C H A P T E R 1 5

Controls

Figure 15-73 A token field control can display a contextual menu

Token Field Specifications

Control sizes: Token field controls fit inside the standard sizes of text input fields. The heights of token field controls are fixed for each size, and their lengths are determined by the length of the token. The height of a token field control is a few pixels less than the height of the text input field that contains it:

■Regular size: 16 pixels high.

■Small: 14 pixels high.

■Mini: 11 pixels high.

Token Field Implementation

Token field controls are available in Interface Builder. To create one using Application Kit programming interfaces, use the NSTokenField class.

Search Fields

A search field is a text field with rounded ends in which the user enters new text or modifies existing text that identifies items to search for. For example, the Finder provides a search field in its toolbar, as shown in Figure 15-74. For information on ways to provide search functionality in your application, see “Spotlight” (page 77) and “Scope Bars” (page 201).

Text 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

Figure 15-74 A search field in a toolbar

A search field

Important:A search field is one of the three window-body controls that can also be used in a window-frame area. To learn more about controls that are designed specifically for use in window-frame areas, see “Window-Frame Controls” (page 249).

Search Field Usage

Use a search field to allow users to search for terms within your application. A search field supports keyboard focus, so if searching is important in your application, provide the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-F, which allows users to navigate to a search field without using the mouse.

Depending on how you implement searching functionality in your application, you can specify a search field that begins searching as soon as the user starts typing, or that begins the search when the user presses Return or Enter.

Search Field Contents and Labeling

By default, a search field displays the magnifying icon at its left edge. A search field can also contain an icon the user clicks to stop the search or clear the field. It’s appropriate to use this icon if the user has to click a button or press a key to initiate the search, especially if the search might take more than a second or two. If you use this icon, consider displaying a progress indicator for lengthy searches. The magnifying glass and stop-search icons are supplied automatically.

A search field can include a menu that allows users to view a history of recent searches. However, if you provide this functionality you should consider not providing it by default; you should also allow users to turn it off for privacy reasons. If you need to allow users to choose different types of searches or define the context or scope of a search, consider providing a scope bar in your window (see “Scope Bars” (page 201) for more information).

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