# Some questions from a total newbie...



## iPenguin (Jul 15, 2004)

Hi all,

I'm completely new at making applications, I've got zero experience whatsoever, so please bear with me... 
I'm attempting to make a smaller iTunes controller (yes... I know there are millions of them out there, but I want the satisfaction of knowing I made it myself, and don't want all sorts of features I don't need.) using xCode, and I've gotten the buttons to work properly (by attaching AppleScripts to them), but there are certain things I've got some questions about:

1.) I'd like to have my controller to have the form factor of a panel (see attachment) but if I use a panel, the window disappears when I switch apps. Is there anyway to stop this from happening? Or is there any way to get the small form factor without using a panel?

2.) I don't really need a title bar. Is there anyway I can remove it? (I guess if the title bar was removable, I could use a normal window, which would probably remove my problem in question 1.)

3.) Is it possible to not have the application activate when I click the buttons from within a different app? Or alternatively is it possible for the application to float above all other apps, and not have a menu?

I realize that most of these things will probably require lots of complex coding, but if any solutions are possible, it'd be great if someone could post them.

Thanks!
iPenguin


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## anarchie (Jul 15, 2004)

All three of those questions can be answered with a quick trip to the NSWindow and NSPanel documentation pages.  Some of the options aren't available from within Interface  Builder, so here you go.

http://developer.apple.com/document...asses/NSPanel.html#//apple_ref/occ/cl/NSPanel


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## iPenguin (Jul 15, 2004)

Cool! Thanks, those look like exactly what I want, except I have no idea where to put the code (like I said, I'm a complete newbie)...

where, for example would: NSBorderlessWindowMask go?
or: - (void)setFloatingPanelBOOL)flag ?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!
-iPenguin


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## anarchie (Jul 15, 2004)

If you follow the Model-View-Controller paradigm, you should have a controller type object which responds to input via IBActions and handles app initialization.  If you want to set a window's parameters at app initialization, you would generally do it in the controller's method -(void) awakeFromNib; which is sent when the controller is loaded from the nib.


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## iPenguin (Jul 16, 2004)

Hmm... I don't understand a word of that last post... Sorry.
Maybe my last post wasn't clear in what I was asking: What file would I add those snippets of code to, and where in that file? What application would need to use to add the code to the file? (I'm assuming the regular xCode app, or maybe Interface Builder...)

Any clarification would be nice.
Thanks!
-iPenguin


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