abdullah4ai/macos-patterns

macOS Platform Patterns

Window Management

Three scene types for Mac apps:

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        // Main window — users can open multiple instances
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
        }
        .defaultSize(width: 900, height: 600)

        // Single utility window
        Window("Inspector", id: "inspector") {
            InspectorView()
        }
        .defaultSize(width: 300, height: 400)

        // Document-based app
        DocumentGroup(newDocument: MyDocument()) { file in
            DocumentEditor(document: file.$document)
        }
    }
}

Menu Bar Customization (CommandMenu + FocusedValue)

CommandMenu closures run at the App scene level — outside the view hierarchy. They CANNOT access view @State directly. Use @FocusedValue to bridge view state to menu actions.

// 1. Define a FocusedValue key using @Entry
extension FocusedValues {
    @Entry var activeDocument: DocumentViewModel?
}

// 2. ViewModel — @Observable only (NOT ObservableObject)
@Observable @MainActor
class DocumentViewModel {
    var content = ""
    func save() { /* persist */ }
    func togglePreview() { /* toggle */ }
}

// 3. Publish from active view using .focusedValue()
struct DocumentView: View {
    @State var viewModel = DocumentViewModel()
    var body: some View {
        EditorContent(viewModel: viewModel)
            .focusedValue(\.activeDocument, viewModel)  // REQUIRED — publish to menu bar
    }
}

// 4. Consume in App via @FocusedValue and wire ALL menu actions
@main
struct MyApp: App {
    @FocusedValue(\.activeDocument) private var document

    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup { DocumentView() }

        CommandMenu("Document") {
            Button("Save") { document?.save() }
                .keyboardShortcut("s", modifiers: .command)
                .disabled(document == nil)
            Button("Toggle Preview") { document?.togglePreview() }
                .keyboardShortcut("p", modifiers: [.command, .option])
                .disabled(document == nil)
        }

        CommandGroup(replacing: .newItem) {
            Button("New Document") { document?.createNew() }
                .keyboardShortcut("n", modifiers: .command)
                .disabled(document == nil)
        }
    }
}

Rules:

• ALWAYS define FocusedValues key using @Entry macro
• ALWAYS use .focusedValue(\.key, value) on the active view to publish state
• ALWAYS consume via @FocusedValue(\.key) private var name in the App struct
• ALWAYS .disabled(object == nil) on every menu item — menus are active even when no view is focused
• Using empty closures {} on CommandMenu buttons is unacceptable — every action must call through to the FocusedValue
• CommandMenu closures run outside the view hierarchy — they cannot call view methods directly

Keyboard Shortcuts

Every menu item and primary action needs .keyboardShortcut():

// Standard shortcuts
Button("Save") { save() }
    .keyboardShortcut("s", modifiers: .command)

Button("Undo") { undo() }
    .keyboardShortcut("z", modifiers: .command)

Button("Find") { showSearch() }
    .keyboardShortcut("f", modifiers: .command)

// Custom shortcuts
Button("Toggle Sidebar") { toggleSidebar() }
    .keyboardShortcut("s", modifiers: [.command, .control])

Settings / Preferences

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup { ContentView() }

        // Auto-creates "Settings..." in app menu (Cmd+,)
        Settings {
            SettingsView()
        }
    }
}

struct SettingsView: View {
    var body: some View {
        TabView {
            GeneralSettingsView()
                .tabItem { Label("General", systemImage: "gear") }
            AppearanceSettingsView()
                .tabItem { Label("Appearance", systemImage: "paintbrush") }
        }
        .frame(width: 450, height: 300)
    }
}

Menu Bar Apps

@main
struct StatusApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        MenuBarExtra("Status", systemImage: "circle.fill") {
            StatusMenuView()
        }
        .menuBarExtraStyle(.window)
    }
}

Drag and Drop

// Draggable item
ItemRow(item: item)
    .draggable(item)

// Drop destination
FolderView(folder: folder)
    .dropDestination(for: Item.self) { items, location in
        moveItems(items, to: folder)
        return true
    }

App Sandbox

macOS apps need entitlements for system access:

• File access: com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-write
• Network: com.apple.security.network.client
• Camera: com.apple.security.device.camera
• Microphone: com.apple.security.device.audio-input

Platform Conditionals

Use for platform-specific code in shared modules:

#if os(macOS)
import AppKit
// macOS-specific code
#elseif os(iOS)
import UIKit
// iOS-specific code
#endif

Liquid Glass (macOS 26)

// Translucent glass backgrounds
VStack { content }
    .glassEffect()

// Glass button styles
Button("Action") { }
    .buttonStyle(.glass)

Button("Primary") { }
    .buttonStyle(.glassProminent)

File Handling

// Open panel
.fileImporter(
    isPresented: $showOpen,
    allowedContentTypes: [.json]
) { result in
    // handle
}

// Save panel
.fileExporter(
    isPresented: $showSave,
    document: doc,
    contentType: .json
) { result in
    // handle
}

Deprecated API Alternatives

• Use .foregroundStyle() not .foregroundColor()
• Use .clipShape(.rect(cornerRadius:)) not .cornerRadius()
• Use @Observable not ObservableObject — never combine both on the same class
• Touch Bar is deprecated — do not implement

NOT Available on macOS

• No UIKit — macOS uses AppKit; SwiftUI apps should never import UIKit
• No UIColor / UIImage — use SwiftUI Color / Image instead
• No HealthKit
• No haptic feedback (CoreHaptics)
• No rear camera, LiDAR, or portrait mode (FaceTime camera only)
• No App Clips
• No Live Activities
• No Safari extensions (different extension model)

Rules

1. Use WindowGroup, Window, or DocumentGroup for scene types
2. Use CommandMenu / CommandGroup for menu bar customization
3. Every primary action MUST have .keyboardShortcut()
4. Use Settings { } scene for preferences (auto-wires Cmd+,)
5. Use MenuBarExtra for menu bar apps with .menuBarExtraStyle(.window)
6. Use .draggable() / .dropDestination() for drag-and-drop
7. Use #if os(macOS) for platform-specific code in shared modules
8. Never import UIKit — use SwiftUI Color/Image not NSColor/NSImage
9. Use .foregroundStyle() not .foregroundColor()
10. Use .clipShape(.rect(cornerRadius:)) not .cornerRadius()