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Leopard Reference Library: User Experience
User experience encompasses the visual appearance, interactive behavior, and assistive capabilities of software. From an application's graphical user interface to its use of additional technologies such as speech recognition and speech synthesis, a cohesive and professional user experience is what Mac users have come to expect. Cocoa provides a complete suite of Interface Builder palettes and programmatic interfaces that developers can use to deliver this experience in their applications.

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NSBrowser Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control for manipulating one- or two-dimensional data sets.
Reference 2007-04-05
NSSpeechRecognizer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Cocoa command-and-control voice recognition system.
Reference 2007-04-03
NSInputServerMouseTracker Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the protocol implemented by text input servers to handle mouse events.
Reference 2007-04-02
NSInputServiceProvider Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the protocol implemented by text input servers to handle application and text field events.
Reference 2007-04-02
NSBrowserCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a cell that displays data in a browser.
Reference 2007-04-01
NSButton Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control that responds to clicks.
Reference 2007-04-01
NSColorPickingCustom Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for receiving custom color-picker user-interface requests.
Reference 2007-04-01
NSInputManager Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class used by text views to communicate with the text input management system.
Reference 2007-04-01
NSInputServer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the class that interprets text view events and communicates them to the text input management system.
Reference 2007-04-01
NSMenuItemCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a deprecated class replaced by the NSMenuItem class.
Reference 2007-03-07
NSStatusBar Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the collection of status items in the menu bar.
Reference 2007-03-05
NSStatusItem Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a status item in the menu bar.
Reference 2007-03-05
NSTokenFieldCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a cell used in the conversion of entered text into tokens representing objects.
Reference 2007-03-05
NSMenuValidation Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for enabling and disabling menu items.
Reference 2007-03-02
NSLevelIndicator Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control for displaying a rank or amount along a linear scale.
Reference 2007-03-01
NSLevelIndicatorCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a cell used for displaying a rank or amount along a linear scale.
Reference 2007-03-01
NSActionCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for the active area in a control.
Reference 2007-02-28
NSColorPicker Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for custom views in a color panel used for color selection.
Reference 2007-02-28
NSColorWell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control for displaying and selecting colors.
Reference 2007-02-28
NSErrorRecoveryAttempting Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for attempting recovery from runtime errors.
Reference 2007-02-23
NSMenuItem Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Deprecated - Describes a deprecated protocol replaced by the NSMenuItem class.
Reference 2007-02-08
NSOpenGLView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a view for OpenGL drawing.
Reference 2007-01-26
NSImageView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a view that displays an image.
Reference 2007-01-22
Find By Content Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Deprecated - Describes the legacy C API for performing relevance-ranked searches. Replaced by Search Kit.
Reference 2006-07-13
NSToolbarItem Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a single item in a window's toolbar.
Reference 2006-06-28
NSComboBox Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control for entering text or selecting from a pop-up list of items.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSComboBoxCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the text field that provides the user interface for NSComboBox objects.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSComboBoxCellDataSource Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for receiving data requests from an NSComboBoxCell object.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSComboBoxDataSource Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for receiving data requests from an NSComboBox object.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSDrawer Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a retractable user interface element that displays view objects.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSForm Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a vertical matrix of NSFormCell objects.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSFormCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a title and text entry field in an NSForm object.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSPreferencePane Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Defines the interface for subclasses to provide preference panes to System Preferences or other applications.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSScrollView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a view for displaying content larger than its bounds.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSSearchField Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a text field optimized for entering a search query.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSSecureTextField Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a text field that hides its text.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSSlider Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control for selecting a value from a continuous range of values.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSSliderCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an action cell that provides appearance and behavior for an NSSlider object.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSStepper Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a control that can increment and decrement a value.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSStepperCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an action cell that provides appearance and behavior for an NSStepper object.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSTableHeaderCell Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the user interface of a column header of a table view.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSTableHeaderView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a column header of a table view.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSTabView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a view that supports switching between subviews.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSTabViewItem Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a single view in a tab view.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSToolbarItemValidation Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for providing customized enabling and disabling of a toolbar item.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSToolTipOwner Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for receiving requests for tooltip text.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSUserInterfaceValidations Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for participating in automatic enabling and disabling of controls.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSViewAnimation Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an animation in a view or window.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSWindowScripting Protocol Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the category on NSWindow for scripting basic properties and commands of windows in scriptable applications.
Reference 2006-05-23
Screen Saver Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Objective-C API for supporting and working with screen effects.
Reference 2006-05-23
NSTableView Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a view that displays and manages tabular data.
Reference
DiscRecording Release Notes (HTML)
Updated for Mac OS X v10.5
Release Notes 2007-10-31
SearchKit Release Notes (HTML)
Release Notes 2005-04-29
Image Kit with Core Data (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Using Image Kit's browser view with Core Data content.
Sample Code 2008-07-25
SpotlightFortunes (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to provision a Spotlight importer plug-in for a custom UTI, and how to use a NSMetadataQuery with bindings to display live query results in a table view.
Sample Code 2008-06-06
AbstractTree (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Using NSTreeController with NSOutlineView, Bindings, and Core Data.
Sample Code 2008-03-17
IconCollection (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use NSCollectionView along with NSWorkspace and named images to determine its content.
Sample Code 2008-01-18
DictionaryController (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
"DictionaryController" is a Cocoa application that demonstrates various ways in how to use the NSDictionaryController class.
Sample Code 2007-12-20
SourceView (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use NSOutlineView driven by NSTreeController.
Sample Code 2007-11-15
ButtonMadness (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use the various types of buttons using a nib file or programatically.
Sample Code 2007-10-30
BundleLoader (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to load multiple Cocoa bundles or NSBundles (also known as plug-ins) into the main NSApplication.
Sample Code 2007-09-21
DockTile (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to customize your application's icon in the Dock by using the NSDockTile class.
Sample Code 2007-09-11
LayerBackedOpenGLView (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
"LayerBackedOpenGLView" provides a simple example of hosting Cocoa controls as subviews of an NSOpenGLView.
Sample Code 2007-06-12
BasicCocoaAnimations (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
"BasicCocoaAnimations" demonstrates the use of the animator proxy to easily animate Cocoa views and windows.
Sample Code 2007-06-11
CustomSave (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to customize the NSSavePanel.
Sample Code 2007-06-11
MenuItemView (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates embedding an NSView inside a menu item or NSMenuItem.
Sample Code 2007-06-11
ViewController (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use "NSViewController".
Sample Code 2007-06-11
TrackBall (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to build a custom control based on the NSControl class.
Sample Code 2007-06-07
PredicateEditorSample (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use the NSPredicateEditor class.
Sample Code 2007-06-06
PrefsPane (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
A Cocoa sample System Preferences bundle that demonstrates how to use the NSPreferencePane class.
Sample Code 2007-06-06
SpeedometerView (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to make a custom NSView.
Sample Code 2007-06-06
TextLayoutDemo (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Customizing NSTextView with NSLayoutManager and a custom NSTextContainer.
Sample Code 2007-06-01
ObjectPath (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use the NSPathControl class.
Sample Code 2007-05-22
DatePicker (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use the NSDatePicker control.
Sample Code 2007-04-25
SearchField (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use and customize the features of the "NSSearchField" control.
Sample Code 2007-04-25
TrackIt (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use the NSTrackingArea class.
Sample Code 2007-03-05
Grady (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use the NSGradient class.
Sample Code 2007-02-28
TwoManyControllers (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
How to use an intermediate NSArrayController to populate an NSTableView across two to-many relationships.
Sample Code 2007-02-23
MyCustomColorPicker (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to write a custom color picker using Cocoa.
Sample Code 2006-10-09
ImageBackground (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to draw an image in the background of an NSOutlineView and NSTableView.
Sample Code 2006-10-02
StickiesExample (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Contains sample code and tools used by Sync Services Tutorial to demonstrate debugging syncing applications.
Sample Code 2006-08-08
CoreRecipes (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates the use of Core Data (persistency and object-graph management) with a variety of application projects.
Sample Code 2005-06-01
MungSaver (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates a simple Screen Saver module for Panther, using the Sequence Grabber DataProc mung technique.
Sample Code 2003-11-18
Querying Metadata With Spotlight (HTML)
TN2192: Describes how a Cocoa application can search Spotlight metadata.
Technical Notes 2007-06-04
Creating an About Panel in Your Cocoa Application (HTML)
TN2179: Describes different ways in implementing your Cocoa application's "About" panel.
Technical Notes 2007-01-22
Using AppleScript Scripts in Cocoa Applications (HTML)
TN2084: Explains how to work with AppleScript scripts in your Cocoa application.
Technical Notes 2006-09-19
Guide to Creating Kiosks on Mac OS X (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
TN2062: Discusses techniques used in creating applications which require kiosk-like functionality on Mac OS X.
Technical Notes 2003-02-24
Requirements for Quartz GL (HTML)
QA1536: Describes the requirements for enabling Quartz GL.
Technical Q&As 2008-08-08
Re-enabling dragging from NSTableView to other applications (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1220: Explains how to re-enable drag-and-drop from NSTableViews to other applications
Technical Q&As 2008-02-08
Enabling the application menu's "Preferences" menu item on Mac OS X (HTML)
QA1552: Describes the two things you need to implement to enable the "Preferences" menu item on Mac OS X.
Technical Q&As 2008-01-21
Debugging a WebKit Plug-in in Xcode (HTML)
QA1500: Directions for debugging a WebKit plug-in in Xcode.
Technical Q&As 2007-06-05
NSOpenPanel - Choosing any file and ignoring packages (HTML)
QA1468: Explains how to configure NSOpenPanel to filter only files and ignoring packages.
Technical Q&As 2007-01-25
Preventing column reordering in NSTableView (HTML)
QA1503: Demonstrates how to prevent column reordering of certain columns in NSTableView.
Technical Q&As 2007-01-24
Configuring the Recent Searches menu for NSSearchField (HTML)
QA1496: Discusses the common problem when adding menu items to the Recent Searches menu.
Technical Q&As 2006-11-27
NSProgressIndicator animation and redraw (HTML)
QA1473: Discusses why NSProgressIndicator does not redraw during progress loops.
Technical Q&As 2006-11-15
Debugging NSTableView's "Action Invocation" binding (HTML)
QA1472: Discusses the issues and factors that affect NSTableView's "Action Invocation" binding.
Technical Q&As 2006-11-13
How to make NSTextField accept tab, return and enter keys. (HTML)
QA1454: Describes how to make the NSTextField control accept tab, return and enter keys by using the control's dispatch delegate method.
Technical Q&As 2006-10-09
Embedding Hyperlinks in NSTextField and NSTextView (HTML)
QA1487: Shows how a Cocoa app can embed a hyperlink inside both NSTextField and NSTextView using NSAttributedString.
Technical Q&As 2006-10-02
Disabling and Enabling an NSTextView (HTML)
QA1461: Shows how a Cocoa application can disable and enable an NSTextView.
Technical Q&As 2006-09-11
Finding an NSView's current magnification. (HTML)
QA1346: How to discover the current magnification (zoom level) of any NSView.
Technical Q&As 2005-03-08
How to get custom views to show up in NSToolbarItems (HTML)
QA1029: Why custom views may not show up in an NSToolBarItem and how to make it visible.
Technical Q&As 2001-05-03