Split View Controller - Custom UITableViewCell - ios

Question

I am trying to add a custom UITableViewCell to my Split View Controller Master. When I run my app the cells don't appear, although they do carry the information as confirmed by a println statement. After some research I found out that only standard UITableViewCells are generated.
The Table ViewController has the Data Source and Delegate connected via the Storyboard and the UITableViewCell has a custom Class with Identifier.
The TableView & TableViewCell are in the same ViewController.
The TableViewCell reusable identifier is "ArtistCell" and it's class is ArtistCell.
import UIKit
import MediaPlayer
class ArtistsMasterTableViewController: UITableViewController, UITableViewDelegate, UITableViewDataSource {
var artistsQuery:MPMediaQuery!
var artists:NSArray!
var artistAlbums:NSArray!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
// Do any additional setup after loading the view.
artistsQuery = MPMediaQuery.artistsQuery()
artists = artistsQuery.collections
}
override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() {
super.didReceiveMemoryWarning()
// Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
}
override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
return artists.count
}
override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, didSelectRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) {
println(artists[indexPath.row].items)
}
override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier("ArtistCell", forIndexPath: indexPath) as! ArtistCell
cell.backgroundColor = UIColor.clearColor()
var rowItem:MPMediaItem = artists.objectAtIndex(indexPath.row).representativeItem
if let artwork = rowItem.valueForProperty(MPMediaItemPropertyArtwork) as? MPMediaItemArtwork {
cell.artistImage!.image = artwork.imageWithSize(cell.artistImage.bounds.size)
}
cell.artistNameLabel.text = rowItem.valueForProperty(MPMediaItemPropertyArtist) as? String
// artistCell.albumsLabel.text = rowItem.valueForProperty(MPMediaItemPropertyArtist) as? String
// artistCell.songsLabel.text = rowItem.valueForProperty(MPMediaItemPropertyArtist) as? String
return cell
}
The custom cell:
class ArtistCell: UITableViewCell {
#IBOutlet weak var artistImage: UIImageView!
#IBOutlet weak var artistNameLabel: UILabel!
#IBOutlet weak var albumsLabel: UILabel!
#IBOutlet weak var songsLabel: UILabel!
}
Here are some Storyboard screenshots:

Answer 1

Great question. From what I've seen the way to implement this is to create a custom xib file that you dequeue. Here is the best article on the subject in objective-c: https://medium.com/#musawiralishah/creating-custom-uitableviewcell-using-nib-xib-files-in-xcode-9bee5824e722
Essentially, you do the following:
Setup your table just like you have minus the reusable cell
Create a custom xib file and make it look like your prototype cell (you can simply do this by making an empty object and dragging a tableviewcell onto the storyboard
Make sure to set the class type of the xib to ArtistCell in the Identity Inspector
Create a custom class ArtistCell to hook the xib up to
Use this code when you are setting up your cellForRowAtIndexPath
func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
var cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier("cell") as? ArtistCell
if cell == nil{
tableView .registerNib(UINib(nibName: "ArtistCell", bundle: nil), forCellReuseIdentifier: "cell")
cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier("cell", forIndexPath: indexPath) as? ArtistCell
}
cell?.nameLabel.text = "Hello World"
return cell!
}
Here's a screen cap just in case:
This code has been fully tested and works for me. FYI. :-) Hope this helps!
Cheers!
Rob Norback