Appkit notifications issue in win32 NSApplication startup

[MA Garcias]

After some research, we've figured out the problem we're having with the 
appkit under win32 (that thing with the main menu I asked for in my last 
post):

When the main menu of the application is created, it adds itself as an 
observer of the NSApplicationWillBecomeActiveNotification. When the 
notification come, then the mainMenu displays itself. It is very common 
that an application creates the menu in the 
applicationWillFinishLaunching method of a delegate, that is called when 
a similar notification is raised.

In win32, the NSApplicationWillBecomeActiveNotification is posted from 
the backend when the ACTIVATEAPP win message is received. The problem is 
that the ACTIVATEAPP message is raised too soon, before the main menu is 
created, and then the NSApplicationWillBecomeActiveNotification is not 
received for the main menu and it is not displayed.

A first solution we've found is to hack the NSApplication to raise the 
applicationWillFinishLaunching notification earlier, so that the display 
notification is sent after the main menu creation.

The problems with this solution are (1) unknown impact of this 
modification on the rest of the Appkit workings, and (2) applications 
using .nib or .gorm files don't create the main menu in its 
applicationWillFinishLaunching event, but later on the application run 
menu. Then, the main menu is not displayed.

Another solution would be explictly calling display on the main menu (if 
there is one) after all initialization in NSApplication as a way to 
bypass this problem, before theNSApplicationDidFinishLaunching 
notification. This ensures that the main menu is displayed in both .nib 
and other (regular) applications. What it doesn't solve is the 
notification actually being sent to the main menu, which I'm not sure if 
it is actually required.

And that's why I'm turning to all of you. Any suggestions? (I know the 
problem seems a little hard to understand, but that happens with 
synchronization issues - ask for more details if needed).

maGarcias | tragnarionStudios