Visualize currently running applications by name

[LauraAubin]

Part of this issue #5

What does this do?

This displays all of the currently running processes on the computer. This only displays them by name in list form. We can access more data such as PID with processIdentifier in a follow up PR.

How does it work?

Why do we have to declare class instances in the header?

NSWorkspace is a class that handles apps and file services. runningApplications is an instance property of this class. These cannot be used in the storyboard, so we put them in the header and pass pointers of these instances to the ProcessController.m file.

Component:

This makes use of the Table view component. The process list is generated from localizedName which returns the name of the application.

Attaching the controller to the component:

These are the steps I took to connect the functions in the ProcessController to the table component.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Notice how I named the table column ProcessNamesColumn. This cannot happen. You must name the columns based on the data they are going to hold. So in our situation, we want to hold the names of the processes. If we look at the NSRunningApplication, you'll notice that it has a localizedName attribute. This returns the localized name of the application.

• To access the currently running process data, you must use the NSWorkspace class. This will give you access to runningApplications, so you must use workspace.runningApplications on the content bindings (screenshots are wrong and should be corrected, this is case sensitive).

1. Add the Table view component to the scene.

The view stack should look as follows:

2. Create an object for the process controller:

3. Create an array controller:

4. Outlet arrayOfRunningProcesses to the newly created array controller

• Right click on the Process Controller object

5. Bind the value of arrayOfRunningProcesses to the table column:

This is on the table column:

• We are binding the table column to the array controller. Our array controller is now called "Array Of Running Processes".
• The model key path is the name of the column.

Note the following referencing binding on the array controller class:

6. Connect the table's delegate to our Process Controller object:

7. Create content array bindings on the Array Of Running Processes class:

[LauraAubin]

Weak:

Keeps a pointer to the object so long as it exists. When it is deallocated, pointer is set to nil automatically.

Readonly

Only generate a getter, no setter. Will warn you if you try to change this property.

NSWorkspace

Can launch apps and handle file services. There is one shared workspace within the entire app.

[LauraAubin]

Sorts an array as part of arrangeObjects.

[LauraAubin]

Tells the delegate that the app has become active.

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/uiapplicationdelegate/1622956-applicationdidbecomeactive?language=objc

[LauraAubin]

rearrangeObjects is a method that calls arrangeObjects which returns an array containing filtered and sorted (sortDescriptors) objects.

[LauraAubin]

Workspaces are used to launch apps and perform file services.

[LauraAubin]

You can call sharedWorkspace from anywhere in the app, so it is needed to bind to the UI.