API Notes: Foundation framework¶
The full API is described in Apple’s documentation, both the C and Objective-C APIs are available (but see the API Notes below).
These bindings are accessed through the AppKit
package (that is, import AppKit
).
API Notes¶
API additions¶
See API Description for PyObjCTools.FndCategories for some API extensions for the Foundation framework.
NSAppleEventDescriptor, NSAppleEventManager¶
These classes are barely supported, interaction with the lowlevel AppleEvent machinery is not tested at all and probably doesn’t work.
Use the ScriptingBridge and/or the (deprecated) appscript library instead of this class.
NSCoder¶
-encodeValuesOfObjCTypes:
: Use the basic encoding methods instead-decodeValuesOfObjCTypes:
: Use the basic decoding methods instead
NSData, NSMutableData¶
-getBytes:
: Use-bytes
instead.+dataWithBytesNoCopy:length:
,-initWithBytesNoCopy:length
: Don’t use these, Cocoawill try to use the C function
free()
on the buffer when the data object is released and that won’t work.
+dataWithBytesNoCopy:length:freeWhenDone:
,-initWithBytesNoCopy:length:freeWhenDone:
: Using these is fairly dangerous, your program can crash when the data buffer is cleaned up by the Python garbage collector before theNSData
object is deallocated.The
freeWhenDone
argument must beFalse
.Use
buffer(value)
instead, those will automatically be bridged to an instance of aNSData
subclass.
NSDictionary
¶
-getObjects:andKeys:
This method is not supported.
NSDebug¶
NSDebugEnabled
,NSZombieEnabled
,NSDeallocateZombies
,NSHangOnUncaughtException
,NSKeepAllocationStatistics
: These values are not available from Python.NSIsFreedObject
,NSFrameAddress
,NSReturnAddress
,NSCountFrames
:These functions are not available from Python.
NSException¶
NSSetUncaughtExceptionHandler
is not supportedNSAssert5
,NSAssert4
,NSAssert3
,NSAssert2
,NSAssert1
,NSAssert
,NSParameterAssert
,NSCAssert5
,NSCAssert4
,NSCAssert3
,NSCAssert2
,NSCAssert1
,NSCAssert
andNSCParameterAssert
are not supported.
NSGarbageCollector¶
PyObjC does not fully support running with the garbage collector enabled at the moment.
disableCollectorForPointer:
,enableCollectorForPointer:
: These API’s are not supported at all.
NSGeometry¶
NSZeroPoint
,NSZeroSize
,NSZeroRect
: these are mutable. Do not use them to initialize a variable that you’ll modify later on, use the default constructor instead.This is, instead of:
point = NSZeroPoint # ... point.x = 4
Use:
point = NPoint() # ... point.x = 4
(or even:
point = NSPoint(x=4)
).The CoreGraphics types
CGPoint
,CGSize
andCGRect
are interchangeable with their Foundation counterparts, there is no need to explicitly convert between them.
NSInvocation¶
Struct
NSObjCValue
and related constants (such asNSObjCNoType
) are not available in Python.It is possible to get and set argument values and the return value of an invocation, but only for the simple cases, that is when the value is a single value and not a pointer to value or an array of values.
That is, the following methods cannot be accessed through an
NSInvocation
at the moment:NSArray.arrayWithObjects_count_: The first argument is a C-array of values
NSFormatter.getObjectValue_forString_range_error_: The first and last arguments are a by-reference arguments.
It is possible to get/set values whose type is a basic C type, that is the return value
NSArray.count
can be extracted from anNSInvocation
object.This limitation should be fine for most usecases of
NSInvocation
, please let us know if you run into cases where this limitation is a problem.
NSMapTable¶
Using
NSMapTableObjectPointerPersonality
is not supported. Trying to access values in a maptable with this personality for the keys or values will crash your program.
Generic Macros¶
The function/macros
MIN
,MAX
andABS
are not available in Python. Use the regular python functionsmin
,max
andabs
instead.
NSPointerArray¶
This class is only usable when the array is configured for Object use.
NSPointerFunctions¶
Accessing the actual function properties (such as hashFunction
) is not supported.
NSMachPort delegate¶
Implementing or calling handleMachMessage:
is not supported. The argument is mapped on
a plain python integer, accessing the actual Mach message buffer is not possible.
NSUUID
¶
The method initWithUUIDBytes:
has an argument of type bytes with length 16.
The method getUUIDBytes:
returns an instance of bytes of length 16.
NSString
¶
initWithCharactersNoCopy:length:deallocator:
,initWithBytesNoCopy:length:encoding:deallocator:
: These methods are available from Python, but are not really useful because the pointer argument for the deallocator will not be the same as the argument passed in the first argument of this selector.
NSAttributedString
¶
initWithFormat:options:locale:arguments:
cannot be used from Python.
NSDecimalNumber
¶
Subclassing NSDecimalNumber
is support in theory, but in practice this won’t work because
the Foundation framework doesn’t support this.