How to remove Optional(" ") and format date in Swift - ios

Question

I have the following code:
let dateToday = NSDate()
I “pass” it to the Score View Controller via a function:
func saveScore(){
let appDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
let gameResult = NSEntityDescription.insertNewObjectForEntityForName("SaveGame", inManagedObjectContext: appDelegate.managedObjectContext) as! SaveGame
gameResult.datePlayed = dateToday
// other data goes here
self.performSegueWithIdentifier(“scoreSegue", sender: self)
}
In the Score View Controller, I display it as:
cell.textLabel?.text = "Date: \(game.datePlayed)
However, I only get this line with the Optional(" ") line.
pls check my screenshot
How do I remove the Optional (" ") and how do I format the date to:
MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm (AM/PM)?

Answer 1

To remove the Optionnal("") indication you can use conditionnal binding like this :
if let date = game.datePlayed {
cell.textLabel?.text = "Date: \(date)"
} else {
//Here display something if no date is available
}
You could also force unwrap your variable with game.datePlayed! but I would recommend against it
To format your date to something readable, use NSDateFormatter like that:
let formatter = NSDateFormatter()
formatter.dateStyle = NSDateFormatterStyle.LongStyle
formatter.timeStyle = .MediumStyle
let dateString = formatter.stringFromDate(date)
You can change the dateStyle and timeStyle to suit your needs (choice between: .ShortStyle, .MediumStyle, .LongStyle and .FullStyle)
Additionaly you could use a custom date formatter like the following:
let formatter = NSDateFormatter()
formatter.dateFormat = "yyyy-MM-dd 'at' HH:mm"
let dateString = formatter.stringFromDate(date)