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# NSPanel

A special kind of window that typically performs a function that is auxiliary to the main window.

```
@MainActor class NSPanel
```

## Overview

For details about how panels work (especially to find out how their behavior differs from window behavior), see [How Panels Work](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/WinPanel/Concepts/UsingPanels.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000224).

## Topics

### Configuring Panels

[`isFloatingPanel`](/documentation/AppKit/NSPanel/isFloatingPanel)

A Boolean value that indicates whether the receiver is a floating panel.

[`becomesKeyOnlyIfNeeded`](/documentation/AppKit/NSPanel/becomesKeyOnlyIfNeeded)

A Boolean value that indicates whether the receiver becomes the key window only when needed.

[`worksWhenModal`](/documentation/AppKit/NSPanel/worksWhenModal)

A Boolean value that indicates whether the panel receives keyboard and mouse events even when some other window is being run modally.

### Constants

[Alert Panel Return Values](/documentation/AppKit/alert-panel-return-values)

These constants define values returned by the [`NSRunAlertPanel`](/documentation/AppKit/NSRunAlertPanel) function and by the `NSApplication` method [`runModalSession(_:)`](/documentation/AppKit/NSApplication/runModalSession(_:)) when the modal session is run with an `NSPanel` provided by the [`NSGetAlertPanel`](/documentation/AppKit/NSGetAlertPanel) function.

[Modal Panel Return Values](/documentation/AppKit/modal-panel-return-values)

These constants define the possible return values for such methods as the `runModal...` methods of the [`NSOpenPanel`](/documentation/AppKit/NSOpenPanel) class, which tell which button (OK or Cancel) the user has clicked on an open panel.

[Style Masks](/documentation/AppKit/style-masks)

Constants that specify panel styles.


---

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