[VEGAN]

Writing my small app I realized that I have a small problem.

I have data in a NSDictionary which I make in to NSArray. This NSArray is used to draw the contents of NSTableView. However, there's this one thing I couldn't do.

One column is numbers (well, they are there "as string" and this is creating the problem) and I want to display that column as formated column. Meaning, I'd like to set a format (from within IB) so that negative numbers would be RED.

If I do that, data is not presented in that column!?!?!?!?!?

Why?

And how can I make it work...

[Ibson]

What exactly are you doing in IB? I didn't think you could drag formatters to table columns.

Anyway, here's one way to get it to work:

Code:
- (void)tableView:(NSTableView *)aTableView willDisplayCell:(id)aCell forTableColumn:(NSTableColumn *)aTableColumn row:(int)rowIndex
{
    static NSNumberFormatter NumberFormatter = nil;
    if (!*NumberFormatter)
    {
        // create the  formatter
    }
    [aCell setFormatter:NumberFormatter];
}

Just register as your table view's delegate.

[VEGAN]

Originally posted by Ibson:
What exactly are you doing in IB? I didn't think you could drag formatters to table columns.

Well, YOU CAN drag formaters... but maybe you are right that they don't really work.

This is what I tried:

-Double click on the Table
-Click on the column [title?]
-Drag the formater:
---Date, or
---Number
-set it up

Unfortunately it didn't automatically display the strings as formated numbers...

[VEGAN]

Look what they do here!

http://www05.u-page.so-net.ne.jp/xd5...TableView.html

[The explanations are in Japanese or something... I don't understand it, but the examples are good: IN ENGLISH ]

It kind of a works. Meaning, I can set the precision from with in IB [how many digits after `.' will be displayed].

However, I can't get the negative number to go RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone have an idea why??

[IamBob]

You're going about it the hard way. Forget the formatters and do it yourself.

The simplest solution is to return what you want displayed from your datasource method tableView:objectValueForTableColumn:row:...

Code:
- (id)tableView:(NSTableView *)aTableView
    objectValueForTableColumn:(NSTableColumn *)aTableColumn
    row:(int)rowIndex
{
NSDictionary *red = [[NSDictionary alloc] initWithObjectsAndKeys:
                [NSColor redColor], NSForegroundColorAttributeName, nil];

NSAttributedString *attedString;

        if ([yourString intValue] <= -1) {
              attedString = [[NSAttributedString alloc] 
                                     initWithString:yourString 
                                     attributes:red];
         }

          [red release];

          if (attedString != nil)
               return [attedString autorelease];

return yourString;
}

HTH!

[VEGAN]

The nice thing about the IB formaters is that I can define "0" as, say, "Empty" or "CORRECT" or... whatever...

AND it can be easily translated to other languages for "localization" purposes.

If I write in into the code... well... I don't want to define anything in Japanese if you understand me. It's not that I don't like Japanese or something... it's just that I have a certain limitations in number of languages I speak

[IamBob]

Yes, that's true but it seems that you could just as easily get a localized color for "Correct" (/whatever) and use that as your foreground in the attributed string...

Far be it from me to offer alts. though. We wouldn't want too many ways to do things!

[VEGAN]

Originally posted by IamBob:
Yes, that's true but it seems that you could just as easily get a localized color for "Correct" (/whatever) and use that as your foreground in the attributed string...

Far be it from me to offer alts. though. We wouldn't want too many ways to do things!

I will try your method... let's see if it will work with localizations and all.

[IamBob]

If you've already got a working solution I wouldn't bother. But you never said you found a solution so I dunno..

[VEGAN]

Originally posted by IamBob:
If you've already got a working solution I wouldn't bother. But you never said you found a solution so I dunno..

It was working fine except for the color.

[IamBob]

Hmm...want something else to try?

Create an outlet that connects your formatter and some object. In the awakeFromNib of "some object":

Code:
- (void)awakeFromNib
{
    NSMutableDictionary *attrs = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];

    // I'm quessing this could be a localized color
    // though I'm not sure how you'd do that
    [attrs setObject:[NSColor redColor] forKey:@"NSColor"];

    [yourFormatter setTextAttributesForNegativeValues:attrs];
}

HTH!