A better way to implement margins in a UITableView? - ios

Question

Apple has deprecated margins in table views, since iOS7, but designers still seem to want margins. What’s the best way t implement margins in iOS 7 and above? The old “group” table view style that included margins in iOS 6 no longer indents the left and right edges.
I have aUITableView subclass, in which i’m using the following method to programmatically add margins to the edge of all subviews, except thebackgroundView (such as cells, section header etc):
Code:
- (void)layoutSubviews {
[super layoutSubviews];
for (UIView *subview in self.subviews) {
if (subview != self.backgroundView && subview.frame.origin.x == 0.0 && subview.frame.size.width == self.frame.size.width) {
subview.frame = CGRectInset(subview.frame, 10.0, 0);
}
}
}
During runtime, it all seems to work as desired. The cells resize according to the margin offset and the subviews of those cells adjust correctly.
However, in the storyboard, usingIBDesignable, the cells adjust correctly but the cells’ subviews do not seem to resize within the cell’s calculated size
Is there a better way to implement margins in aUITableView?
Thanks c:

Answer 1

UIEdgeInsets is used to implement margins around the tableview that looks like grouped tableview. You may try below solutions and check it.
-(void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView willDisplayCell:(UITableViewCell *)cell forRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath{
if ([tableView respondsToSelector:#selector(setSeparatorInset:)]) {
[tableView setSeparatorInset:UIEdgeInsetsZero];//iOS7
}
if ([tableView respondsToSelector:#selector(setLayoutMargins:)]) {
[tableView setLayoutMargins:UIEdgeInsetsZero];
}
if ([cell respondsToSelector:#selector(setLayoutMargins:)]) {
[cell setLayoutMargins:UIEdgeInsetsZero];
}
}
//OR
-(void)viewDidLayoutSubviews
{
[super viewDidLayoutSubviews];
// Force your tableview margins (this may be a bad idea)
if ([self.tableView respondsToSelector:#selector(setSeparatorInset:)]) {
[self.tableView setSeparatorInset:UIEdgeInsetsZero];
}
if ([self.tableView respondsToSelector:#selector(setLayoutMargins:)]) {
[self.tableView setLayoutMargins:UIEdgeInsetsZero];
}
}
For iOS 8 use
- (UIEdgeInsets)layoutMargins {
return UIEdgeInsetsZero;
}
Hope it helps you..

Answer 2

Apple switched to layout margins in iOS 8. The advantage of adding constraints to margins instead of edges, is that your margin is now adaptive, and will adjust itself, based on the screen's traits.
After I transitioned to constraining to margins (instead of edges), I really appreciated how it simplified layout, and eliminating having to adjust constraints myself. It does the work for me, and it looks pleasing.