Black Windows

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 4:43pm

Is there an easy way to make all windows in an app have a Black Theme (like Pixelmator for example)?

Kem_Tekinay · April 10, 2014, 4:49pm

I don’t have Pixelmator, but I think I know what you mean. Still, a screen shot would help, if you have one.

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 4:58pm

Kem_Tekinay · April 10, 2014, 5:00pm

Will your app be Mac-only?

Norman_P · April 10, 2014, 5:01pm

poke about with MacOSLib and NSWindow

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 5:01pm

Yes… OSX only… and the “black theme” needs to affect “my” app only… not system wide.

MacOSLib has code for HUD windows (ie the tool/brush windows above)… but can’t find anything for a “document” type window

Garth_Hjelte · April 10, 2014, 5:16pm

For a start - not the Window but the objects, check out:

Jeremie Leroy Custom UI

Then I think you only need to fuss with the titlebar.

It’s really really tempting! I’d like to know how to get the Window looking like that, I’d seriously think about converting many of my apps to look that way.

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 5:19pm

The controls I have no problem with… it is just the window I need

My app has few controls… and what it has are all ones I custom wrote for this app.

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 5:24pm

Well I found a way to “fake” it… but it doesn’t look too great.

Set window to have a custom background color… but the window title is not “white” like the above examples… but a muted gray

Kem_Tekinay · April 10, 2014, 5:24pm

There has to a system call for this. Have you looked at MacOSLib?

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 5:25pm

yes

Garth_Hjelte · April 10, 2014, 5:38pm

I googled for NSWindow black title bar and got a couple of hits that explained things in ObjC, that would be the first hint to using MBS or MacOSLib for it. Perhaps we just need to do the titlebar.

I thought this was interesting:

http://th30z.blogspot.com/2010/11/cocoa-black-window-titlebar.html

I wish I could check this out today with everyone but I have a busyish day, this would be of interest to me.

Richard_Berglund · April 10, 2014, 5:39pm

You need to put a custom NSView on top of the orig. title bar. and draw the buttons yourself. MBS does it this way - I think it might be possible with MacOSLib.

ChristopheDV · April 10, 2014, 5:53pm

With MBS this is possible. Maybe Christian can gives some hint which declare to use.

ChristopheDV · April 10, 2014, 6:03pm

Made a simple black window. Using MBS plugins.

Kem_Tekinay · April 10, 2014, 6:08pm

How did you do it with the plugin? Perhaps that will show a way to do it with the declares directly.

ChristopheDV · April 10, 2014, 6:24pm

I suggest looking at the MBS example : Custom NSWindow

jim_mckay · April 10, 2014, 6:39pm

I’ve done this using MBS plugins I can’t seem to get the text to look bold though. And there is no file icon…

I set the NSWindowMBS’s background color and added an NSTextViewMBS to the TitleBar. No need to draw the buttons, just make sure the NSTextView doesn’t overlap the buttons.

The code isn’t pretty- but…

tv= new NSTextViewMBS(Width/2-50,Height,120,21) //this size is hardcoded--should be based on the window... tv.font=NSFontMBS.titleBarFontOfSize(0) tv.isEditable=False tv.isSelectable=False tv.drawsBackground=False tv.backgroundColor=nil tv.textColor=NSColorMBS.whiteColor tv.alignment=NSTextViewMBS.NSCenterTextAlignment tv.font=NSFontMBS.titleBarFontOfSize(0) tv.text=self.title self.title="" tv.autoresizingMask = NSViewMBS.NSViewMinYMargin+NSViewMBS.NSViewMaxXMargin+NSViewMBS.NSViewMinXMargin self.NSWindowMBS.backgroundColor=NSColorMBS.blackColor self.NSWindowMBS.contentView.superview.addSubview(tv)

Ercole_Gosi · April 10, 2014, 8:11pm

Christoph, please could You share The snippet ?

Thanks

Luciano

DaveS · April 10, 2014, 8:13pm

For the record (for me) MBS is not an option…