Updating array in class property after segue - ios

Question

I have a UIViewController containing a UITableView that is populated via an array of custom class objects. These custom class objects have an array property. As you can see from my code below, the objects are equatable. When I segue to a second vC, the array of custom class objects (and obviously the array properties associated with each object) is passed over.
I have a function in the second vC that matches an object with one that is contained in the array. After matching, the property array of the object in the array that matched is updated. However, when I print what should be the updated property array, no change has been made. Below is a representation of my code:
class Object: Equatable {
var propertyArray: [String] = []
static func ==(lhs: object, rhs: object) -> Bool {
return lhs.someProperty == rhs.someProperty
}
}
class ArrayOfObjects {
var array: [Object] = []
}
class vC1: UIViewController, UITableViewDelegate, UITableViewDataSource {
var objectArray1 = ArrayOfObjects()
override viewDidLoad() {
//populate objectArray1.array
}
prepareForSegue(segue: UIStoryboardSegue) {
segue.destination.objectArray2 = objectArray1 //segue to vC2
}
}
class vC2: UIViewController {
var objectArray2 = ArrayOfObjects()
var someOtherObject = Object() //object that has same properties as an object in objectArray2
func someFunc() {
let indexOfMatchingObject = objectArray2.array.index(of: someOtherObject)
let matchingObject = objectArray2.array[indexOfSomeOtherObject]
matchingObject.propertyArray.append("TestString")
print("\(matchingObejct.propertyArray)") //prints []
}
}
Why doesn't it print ["TestString"]? The same goes for when I remove one of the values from the array, the update doesnt occur.
If you are wondering why I am doing this, it's because the objects are modified in the second vC and the UI of the tableView cells in the first vC are dependent upon the properties of the objects. Hence why my data is represented as a class (reference type).

Answer 1

Update your someFunc():
func someFunc() {
//try to find the same object
let indexOfMatchingObject = objectArray2.array.index(of: someOtherObject)
//obtain this common objec from array
let matchingObject = objectArray2.array[indexOfSomeOtherObject]
//update propertyArray from matchingObject
matchingObject.propertyArray.append("TestString")
}
Also update your first VC table view in viewWillApear.

Answer 2

I realised that the answer to my question is nothing to do with the class I had created or the segue, but is in actual fact to do with the state of the array. You cannot append to an array that has not been initialised. In order to append to it, you must first initialise it, then you may append to it. Playground code has been provided below to demonstrate this in the context of the question above:
//Create object class
class Object: Equatable {
var propertyArray: [String]?
var id: Int = Int()
static func ==(lhs: Object, rhs: Object) -> Bool {
return lhs.id == rhs.id
}
}
//Create class that will hold array of objects
class ArrayOfObjects {
var array: [Object] = []
}
//initialise class that will hold array of objects
var array = ArrayOfObjects()
//set the initial values for the array
func setArray() {
let object1 = Object()
object1.id = 1
object1.propertyArray = ["hello"]
let object2a = Object()
object2a.id = 2
object2a.propertyArray = ["bye"]
array.array = [object1, object2a]
}
setArray()
//Create new object that will be used to match with one already in the array
let object2b = Object()
object2b.id = 2
object2b.propertyArray = ["bye"]
//Find if the new object exists in the array
let index = array.array.index(of: object2b)
let matchingObject = array.array[index!]
matchingObject.propertyArray?.append("welcome")
//We were able to append to the matchingObject (object2a) because the property array had been initialised
print(matchingObject.propertyArray) //prints ["bye", "welcome"]
//Create new object with uninitialised propertyArray
let object3a = Object()
object3a.id = 4
//Append this new object to the array
array.array.append(object3a)
//Create another new object that will be used to match with object3a
var object3b = Object()
object3b.id = 4
//Find if object3b can be matched in the array
let index2 = array.array.index(of: object3b)
let matchingObject2 = array.array[index2!]
matchingObject2.propertyArray?.append("hello")
//A match was found for object3b, but the array had not been initialised and so we couldn't append to it
print(matchingObject2.propertyArray) //prints nil
//Initialise the array
matchingObject2.propertyArray = []
matchingObject2.propertyArray?.append("goodbye")
//We can now append to it as it has been initialised
print(matchingObject2.propertyArray) //prints ["goodbye"]