May 2001
Intermediate to advanced
360 pages
10h 6m
English
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Chapter 13. Desktop Icons
The Finder, the application that manages the user interface in Mac OS X, represents the file system to the user through the metaphor of a desktop with folders and documents on it. Those ubiquitous little pictures called icons are the heart of the desktop metaphor because they represent documents, storage media, folders, and applications to the user. By manipulating icons, the user can conduct such operations as launching applications, opening folders, and moving files.
Graphic limitations of earlier operating systems constrained icons to a two-dimensional style. Mac OS X icons, on the other hand, are capable of having depth and a lush look that approaches photo-realism.
When you create an application, the operating system will assign it a generic icon unless you provide your own custom icon. While not entirely unappealing, a generic icon doesn’t communicate anything to the user about an application. To make your application complete, you should provide a custom icon. If your application creates documents or uses plug-ins or other files, you should provide icons for those as well. In this chapter, you’ll:
Take a look at the kinds of icon that are used on Mac OS X
See what goes into icon design
Look at the technical details of icons, such as sizes and masks
Find out how to get a file or application to appear with your icon
Add application and document icons to the Moon Travel Planner application
Icon Basics
Creating icons requires artistic and technical skills. ...
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.