Multiple IBOutlets (from different classes) to One Object

Question

Just a quick semantic question, but is it considered OK to have multiple IBOutlets, located in different classes, going to one (for example) NSButton in Interface Builder. The reason I ask is I need to enable and disable an NSButton based on events that happen in different classes. Would multiple IBOutlets be OK, or should I be creating a controller class for the Button that would receive a message telling it to change the sate of the button, resulting in only one IBOutlet?

Thanks in advance.

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@Wain

The relevant code for the MergeFilesController.h file:

@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet NSButton *mergeFilesButton;

-(void)setMergeFilesButtonState:(BOOL)yn;

Relevant code for MergeFilesController.m file:

- (IBAction)mergeFiles:(id)sender {

   //Code goes here
}

- (void)setMergeFilesButtonState:(BOOL)yn {

    [mergeFilesButton setHidden:yn];
}

I have another class (called DragDropController) that controls some drag-and-drop functionality for an NSView. From the DragDropController.m file, I want to be able to change the state of the mergeFilesButton based on some stuff that happens from within the DragDropController class.

It is from the DragDropController class that I was trying to call setMergeFilesButtonState.

Answer 1

You should use a controller class. View classes should be used for displaying and hosting controls. Controls should pass interaction details to the controller. The controller should control all of the views.

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DragDropController should be generic and not know about the other controller specifically. Instead it should post a notification as it's state changes and other controllers can observe the notifications to determine when updates should be made to the UI.