AppKit Equivalent to Choose From List

Scripting Forums AppleScriptObjC and Xcode
#1

I’ve been mainly programming in Objective-C lately and come across situations where I want to present a TableView to the user to confirm data.

I know how to customize NSAlert and have create an extension on it to provide many option I need… custom text editing, check boxes, buttons etc. But inserting a NSTableView and providing it data has failed.
I want to keep this in a extension and not have to load any nib’s.

I’m thinking I my have to use good old AppleScript via osascript to do this,
Unless someone can provide other suggestions!

Thanks

#2

Here is one example. The script was originally developed by user @Takaaki Naganoya. Slightly modified by me for execution on the main thread.
 

use AppleScript version "2.5"
use scripting additions
use framework "Foundation"
use framework "AppKit"

property |⌘| : a reference to current application
property aList : {3, "None", "Apple", 3, 4, "Chick", "Gyouza", "Snagi also", "Apple", "Peaches"}
property aMainMessage : "IMPROVED CHOOSE FROM LIST DIALOG"
property aSubMessage : "Please select the appropriate one from the following"
property theAlert : missing value
property theResult : 0
property returnCode : 0
property theDataSource : {}

my performSelectorOnMainThread:"createAlert" withObject:(missing value) waitUntilDone:true
my performSelectorOnMainThread:"displayAlert" withObject:(missing value) waitUntilDone:true
if theResult = (|⌘|'s NSAlertSecondButtonReturn) then error number -128
set aResult to my chooseItemByTableView()

on createAlert()
	set my theAlert to |⌘|'s NSAlert's alloc()'s init()
	my performSelectorOnMainThread:"displayAlert:" withObject:theAlert waitUntilDone:true
end createAlert

on chooseItemByTableView()
	-- define the matrix size where you’ll put the radio buttons
	set aScrollWithTable to makeTableView(300, 150) of me
	-- set up alert
	tell theAlert
		its setMessageText:aMainMessage
		its setInformativeText:aSubMessage
		its addButtonWithTitle:"OK"
		its addButtonWithTitle:"Cancel"
		its setAccessoryView:aScrollWithTable
	end tell
	-- show alert in modal loop
	|⌘|'s NSRunningApplication's currentApplication()'s activateWithOptions:0
	my performSelectorOnMainThread:"doModal:" withObject:(theAlert) waitUntilDone:true
	if (my returnCode as number) = 1001 then error number -128
	return (aScrollWithTable's documentView's selectedRow()) + 1
end chooseItemByTableView

on doModal:aParam
	set (my returnCode) to aParam's runModal()
end doModal:

on makeTableView(aWidth as number, aHeight as number)
	set aOffset to 40
	
	set sourceList to {}
	repeat with i in aList
		set the end of sourceList to {dataItem:(contents of i)}
	end repeat
	
	set theDataSource to |⌘|'s NSMutableArray's alloc()'s init()
	theDataSource's addObjectsFromArray:sourceList
	
	set aScroll to |⌘|'s NSScrollView's alloc()'s initWithFrame:(|⌘|'s NSMakeRect(0, aOffset, aWidth, aHeight))
	set aView to |⌘|'s NSTableView's alloc()'s initWithFrame:(|⌘|'s NSMakeRect(0, aOffset, aWidth, aHeight))
	
	set aColumn to (|⌘|'s NSTableColumn's alloc()'s initWithIdentifier:"dataItem")
	(aColumn's setWidth:aWidth)
	(aColumn's headerCell()'s setStringValue:"dataItem")
	(aView's addTableColumn:aColumn)
	
	aView's setDelegate:me
	aView's setDataSource:me
	aView's reloadData()
	
	aScroll's setDocumentView:aView
	aView's enclosingScrollView()'s setHasVerticalScroller:true
	
	-- Select line
	set aIndexSet to |⌘|'s NSIndexSet's indexSetWithIndex:0
	aView's selectRowIndexes:aIndexSet byExtendingSelection:false
	
	-- Force scroll to top
	-- set maxHeight to aScroll’s documentView()’s |bounds|()’s |size|()’s height
	set aDBounds to aScroll's documentView()'s |bounds|()
	if class of aDBounds = list then
		-- macOS 10.13 or later
		set maxHeight to item 2 of item 1 of aDBounds
	else
		-- macOS 10.10….10.12
		set maxHeight to height of |size| of aDBounds
	end if
	
	set aPoint to |⌘|'s NSMakePoint(0.0, -40.0)
	aScroll's documentView()'s scrollPoint:aPoint
	
	return aScroll
end makeTableView

-- TableView Event Handlers
on numberOfRowsInTableView:aView
	return my theDataSource's |count|()
end numberOfRowsInTableView:

on tableView:aView objectValueForTableColumn:aColumn row:aRow
	set aRecord to (my theDataSource)'s objectAtIndex:(aRow as number)
	set aTitle to (aColumn's headerCell()'s title()) as string
	set aResult to (aRecord's valueForKey:aTitle)
	return aResult
end tableView:objectValueForTableColumn:row:

 

#3

Yes but the problem is the delegate methods of supply data or selection. Kinda hard to make the NSAlert class extension the delegate

#4

We can extend NSAlert class by using AppleScriptObjC framework maybe like this.

http://piyocast.com/as/archives/category/custom-class

1 Like
#5

Is think I need to creat my own Class that will — accepted my sourceData.

  • follow the NSTableView delegate protocols
  • create the Alert with TableView
  • run the Alert and return the selected items

I may even create a TableView in InterfaceBuilder and have my custom class load nib file.

Thanks