Question

Is it possible to have a pattern (say a grid) in a view that can be repeated x or y or both? Kind of like css:

background-image: url(pattern.png);
background-repeat: repeat; //or repeat-x, repeat-y, no repeat;

Answer 1

Yes. You can load an image pattern as a color ([NSColor withPatternImage:[NSImage imageNamed:@"pattern"]]) and then draw it as you would a regular color:

- (void)drawRect:(NSRect)dirtyRect {
    ...
    // Load the image through NSImage and set it as the current color.
    [[NSColor colorWithPatternImage:[NSImage imageNamed:@"pattern"]] set];

    // Fill the entire view with the image.
    [NSBezierPath fillRect:[self bounds]];
    ...
}

This code will repeat the pattern over the entirety of view, but you can have it simply x-repeat or y-repeat with a little modification.

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Take a look at the NSColor Class Reference and the NSView Class Reference to learn more.