SettingsAccess

Xcode 16 Update

Note

Xcode 16 now makes Apple's previously-private openSettings environment method public, and back-ports it to macOS 14.

While this is welcome progress, it still is only incremental and the vast majority of SettingsAccess' functionality is still needed in many scenarios.

SettingsAccess 2.0.0 adds support for compiling with Xcode 16 by renaming its openSettings method to openSettingsLegacy. For projects targeting macOS 14+ you may opt to use the new native openSettings method. For projects targeting older versions of macOS, use openSettingsLegacy.

Why

As of macOS 14 Sonoma:

• Apple completely removed the ability to open the SwiftUI Settings scene using legacy NSApp.sendAction() method using the showSettingsWindow: (macOS 13) or showPreferencesWindow: (macOS 12 and earlier) selectors. The only available method of opening the Settings scene (apart from the App menu → Settings menu item) is to use the new SettingsLink view.

  

• This presents two major restrictions:

  1. There is no simple way to detect when the user has clicked this button if additional code is desired to run before or after the opening of the Settings scene.
  2. There is no way to programmatically open the Settings scene. (Update: Xcode 16 adds support but it is still limited.)

• These restrictions become problematic in many scenarios. Some examples that are currently impossible without SettingsAccess:

  • You are building a window-based MenuBarExtra and want to have a button that activates the app, opens Settings, and then also dismisses the window.
  • You want to open the Settings scene in response to a user action in your application that requires the user manipulate a setting that may be invalid.

Solution

• SettingsAccess provides a SwiftUI environment method called openSettingsLegacy() that can be called anywhere in the view hierarchy to programmatically open the Settings scene.
• SettingsAccess also provides an initializer for SettingsLink which provides two closures allowing execution of arbitrary code before and/or after opening the Settings scene.
• The library is backwards compatible with macOS 11 Big Sur and later.
• No private API is used, so it is safe for the Mac App Store.

See Getting Started below for example usage.

Limitations

• SettingsAccess will only work within a SwiftUI context. Which means it requires at least one SwiftUI view and for that view to be instanced and its body invoked. Which means it cannot simply be used globally. This is 100% an Apple-imposed limitation because of the internal limitations of SettingsLink.
• Due to SwiftUI limitations, openSettingsLegacy() is not usable within a menu-based MenuBarExtra. In that context, the custom SettingsLink initializer may be used to run code before/after opening the Settings scene.

Using the Package

Swift Package Manager (SPM)

Add SettingsAccess as a dependency using Swift Package Manager.

• In an app project or framework, in Xcode:

  Select the menu: File → Swift Packages → Add Package Dependency...

  Enter this URL: https://github.com/orchetect/SettingsAccess

• In a Swift Package, add it to the Package.swift dependencies:

  .package(url: "https://github.com/orchetect/SettingsAccess", from: "2.1.0")

Getting Started

Import the library.

import SettingsAccess

1. Open Settings Programmatically

• Attach the openSettingsAccess view modifier to the base view whose subviews needs access to the openSettingsLegacy method.

  @main
  struct MyApp: App {
      var body: some Scene {
          WindowGroup {
              ContentView()
                  .openSettingsAccess()
          }
          
          Settings { SettingsView() }
      }
  }

• In any subview where needed, add the environment method declaration. Then the Settings scene may be opened programmatically by calling this method.

  struct ContentView: View {
      @Environment(\.openSettingsLegacy) private var openSettingsLegacy
    
      var body: some View {
          Button("Open Settings") { try? openSettingsLegacy() }
      }
  }

2. Use in a MenuBarExtra Menu

If using a menu-based MenuBarExtra, do not apply openSettingsAccess() to the menu content. openSettingsLegacy() cannot be used there due to limitations of SwiftUI.

Instead, use the custom SettingsLink initializer to add a Settings menu item capable of running code before and/or after opening the Settings scene.

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        MenuBarExtra {
            AppMenuView()
                // Do not attach .openSettingsAccess()
        }
        
        Settings { SettingsView() }
    }
}

struct AppMenuView: View {
    var body: some View {
        SettingsLink { 
            Text("Settings...")
        } preAction: {
            // code to run before Settings opens
        } postAction: {
            // code to run after Settings opens
        }
        
        Button("Quit") { NSApp.terminate(nil) }
    }
}

Example Code

Try the Demo example project to see the library in action.

Requirements

Requires Xcode 15.0 or higher to build.

Once compiled, supports macOS 11.0 or higher.

How It Works (For Nerds)

SettingsLink is a view that wraps a standard SwiftUI Button and prior to Xcode 16, its action calls a private environment method called _openSettings. (As of Xcode 16 this method is now available publicly. See the Xcode 16 Update section for more information.)

It is worth noting that due to how SwiftUI Button works, it is impossible to attach a simultaneous gesture to attempt to detect a button press.

The solution is the use of a custom Button style which, when applied directly to SettingsLink, allows us to capture the Button press action and execute arbitrary code closures before and after the user presses the button. We can also export this method as an environment method called openSettingsLegacy that can be used in a backwards-compatible fashion prior to openSettings being made public by Apple.

More info and a deep-dive can be found in this reddit post.

Author

Coded by a bunch of 🐹 hamsters in a trenchcoat that calls itself @orchetect.

License

Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE for details.

Sponsoring

If you enjoy using SettingsAccess and want to contribute to open-source financially, GitHub sponsorship is much appreciated. Feedback and code contributions are also welcome.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome. Posting in Discussions first prior to new submitting PRs for features or modifications is encouraged.