# NSMenuView

FredKiefer@gmx.de
khelekir@encomix.es
mhanni@sprintmail.com
Generated at 2026-06-27 19:09:52 +0000
1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Software documentation for the NSMenuView class
AppKit/NSMenuView.h
NSCoding
NSMenuView
The NSMenu class uses an object implementing the NSMenuView protocol to do the actual drawing.
Normally there is no good reason to write your own class implementing this protocol. However if you want to customize your menus you should implement this protocol to ensure that it works nicely together with sub/super menus not using your custom menu representation.
How menus are drawn
This class implements several menu look and feels at the same time. The looks and feels implemented are: Ordinary vertically stacked menus with the NeXT submenu positioning behavour. Vertically stacked menus with the WindowMaker submenu placement. This behaviour is selected by choosing the GSWindowMakerInterfaceStyle. PopupButtons are actually menus. This class implements also the behaviour for the NSPopButtons. See for the the class NSPopButton.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
Warning the underscore at the start of the name of this instance variable indicates that, even though it is not technically private, it is intended for internal use within the package, and you should not use the variable in other code.
menuBarHeight
Returns the height of the menu bar.
attachSubmenuForItemAtIndex:
index
Attach submenu if the item at index is a submenu. It will figure out if the new submenu should be transient or not.
attachedMenu
Returns visible attached submenu.
attachedMenuView
Returns menu view associated with visible attached submenu.
detachSubmenu
Detaches currently visible submenu window from main menu.
font
Returns the default font used to draw the menu text.
highlightedItemIndex
Returns the index of the highlighted item. Returns -1 if there is no highlighted item.
horizontalEdgePadding
Returns horizontal space used for padding between menu item elements (state image, title image, title, key equivalent, submenu arrow image).
imageAndTitleOffset
Returns the starting horizontal position for drawing the image and title.
imageAndTitleWidth
Returns the width of the image and title section. Tis section contains image and text of menu item.
indexOfItemAtPoint:
point
Returns the index of the item below point. Returns -1 if mouse is not above a menu item.
initAsTearOff
Creates new instance and sets menu to torn off state with NSMenu's setTornOff:.
innerRect
Returns bounds rectangle of the menu view. It is smaller by 1 pixel in width than menu window (dark gray border at left).
isAttached
Returns `YES`, if this object is an visivle attached submenu's view. Returns `NO` otherwise.
isHorizontal
Returns `YES` if menu items are displayed horizontally, `NO` if vertically.
isTornOff
Returns `YES`, if this object is associated with torn off menu (menu with a close button on title bar).
itemAdded:
notification
Creates new item cell for the newly created menu item, marks cell and menu view as needing to be resized. This method is invoked when NSMenuDidAddItemNotification received. The notification parameter contains index of changed menu item and can be accessed with NSMenuItemIndex key.
itemChanged:
notification
Marks menu item cell associated with the menu item and menu view as needing to be resized. This method is invoked when NSMenuDidChangeItemNotification received. The notification parameter contains index of changed menu item and can be accessed with NSMenuItemIndex key.
itemRemoved:
notification
Removes cell associated with removed menu item, removes highlighting if removed menu item was highlighted, marks cell and menu view as needing to be resized. This method is invoked when NSMenuDidRemoveItemNotification received. The notification parameter contains index of changed menu item and can be accessed with NSMenuItemIndex key.
keyEquivalentOffset
Returns the starting position for drawing the key equivalent. Key equivalent can be submenu arrow if menu item has submenu.
keyEquivalentWidth
Returns the width of key equivalent text. Key equivalent can be submenu arrow if menu item has submenu
locationForSubmenu:
aSubmenu
Returns the correct frame origin for aSubmenu based on the location of the receiver. This location may depend on the current NSInterfaceStyle.
menu
Returns the NSMenu associated with this menu view.
menuItemCellForItemAtIndex:
index
Returns cell associated with item at index.
needsSizing
Return `YES` if menu view contents changed and needs to be resized.
performActionWithHighlightingForItemAtIndex:
index
Description forthcoming.
rectOfItemAtIndex:
index
Returns frame rectangle of menu item cell. It is smaller by 1 pixel in width than menu window (dark gray border).
setFont:
font
Sets the default font to use when drawing the menu text.
setHighlightedItemIndex:
index
Highlights item with at index. If index is -1 all highlighing is removed.
setHorizontal:
flag
Sets menu orientation. If `YES` menu items are displayed from left to right, if `NO` from top to bottom (vertically). By default, menu items are displayed vertically.
setHorizontalEdgePadding:
pad
Sets amount of pixels added between menu item elements to pad.
setMenu:
menu
Sets the menu to be displayed in to menu. Also this method adds this menu view to the menu's list of observers, mark view to force recalculation of layout with setNeedsSizing:YES, and updates itself with update method.
setMenuItemCell:
cell
forItemAtIndex:
index
Replaces item cell at index with cell. Highlighting of item is preserved.
setNeedsDisplayForItemAtIndex:
index
Calls setNeedsDisplayInRect: for rectangle occupied by item at index.
setNeedsSizing:
flag
Sets the flag whether layout needs to be resized. Set it to `YES` if menu contents changed and layout needs to be recalculated. This method is used internally. Yout should not invoke it directly from applications.
setWindowFrameForAttachingToRect:
screenRect
onScreen:
screen
preferredEdge:
edge
popUpSelectedItem:
selectedItemIndex
Resize menu view frame to be appropriate in size to attach to screenRect at preferredEdge. For popup's menu, if selectedItemIndex is other than -1, position view so selected item covers the NSPopUpButton.
NOTE: preffered edge positioning doesn't implemented yet!
sizeToFit
Description forthcoming.
stateImageOffset
Returns the starting horizontal position for drawing the state image.
stateImageWidth
Returns the width of the state image.
trackWithEvent:
event
This method is responsible for tracking the mouse while this menu is on the screen and the user is busy navigating the menu or one of it submenus. Responsible does not mean that this method does it all. For submenus for example it will call, indirectly, itself for submenu under consideration. It will return `YES` if user released mouse, not above a submenu item. `NO` in all other circumstances. Implementation detail: It use periodic events to update the highlight state and attach / detach submenus. The flag justAttachedNewSubmenu is set to `YES` when a new submenu is attached. The effect is that the highlighting / attaching / detaching is supressed for this menu. This is done so the user is given a change to move the mouse pointer into the newly attached submenu. Otherwise it would immediately be removed as the mouse pointer move over another item. The logic for resetting the flag is rather adhoc. the flag subMenusNeedRemoving means that we will remove all the submenus after we are done. This flag is used to clean up the submenus when the user has opened a submenu by clicking and wants to close it again by clicking on the hihglighted item. When the user released the mouse this method will cleanup all the transient menus. Not only its own, but also its attached menu and all its transient super menus. The clean up is done BEFORE the action is executed. This is needed otherwise `hiding' the application leaves a dangling menu. If this is not acceptable, there should be another mechanism of handling the hiding. BTW besides the `hiding' the application, model panels are also a problem when the menu is not cleared before executing the action.
update
Adds title view for application menu and submenus, removes title view if menu is owned by NSPopUpButton, adds close button to title view for torn off menus and removes it for other type of menu.