tauri-nssplitview

Create macOS split views for your Tauri app using native NSSplitView. Build applications with multiple views where one or more use native macOS split view functionality alongside standard Tauri webviews.

What are split views?

Split views are a native macOS UI component (NSSplitView) that allows you to divide a window into multiple resizable panes. This plugin enables you to create hybrid Tauri applications where some views use native macOS split view capabilities while others use standard webview-based rendering.

Quick Start

1. Installation

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
tauri = { version = "2.8", features = ["macos-private-api"] }
tauri-nssplitview = { git = "https://github.com/Vanalite/tauri-nssplitview" }

2. Initialize the Plugin

fn main() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .plugin(tauri_nssplitview::init())
        .setup(|app| {
            // Your setup code here
            Ok(())
        })
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

3. Create a Split View

Basic usage - Convert a window to a split view:

use tauri::{Manager, WebviewUrl, WebviewWindowBuilder};
use tauri_nssplitview::{BasicSplitView, WebviewWindowExt};

// In your setup function
let window = WebviewWindowBuilder::new(
    app,
    "main",
    WebviewUrl::App("index.html".into()),
)
.title("My Split View App")
.inner_size(800.0, 600.0)
.build()?;

// Convert to split view
let split_view = window.to_split_view::<BasicSplitView>()?;

// The window now has a split view with the original webview as the first pane
split_view.show();

4. Access Split View from Commands

use tauri::Manager;
use tauri_nssplitview::ManagerExt;

#[tauri::command]
fn get_split_info(app: tauri::AppHandle) -> Result<String, String> {
    match app.get_split_view("main") {
        Ok(split_view) => {
            Ok(format!(
                "Panes: {}, Vertical: {}, Visible: {}",
                split_view.pane_count(),
                split_view.is_vertical(),
                split_view.is_visible()
            ))
        }
        Err(_) => Err("Split view not found".to_string()),
    }
}

#[tauri::command]
fn set_divider(app: tauri::AppHandle, position: f64) -> Result<(), String> {
    match app.get_split_view("main") {
        Ok(split_view) => {
            split_view.set_divider_position(0, position);
            Ok(())
        }
        Err(_) => Err("Split view not found".to_string()),
    }
}

API Overview

SplitView Trait Methods

// Visibility
split_view.show();
split_view.hide();
split_view.is_visible() -> bool

// Layout
split_view.is_vertical() -> bool
split_view.pane_count() -> usize

// Divider Control
split_view.set_divider_position(divider_index: usize, position: f64);
split_view.get_divider_position(divider_index: usize) -> f64;
split_view.divider_thickness() -> f64;

// Pane Access
split_view.pane_at_index(index: usize) -> Option<Retained<NSView>>;
split_view.is_pane_collapsed(index: usize) -> bool;

// Conversion
split_view.to_window() -> Option<WebviewWindow>;
split_view.label() -> &str;

Manager Extensions

use tauri_nssplitview::ManagerExt;

// Get split view by label
let split_view = app.get_split_view("main")?;

// Remove split view
app.remove_split_view("main");

Window Extensions

use tauri_nssplitview::WebviewWindowExt;

// Convert any Tauri window to a split view
let split_view = window.to_split_view::<BasicSplitView>()?;

Features

• ✅ Create native macOS split views with NSSplitView
• ✅ Convert existing Tauri windows to split views
• ✅ Support for both vertical and horizontal splits
• ✅ Resizable panes with adjustable divider positions
• ✅ Query pane count and state
• ✅ Type-safe Rust API
• ✅ Thread-safe operations
• ✅ Proper memory management with objc2

Platform Support

macOS only - This plugin uses native macOS APIs (NSSplitView from AppKit) and requires:

• macOS 10.13+
• Tauri with macos-private-api feature enabled

Examples

Check out the examples directory:

• basic-splitview - Complete working example showing split view creation and usage

To run the example:

cd examples/basic-splitview
cargo tauri dev

Use Cases

Split views are ideal for:

• Multi-pane editors and IDEs
• Side-by-side document viewers
• Applications with navigation/content layouts
• Tool palettes with resizable sections
• Hybrid native/web UI applications

How It Works

The plugin:

1. Takes an existing Tauri window
2. Creates a native NSSplitView
3. Replaces the window's content view with the split view
4. Adds the original webview as the first pane
5. Provides a Rust API for controlling the split view

Requirements

• Tauri 2.8+
• Rust 1.75+
• macOS target platform
• macos-private-api feature enabled in Tauri

Documentation

• README.md - This file (getting started)
• PROGRESS.md - Implementation details
• examples/ - Working code examples

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Check existing issues
2. Submit PRs with tests
3. Follow Rust conventions

License

MIT or Apache-2.0 where applicable.

Credits

Based on the architecture of tauri-nspanel.