TextKit 2 – The Promised Land
9 days ago
- #macOSDevelopment
- #TextKit2
- #iOSDevelopment
- TextKit 2 (NSTextLayoutManager) was announced at WWDC21, replacing TextKit 1 (NSLayoutManager).
- Despite promises of being easier and faster, TextKit 2 has implementation flaws and inconsistencies.
- NSTextContentStorage is the only practical storage implementation, limiting flexibility.
- TextKit 2 is tightly coupled with UITextView/NSTextView, reducing its broader utility.
- Bugs and regressions are common, with unresolved issues and poor response from Apple.
- Viewport management, a key feature, causes unstable document height estimates and scrolling issues.
- TextEdit on macOS exhibits the same problems, confirming systemic issues with TextKit 2.
- The API is challenging to use correctly, making it unsuitable for many text editing applications.