how to code NSButton to look just like image

Question

Using code (not the Interface builder) I need to create an NSButton that looks like an image. Specifically I want to use NSImageNameStopProgressFreestandingTemplate and I need it not to look like button but to look like the image. This means:
1. No 'button down' look
2. No border, no any visibility of the button

Thanks.

Answer 1

I know this response is a bit late, but you could try this, given thisButton:

[thisButton setImage:[NSImage imageNamed:NSImageNameStopProgressFreestandingTemplate]];
[thisButton setImagePosition:NSImageOnly];
[thisButton setBordered:NO];

That last line is the key bit: removing the button border effectively strips it of its bezel, leaving only the image to click on. (BTW, I haven't tried the above code specifically, so you may need to throw in a couple of other tweaks, such as setting the imageScaling or buttonType, to get it to work best.)

One final note: If you're using a template image (as you said you would), Cocoa will automatically display it with a slight dark-grey gradient; when the button is clicked, it will momentarily darken to solid black. This is an automatic "'button down' look" you didn't want; however, it is very subtle, and is a good indicator that the button worked. If you don't want this to happen, you could get an instance of the desired image and [stopImage setTemplate:NO]; on it.