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Calendar, a macOS application using AppKit.
AppKit (formally Application Kit)[1] is a graphical user interface toolkit. It initially served as the UI framework for NeXTSTEP.[2] Along with Foundation and Display PostScript, it became one of the core parts of the OpenStep specification of APIs. Later, AppKit and Foundation became part of Cocoa, the Objective-C API framework of macOS. GNUstep, GNU's implementation of the OpenStep/Cocoa API, also contains an implementation of the AppKit API.
AppKit comprises a collection of Objective-C classes and protocols that can be used to build an application in OpenStep/Cocoa. These classes can also be used in Swift through its Objective-C bridge. Xcode has built-in functionality for developing a Cocoa application using AppKit, including the ability to visually design user interfaces with Interface Builder. It relies heavily on patterns like reference types, delegation, notifications, target–action, and model–view–controller. A sign of the NeXTSTEP heritage, AppKit's classes and protocols still use the "NS" prefix.
Most of the applications bundled with macOS—for example, the Finder, TextEdit, Calendar, and Preview—use AppKit to provide their user interface.
macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS also support other UI frameworks, including UIKit, which is derived from AppKit and uses many similar structures, and SwiftUI, a Swift-only declarative UI framework.
Prior to macOS Catalina, macOS also supported Carbon, a UI framework derived from the Macintosh Toolbox.
^AppKit Release Notes for macOS 10.13. Apple Documentation Archive. Retrieved 23 Oct 2017.
^The legacy of NeXT lives on in OS X — Ars Technica, Dec 2012.
AppKit (formally Application Kit) is a graphical user interface toolkit. It initially served as the UI framework for NeXTSTEP. Along with Foundation and...
macOS. It exists a layer above AppKit and UIKit. Apple used a "UXKit" private framework for a 2015 version of Photos.app. Apple made the bridge more official...
imperative syntax used in other Apple development frameworks such as UIKit and AppKit. SwiftUI allows for 2D drawing, animations, event handling, widgets, and...
software development kits. Some SDKs are required for developing a platform-specific app. For example, the development of an Android app on the Java platform...
content from an iPhone as a macOS window, has been introduced. The Calculator app has been redesigned to be more similar to that of iOS and iPadOS, including...
a persistent navigation sidebar.) and the IPadOS version of the Settings app. If AirPods are connected, a menu for the AirPods will appear at the top...
become a context menu. Video-conferencing apps can overlay the presenter's webcam video on top of screen sharing. App icons have been made more rounded. The...
by third-party developers as UI elements for their applications through AppKit, SwiftUI, and Catalyst, which makes it possible to unify third party applications...
with the release of iMac G5, which featured a built-in iSight camera. The app was later introduced on iPad devices with the release of iPad 2 in March...
involved integrating the OpenStep AppKit with the Display PostScript layer of the Sun X11 server, making the AppKit tolerant of multi-threaded code (as...
and many of its userland APIs, with Cocoa replaced by Cocoa Touch, and AppKit replaced by UIKit. The graphics stack runs on Metal, Apple's low-level graphics...
restrictions on iOS, such as the inability to share music or videos from the native apps. On Macs running OS X 10.7 and greater, AirDrop is available in the Finder...
player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play...
WebKit is a browser engine primarily used in Apple's Safari web browser, as well as all web browsers on iOS and iPadOS. WebKit is also used by the PlayStation...
The Mac App Store (also known as the App Store) is a digital distribution platform for macOS apps, often referred to as Mac apps, created and maintained...
AirDrop AppKit Apple File System Apple menu Apple Push Notification service AppleScript Aqua Audio Units AVFoundation Bonjour Bundle CloudKit Cocoa ColorSync...
"AppImageKit". github.com. 19 November 2021. "AppImage/AppImageSpec". GitHub. 18 November 2021. "The future of AppImage: Type 2 and new tools". AppImage...
standalone apps. One could develop standalone iMessage apps or an extension to existing iOS apps. Publishers can also create standalone stickers apps without...
and actions in HomeKit, users can enable automations in the home through a voice command to Siri or through the Home app. With HomeKit, developers are able...
share multiplayer functionality between the Mac and iOS versions of the app. Game Center was introduced to the public in iOS 4.1 after an earlier developer...
iOS/iPadOS Settings app. Because of this, the app-specific "Preferences..." menu bar item has been renamed "Settings..." for all apps. Photos app: iCloud Shared...
"iOS apps will run on macOS with Project Catalyst". June 3, 2019. "SystemExtensions". Apple Developer Documentation. System Extensions and DriverKit. Apple...
built-in apps, such as replacing iTunes with separate Music, Podcasts, and TV apps, redesigned Reminders and Books apps, and a new Find My app. It also...
DriverKit. After Apple acquired NeXT, the kernel was updated with code derived from OSFMK 7.3 from OSF, and the FreeBSD project, and the DriverKit was replaced...
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