navigation controller custom search bar not disappearing? - ios

Question

I created a custom search bar and embedding it in the navigation bar, it appears but after I push another view controller, the search bar does not get replaced with the title of the pushed view controller. The search bar stays persistent throughout all views, instead of getting replaced with a title. Perfect example is Instagram search tab, you search for a person and click on the cell, their profile is pushed and the search bar is replaced with the custom title, back button, etc.
First VC
self.customSearchBar.tag = 4
self.navigationController?.view.addSubview(customSearchBar)
Second VC
if let nav: UINavigationController = self.navigationController {
if let searchBar = nav.view.viewWithTag(4) {
searchBar.removeFromSuperview()
}
}

Answer 1

You shouldn't place the searchbar inside the navigationcontroller view as this view is the same instance on all pushed viewcontrollers.
Add the searchbar to the the depending view controllers ui.

Answer 2

To add a searchbar on navigationBar, this is the way.
self.navigationController?.navigationBar.addSubview(customSearchBar)
To remove it when you push it to other viewController. Write the following code in the secondVC that is pushed inside it's viewDidLoad() function. Also, set the tag of customSearchBar to any number (TAG)
if let nav: UINavigationController = self.navigationController {
let bar: UINavigationBar = nav.navigationBar
if let searchBar = bar.viewWithTag(TAG) {
searchBar.removeFromSuperview()
}
}
In the question, the customSearchBar is added to self.navigationController.view. To remove it, you can do the following:
if let nav: UINavigationController = self.navigationController {
if let searchBar = nav.view.viewWithTag(TAG) {
searchBar.removeFromSuperview()
}
}
Edit:
Adding and removing a UIViewController's view as a subview of other UIViewController
// for adding
let viewController: ViewController = ViewController()
self.addChildViewController(viewController)
self.view.addSubview(viewController.view)
viewController.view.bounds = self.view.bounds // better to use autolayout here
viewController.didMove(toParentViewController: self)
// for removing
if let vc = self.childViewControllers.last {
vc.willMove(toParentViewController: nil)
vc.view.removeFromSuperview()
vc.removeFromParentViewController()
}