Where to put manual layout code (or where to trigger it) for a specific child UIView I have, when the parent views themselves utilise autolayout?
Notes:
layout code for the view needs to use its frame dimensions after any parent view layout, orientation change, trait change etc
I had tried using viewWillLayoutSubviews on the parent viewcontroller but was having difficulty where it was called more than once at times - couldn't track down why however do NOT want to have to do manual layout calculations more than once as they are onerous.
So overall a way to for the various scenarios below end up with only one single "triggering" of the manual layout AND at a time when all rotation & parent view layout has been done:
So:
on load (viewDidLoad)
redisplay (like view did appear subsequently)
rotation
trait change
For example should I be looking at a way for:
a) parent view controller to control this and determine when to send a "layoutSubviewNow" call to my specific child view (which is fronted by it's own viewcontroller), but in which case how to do this, or b)
b) leaving it the child view to react on a "layoutSubview()" and then have a delegate available to call back to the main controller to request layout data?, or
c) similar to b) but using the child views view controller "viewWillLayoutSubviews()" to trigger and then have a delegate available to call back to the main controller to request layout data?
or other?
actually I'm thinking of this idea:
d) in the main parent view controller: have a instance variable viewTransistionedOutstandingAction, and use it such that (i) in viewWillTransition set this to true, then in (ii) viewWillLayoutSubviews do the following:
if viewTransistionedOutstandingAction {
self.triggerModelChange()
viewTransistionedOutstandingAction = false
}
It's a little unclear to me what exactly your requirements are but I can provide an answer for your very first question:
Where to put manual layout code (or where to trigger it) for a specific child UIView I have, when the parent views themselves utilise autolayout?
There is exactly one place in a UIView implementation where you should put any layout code and that is inside the method layoutSubviews().
The layout engine (the thing that computes the actual frames from your constraints) calls this method right after it has computed the correct frame for this particular view. With other word: layoutSubviews() is the one and only place during the layout process where you can be sure that the view already has its correct frame set.
You are correct that this method might be called not just once but several times. That's because in some cases several layout passes are needed to compute the final layout. (Example: You have some view whose height depends on its superview's width but the superview's height depends on the subview's height.) The layoutSubviews() method might also be called manually from code, e.g. calling setNeedsLayout() followed by layoutIfNeeded() on a view will result in a layoutSubviews() call on that view as well.
However, the system calls layoutSubviews() only as often as it needs to (unless you manually trigger it over and over again) i.e. whenever the current layout is invalidated. There can be many causes for this: Device rotations, constraint changes, changes in the view hierarchy etc. But these are the cases where your view's frame might change and if your custom layout depends on that frame it actually should be recomputed as well.
For that reason layoutSubviews() is just the right place to perform your manual layout and you should refrain from doing it anywhere else.
Note: If you're dealing with view controllers instead of plain views the corresponding method to perform your layout updates is viewWillLayoutSubviews() (or viewDidLayoutSubviews() if you are using Auto Layout and only want to make slight modifications after the layout engine has resolved the constraints for all subviews).
Related
Does anyone know why UITextView.layoutSubviews() is not called when rotating a device to portrait mode?
When rotating to landscape mode, these are called:
UIViewController.viewWillTransition
UIViewController.viewDidLayoutSubviews
UITextView.layoutSubviews
UILabel.layoutSubviews
But when rotating back to portrait, the UILabel.layoutSubviews() is called, but not the UITextView.layoutSubviews. This is in an empty project with no other code apart from traces in these methods.
layoutSubviews is usually called when setNeedsLayout() is invoked already in the previous invocation of run loop.
If the layout system does not think it needs to be called, it will not be called.
Ideally you should not override this function. You should just call setNeedsLayout() after making superview changes, and let the layout system call the default implementation of this function. Morever, you should define your subview layout needs inside auto-layout so it is able to get correct values from there.
If you want immediate update, you should call layoutIfNeeded().
This is because this is one of those methods that are called arbitrarily by UIKit framework and it may not be ideal for your layout needs.
There are 2 separate things here.
Understanding layoutSubviews(). I.e. when and where to use it.
How to achieve what you want to do the right way. I.e. doing something with the UITextView at device rotation.
About the layoutSubviews(), you should not put any logic here as your view is not having any sub views.
You may say that we expect iOS to call it, so we can put some implementation here, but again, that is not the right way. layoutSubviews() is not meant to alter the view itself, but just laying out sub views.
I would recommend reading more on layoutSubviews(). I learnt from here, when I started learning iOS.
Now to achieve what you want to do, i.e. do something at the time of device rotation, you proper way is to use viewWillTransition(to:with:) method of UIViewController.
In this method, you can put logic to do something just before the transition will happen.
And you can also put logic which will execute during the transition OR after the transition completes, using the UIViewControllerTransitionCoordinator parameter passed to viewWillTransition(to:with:)
Hope this helps!
I usually set all my auto layout code in the updateCOnstratins method of my view controller for the constraints of all the subclasses defining the view. Then in the subviews I place my constraints in the updateConstraints methods there. This makes me have a property of every single view in my class so I can reference it later on after I set translates.... to false. But Im reading that you don't have to set it in updateConstraints. Just not I read an article where the person says an apple engineer said that if the constraints are only made once then you can put them pretty much where ever. Yet, if you have constrains that change during the views lifecycle you place them in updateConstraints? Here are the links http://swiftandpainless.com/where-to-put-the-auto-layout-code/ http://swiftandpainless.com/dont-put-view-code-into-your-view-controller/.
So where should It go? Was this just an old way of doing this and now it has changed?
What you said in your post is what you would generally want to do. Put any constraints that might change in updateConstraints. This also means you should keep a reference to them to be able to update them or remove/replace them. Any static ones can be put after your initialization code (the init method of a UIView or the viewDidLoad method of a UIViewController, for instance). The only real requirement there is you can only add constraints to views that are actually in a view hierarchy together, so anytime after you've added the appropriate views would be fine.
There is usually no reason not to put your constraint creation code in viewDidLoad, which has the advantage of being called only once. For constraints that change, I like to associate that code with whatever directly precipitates the change, such as a change in size class or the removal or insertion of a view.
I know, how to create autolayout constraints with size classes perfectly.
But I am not getting when to call layOutIfNeeded(), setNeedsDisplay(), layOutSubViews(), setUpdateConstraints().
Can someone tell how to properly call this function to update UI after constraints changed.
Another my concern is, when to call only single function out of above and call with other functions.
It must be really clear that your layout is calculated by a routine that is called at specific times at runtime.
It could happen that you need to modify the current layout, for instance changing the constant of a specific constraint. If you just do that you will notice no changes in the UI, this is because the routine is still not called.
What you can do is force the layout routine to be called, and you do that by these two methods:
setNeedsLayout : You are telling that the view needs a layout. The next time the routine is called knows that this view need to have a layout refresh
layOutIfNeeded(): You don't want to wait the next call and you are telling the system to force layout calculation ASAP
Same thing happen with setNeedsDisplay() and displayIfNeeded(), with the first you tell that a view needs to be rendered again, and with the second you tell do ASAP.
If you are asking yourself why, the reason is performance. Is useless to re-render everything each time, this lazy approach will save system resources.
The methods - setNeedsUpdateConstraints and -updateConstraintsIfNeeded are basically the same concept applied to constraints, the difference is that you will not see any changes in UI until you force a layout, why this methods are useful? because sometimes you need to check after a change in constraint if the layout is still valid without changing the aspect of your UI.
I see different examples where constraints are set. Some set them in viewDidLoad / loadView (after the subview was added). Others set them in the method updateViewConstraints, which gets called by viewDidAppear.
When I try setting constraints in updateViewContraints there can be a jumpiness to the layout, e.g. slight delay before the view appears. Also, if I use this method, should I clear out existing constraints first i.e. [self.view [removeConstraints:self.view.constraints]?
I set up my constraints in viewDidLoad/loadView (I'm targeting iOS >= 6). updateViewConstraints is useful for changing values of constraints, e.g. if some constraint is dependent on the orientation of the screen (I know, it's a bad practice) you can change its constant in this method.
Adding constraints in viewDidLoad is showed during the session "Introduction to Auto Layout for iOS and OS X" (WWDC 2012), starting from 39:22. I think it's one of those things that are said during lectures but don't land in the documentation.
UPDATE: I've noticed the mention of setting up constraints in Resource Management in View Controllers:
If you prefer to create views programmatically, instead of using a
storyboard, you do so by overriding your view controller’s loadView
method. Your implementation of this method should do the following:
(...)
3.If you are using auto layout, assign sufficient constraints to each of
the views you just created to control the position and size of your
views. Otherwise, implement the viewWillLayoutSubviews and
viewDidLayoutSubviews methods to adjust the frames of the subviews in
the view hierarchy. See “Resizing the View Controller’s Views.”
UPDATE 2: During WWDC 2015 Apple gave a new explanation of updateConstraints and updateViewConstraints recommended usage:
Really, all this is is a way for views to have a chance to make changes to constraints just in time for the next layout pass, but it's often not actually needed.
All of your initial constraint setup should ideally happen inside Interface Builder.
Or if you really find that you need to allocate your constraints programmatically, some place like viewDidLoad is much better.
Update constraints is really just for work that needs to be repeated periodically.
Also, it's pretty straightforward to just change constraints when you find the need to do that; whereas, if you take that logic apart from the other code that's related to it and you move it into a separate method that gets executed at a later time, your code becomes a lot harder to follow, so it will be harder for you to maintain, it will be a lot harder for other people to understand.
So when would you need to use update constraints?
Well, it boils down to performance.
If you find that just changing your constraints in place is too slow, then update constraints might be able to help you out.
It turns out that changing a constraint inside update constraints is actually faster than changing a constraint at other times.
The reason for that is because the engine is able to treat all the constraint changes that happen in this pass as a batch.
I recommend creating a BOOL and setting them in the -updateConstraints of UIView (or -updateViewConstraints, for UIViewController).
-[UIView updateConstraints]: (apple docs)
Custom views that set up constraints themselves should do so by overriding this method.
Both -updateConstraints and -updateViewConstraints may be called multiple times during a view's lifetime. (Calling setNeedsUpdateConstraints on a view will trigger this to happen, for example.) As a result, you need to make sure to prevent creating and activating duplicate constraints -- either using a BOOL to only perform certain constraint setup only once, or by making sure to deactivate/remove existing constraints before creating & activating new ones.
For example:
- (void)updateConstraints { // for view controllers, use -updateViewConstraints
if (!_hasLoadedConstraints) {
_hasLoadedConstraints = YES;
// create your constraints
}
[super updateConstraints];
}
Cheers to #fresidue in the comments for pointing out that Apple's docs recommend calling super as the last step. If you call super before making changes to some constraints, you may hit a runtime exception (crash).
This should be done in ViewDidLoad, as per WWDC video from Apple and the documentation.
No idea why people recommend updateConstraints. If you do in updateConstraints you will hit issues with NSAutoresizingMaskLayoutConstraint with auto resizing because your views have already taken into account the auto masks. You would need to remove them in updateConstraints to make work.
UpdateConstraints should be for just that, when you need to 'update' them, make changes etc from your initial setup.
Do it in view did layout subviews method
override func viewDidLayoutSubviews() {
super.viewDidLayoutSubviews()
}
I have this solution to change constraints before those who are in the storyboard are loaded.
This solution removes any lags after the view is loaded.
-(void)updateViewConstraints{
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
//Modify here your Constraint -> Activate the new constraint and deactivate the old one
self.yourContraintA.active = true;
self.yourContraintB.active= false;
//ecc..
});
[super updateViewConstraints]; // This must be the last thing that you do here -> if! ->Crash!
}
You can set them in viewWillLayoutSubviews: too:
override func viewWillLayoutSubviews() {
if(!wasViewLoaded){
wasViewLoaded = true
//update constraint
//also maybe add a subview
}
}
This worked for me:
Swift 4.2
override func viewWillAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
super.viewWillAppear(animated)
// Modify your constraints in here
...
}
Although honestly I am not sure if it is worth it. It seems a bit slower to load than in viewDidLoad(). I just wanted to move them out of the latter, because it's getting massive.
Add your constraints in viewWillLayoutSubviews() to add constraints programmatically
See Apple Documentation in Custom Layout Section
If possible, use constraints to define all of your layouts. The
resulting layouts are more robust and easier to debug. You should only
override the viewWillLayoutSubviews or layoutSubviews methods when you
need to create a layout that cannot be expressed with constraints
alone.
Following example is to pass any view to another class. create my view from storyboard
Swift 5.0
override func viewWillAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
super.viewWillAppear(animated)
DispatchQueue.main.async {
self.abcInstance = ABC(frame: self.myView.frame)
}
}
If you miss DispatchQueue.main.async, it will take time to update constraints in viewWillAppear. Create myView in storyboard and give constraints same as screen width & height, then try printing frame of myView. It will give accurate value in DispatchQueue.main.async or in viewDidAppear but not give accurate value in viewWillAppear without DispatchQueue.main.async.
If I want to initialize views programmatically, where in the viewcontroller lifecycle should this happen?
The initial intuition is loadView. However, here, we don't yet have the frame of the view itself (necessary for calculating the sizes/positions of the views). Ditto for viewDidLoad.
Next intuition is viewWillAppear- here we DO (finally) have a guarantee of the frame of the view. However, this has potential to be called many times throughout the vc lifecycle. Ditto for viewDidAppear, etc...
Finally, I found viewWillLayoutSubviews. This works for the initialization of most static layouts- however, whenever any view moves this gets called again (same problem as viewWillAppear).
I've seen recommendations to init the views in loadView and set their frames in viewWillLayoutSubviews (since setting frames should be idempotent, who cares if it gets called a couple times). But then why does apple so strongly encourage initWithFrame: as the standard initialization method of UIViews (https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/windowsviews/conceptual/viewpg_iphoneos/CreatingViews/CreatingViews.html)?
Would it be crazy to subclass all my UIViewControllers to have an initWithViewFrame: method? That way I can pass in a frame, manually set it immediately in loadView and be done with it? Or is it better to have a viewHasBeenFormatted flag in viewWillAppear that, if not set, calls the formatting of views and then sets it?
Or is this just apple's way of saying "use interface builder or you're screwed"?
Any help is appreciated!
edit- accidentally wrote loadView where I meant viewWillAppear (in final paragraph)
update- I guess I've come to terms with the fact that there is no place where
The frame is confidently known
The code will only be run once (on setup)
Looks like you're expected to initWithFrame: all your views in viewDidLoad (but then I guess the contents of that view shouldn't treat that frame as even remotely final? because how could it be when it was derived on an assumption? ugh...). Then re-set their frames in layoutSubviews. And make sure to manually handle the differences between initial layout and layout as a result of a moved view there... Man I feel like I've GOT to be missing something... (lol denial...)
I guess that, OR submit and use IB.
update2- viewWillLayoutSubviews WILL get called when one of its subviews is resized. So it is still disqualified as it fails property 2 of the required characteristics that I'm looking for. :(
If you're doing layout with IB, it's fine to do additional view initialization in viewDidLoad (for example, if you need to do stuff that IB doesn't handle well, or if you have UIView subclasses with properties not supported by IB). Alternatively, if you're not using IB, the documentation says you should use loadView to manually initialize your view hierarchy.
You're right, though, that you can't rely on the frame being accurate at that point. So you can accomplish layout via each view's autoResizingMask property, layout constraints (if you're iOS 6 and later), and/or overriding layoutSubviews.
My usual approach is to do layout to some degree in IB, then do anything else I need to (nontrivial layout, custom classes, etc) in viewDidLoad. Then, if I have layout to figure out that autoResizingMask doesn't cover (I'm supporting down to iOS 5), I override viewWillAppear (or layoutSubviews if I'm subclassing UIView) and do some pixel math. I've got a category on UIView to help with this that has things like:
-(void)centerSubviewHorizontally:(UIView *)view pixelsFromTop:(float)pixels;
-(void)centerSubviewHorizontally:(UIView *)view pixelsBelow:(float)pixels siblingView:(UIView *)sibling;
View controllers should not have initWithFrame: methods. What I do in all of my code (I never use IB) is to let the default loadView do its own thing. I create and setup all subviews in viewDidLoad. At this point the view controller's frame has at least a sane value. All subviews can be created with their own sane frames based on the initial size of the view controller's view. With proper autoresizingMask values this may be all you need.
If you need more specific subview layout, put the appropriate layout code in the viewWillLayoutSubviews method. This will deal with any view controller view frame changes including rotation, in-call status bars, etc.
If you don't use interface builder you should override loadView and initialize the views there. If you use autolayout you can also add your constraints there. If you don't use autolayout you can override the layoutSubviews method of your views to adjust the frames.