NSSquareStatusItemLength

NSSquareStatusItemLength is a predefined constant used in macOS development with the AppKit framework. It is passed as the length parameter when creating a status item via NSStatusBar, and it requests a square item whose width equals the height of the menu bar. This ensures the status item has a square footprint regardless of its content.

In practice, NSSquareStatusItemLength tells the system to size the item to the standard height of the status bar, producing a square shape. The exact numeric value is defined by AppKit and may vary with macOS versions and display settings; developers typically rely on the constant rather than a hard-coded number.

Usage examples:

- Objective-C: NSStatusItem *item = [statusBar statusItemWithLength:NSSquareStatusItemLength];

- Swift: let statusItem = NSStatusBar.system.statusItem(withLength: NSSquareStatusItemLength)

When using NSSquareStatusItemLength, it is common to configure the status item with a button or a custom view whose height matches the status bar height to maintain a proper square appearance. If a non-square layout is required, NSVariableStatusItemLength can be used instead to allow dynamic width.

Related constants include NSVariableStatusItemLength, which indicates a flexible length, and NSStatusItemLength, which is the general type used for status item sizing. NSSquareStatusItemLength is part of the NSStatusItem API and is documented in NSStatusItem.h.