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Re: Linking a Menu To A Document

You mentioned that you already have "Cocoa programming" so I will cite references from it.

Page 142 briefly explains the responder chain.

Chapter 8 explains the NSResponder class and the responder chain in detail starting on page 192.
The Target-Action paradigm used by menu items, and controls is explained in detail starting on page 207. The use of multiple documents, their interaction with the responder chain, automatic menu validation, and many other topics are also described in Chapter 8.

Chapter 9 explains how to create a multi-document application WITHOUT using NSDocument and friends. This explanation includes using the First Responder and connecting menu items to the First responder so that their actions will be sent to current responder chain at run-time. The current responder chain depends on the key and main windows. As the user changes which document window is key, the current responder chain changes and the actions from menu items are sent to different objects. The explanation of how to write your own multi-document support de-mistifies what Apple's classes are doing.

Page 255 has a figure showing the connection of a menu item to the First Responder icon in Interface Builder and the text explains what is being done and why. In fact, pages 254 and 255 exactly answer your original question complete with pictures.

I might add that Apple's documentation describes all of this and there are several examples that Apple provides including the TextEdit and Sketch applications that come with complete source code and are constructed "the way a true/complex multi-document application should be".


On Thursday, July 31, 2003, at 01:35 PM, Seth Willits wrote:

On Wednesday, July 30, 2003, at 02:27 PM, Sherm Pendley wrote:

Of all the examples I've looked at, not one has been constructed the way a true/complex multi-document application would be

Sorry, I don't agree with that. The examples from the books you named may not be constructed the way a multi-document app works in whatever environment you're used to, but they are an accurate representation of how it works in Cocoa.

Not necessarily in the books, but anywhere. And an example of what would be the fact that I can't find any example that does this yet every application that uses anything beyond what's "free" would have to do it. That just confused me. I've heard many many people recommend Aaron's book, so I think I have a trip to Borders in my future.

Thanks for the help,


Seth Willits
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 >Re: Linking a Menu To A Document (From: Seth Willits <email@hidden>)



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