Hacknicity

Adaptivity is an invaluable tool for developers and designers. Use it to visualise how Size Classes and margins for layout, readable content and the safe area look on real devices and how they change with respect to orientation, iPad multitasking and Dynamic Type size changes. A comprehensive System Images browser shows the different SF Symbols data sets across iOS versions with availability, localization and name change information. There are also views for visualising Dynamic Type styles, System Colors, System Fonts and System Materials.

There are four versions of Adaptivity:

• Adaptivity (A) is the full version and supports iPad and iPhone.
• Adaptivity (B) has reduced features and supports iPad and iPhone.
• Adaptivity (​C) has the same reduced features as Adaptivity (B) but only supports iPhone. Use it to visualise how an iPhone‑only app appears when run on iPad.
• Adaptivity (A) for Mac is a version of Adaptivity (A) built with Apple’s Mac Catalyst technology. Some iOS-specific features are unavailable.

Adaptivity (A) for Mac is a universal purchase and includes the iOS version of the app. Buying one allows the other to be downloaded at no extra cost using the same Apple ID. More information on the iOS version can be found here.

The Mac version’s primary purpose is to demonstrate default behaviour when making a Mac Catalyst version of an iPad app. It deliberately avoids making too many Mac-specific customisations that would make it appear more Mac-like. The most significant differences compared to Adaptivity (A) on iOS and the Mac customisations are as follows:

• These iOS features are not available on Mac: Keyboard Dodging and Custom Keyboard, Pointer Interactions, Siri shortcut, Watch App, and iMessage App.
• The app’s menu has had some default items removed or replaced. A File→New submenu allows new instances of the app’s primary and secondary windows to be created. The Help menu has links to this web page and to Adaptivity (A) for iOS.
• When showing sizes in pixels, the app takes account of the content scaling of Mac Catalyst apps on macOS 10.15. For example, 1300 points will be 1000 pixels on a non-retina screen and 2000 pixels on a retina screen. On macOS 11 or later, the app does not scale.
• Items in the More Actions view cannot be dragged as Mac does not support this method of opening new windows.
• Long presses on iOS/iPadOS 13 or later to show a preview and context menu become a control click or right click on Mac. Only the context menu is shown as Mac Catalyst does not support showing the preview view controllers.
• As recommended in the Mac Catalyst Visual Design Considerations section of the iOS Human Interface Guidelines, buttons in table rows are not tinted.
• The Status Bar, Adapt Modal Presentations and Custom Pointer Interactions settings have been removed since they have no effect. Mac Catalyst apps don’t have a status bar and windows always have a regular width size class.
• Some wording has been changed to avoid iOS-specific terminology.

I hope you find Adaptivity useful. If you have any questions or comments please use the support mail address in the Contact section of this web page, or send me mail directly from the Settings->Send me Feedback section in the app.

• Visualise full view, layout margins, readable content and safe area layout guides.
• Sizes displayed in points or pixels (accounting for Mac Catalyst content scaling).
• Regular or large navigation bar titles.
• Toggle navigation bar / toolbar / tab bar visibility.
• Activity View Controller support for sharing a snapshot image of each view.
• Multiple window support.
• Dark appearance support.
• Optimized for Mac on macOS 11; scaled for iPad on macOS 10.15.
• Setting to force right-to-left layout.
• Handoff actions from Adaptivity on one device to Adaptivity (A) on another.

• Explore standard table view cell layouts.
• Configurable table view style, cell style, image size, text lengths and more.

• Popover, Form/Page Sheet, Full Screen and Automatic modal presentations.
• Classic style Split View Controller. Double and Triple Column styles on macOS 11 or later.
• Tab Bar Controller.

• Dynamic Type styles for the Large Content Size Category (it cannot be changed on Mac Catalyst apps).
• View the four system font designs (default, rounded, serif and monospaced).
• On macOS 11 or later, view other built-in fonts.

• Explore System Colors.
• Semantic colors and light/dark appearance.

• Explore System Fonts.
• View the four system font designs (default, rounded, serif and monospaced).
• On macOS 11 or later, view other built-in fonts.

• Explore System Images.
• Images are grouped into categories and ordered as in Apple’s SF Symbols Mac app.
• Choose between viewing the different SF Symbol data sets, the custom social media images from Icons8, or the custom SF Feathers images from Niels Boey.
• Select different render modes and, on macOS 12 or later, configure colors.
• Mark images as favorites and see all your favorites grouped together in a single collection.
• Create your own custom collections of images.
• Restricted images are clearly identified.
• Optional annotation to show image size, aspect ratio, optical centre and baseline.
• Optional annotations to show favorite status, iOS version availability and images with language or right-to-left localizations.
• Where available, view language or right-to-left localizations for an image.
• View image at different weights, scales and a choice of text styles.
• Favorites and custom collections are shared with SF Menu Bar running on the same Mac.

• Explore System Materials and Vibrancy Effects.
• Adaptive, Always-Light and Always-Dark blur effects.
• Customisable background image.

• Setting to force the app into a right-to-left layout.
• Leading/trailing margins, constraints and user interface components are reversed.
• Navigation controller pushes view controllers from the left. Back button is on the right.
• Some System Images become reversed (e.g. “left” arrows point right and vice-versa).

• Widgets to show layout, random System Images and Dynamic Type text styles (requires macOS 11 or later).