What am I doing wrong while populating this UITableView in Swift? - ios

Question

I am trying to populate a UITableView using an array and I am unable to do so. Here is what I have so far. This code is for retrieving data and storing it in the array that I am using to populate the UITableView:
func prepareForRetrieval() {
Database.database().reference().child("UserCart").child(Auth.auth().currentUser!.uid).observe(.value, with: {
(snapshot) in
for snap in snapshot.children.allObjects {
let id = snap as! DataSnapshot
self.keyArray.append(id.key)
}
self.updateCart()
})
}
func updateCart() {
for key in keyArray {
Database.database().reference().child("UserCart").child(Auth.auth().currentUser!.uid).child(key).observeSingleEvent(of: .value, with: {
(snapshot) in
let value = snapshot.value as? NSDictionary
let itemName = value?["Item Name"] as! String
let itemPrice = value?["Item Price"] as! Float
let itemQuantity = value?["Item Quantity"] as! Int
self.cartArray.append(CartData(itemName: itemName, itemQuantity: itemQuantity, itemPriceNumber: itemPrice))
print(self.cartArray.count)
})
}
}
The data is properly appending into the array and when I print the count of the array, it prints the correct count. This means that the data is there. However, when I try to populate a UITableView, it doesn't detect any data. I have the following code to make sure that there is data in the array before trying to populate the UITableView:
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
cartBrain.prepareForRetrieval()
if cartBrain.cartArray.isEmpty == false{
tableViewOutlet.dataSource = self
tableViewOutlet.reloadData()
}
else {
tableViewOutlet.isHidden = true
tableViewOutlet.isUserInteractionEnabled = false
purchaseButtonOutlet.isEnabled = false
cartEmptyLabel.text = "Your cart is empty. Please add items and check back later."
}
}
When I open the View Controller, the TableView is disabled because it doesn't detect any data. I have already set the data source to self and the thing is that when the count of the array is printed, it again prints the correct amount. I have already set the data source to self for the UITableView. Here is my code for the UITableView:
extension CartViewController: UITableViewDataSource {
func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
return cartBrain.cartArray.count
}
func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cartcustomcell", for: indexPath)
cell.textLabel?.text = cartBrain.cartArray[indexPath.row].itemName
cell.detailTextLabel?.text = String(cartBrain.cartArray[indexPath.row].itemQuantity)
return cell
}
}
I don't understand why the count of the array prints the correct amount meaning that there is data stored in it but when the View Controller is loaded, it detects that the array is empty. Thanks for the help and I'm sorry if the question is a bit unclear.

Answer 1

After appending data to cartArray in updateCart you should reloadData(), like this:
weak var tableViewOutlet: UITableView?
func updateCart() {
for key in keyArray {
Database.database().reference().child("UserCart").child(Auth.auth().currentUser!.uid).child(key).observeSingleEvent(of: .value, with: {
(snapshot) in
let value = snapshot.value as? NSDictionary
let itemName = value?["Item Name"] as! String
let itemPrice = value?["Item Price"] as! Float
let itemQuantity = value?["Item Quantity"] as! Int
self.cartArray.append(CartData(itemName: itemName, itemQuantity: itemQuantity, itemPriceNumber: itemPrice))
DispatchQueue.main.async {
self.tableViewOutlet.reloadData()
}
})
}
}
The updateCart doesn't seem to have any connection to the tableViewOutlet so you need to pass in a reference to it in your viewDidLoad like this:
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
cartBrain.tableViewOutlet = tableViewOutlet
cartBrain.prepareForRetrieval()
Note: Since you're using a for loop to trigger the async call multiple times you can use the array count to check if all the items are appended to do the reload to avoid multiple reloads.