C H A P T E R 1 5

Controls

■Small: At least 10 pixels.

■Mini: At least 8 pixels.

Combo Box Implementation

Combo boxes are available in Interface Builder. To create one using the Application Kit programming interfaces, use the NSComboBox class.

Path Controls

A path control displays the file-system path of the currently selected item. For example, the Finder uses one style of path control to display the path of the currently selected item at the bottom of the window, as shown in Figure 15-38.

Figure 15-38 A path control displays the path of the current item

A path control

There are three styles of path control, all of which are suitable for use in the window body:

■Standard

■Navigation bar

■Pop up

Selection Controls

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2008-06-09 | © 1992, 2001-2003, 2008 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.

C H A P T E R 1 5

Controls

Path Control Usage

Use a path control when you want to display the file-system location of the currently selected item in a way that is not overly technical. You can also use a path control to allow users to retrace their steps along a path and open folders they visited earlier.

Path Control Contents and Labeling

All three path-control styles display text in addition to icons for applications, folders, and document types. When users click the pop-up style path control, a pop-up menu appears, which lists all locations in the path and a Choose menu item. Users can use the Open dialog opened by the Choose item to view the contents of the selected folder. (See “The Open Dialog” (page 240) for more information on the Open dialog.)

Path Control Specifications

The standard-style path control is available in regular size only. The navigation bar and pop-up styles are each available in regular, small, and mini sizes.

You specify the horizontal length of the standard and navigation bar styles; if the displayed path is too long to fit in the control, the folder names between the first location and the last are hidden, as shown in Figure 15-39.

Figure 15-39 A path control can accommodate a large number of locations

Path Control Implementation

The path control is available in Interface Builder. You can change the style of the control in the Attributes pane of the inspector panel. To create this control using Application Kit programming interfaces, use the

NSPathControl class.

290	Selection Controls

2008-06-09 | © 1992, 2001-2003, 2008 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.