Book about creating Cocoa widgets
-
Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
Michael Rothwell
<Michael...> -
On Nov 5, 2004, at 6:08 PM, Michael Rothwell wrote:> Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
What do you mean by "widgets"?
-- Chris -
Views, controls, etc. -- user interface components.
Michael Rothwell
<Michael...>
On Nov 6, 2004, at 4:54 AM, Chris Hanson wrote:
On Nov 5, 2004, at 6:08 PM, Michael Rothwell wrote:> Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
What do you mean by "widgets"?
-- Chris
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You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
here:
Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
-- DTC
On 2004 Nov 06, at 04:53, Michael Rothwell wrote:>
> Views, controls, etc. -- user interface components.
>
>
> Michael Rothwell
> <Michael...>
>
> On Nov 6, 2004, at 4:54 AM, Chris Hanson wrote:
>
> On Nov 5, 2004, at 6:08 PM, Michael Rothwell wrote:
>> Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
>
> What do you mean by "widgets"?
>
> -- Chris
>
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> -
Did you use only standard widgets in Perfect Pitch?
Michael Rothwell
<Michael...>
On Nov 6, 2004, at 8:09 AM, Daniel Todd Currie wrote:
You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
here:
Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
-- DTC
On 2004 Nov 06, at 04:53, Michael Rothwell wrote:>
> Views, controls, etc. -- user interface components.
>
>
> Michael Rothwell
> <Michael...>
>
> On Nov 6, 2004, at 4:54 AM, Chris Hanson wrote:
>
> On Nov 5, 2004, at 6:08 PM, Michael Rothwell wrote:
>> Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
>
> What do you mean by "widgets"?
>
> -- Chris
>
> _______________________________________________
> Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
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> -
Le 6 nov. 04, à 14:09, Daniel Todd Currie a écrit :> You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
> here:
>
> Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
I cannot agree with that.
Some applications have very nive custom widgets (OmniGraffle is an
example).
If you have specific needs that require an unusual widget, write it
(but write it well).
Now, to give an answer to the original question, either your control is
similar to something existing and you subclass it, or you start from
scratch by subclassing an NSView and draw your stuff in it.
Pierre>
> -- DTC
>
>
> On 2004 Nov 06, at 04:53, Michael Rothwell wrote:
>
>>
>> Views, controls, etc. -- user interface components.
>>
>>
>> Michael Rothwell
>> <Michael...>
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2004, at 4:54 AM, Chris Hanson wrote:
>>
>> On Nov 5, 2004, at 6:08 PM, Michael Rothwell wrote:
>>> Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
>>
>> What do you mean by "widgets"?
>>
>> -- Chris
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
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> -
On Nov 5, 2004, at 8:08 PM, Michael Rothwell wrote:>
> Is there a recommended book on writing widgets for cocoa?
I don't know of any books, but there's apple documentation on the
subject.
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ControlCell/
index.html
http://developer.apple.com/samplecode/Clock_Control/Clock_Control.html
-Jay -
On Nov 6, 2004, at 7:09 AM, Daniel Todd Currie wrote:> You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
> here:
>
> Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
What's your problem, are you saying that NeXT implemented every
possible widget anyone would ever need?
-Jay -
On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:58:36 -0600, James B. Tuley <jbtule...> wrote:>
> On Nov 6, 2004, at 7:09 AM, Daniel Todd Currie wrote:
>
>> You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
>> here:
>>
>> Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
>
> What's your problem, are you saying that NeXT implemented every
> possible widget anyone would ever need?
About 90% of all custom widget's I've seen is either someone
re-inventing the wheel, or is just plain ugly (when it could've been
done cleaner with standard widgets).
-Phil -
Just to throw my 2 cents in here...
We should remember that someone has to invent a widget before it can
pass or fail the 'user test'.
After all, it's not like all the Cocoa widgets existed before Cocoa.
Apple has made great strides with their widgets - to be not only
functional but also intuitive.
This isn't to say that skill is solely owned by Apple; just that they
have _years_ of practice at it.
So I say if you can't find a standard widget that fits your needs (or a
good combination of standard widgets), then by all means create your
own (thats why Apple has docs on it you know).
And who knows, if it works out good then later on it might end up
becoming a built in widget.
- lee
On Nov 6, 2004, at 9:12 PM, Phil wrote:> On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:58:36 -0600, James B. Tuley <jbtule...>
> wrote:
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2004, at 7:09 AM, Daniel Todd Currie wrote:
>>
>>> You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
>>> here:
>>>
>>> Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
>>
>> What's your problem, are you saying that NeXT implemented every
>> possible widget anyone would ever need?
>
> About 90% of all custom widget's I've seen is either someone
> re-inventing the wheel, or is just plain ugly (when it could've been
> done cleaner with standard widgets).
>
> -Phil
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On Nov 6, 2004, at 8:12 PM, Phil wrote:> On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:58:36 -0600, James B. Tuley <jbtule...>
> wrote:
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2004, at 7:09 AM, Daniel Todd Currie wrote:
>>
>>> You don't need a book; I'll sum up everything you need to know right
>>> here:
>>>
>>> Use the standard Cocoa widgets or your software will suck.
>>
>> What's your problem, are you saying that NeXT implemented every
>> possible widget anyone would ever need?
>
> About 90% of all custom widget's I've seen is either someone
> re-inventing the wheel, or is just plain ugly (when it could've been
> done cleaner with standard widgets).
Are you referring to custom widgets in Cocoa? Because I honestly have
never seen a needlessly, ugly, and reinvented widget in Cocoa unless
it's some hybrid carbon port. That fact of the matter is that it takes
0% effort to use a std widget in cocoa and so much more effort to make
your own. So not many write their own widget unless they really want
more than the base classes provide them. But that's not the real point
I want to make. The real point I really want to make, is that there is
nothing wrong writing custom widgets in your apps.
Look through the Apple Design Awards list.
Big Bang Chess 1.0
- Obviously uses custom widgets.
Unison 1.0.2a
-those square buttons look a little too good looking for standard
square buttons. It's minor but it's there.
GraphViz 1.12 (v11)
- Yup thats a custom view, couldn't avoid that.
SOHO Business Cards 1.0
- Circular slider doesn't look like the one introduced in panther, It
doesn't look pixelated when its large like the cocoa one and it's blue
Not to mention that tab bar that looks so slick on brushed metal much
like the ones apple uses in their brushed metal apps, but I don't see
it in interface builder.
So even apple use custom widgets in their own cocoa apps, and quite
frequently such as in:
AddressBook, iChat, Safari, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and not to
mention all the Cocoa Pro Apps which really did need re-invented custom
widgets, because standard cocoa widgets are too big, bright for
professional design applications.
So I cannot agree, that cocoa apps with custom widgets suck, or with
berating someone for wanting to write a custom cocoa widget.
-Jay
