Implement checkbox in NSTableView in mac application

Question

First of all, I searched for 3 days and have not found what I am looking for.

Second point, I am VERY new to Xcode programming so PLEASE keep your answer as simple and/or detailed as possible!

Inside my NSTableView I need the first column to be text followed by X number of checkbox columns with the last column to be text. The X number of columns is a variable based on the number of entries I read from a SQLite file.

My questions are:

How do I define at runtime what type and how many columns I have?
How do I know whether a checkbox value is checked or not?
How do I add rows to the tableview if I don't know the number of cells it has?

Thanks for taking the time to answer!

Best regards, Igor

Anoop Vaidya · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-04T01:20:27.700

6

You want to create a table at runtime, and you dont know how many columns will be there!!!

Thats a big deal.

Read NSTableView documentation and you will find addTableColumn: method. in the loop go on to create colmn and dont forget to give identifier to all columns.

And over this you want to have a checkbox. Creating checkbox is not difficult either.

EDIT:

For checkbox implementation, find a project here.

Draw a checkBoxCell in the column you want to have checkbox. Or you can do it programatically.

I did it through IB.

You should create an array that will store the states for each(number of rows) checkboxes.

- (id)init {
    self = [super init];
    if (self) {

        states=[[NSMutableArray alloc] initWithObjects:@"1", @"0", @"1", nil];
    }
    return self; }



- (NSInteger)numberOfRowsInTableView:(NSTableView *)tableView {
    NSLog(@"Num of rows---- %ld", [names count]);
    return [names count];
}

Check for tableIdentifier having value "check".

- (id)tableView:(NSTableView *)tableView objectValueForTableColumn:(NSTableColumn *)tableColumn row:(NSInteger)row {
    if ([[tableColumn identifier] isEqualTo:@"name"]) {
        return [names objectAtIndex:row];
    }
    else if ([[tableColumn identifier] isEqualTo:@"check"]) {

        return [states objectAtIndex:row];
    }
    else if ([[tableColumn identifier] isEqualTo:@"states"]) {
        return [states objectAtIndex:row];
    }
    return 0;
}

Update the value of checkbox as per on/off.

- (void)tableView:(NSTableView *)tableView setObjectValue:(id)value forTableColumn:(NSTableColumn *)column row:(NSInteger)row {          
    [states replaceObjectAtIndex:row withObject:value];
    [tableView reloadData]; 
}

edited Oct 04 '16 at 01:20

answered Jan 10 '13 at 17:38

Anoop Vaidya

46,283
15
111
140

thanks! and how to know the state of checkbox in cell 10-5 for example? – sharkyenergy Jan 10 '13 at 17:42
1

you have 2 delegates `- (void)tableView:(NSTableView *)tableView setObjectValue:(id)anObject forTableColumn:(NSTableColumn *)tableColumn row:(NSInteger)row ` and `- (void)tableView:(NSTableView *)tableView objectValue:(id)anObject forTableColumn:(NSTableColumn *)tableColumn row:(NSInteger)row` here you get the column and row, check with row number ad column with identifier. you can find by cell=5, instead you have to find by [columnIdentifier isEqualToString:@"5"] – Anoop Vaidya Jan 10 '13 at 18:02
hello! its me again.. i am searching the nstableview documentation but there is nowhere a mention of a checkbox.. what am i supposed to look for to set a certain table column as checkboxcolumn? thanks! – sharkyenergy Jan 29 '13 at 12:58
REally its no where? NO prob I am here, you need to create checkBox programatically. – Anoop Vaidya Jan 29 '13 at 13:48
Ask a question, I will answer there, so that other people may get benefitted. – Anoop Vaidya Jan 29 '13 at 13:51
already made one! its a long question that includes multiple questions.. thank you! – sharkyenergy Jan 29 '13 at 13:54
Thank you! but my problem is that i have to add ac heckbox programmatically to a table! its better if you look at my other question so you will ahve an overview of the whole problem. thanks for your effort! – sharkyenergy Jan 29 '13 at 14:14

Implement checkbox in NSTableView in mac application

1 Answers1