I am developing with Objective C. In Xcode, I have a single .nib file with several NSWindows in it besides the app's main window. I wish to use addChildWindow:, etc., to attach the extra windows to the main window and (e.g.) move them around. Thus in the .nib editor, I have used the Connections Inspector to make connections ("drag lines") to the windows from IBOutlets in a central controller (special class, not an NSWindowController or an NSViewController) where I have put code to run addChildWindow:, etc.
The problem is, that the connections aren't getting created. When I check in my central controller's "awakeFromNib" method, I find that the IBOutlets to my windows are all null at that time.
There is a whole lot on the net about people having this kind of problem with NSViews, and the recommended solutions involve NSViewControllers: Let me stress that my connections are not to NSViews, but to NSWindows. I am not sure how to apply the advice for NSViews to my problem.
My "extra" windows are in essence static -- I just use their views to display things to the user (via, e.g. NSTextFields) or to get input from the user (via, e.g., NSButtons), so I haven't any need for the content-altering functions of window or view controllers. Besides, I am not sure how I would go about connecting my windows or their content views to an NSWindowController or an NSViewController, because the IBOutlets haven't been loaded when I need them.
Thus I am stuck in a loop: I can't use null IBOutlets to connect windows and views to window or view controllers, but I seem to need controllers with the windows or views already connected in order to load things and thereby get the IBOutlets to be non-null. Is there a way out?
