[Pythonmac-SIG] OT: getting at the XML in nib files

[Steven Majewski]

On Thu, 17 Jan 2002, Steven Majewski wrote:

>
> So I tried loading AppKit.framework first (guessing that that's
> where NSIBObjectData classes hide!)  and I got back a
> <Objective-C `NSIBObjectData' instance at 27b0e0> object from
> the Unarchiver.
>
> I don't see the docs for NSIBObjectData, so I might have to
> use the introspection classes to see what methods they have.
>
> However, there's a bunch of stuff I haven't moved over to my
> laptop since the upgrade, and I don't have the NeoData introspection
> classes. I'll see if I can get them set up to work from Python
> again.
>
>
> BTW: You can load a class browser app and the framework from:
> 	<http://www.neodata-inc.com/Eng/index.html>
>
>
> ( But since the files are serialized object archives and not
>   frameworks/bundles, you can't use the app directly on the
>    nib file (I believe) -- which is why I have to do it
>    from Python after they are unarchived. )
>

I hadn't used this in some time, so I forgot what I could actually
do.

I downloaded the introspector.app
This shows all of the classes in a framework, not just the documented
ones, so I could find NSIBObjectData -- among it's methods:

- (void)         nibInstantiateWithOwner: (id) topLevelObjects: (id);
- (void)         nibInstantiateWithOwner: (id);


There also seem to be some instance variables holding some tables --
I assume one of these is the 'table of contents', but I'm not
sure how to access them.

-- Steve