Using an NSButtonCell with template image in a NSTableView

Question

In Interface Builder, I have set the dataCell of one of the columns of my NSTableView instance to be NSButtonCell. This works as expected, however, trying to use a ‘template’ image doesn't yield the expected visual result when clicking the button.

How I configure the NSButtonCell:

• Image: NSRevealFreestandingTemplate
• Scaling: None
• Bezel: Bevel
• Type: Momentary Push In
• Bordered: false

Expected result when clicking the button:

• Since the image is a ‘template’, the button should render its ‘on’ state.
• The background, ie the space surrounding the image, should not change.

Actual result when clicking the button:

• No difference in the ‘state’ of the rendered image.
• The background color changes to white.

Even-though I’ve tried my best to make the explanation of the problem as concise as possible, I’ve also made a simple screencast to visually illustrate the problem. And uploaded the demo app.

Answer 1

You need to set the button type to NSMomentaryChangeButton.

Answer 2

So, the solution turns out to be; don't use template images for this…

I decided to show the correct image states myself and discovered that with a non-template image, it works fine.