C H A P T E R 5

Windows

Window Layering

In Mac OS 9 and earlier, all windows belonging to a particular application are in the same layer. In Mac OS X, each document exists in its own layer, so documents from different applications can be interleaved. Clicking a window to bring it to the front doesn’t disturb the layering order of any other window.

A window’s depth in the layers is determined by when the window was last accessed. When a user clicks an inactive document or chooses it from the Window menu, only that document, and all open utility windows, should be brought to the front. Users can bring all windows of an application forward by clicking its icon in the Dock or by choosing Bring All to Front in the application’s Window menu. These actions should bring forward all of the application’s open windows, maintaining their onscreen location, size, and layering order within the application. For more information, see “The Window Menu” (page 61) and “Clicking in the Dock” (page 44).

Window Appearance and Behavior

Every document and utility window should have, at a minimum, a title bar and a close button. Even if the window does not have an actual title (a tools palette, for example), it should have a title bar so that users can move the window.

A standard document window has

■a title bar

■a resize control

■scroll bars (if not all the window’s contents are visible)

■close, minimize, and zoom buttons, although only the close button must be present at all times

70Window Layering

Apple Computer, Inc. June 2002

C H A P T E R 5

Windows

Figure 5-1 Standard window parts

Close, minimize, and zoom buttons

Proxy icon

Title bar

Scroll bar

Scroller

Resize control

When a document has unsaved changes, the close button should display a dot. Carbon developers should set this control with the SetWindowModified function. In Cocoa, this behavior happens automatically if the application is NSDocument-based; otherwise, use the setDocumentEdited: method of the NSWindow class.

Figure 5-2 The close button in its unsaved changes state

The dot indicates that this document

has unsaved changes.

Apple Computer, Inc. June 2002

C H A P T E R 5

Windows

After a document is saved for the first time, a proxy icon appears in the title bar. Users can manipulate this icon as if they were manipulating the corresponding file-system object. For example, you can drag a document’s proxy icon to a folder in the Finder. A proxy icon appears in its normal state as long as the state of the document and the file system object are the same. When a document has unsaved changes, its proxy icon appears dimmed. Command-clicking the title or the proxy icon displays a pop-up menu illustrating the document path.

Figure 5-3 Document path pop-up menu, opened by Command-clicking the proxy icon

Textured Windows

Mac OS X version 10.2 provides developers with a new “textured” window appearance (see Figure 5-4). This window style has been designed specifically for use by—and is therefore best suited to—applications that provide an interface for a digital peripheral, such as a camera, or an interface for managing data shared with digital peripherals, such as the Address Book application.

This appearance may also be appropriate for applications that strive to re-create a familiar physical device—the Calculator application, for example. Avoid using the textured window appearance in applications or utilities that are unrelated to digital peripherals or to the data associated with these devices.

Within an application, the textured window appearance should be limited to the primary application window. Supporting windows, such as preferences and other dialogs, should not use the textured window appearance. It is acceptable to have a mix of standard Aqua windows and textured windows within an application.

If a textured window has a drawer or a toolbar, they automatically inherit the textured appearance. Sheets, however, maintain the standard Aqua appearance.

72Window Appearance and Behavior

Apple Computer, Inc. June 2002

C H A P T E R 5

Windows

Figure 5-4 The “textured” window appearance

The textured window has four rounded corners and a beveled edge surrounding the entire window. The beveled edge requires that elements such as lists and other view-type controls be inset at least 10 pixels. Users can move textured windows by dragging anywhere on the textured surface (not just the title bar).

Avoid creating custom controls for use with textured windows; standard controls look and behave appropriately when used with this appearance.

To create a window with this appearance, Cocoa developers can apply the NSTexturedBackgroundWindowMask to a titled window. Avoid using a borderless window, which won’t assume rounded corners. Carbon developers can use the new window type defined in MacWindows.h.

Apple Computer, Inc. June 2002