orderFront

orderFront is a method used in Apple’s AppKit frameworks to adjust the stacking order of windows or views, bringing them to the front of their respective front-most layer.

In NSWindow, orderFront: moves the window to the front of the screen’s window list at its current level. It does not necessarily activate the application or make the window the key window. To ensure the window becomes both visible and the key window, developers can use makeKeyAndOrderFront:, which combines ordering with making the window key. There is also orderFrontRegardless:, which orders the window to the front even if the app is not active. Common related methods include orderBack:, orderOut:, and the counterpart makeKeyAndOrderFront:.

In NSView, orderFront: reorders the view among its sibling subviews within the same superview, placing the specified view above its siblings. Corresponding methods include orderBack: for sending a view behind others. These are purely visual within the window and do not affect window activation.

Usage in Objective-C and Swift:

- Objective-C NSWindow: [window orderFront:self]; [window orderFrontRegardless:self]; [window makeKeyAndOrderFront:self];

- Swift NSWindow: window.orderFront(self); window.orderFrontRegardless(self); window.makeKeyAndOrderFront(self)

- Objective-C NSView: [view orderFront:self];

- Swift NSView: view.orderFront(self)

Notes:

- orderFront affects z-order within the same app’s UI and windowing context.

- orderFrontRegardless can bypass certain activation rules, useful for utility windows or auxiliary panels.