# Sheet Window

**URL:** <https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582>\
**Category:** macOS\
**Created:** [October 2, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582 "2014-10-02T08:55:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mike\_Charlesworth](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mike\_Charlesworth](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Mike_Charlesworth)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/1 "2014-10-02T08:55:17Z")

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Is it bad practice (Apple Interface Guidelines) to have a sheet window within a sheet window?

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**Author:** ![shao\_sean](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@shao\_sean](https://forum.xojo.com/u/shao_sean)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 9:19am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/2 "2014-10-02T09:19:25Z")

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Does the framework allow you to do that? I did a quick search and there doesn’t seem to be anything about it, other than this one thread \< [http://www.cocoabuilder.com/archive/cocoa/13226-sheets-within-sheets.html](http://www.cocoabuilder.com/archive/cocoa/13226-sheets-within-sheets.html) \> The following quote is something that stuck out as good advice…

> [@](#):
>
> You’re not supposed to open a sheet on a window while one is already open, or open a sheet based on a sheet’s window. If you try, you will (as you see) get weird results. So don’t. Open an app-modal panel, or put the first sheet away and then present the second one (if you really must).

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**Author:** ![Mike\_Charlesworth](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mike\_Charlesworth](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Mike_Charlesworth)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/3 "2014-10-03T00:35:43Z")

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> [@132892:@shao sean](#):
>
> Does the framework allow you to do that? I did a quick search and there doesn’t seem to be anything about it, other than this one thread \< [http://www.cocoabuilder.com/archive/cocoa/13226-sheets-within-sheets.html](http://www.cocoabuilder.com/archive/cocoa/13226-sheets-within-sheets.html) \> The following quote is something that stuck out as good advice…

Yes, it does allow you and I haven’t got any weird results but it felt kind of wrong. I’ll look at an alternative approach

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**Author:** ![shao\_sean](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@shao\_sean](https://forum.xojo.com/u/shao_sean)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/4 "2014-10-03T04:48:09Z")

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You can use a page panel in the sheet… Might be okay?

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/sam_rowlands/32/265_2.png) [@Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Sam_Rowlands)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/5 "2014-10-03T05:39:55Z")

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> [@132888:@Mike Charlesworth](#):
>
> Is it bad practice (Apple Interface Guidelines) to have a sheet window within a sheet window?

Yes!

If you _must_ display another modal dialog, make it a modal dialog. I’ve seen a few apps that do display nested sheets, but Apple advise against this. I also seem to recall that I personally have had technical issues when using nested sheets also.

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**Author:** ![Joe\_Ranieri](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@Joe\_Ranieri](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Joe_Ranieri)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:51am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/6 "2014-10-03T05:51:58Z")

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> [@133091:@Sam Rowlands](#):
>
> If you _must_ display another modal dialog, make it a modal dialog. I’ve seen a few apps that do display nested sheets, but Apple advise against this. I also seem to recall that I personally have had technical issues when using nested sheets also.

Not that I think it’s a good idea, but there are a few places in the system that use sheets inside sheets. For example, the printing dialogs.

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/sam_rowlands/32/265_2.png) [@Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Sam_Rowlands)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:58am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/7 "2014-10-03T05:58:39Z")

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> [@133100:@Joe Ranieri](#):
>
> Not that I think it’s a good idea, but there are a few places in the system that use sheets inside sheets. For example, the printing dialogs.

Ha ha ha! You’re quite correct, Apple don’t even obey their own design guidelines! The save as PDF dialog is a nested sheet.

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**Author:** ![system](https://forum.xojo.com/uploads/default/original/1X/455b4dcc0e61630e9f81940004ddffa49c432a46.png) [@system](https://forum.xojo.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 5:26pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/sheet-window/19582/8 "2020-10-29T17:26:19Z")

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