Translucent windows can enhance the visual appeal and usability of your macOS applications by providing a modern and sleek user interface. While the term "Translucent+Windows" might initially seem specific to the Windows operating system, macOS offers similar capabilities through its native APIs and development tools. This article will guide you through the process of creating translucent windows in macOS applications using Swift and the Cocoa framework.

Examples:

1. Creating a Basic Translucent Window in Swift:

   To create a translucent window in macOS, you can use the NSVisualEffectView class, which provides a way to add a translucent material to your window's content.

   import Cocoa
   
   class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
      var window: NSWindow!
   
      func applicationDidFinishLaunching(_ aNotification: Notification) {
          // Create the main application window
          window = NSWindow(contentRect: NSMakeRect(0, 0, 800, 600),
                            styleMask: [.titled, .closable, .resizable, .miniaturizable],
                            backing: .buffered, defer: false)
          window.center()
          window.title = "Translucent Window Example"
          window.makeKeyAndOrderFront(nil)
   
          // Create a visual effect view for translucency
          let visualEffectView = NSVisualEffectView(frame: window.contentView!.bounds)
          visualEffectView.autoresizingMask = [.width, .height]
          visualEffectView.material = .sidebar
          visualEffectView.blendingMode = .behindWindow
          visualEffectView.state = .active
   
          // Add the visual effect view to the window's content view
          window.contentView?.addSubview(visualEffectView)
      }
   }
   
   let app = NSApplication.shared
   let delegate = AppDelegate()
   app.delegate = delegate
   app.run()

   This example demonstrates how to create a basic macOS application with a translucent window using Swift. The NSVisualEffectView is used to achieve the translucent effect.

2. Customizing the Translucent Effect:

   You can customize the appearance of the translucent window by adjusting the properties of the NSVisualEffectView.

   visualEffectView.material = .dark
   visualEffectView.blendingMode = .withinWindow
   visualEffectView.state = .followsWindowActiveState

   • material: Specifies the type of material used for the translucency. Options include .light, .dark, .titlebar, .selection, and more.
   • blendingMode: Determines how the visual effect view blends with the content behind it. Options include .behindWindow and .withinWindow.
   • state: Controls the state of the visual effect view. Options include .active, .inactive, and .followsWindowActiveState.