view's array of items. The index parameter is base 0.

See Also: indexOfTabViewItem, insertTabViewItem, tabViewItems



tabViewItemAtPoint:

public NSTabViewItem tabViewItemAtPoint(NSPoint point)

Returns the tab view item identified by point. You can use this method to find a tab view item based on a user's mouse click.

tabViewItems

public .NSArray tabViewItems()

Returns the tab view's array of tab view items. A tab view keeps an array containing one tab view item for each tab in the view.

See Also: numberOfTabViewItems, tabViewItemAtIndex



tabViewType

public int tabViewType()

Returns the tab type for the tab view. The available types are described in the setTabViewType method.

takeSelectedTabViewItemFromSender

public void takeSelectedTabViewItemFromSender(Object sender)

If sender responds to the indexOfSelectedItem method, this method invokes that method and selects the tab view item at the specified index. If sender does not respond to indexOfSelectedItem but is an instance of NSMatrix, this method uses the index of the matrix's currently selected cell.

The location of the selected cell is a zero-based number, obtained by counting the number of cells up to and including the selected cell. Cells are counted from left to right and from top to bottom. For example in a 5 by 5 matrix, if the selected cell is three rows down in column five (location [2,4] in the matrix), the corresponding index would be 14.




Methods Implemented By the Delegate


tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems

public abstract void tabViewDidChangeNumberOfTabViewItems(NSTabView tabView)

Informs the delegate that the number of tab view items in tabView has changed.

See Also: numberOfTabViewItems



tabViewDidSelectTabViewItem

public abstract void tabViewDidSelectTabViewItem( NSTabView tabView, NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Informs the delegate that tabView has selected tabViewItem.

tabViewShouldSelectTabViewItem

public abstract boolean tabViewShouldSelectTabViewItem( NSTabView tabView, NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Invoked just before tabViewItem in tabView is selected. The delegate can return false to prevent selection of specific tabs.

tabViewWillSelectTabViewItem

public abstract void tabViewWillSelectTabViewItem( NSTabView tabView, NSTabViewItem tabViewItem)

Informs the delegate that tabView is about to select tabViewItem.


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