Jump To:
Leopard Guides
Mac OS X text-manipulation APIs provide basic text input and display as well as text encoding conversions, text-search capabilities, and document summarizations. These APIs also enable sophisticated typography. Developers can, for example, precisely position individual glyphs and lines of text, draw Unicode text at any angle of rotation, kern text, and activate and deactivate fonts.

Document Descriptions
On Off
Display

Sort by
Title
Sort by
Topic
Sorted by
Date
Text System Overview (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how the Cocoa text system works. Includes a tutorial.
Cocoa 2009-04-08
Handling Unicode Text Editing With MLTE (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use Apple's multilingual text engine.
Carbon 2008-10-15
String Programming Guide for Cocoa (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to create, search, concatenate, and draw strings in Cocoa.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2008-10-15
Text Layout Programming Guide for Cocoa (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how the Cocoa text system lays out text on pages.
Cocoa 2008-10-15
Core Text Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to do text layout and font-related operations using the Core Text programming interfaces.
Carbon, Typography 2008-06-09
Strings Programming Guide for Core Foundation (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to create, manipulate, and search strings in Core Foundation, and how strings interact with encodings and character sets.
Carbon, Text Manipulation 2008-03-11
Font Handling (HTML) (PDF)
Explains the Cocoa font management system and how users select fonts.
Cocoa, Typography 2008-02-08
Text Editing Programming Guide for Cocoa (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to control the behavior of the Cocoa text system as it performs text editing.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2008-02-08
Apple Type Services for Fonts Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to access fonts using the ATS-based font management API. Includes implementing the Fonts window.
Carbon, Typography 2007-12-11
Rulers and Paragraph Styles (HTML) (PDF)
Explains paragraph styles and how to work with the rulers that enable users to manipulate them.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2007-09-04
ATSUI Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to lay out, process, and draw Unicode text.
Carbon, Typography 2007-07-10
Attributed Strings Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use attributed strings, which manage attributes of character strings or individual characters.
Carbon, Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2007-06-04
Text Input Management (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use input servers, input managers, and text views in Cocoa.
Cocoa 2007-02-08
Text Attachment Programming Topics for Cocoa (HTML) (PDF)
Expalins how to add graphics and other attachments to text.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2006-12-05
Text System User Interface Layer Programming Guide for Cocoa (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to implement the main, high-level interface to the Cocoa text system.
Cocoa 2006-06-28
Search Kit Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Describes Search Kit architecture and workflow, and how to add search capabilities to Carbon and Cocoa applications.
Carbon, Cocoa 2005-12-06
Text System Storage Layer Overview (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how the Cocoa text system stores the information it needs to lay out text.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2005-08-11
Programming With the Text Encoding Conversion Manager (HTML) (PDF)
Explains character encodings, Unicode conversion, and custom converter plug-ins. Lists encoding variants.
Carbon, Text Manipulation 2005-07-07
Supporting Unicode Input (HTML) (PDF)
Introduces international text in Mac OS X and lists the tasks an application needs to perform.
Carbon 2005-07-07
Font Panel (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use the Cocoa Font panel.
Cocoa 2004-08-31
Text Attributes (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to work with attributes, the distinguishing characteristics of rich text.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2004-02-16
Text Input and Output (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to read and write text files in Cocoa.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2004-02-10
Spell Checking (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use the spell-checking facilities in the Cocoa text system.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2004-02-09
Text Fields (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use Cocoa text fields.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2004-02-09
Text Views (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use Cocoa text views.
Cocoa, Text Manipulation 2004-02-09
Using Ink Services in Your Application (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how Ink Services works and how to customize handwriting recognition.
Carbon, Text Manipulation 2003-07-24
Understanding Text Input and the Text Services Manager in Carbon (HTML) (PDF)
Discusses keyboard input, including Unicode, and explains how events are routed and handled.
Carbon 2002-12-11