How can i create `IBOutlet` or `IBAction` in custom class

Question

how can i create IBOutlet or IBAction taking into account following conditions:

• IBAction or IBOutlet must be created inside my custom class (inherited from NSObject)
• NSButton instance is visible inside Interface Builder (XCode 4)

In short i would like to add click action from button to my class.

Any help appriciated, thanks :)

EDIT 19.02.2012

I was asking questions without providing all data that was needed... i just needed to read some more cocoa guides...

I wanted to hook up acitions to components from other scopes which is impossible from what i know :(

Answer 1

Look at Apple's Cocoa tutorial documentation that comes with Xcode 4, this is rather fundamental to the Xcode/Cocoa/interface designer model!

In outline:

@interface MyCustomClass

- (IBAction) myButtonClickAction:(id)sender;

@end

@implementation MyCustomClass

- (IBAction) myButtonClickAction:(id)sender
{
   NSLog(@"My button has been clicked");
}

@end

Now in the interface designer (just open the .xib file in Xcode to get the designer) you need to:

1. Add an instance of MyCustomClass - select Object from the Object Library and drag it onto your Objects (usually on lhs of canvas) or the design canvas (it will just go to Objects and not create a graphic widget on the canvas). Now select the added Object and in the Inspector (usually on rhs of canvas) set the class to MyCustomClass. Now when your application starts up an instance of MyCustomClass will be created.
2. Select your NSButton on the design canvas, select the Connections tab in the Inspector. Click and drag from selector under Sent Actions to your MyCustomClass under Objects. On releasing you'll get a menu of IBActions to select from, pick myButtonClickAction.
3. You'll probably want to add an IBOutlet to your application delegate to link to the custom object instance that has been created, if you don't you won't have a direct way of accessing it. The process to do this follows the same pattern as for the IBAction above.

That is it, in words (pictures help), and very briefly.

Now go read those tutorials!

Answer 2

IBOutlet and IBAction are just flags to be used by Interface builder for hooking up UIComponents and their actions to classes (hence the prefix IB). This is all the are used for - you don't use them to programmatically hook up buttons with actions

If you want to hook up a button to an action, you need to add and action to the button.

(not sure of the syntax with NSButton, as I'm an iOS programmer - but search the docs and it should be clear)