How can I use a custom initializer on a UITableViewCell? - ios

Question

I have a custom UITableViewCell and I'd like to use it in my table view. Here's my code for the cell:
class ReflectionCell: UITableViewCell {
#IBOutlet weak var header: UILabel!
#IBOutlet weak var content: UILabel!
#IBOutlet weak var author: UILabel!
override func awakeFromNib() {
super.awakeFromNib()
}
init(data: Reflection) {
self.header.text = data.title
self.content.text = data.content
self.author.text = data.author.name
super.init(style: UITableViewCellStyle.default, reuseIdentifier: "reflectionCell")
}
required init?(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) {
super.init(coder: aDecoder)
}
}
I have a model class Reflection that I'd like to initialize the cell with. However, in my view controller I need to use tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "reflectionCell", for: indexPath). Is there any way for me to use a custom initializer like the one I made?

Answer 1

If you use dequeueReusableCell you cannot change which initializer method that is called. But you can write your own method to update the IBOutlets which you then call after you successfully dequeue a cell.
class ReflectionCell: UITableViewCell {
#IBOutlet weak var header: UILabel!
#IBOutlet weak var content: UILabel!
#IBOutlet weak var author: UILabel!
func update(for reflection: Reflection) {
header.text = reflection.title
content.text = reflection.content
author.text = reflection.author.name
}
}
And
override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "identifier", for: indexPath) as! ReflectionCell
cell.update(for: reflections[indexPath.row])
return cell
}