2 min read
Step 2: Menu Bar
Set up the menu bar icon and popover.
Where We Are
You have a basic macOS project. Now let’s make it a menu bar app.
Convert to Menu Bar App
Convert the app to a menu bar (status bar) application:
- Use NSStatusBar to add an icon to the menu bar
- Use an SF Symbol like "note.text" or "square.and.pencil" for the icon
- When clicked, show a popover panel
- Remove the app from the Dock (set LSUIElement to YES in Info.plist)
- Remove the default windowTest It
- Run the app
- Look in your menu bar (top right of screen)
- You should see a small icon
- Click it — a popover should appear
- The app should NOT appear in the Dock
If the icon doesn’t appear, check the console in Xcode for errors.
Size the Popover
Set the popover to a reasonable size:
- About 300 points wide
- About 400 points tall
- It should appear directly below the menu bar iconAdd Close Behavior
The popover should close when:
- The user clicks outside of it
- The user presses EscapeCheckpoint
By now you should have:
- Menu bar icon visible
- Popover appears on click
- App is not in the Dock
- Popover closes on click-outside and Escape
What You Learned
- NSStatusBar and status items
- Popovers vs windows
- LSUIElement for Dock visibility
- macOS-specific app lifecycle