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From: giant@lindy.Stanford.EDU (Buc Richards)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Interface Builder question
Message-ID: <9867@lindy.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 7 Jun 90 00:19:12 GMT
Sender: giant@lindy.Stanford.EDU (Buc Richards)
Reply-To: giant@lindy.Stanford.EDU (Buc Richards)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 35



I have built a set of interface files for a project using Interface Builder.
In particular I have a window with a bunch of standard objects in it
called Inspector Window.  I have a menu button called Inspector under
the Window button that is connected to the makeKeyandOrderFront action
of this window, which works fine.  The question is, how can I gain
access to the window objects from the .m programs *outside* of
Interface Builder?  I can connect to the Key Window of course, but
there is no guarantee at any time that this will be the key window.
As a concrete example, I have a text field in the window that I would
like to display the name of a currently open file.  Open is connected
to File's Owner of course, and there is the standard code for running
an open panel there.  Ideally, I would like to also send some kind of
message at that time of the form

appropriateWindow = ?
appropriateTextField = [appropriateWindow getAppropriateTextField];
[appropriateTextField read:stream];

(note that this is a recursive problem).  The nib file has provided
me with the standard action
- setInspectorWindow:anObject
{
  inspectorWindow = anObject;
  return self;
}
but calling [self setInspectorWindow] doesn't do anything (what should
the argument be, by the way?).  This seems like it should be trivial,
but as I say I have not really been able to find this problem/solution
clearly stated in the manuals.  It's pretty clear how to do these things
if you set up all the windows by hand, outside of IB, but then IB doesn't
do much good.

Thanks for any pointers.