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NSInputServiceProvider Protocol Reference

Adopted by
Framework
/System/Library/Frameworks/AppKit.framework
Availability
Available in Mac OS X v10.0 and later.
Companion guide
Declared in
NSInputServer.h

Overview

The NSInputServiceProvider protocol embodies most of the functionality of NSInputServer.

There are two ways you might use this protocol:

All messages in this protocol are sent by the client text view except insertText:client: and doCommandBySelector:client:, which are sent by "NSInputManager".

Tasks

Getting Input Service Provider Information

Handling Events

Instance Methods

activeConversationChanged:toNewConversation:

Keyboard focus just switched from another text view to this one.

- (void)activeConversationChanged:(id)sender toNewConversation:(NSInteger)newConversation

Discussion

This is called only when switching within the same application. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

activeConversationWillChange:fromOldConversation:

Keyboard focus is about to move away from this text view.

- (void)activeConversationWillChange:(id)sender fromOldConversation:(NSInteger)oldConversation

Discussion

This is called only when switching within the same application. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

canBeDisabled

Returns YES if the receiver can be disabled when the sender is not a text view, NO

- (BOOL)canBeDisabled

Discussion

otherwise.

Availability
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

doCommandBySelector:client:

Handle the command identified by aSelector.

- (void)doCommandBySelector:(SEL)aSelector client:(id)sender

Discussion

The command can be from the set of NSResponder action methods or from the set of selector values in the DefaultKeyBindings dictionary referenced in the input server’s “Info” file. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

If you are subclassing NSInputServer, there is no need to override this method in the subclass. All you have to do is implement in the subclass the command methods you want to handle. If you do need to override this method, then you must call super for commands not handled.

If your NSInputServer uses a delegate, the delegate’s implementation of this method must call [sender doCommandBySelector:aSelector] for commands it does not handle.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

inputClientBecomeActive:

The client, sender, has become active.

- (void)inputClientBecomeActive:(id)sender

Discussion

This is called when the client application starts up and whenever it becomes active after being inactive. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

inputClientDisabled:

A text view in the client, sender, has ceased to be the key-receiving first responder.

- (void)inputClientDisabled:(id)sender

Discussion

inputClientResignActive: may also be called just after this is called. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

inputClientEnabled:

A text view in the client, sender, has become the key-receiving first responder.

- (void)inputClientEnabled:(id)sender

Discussion

This is called the first time any text view becomes enabled after client application activation and again whenever focus switches to a text view. inputClientBecomeActive: may have been called just before this is called. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

inputClientResignActive:

The client, sender, is about to become inactive.

- (void)inputClientResignActive:(id)sender

Discussion

This is called when the client application quits and whenever it is deactivated. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

insertText:client:

Interpret the characters in aString, which is actually always an NSString.

- (void)insertText:(id)aString client:(id)sender

Discussion

Here is where you do the interpreting of keyboard input. If your server’s interpretation is disabled or the characters in aString are not of interest to the server, you can simply pass aString along to the sender’s insertText: method. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

markedTextAbandoned:

Abandon any marked text state that may be in process.

- (void)markedTextAbandoned:(id)sender

Discussion

This can happen if the user clicks the mouse outside of the marked text area or if the window containing the text view closes. The client can do what it wants with the marked text. NSTextView leaves it as inserted text. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

markedTextSelectionChanged:client:

- (void)markedTextSelectionChanged:(NSRange)newSelection client:(id)sender

Discussion

The user selected a portion of the marked text or clicked at the beginning or end of marked text or somewhere in between. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

terminate:

The client application is quitting.

- (void)terminate:(id)sender

Discussion

This is called after inputClientResignActive:. sender can be cast to NSTextInput.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

wantsToDelayTextChangeNotifications

A YES return value tells the client that only a call to its insertText:client: method constitutes a modification to its text storage.

- (BOOL)wantsToDelayTextChangeNotifications

Discussion

A NO return value tells the client that all text given to it, whether marked text or not, should constitute a modification to its text storage. A YES return value tells the client that only unmarked text given to it should constitute a modification to its text storage. The client may for example want to filter all text that is part of a modification but leave marked text unfiltered.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

wantsToHandleMouseEvents

Returns YES if the client should forward all mouse events within the text view to the input server.

- (BOOL)wantsToHandleMouseEvents

Discussion

If the server needs to implement the NSInputServerMouseTracker protocol, return YES.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

wantsToInterpretAllKeystrokes

Returns YES if the server wants all keystrokes to be sent to it as characters.

- (BOOL)wantsToInterpretAllKeystrokes

Discussion

If this method returns NO, control key combinations and function keys (the arrow keys, PageDown, F5, and so on) are delivered to the input server via the key binding mechanism and doCommandBySelector:client:.

The Unicode values for the characters representing keyboard function keys (the arrow keys, PageDown, F5, and so on) names like NSUpArrowFunctionKey, and are documented in NSEvent. Control-key combinations are the usual ASCII control character codes.

For more information on key bindings, see “About Key Bindings”.

Availability
See Also
Declared In
NSInputServer.h

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© 2007 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2007-04-02)

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