NSMenu

Inherits From: NSPanel : NSWindow : NSResponder : NSObject

Conforms To: NSCoding (NSResponder) NSObject (NSObject)

Declared In: AppKit/NSMenu.h

Class Description

This class defines an object that manages an application's menus. An NSMenu object displays a list of items that a user can choose from. When an item is clicked, it may either issue a command directly or bring up another menu (a submenu) that offers further choices. An NSMenu object's choices are implemented as a column of NSMenuCells in an NSMatrix.

Each NSMenuCell can be configured to send its action message to a target, or to bring up a submenu. When the user clicks a submenu item, the submenu is displayed on the screen, attached to its supermenu so that if the user drags the supermenu, the submenu follows it. A submenu may also be torn away from its supermenu, in which case it displays a close button.

Exactly one NSMenu created by the application is designated as the main menu for the application (with NSApplication's setMainMenu: method). This menu is displayed on top of all other windows whenever the application is active, and should never display a close button (because the main menu doesn't have a supermenu).

See the NSMenuCell and NSMatrix class specificiations for more details.

Controlling Allocation Zones

• + (NSZone *)menuZone Returns the zone from which NSMenus should be allocated, creating one if necessary.
• + (void)setMenuZone:(NSZone *)zone Sets the zone from which NSMenus should be allocated.

• - (id)initWithTitle:(NSString *)aTitle Initializes and returns a new NSMenu using aTitle for its title.

• - (id)addItemWithTitle:(NSString *)aString Adds a new item with title aString, action aSelector, and action:(SEL)aSelector key equivalent charCode to the end of the NSMenu. keyEquivalent:(NSString *)charCode Returns the new NSMenuCell.
• - (id)insertItemWithTitle:(NSString *)aString Adds a new item at index having the title aString, action action:(SEL)aSelector aSelector, and key equivalent charCode. Returns the keyEquivalent:(NSString *)charCode new NSMenuCell. atIndex:(unsigned int)index
• - (NSMatrix *)itemMatrix Returns the NSMatrix of NSMenuCell items.
• - (void)setItemMatrix:(NSMatrix *)aMatrix Replaces the current matrix of items with aMatrix.

• - (id)cellWithTag:(int)aTag Returns the NSMenuCell that has aTag as its tag.

• - (NSMenuCell *)setSubmenu:(NSMenu *)aMenu Makes aMenu a submenu controlled by aCell. forItem:(NSMenuCell *)aCell
• - (void)submenuAction:(id)sender Activates a submenu attached to sender's NSMenu.

• - (NSMenu *)attachedMenu Returns the NSMenu attached to the receiver or nil if there's no such object.
• - (BOOL)isAttached Returns YES if the receiver is attached to another menu and NO otherwise.
• - (BOOL)isTornOff Returns NO if the receiver is attached to another menu (or if it's the main menu) and YES otherwise.
• - (NSPoint)locationForSubmenu:(NSMenu *)aSubmenu Determines where to display an attached submenu when it's brought up.
• - (void)sizeToFit Resizes the receiver to exactly fit the command items.
• - (NSMenu *)supermenu Returns the receiver's supermenu.

• - (BOOL)autoenablesItems Returns whether the receiver enables and disables its NSMenuCells. (See the NSMenuActionResponder informal protocol.)
• - (void)setAutoenablesItems:(BOOL)flag Sets whether the receiver enables and disables its NSMenuCells. (See the NSMenuActionResponder informal protocol.)