Instantly update front end with new array value - ios

Question

I'm creating an app where users will send messages. I have the messenger working but the front end isn't updating instantly when a new comment is entered. You have to back out and then come back in to get it to show up.
I've researched examples and got the code from a course I took on udemy. I've tried with tableview.reload() and tableview.insertrows(). I'm sending the data using JSON to PHP and MySQL. It's showing in the db immediately but my code has it updating the UI first, it's just not working.
let messagetext = replyTxt.text.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines)
hhmessages.insert(messagetext as AnyObject, at: hhmessages.endIndex)
let indexPath = IndexPath(row: self.hhmessages.count - 1, section: 0)
// update tableView
tableView.beginUpdates()
tableView.insertRows(at: [indexPath], with: .automatic)
tableView.endUpdates()
// scroll to the bottom
tableView.scrollToRow(at: indexPath, at: .bottom, animated: true)
// empty textView and reload it
replyTxt.text = ""
textViewDidChange(replyTxt)
let recipient = messages["username"] as! String
let rid = String(describing: messages["recipient_id"]!)
let uuid = messages["uuid"] as! String
puuid = UUID().uuidString
// prepare request
let url = URL(string: "http://localhost/messagepost.php")!
let body = "sender_id=\(user_id)&sender=\(username)&text=\(messagetext)&recipient_id=\(rid)&recipient=\(recipient)&uuid=\(uuid)&puuid=\(puuid)"
var request = URLRequest(url: url)
request.httpMethod = "POST"
request.httpBody = body.data(using: .utf8)
The code should instantly update the UITableView with the latest comment and then commit to the database. I've been trying for two days with no luck. Any help is welcomed.
UPDATE WITH TABLE SOURCE CODE
func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
return hhmessages.count
}
// Return cell to display on the tableView
// How many sections. Means numberOfSections * rows = view
func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
return 1
}
func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
let colorSmoothGray = UIColor(red: 229/255, green: 229/255, blue: 234/255, alpha: 1)
let colorBrandBlue = UIColor(red: 148 / 255, green: 33 / 255, blue: 147 / 255, alpha: 1)
let pictureURL = hhmessages[indexPath.row]["uploadpath"] as? String
// no picture in the post
if pictureURL?.isEmpty == true {
let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "Cell", for: indexPath) as! ConversationCell
cell.transform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: CGFloat(Double.pi));
isLoading = true
let hhpost = hhmessages[indexPath.row]
let smimages = hhpost["path"] as? UIImage
let text = hhmessages[indexPath.row]["messagetext"] as! String
cell.messageLbl.text = text
cell.smavaImg.image = smimages
cell.messageLbl.textAlignment = .right
cell.messageLbl.backgroundColor = colorSmoothGray
cell.messageLbl.textColor = .black
cell.messageLbl.font = UIFont.preferredFont(forTextStyle: UIFontTextStyle.body)
cell.messageLbl.font?.withSize(25)
cell.messageLbl.clipsToBounds = true
// get main queue to this block of code to communicate back
DispatchQueue.main.async {
cell.messageLbl.sizeToFit()
tableView.transform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: -CGFloat.pi)
cell.transform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: CGFloat.pi)
}
return cell
} else {
let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "PicCell", for: indexPath) as! PicConversationCell
cell.transform = CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: CGFloat(Double.pi));
cell.smavaImg.image = smimages
//if let message = messageData {
for i in 0 ..< self.incoming.count {
// Confiture the constraints for cell
if self.incoming[indexPath.row] == 1 {
// Constraints
cell.lefBubbleConstraint.isActive = true
cell.rightBubbleConstraint.isActive = false
if cell.postpictureImg.image == nil {
cell.postpictureImg.backgroundColor = colorwhite
cell.postpictureImg.clipsToBounds = true
}
else {
cell.postpictureImg.backgroundColor = .clear
cell.postpictureImg.clipsToBounds = true
}
}
else if self.incoming[indexPath.row] == 0 {
// Constraints
cell.lefBubbleConstraint.isActive = false
cell.rightBubbleConstraint.isActive = true
if cell.postpictureImg.image == nil {
cell.postpictureImg.backgroundColor = colorwhite
cell.postpictureImg.clipsToBounds = true
}
else {
cell.postpictureImg.backgroundColor = .clear
cell.postpictureImg.clipsToBounds = true
}
}
// pictures logic
let pictureString = hhmessages[indexPath.row]["uploadpath"] as? String
let pictureURL = URL(string: pictureString!)!
// if there are still pictures to be loaded
if hhmessages.count != pictures.count {
URLSession(configuration: .default).dataTask(with: pictureURL) { (data, response, error) in
// downloaded
if let image = UIImage(data: data!) {
self.pictures.append(image)
DispatchQueue.main.async {
cell.postpictureImg.image = image
}
}
}.resume()
// cached picture
} else {
DispatchQueue.main.async {
cell.postpictureImg.image = self.pictures[indexPath.row]
}
}
}
return cell
}
}

Answer 1

Are you adding the element to what your numberOfRowsForSection calls? Before you call insertRows the data source needs to be update.