[Pyobjc-dev] Re: interface builder queries

[Michael H. <mw...@py...>]

"b.bum" <bb...@ma...> writes:

> On Aug 26, 2003, at 9:28 AM, Ronald Oussoren wrote:
>>> 2) How hard is it to generate/manipulate NIBs programmatically?
>>>    They're mostly NSArchivered lumps of data, right?  The point behind
>>>    this question is that I have a description of various data formats
>>>    and it might save time to generate a really clunky interface from
>>>    this description, and then turn it into a less clunky interface by
>>>    monkeying about in IB (but not have to sort *all* those connections
>>>    out by hand).
>>
>> I don't know, but I'd like to know. Please tell us if you find out :-)
>
> Given that you want to do the manipulation with a goal of writing out
> a NIB file that can subsequently be monkeyed about with in IB, you
> will be nicely surprised.

With Cocoa, I've come to expect to be :-)

> Look in the InterfaceBuilder.framework.   API is provided for
> making/breaking connections and otherwise manipulating the object
> graph found within a NIB file.   It should provide most/all of the
> features you need.

Somehow I managed to miss that.  Duh!

> I would suggest writing an InterfaceBuilder Palette (using PyObjC, of
> course -- but you'll need a framework build of Python) that contains
> the tools needed to modify the object graph of your NIB files (or
> produce the object graph).

I had stumbled towards the fact that I might want to do that, but I
have *no* idea where to even start... I don't suppse anyone has an
example knocking around?  Even one in ObjC would be helpful, I guess.

Cheers,
mwh

-- 
  : exploding like a turd
  Never had that happen to me, I have to admit.  They do that
  often in your world?              -- Eric The Read & Dave Brown, asr