Access variable inside if statement of function - ios

Question

I am trying to make a video play if a certain view is tapped once. The .play() function works well if I directly call it within an if statement inside a function (if which "checks" URL inside the setupPlayerView() function). The first functions (setupPlayerView and defInteractions) I am going to show below are going to be called in an override init which sets the properties and subviews/sublayers etc. for the video player. The last function is triggered by the second function . Pay attention to the declaration of player and my comment in the bottom...
Code: func #1
func setupPlayerView() {
//insert url
let urlString = "https://blurtime.com/images/testvideo.mov"
//check URL if can be converted to NSURL
if let videoURL = NSURL(string: urlString){
//player's video
let player = AVPlayer(url: videoURL as URL)
//add sub-layer
let playerLayer = AVPlayerLayer(player: player)
self.layer.addSublayer(playerLayer)
playerLayer.frame = self.frame
//when are frames actually rendered (when is video loaded)
player.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "currentItem.loadedTimeRanges", options: .new, context: nil)
//if I call player.play() here the video plays directly
}
}
As I the UITapGestureRecognizers to detect a single tap I have the following function which is called in the override init as well (shortly after the previous function):
Code: func #2
//set interactions
func defInteractions (){
//enable interaction
controlsContainerView.isUserInteractionEnabled = true
//singletap
let singleTap = UITapGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: #selector(singleTapDetected(_:)))
singleTap.numberOfTapsRequired = 1
//controlsContainerView
controlsContainerView.addGestureRecognizer(singleTap)
}
Now, I would like to call player.play() inside the function singleTapDetected which currently looks like this:
Code: func #3
func singleTapDetected(_ sender: UITapGestureRecognizer) {
player.play()
}
However, it does not work of course as this function is outside the override init as opposed to the others and I get the error use of unresolved identifier 'player'. How can I call player.play() and get the same result as if I would call it in the first function? Can I access it within the if? I could need some help...

Answer 1

Make player an instance variable:
var player: AVPlayer?
Then initialize it like this:
if self.player == nil {
player = AVPlayer(url: videoURL as URL)
}
Then you can easily access it from anywhere in your class.

Answer 2

Make the player property Global like this :
let player : AVPlayer?
Initialize it in setupPlayerView() :
func setupPlayerView() {
//insert url
let urlString = "https://blurtime.com/images/testvideo.mov"
//check URL if can be converted to NSURL
if let videoURL = NSURL(string: urlString){
//player's video
self.player = AVPlayer(url: videoURL as URL)
//add sub-layer
let playerLayer = AVPlayerLayer(player: player)
self.layer.addSublayer(playerLayer)
playerLayer.frame = self.frame
//when are frames actually rendered (when is video loaded)
player.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "currentItem.loadedTimeRanges", options: .new, context: nil)
//if I call player.play() here the video plays directly
}
}
and use it like this:
func singleTapDetected(_ sender: UITapGestureRecognizer) {
// with self
self.player.play()
}
Hope it helps

Answer 3

Declare player at the class level with optional.
var player: AVPlayer?

Answer 4

Instead of declaring player as a local variable in setupPlayerView function, you should declare it a an instance variable to be accessible in the scope of the whole class/struct.
For your case, I would suggest that instead of implementing setupPlayerView function, it would be a good practice to declare it as a lazy property , as follows:
lazy var player: AVPlayer? = {
//insert url
let urlString = "https://blurtime.com/images/testvideo.mov"
guard let videoURL = NSURL(string: urlString) else {
return nil
}
let player = AVPlayer(url: videoURL as URL)
//add sub-layer
let playerLayer = AVPlayerLayer(player: player)
self.layer.addSublayer(playerLayer)
playerLayer.frame = self.frame
//when are frames actually rendered (when is video loaded)
player.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "currentItem.loadedTimeRanges", options: .new, context: nil)
return player
}()
Usage:
// this means if the urlString is valid
if let player = player {
player.play()
}
That leads to: all the needed setup for player should be ready only if needed. You might want to check this Q&A.