NSEvent leak for key down in macOS - swift

In Xcode 10.1 with Swift 4.2 I'm having a memory leak when I add a local monitor for key down events in my NSViewController, that it is be instanced as minimal version (without nib and xib).
override func loadView() {
self.view = NSView()
self.view.wantsLayer = true
}
override func viewDidLoad(){
super.viewDidLoad
NSEvent.addLocalMonitorForEvents(matching: .keyDown, handler: handler)
}
lazy var handler:(NSEvent)->NSEvent? = { [ weak self ,unowned picker = picker] event in
picker.keyDown(with: event)
return event
}
This memory leak does not have much information:Memory leak
EDIT
In deinit method removeMonitor is called
deinit {
NSEvent.removeMonitor(self)
}
EDIT 2
Issue solved :
override func loadView() {
self.view = NSView()
self.view.wantsLayer = true
}
var monitor:Any? // This is essential
override func viewDidLoad(){
super.viewDidLoad
monitor = NSEvent.addLocalMonitorForEvents(matching: .keyDown, handler: handler)
}
lazy var handler:(NSEvent)->NSEvent? = { [ weak self ,unowned picker = picker] event in
picker.keyDown(with: event)
return event
}
deinit {
NSEvent.removeMonitor(monitor)
}

From the Apple Docs;
Note
The monitor Block is called for all future events that match mask. You must call removeMonitor(_:) to stop the monitor. Under garbage collection, the monitor (and everything the Block references) will not be collected until removeMonitor(_:) is invoked.
Meaning that the monitor will continue to look for matching events until removeMonitor() is invoked. So your system is using extra memory to keep looking for events, and if you never call this - it could lead to a fairly large memory leak. As it says even with garbage collection, this object is still allocated - because it is looking for events that could take place at any time (so it is not guaranteed that this will be collected). Make sure you call this when you want the system to stop looking for events.
You could also do something like this in your handler.
You can return the event unmodified, create and return a new NSEvent object, or return nil to stop the dispatching of the event.

Related

Swift calling a ViewController function from the AppDelegate [duplicate]

I am building an iOS app using the new language Swift. Now it is an HTML5 app, that displays HTML content using the UIWebView. The app has local notifications, and what i want to do is trigger a specific javascript method in the UIWebView when the app enters foreground by clicking (touching) the local notification.
I have had a look at this question, but it does not seem to solve my problem. I have also come across this question which tells me about using UIApplicationState, which is good as that would help me know the the app enters foreground from a notification. But when the app resumes and how do i invoke a method in the viewController of the view that gets displayed when the app resumes?
What i would like to do is get an instance of my ViewController and set a property in it to true. Something as follows
class FirstViewController: UIViewController,UIWebViewDelegate {
var execute:Bool = false;
#IBOutlet var tasksView: UIWebView!
}
And in my AppDelegate i have the method
func applicationWillEnterForeground(application: UIApplication!) {
let viewController = self.window!.rootViewController;
let mainStoryboard: UIStoryboard = UIStoryboard(name: "Main", bundle: nil)
var setViewController = mainStoryboard.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("FirstView") as FirstViewController
setViewController.execute = true;
}
so what i would like to do is when the app enters foreground again, i want to look at the execute variable and run the method as follows,
if execute{
tasksView.stringByEvaluatingJavaScriptFromString("document.getElementById('sample').click()");
}
Where should i put the code for the logic to trigger the javascript from the webview? would it be on viewDidLoad method, or one of the webView delegate methods? i have tried to put that code in the viewDidLoad method but the value of the boolean execute is set to its initial value and not the value set in the delegate when the app enters foreground.
If I want a view controller to be notified when the app is brought back to the foreground, I might just register for the UIApplication.willEnterForegroundNotification notification (bypassing the app delegate method entirely):
class ViewController: UIViewController {
private var observer: NSObjectProtocol?
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
observer = NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(forName: UIApplication.willEnterForegroundNotification, object: nil, queue: .main) { [unowned self] notification in
// do whatever you want when the app is brought back to the foreground
}
}
deinit {
if let observer = observer {
NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver(observer)
}
}
}
Note, in the completion closure, I include [unowned self] to avoid strong reference cycle that prevents the view controller from being deallocated if you happen to reference self inside the block (which you presumably will need to do if you're going to be updating a class variable or do practically anything interesting).
Also note that I remove the observer even though a casual reading of the removeObserver documentation might lead one to conclude is unnecessary:
If your app targets iOS 9.0 and later or macOS 10.11 and later, you don't need to unregister an observer in its dealloc method.
But, when using this block-based rendition, you really do need to remove the notification center observer. As the documentation for addObserver(forName:object:queue:using:) says:
To unregister observations, you pass the object returned by this method to removeObserver(_:). You must invoke removeObserver(_:) or removeObserver(_:name:object:) before any object specified by addObserver(forName:object:queue:using:) is deallocated.
I like to use the Publisher initializer of NotificationCenter. Using that you can subscribe to any NSNotification using Combine.
import UIKit
import Combine
class MyFunkyViewController: UIViewController {
/// The cancel bag containing all the subscriptions.
private var cancelBag: Set<AnyCancellable> = []
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
addSubscribers()
}
/// Adds all the subscribers.
private func addSubscribers() {
NotificationCenter
.Publisher(center: .default,
name: UIApplication.willEnterForegroundNotification)
.sink { [weak self] _ in
self?.doSomething()
}
.store(in: &cancelBag)
}
/// Called when entering foreground.
private func doSomething() {
print("Hello foreground!")
}
}
Add Below Code in ViewController
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
let notificationCenter = NotificationCenter.default
notificationCenter.addObserver(self, selector:#selector(appMovedToForeground), name: UIApplication.willEnterForegroundNotification, object: nil)
}
#objc func appMovedToForeground() {
print("App moved to foreground!")
}
In Swift 3, it replaces and generates the following.
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
foregroundNotification = NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(forName:
NSNotification.Name.UIApplicationWillEnterForeground, object: nil, queue: OperationQueue.main) {
[unowned self] notification in
// do whatever you want when the app is brought back to the foreground
}

window.windowController is nil inside windowWillClose() but it isn't inside viewDidAppear()

I've tried, without success, respond to events such as windowWillClose() and windowShouldClose() inside NSWindowController (yes conforming to NSWindowDelegate).
Later, to my surprise, I was able to receive those events if I make my contentViewController (NSViewController) conform to NSWindowDelegate.
Unfortunately, later on, found out that view.window?.windowController is nil inside windowWillClose() or windowShouldClose(), code:
override func viewDidAppear() {
super.viewDidAppear()
self.view.window?.delegate = self
self.view.window?.windowController // not nil!
}
func windowWillClose(_ notification: Notification) {
self.view.window?.windowController // nil!!
}
func windowShouldClose(_ sender: NSWindow) -> Bool {
self.view.window?.windowController // nil!!
return true
}
After realizing that view.window?.windowController is not nil inside viewDidAppear() the next thing I thought was that Swift garbage collected the controller, so I changed viewDidAppear() in a way that creates another reference of windowController thus preventing garbage collection on said object, code:
var windowController: NSWindowController?
override func viewDidAppear() {
super.viewDidAppear()
self.view.window?.delegate = self
windowController = view.window?.windowController
}
func windowWillClose(_ notification: Notification) {
self.view.window?.windowController // NOT nil
}
func windowShouldClose(_ sender: NSWindow) -> Bool {
self.view.window?.windowController // NOT nil
return true
}
My hypothesis turned out to be correct (I think).
Is this the same issue that is preventing me from receiving those events inside NSWindowController?
Is there another way I can achieve the same thing without creating more object references?
In order to post code, I use the Answer option even though it is more of a comment.
I added in NSViewController:
override func viewDidAppear() {
super.viewDidAppear()
parentWindowController = self.view.window!.windowController
self.view.window!.delegate = self.view.window!.windowController as! S1W2WC. // The NSWC class, which conforms to NSWindowDelegate
print(#function, "windowController", self.view.window!, self.view.window!.windowController)
}
I get print log:
viewDidAppear() windowController Optional()
and notification is passed.
But if I change to
override func viewDidAppear() {
super.viewDidAppear()
// parentWindowController = self.view.window!.windowController
self.view.window!.delegate = self.view.window!.windowController as! S1W2WC
print(#function, "windowController", self.view.window!, self.view.window!.windowController)
}
by commenting out parentWindowController, notification don't go anymore to the WindowController…
Edited: I declared in ViewController:
var parentWindowController: NSWindowController? // Helps keep a reference to the controller
The proposed solutions are, in my opinion, hacks that can cause serious problems with memory management by creating circular references. You definitely can make instances of NSWindowController work as the window’s delegate. The proper way is to wire it up correctly in either code or in Interface Builder in Xcode. An example of how to do it properly is offered here.
If the delegate methods are not called is because the wiring up is not done correctly.
Another thing that must be done in Swift is when you add the name of the NSWindowController subclass in Interface Builder in Xcode is to check the checkbox of Inherits from Module. If you fail to do this, none of your subclass methods will be called.

Swift Threading: When to use DispatchQueue.main.async?

I believe I understand what the dispatch queue is doing when I call it, but I'm not sure when exactly I should use it and what it's advantages are when I do use it.
If my understanding is correct, DispatchQueue.main.async { // code } will schedule the code contained within the closure to run on the main dispatch queue in an asynchronous manner. The main queue has the highest priority, and is typically reserved for updating UI to maximize App responsiveness.
Where I'm confused is: What exactly is the difference in updating UI elements within a dispatch queue closure versus just writing the code outside the closure in the same spot? Is it faster to execute the code in the body of a view did load method rather than sending it to the dispatch queue? If not, why?
Code Example:
class MyViewController: UIViewController {
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
updateUI()
}
}
Versus:
class MyViewController: UIViewController {
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
DispatchQueue.main.async {
updateUI()
}
}
}
Which one is will update the UI faster?
The primary use of DispatchQueue.main.async is when you have code running on a background queue and you need a specific block of code to be executed on the main queue.
In your code, viewDidLoad is already running on the main queue so there is little reason to use DispatchQueue.main.async.
But isn't necessarily wrong to use it. But it does change the order of execution.
Example without:
class MyViewController: UIViewController {
func updateUI() {
print("update")
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
print("before")
updateUI()
print("after")
}
}
As one might expect, the output will be:
before
update
after
Now add DispatchQueue.main.async:
class MyViewController: UIViewController {
func updateUI() {
print("update")
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
print("before")
DispatchQueue.main.async {
updateUI()
}
print("after")
}
}
And the output changes:
before
after
update
This is because the async closure is queued up to run after the current runloop completes.
I just ran into the exact situation discribed in your Question: viewDidLoad() calling DispatchQueue.main.async.
In my case I was wanting to modify Storyboard defaults prior to displaying a view.
But when I ran the app, the default Storyboard items were momentarily displayed. The animated segue would finish. And only THEN would the UI components be modified via the code in viewDidLoad(). So there was this annoying flash of all of the default storyboard values before the real values were edited in.
This was because I was modifying those controls via a helper function that always first dispatched to the main thread. That dispatch was too late to modify the controls prior to their first display.
So: modify Storyboard UI in viewDidLoad() without dispatching to the Main Thread. If you're already on the main thread, do the work there. Otherwise your eventual async dispatch may be too late.

Using CGDisplayStream with a Queue

I'm working on implementing screen-capturing of a Mac app suing CGDisplayStream, similar to the question asked here, but in Swift.
Below is the code I have in my app's single ViewController:
override func viewDidAppear() {
super.viewDidAppear()
let backgroundQueue = DispatchQueue(label: "com.app.queue",
qos: .background,
target: nil)
let displayStream = CGDisplayStream(dispatchQueueDisplay: 0, outputWidth: 100, outputHeight: 100,pixelFormat: Int32(k32BGRAPixelFormat), properties: nil, queue: backgroundQueue) { (status, code, iosurface, update) in
switch(status){
case .frameBlank:
print("FrameBlank")
break;
case .frameIdle:
print("FrameIdle")
break;
case .frameComplete:
print("FrameComplete")
break;
case .stopped:
print("Stopped")
break;
}
self.update()
}
displayStream?.start()
}
func update(){
print("WORKING")
}
What seems to be happening is that the queue process isn't being properly initialized, but I'm not sure...when the app starts, the self.update() is called once, but only once. Given that the display stream has started properly, I would expect this function to be called repeatedly, but it's only called once.
Anyone have any ideas? Am I not setting up a queue properly?
Thank you!
The problem is that no reference to displayStream is kept outside
of viewDidAppear, so the stream will be deallocated on return
of that method.
Making it a property of the view controller should solve the problem:
class ViewController: NSViewController {
var displayStream: CGDisplayStream?
override func viewDidAppear() {
super.viewDidAppear()
// ...
displayStream = CGDisplayStream(...)
displayStream?.start()
}
override func viewWillDisappear() {
super.viewWillDisappear()
displayStream?.stop()
displayStream = nil
}
}
Releasing the stream in viewWillDisappear breaks the retain cycle
and allows the view controller to be deallocated (if it is part of
a view controller hierarchy).

What's causing this? - "CoreAnimation: warning, deleted thread with uncommitted CATransaction"

Xcode 8.2.1 / macOS 10.12.4 beta
I'm trying to understand an error I'm getting:
CoreAnimation: warning, deleted thread with uncommitted CATransaction; set CA_DEBUG_TRANSACTIONS=1 in environment to log backtraces, or set CA_ASSERT_MAIN_THREAD_TRANSACTIONS=1 to abort when an implicit transaction isn't created on a main thread.
I have a block of code in a swift file that sends a network request, retrieves some data and processes it before posting a notification:
// global variable
var data: [String: Any] = [:]
func requestData() {
...
do {
// process data
data = processedData
NotificationCenter.default.post(name: didProcessData, object: nil)
}
} catch {
...
}
In my main ViewController.swift file, an observer listens for the notification and updates the view.
func updateView() {
// update the view
textField.stringValue = "..."
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self, selector: #selector(updateView), name: didProcessData, object: nil)
}
When updateView() is called, the actual text fields and such take a random amount of time to actually update, and the aforementioned error appears.
My guess was that there was an issue with thread safety, so I changed updateView() like so:
func updateView() {
DispatchQueue.main.async(execute: {
// update the view
self.textField.stringValue = "..."
})
}
And now the view updates properly. But I'm still relatively inexperienced with programming, and I don't quite understand what exactly is causing the error.
Your notification handler (updateView) is called from an arbitrary thread -- e.g. not from the main thread (so-called UI-Thread). Several framework APIs detect when they are called from outside the main thread (as a kind-of warning).
If you want to update the UI, you'll have to make sure that this code is executed in the main thread; this is typically accomplished by enqueuing a closure (work item) to DispatchQueue.main.async, which is part of GCD (Grand Central Dispatch).