UIViewController won't be deleted - ios

Question

I'm struggling with a retaining issue between two of my UIViewControllers. The view controllers are never deleted causing my app memory to keep growing memory consumption.
UITitleScreenViewController is my initial view controller. When I go from it to UIChooseAntViewController (a choose player screen) I want to relinquish ownership of UITitleViewController but as you can see in the instruments below the controller is still retained after the transition:
The second image is the retain/release history. All entries prior to #133 were issued on the app startup. I believe #133 and #140 are pairs created by the storyboard segue. So whose responsibility is to issue that extra release to destroy the controller? I tried to set self.view = nil on my willDidDisappear method but no deal.
Not only it is not releasing the controllers but it is creating new instances of them each time a transition. For instance, when I come back from ChooseAnt to Title it creates another instance of UITitleViewController!
Things that are important to say:
1) NSZombies flag is not ticked in the target scheme
2) There are no blocks in my UITitleViewController, and I commented out all blocks in UIChooseAntController. In fact these controllers are very simple. UITitle is entirely defined via storyboard (just a view with a background and two buttons performing segues)
while UIChooseAnt is a control that presents a background and a swipe interface to display available characters and radio buttons. The segue is performed programatically by calling [self performSegueWithIdentifier];
3) I don't know if this matters but the segues are defined as modal and have no animation.
EDIT: 4) None of the the controllers reference each other.
Below is the source code for the TitleViewController
This problem is driving me crazy. If anyone could shed some light on it. Anything would be of great help! Thanks!
#interface SMTitleScreenViewController ()
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *buttonPlay;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *buttonCamera;
- (IBAction)onButtonPlay:(id)sender;
- (IBAction)onButtonCamera:(id)sender;
#end
#implementation SMTitleScreenViewController
- (id)initWithNibName:(NSString *)nibNameOrNil bundle:(NSBundle *)nibBundleOrNil
{
self = [super initWithNibName:nibNameOrNil bundle:nibBundleOrNil];
if (self)
{
}
return self;
}
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
[super viewDidLoad];
UIColor* color = [UIColor colorWithRed:0.2509f green:0.1176f blue:0.0745f alpha:1.0f];
UIFont* font = [UIFont fontWithName:#"Jungle Roar" size:BUTTON_FONT_SIZE];
NSString* playString = NSLocalizedString(#"Play", #"");
NSString* cameraString = NSLocalizedString(#"Camera", #"");
[self.buttonPlay setTitle:playString forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[self.buttonPlay setTitle:playString forState:UIControlStateHighlighted];
[self.buttonPlay setTitleColor:color forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[self.buttonPlay setTitleColor:color forState:UIControlStateHighlighted];
self.buttonPlay.titleLabel.font = font;
[self.buttonCamera setTitle:cameraString forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[self.buttonCamera setTitle:cameraString forState:UIControlStateHighlighted];
[self.buttonCamera setTitleColor:color forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[self.buttonCamera setTitleColor:color forState:UIControlStateHighlighted];
self.buttonCamera.titleLabel.font = font;
}
- (void) viewDidDisappear:(BOOL)animated
{
if ([self.view window] == nil)
{
self.view = nil;
}
}
- (void)didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning];
if ([self.view window] == nil)
{
self.view = nil;
}
}
- (IBAction)onButtonPlay:(id)sender
{
}
- (IBAction)onButtonCamera:(id)sender
{
}
EDIT: UIChooseAntViewController (as requested)
#interface SMChooseAntViewController ()
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIImageView* rope;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIImageView* antFrontLayer;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIImageView* antBackLayer;
#property (strong, nonatomic) NSArray* antFrontImages;
#property (strong, nonatomic) NSArray* antBackImages;
#property (strong, nonatomic) NSArray* antNameImages;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIButton* leftButton;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIButton* rightButton;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIButton* confirmButton;
#property (nonatomic) NSUInteger selectedAntID;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIImage* radioImageHighlighted;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIImage* radioImage;
#property (strong, nonatomic) NSMutableArray* radioViews;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *antDescriptionLabel;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIImageView *antDescriptionBG;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UIImageView* antNameView;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UISwipeGestureRecognizer* leftSwipeRecognizer;
#property (strong, nonatomic) UISwipeGestureRecognizer* rightSwipeRecognizer;
- (void) onArrowButton:(id)sender;
- (void) onConfirmButton:(id)sender;
- (void) respondToSwipe:(UISwipeGestureRecognizer*)recognizer;
#end
#implementation SMChooseAntViewController
- (id)initWithNibName:(NSString *)nibNameOrNil bundle:(NSBundle *)nibBundleOrNil
{
self = [super initWithNibName:nibNameOrNil bundle:nibBundleOrNil];
if (self)
{
// Custom initialization
}
return self;
}
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
[super viewDidLoad];
CGSize screenSize = [[UIScreen mainScreen] bounds].size;
// Needed to come in between front and back player image layers
UIImage* ropeImage = [UIImage imageNamed:ROPE_IMAGE_PATH];
self.rope = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:ropeImage];
self.rope.center = CGPointMake(screenSize.width / 2.0f, ropeImage.size.height / 2.0f);
UIColor* brownColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:0.2509f green:0.1176f blue:0.0745f alpha:1.0f];
self.antDescriptionLabel.textColor = brownColor;
self.antDescriptionLabel.numberOfLines = 0;
NSArray* antNames = [SMProfile antNames];
// Cache available Player Views in a NSArray
UIImage* frontImages[MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS];
UIImage* backImages[MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS];
UIImage* nameImages[MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS];
for (NSUInteger i = 0; i < MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS; ++i)
{
NSString* antName = [antNames objectAtIndex:i];
frontImages[i] = [SMImage imageNamed:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#_title_front.png", antName]];
backImages[i] = [SMImage imageNamed:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#_title_back.png", antName]];
nameImages[i] = [SMImage imageNamed:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"%#_name.png", antName]];
}
self.antFrontImages = [NSArray arrayWithObjects:frontImages[0], frontImages[1], frontImages[2], nil];
self.antBackImages = [NSArray arrayWithObjects:backImages[0], backImages[1], backImages[2], nil];
self.antNameImages = [NSArray arrayWithObjects:nameImages[0], nameImages[1], nameImages[2], nil];
// Load Selected player from profile
SMProfile* profile = [SMProfile mainProfile];
self.selectedAntID = profile.antID.unsignedIntegerValue;
self.antFrontLayer = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[self.antFrontImages objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID]];
self.antBackLayer = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[self.antBackImages objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID]];
self.antNameView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[self.antNameImages objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID]];
self.antNameView.center = CGPointMake(screenSize.width / 2.0f, self.antDescriptionBG.frame.origin.y);
NSString* antDescriptionKey = [NSString stringWithFormat:#"AntDescription%lu", (unsigned long)self.selectedAntID];
self.antDescriptionLabel.text = NSLocalizedString(antDescriptionKey, #"");
self.antDescriptionLabel.numberOfLines = 0;
self.antDescriptionLabel.adjustsFontSizeToFitWidth = YES;
self.antFrontLayer.center = CGPointMake(screenSize.width / 2.0f, ropeImage.size.height * 0.75f);
self.antBackLayer.center = self.antFrontLayer.center;
// Here a perform button creation, loading and positioning
// No blocks are being called
// add Target to buttons
[self.leftButton addTarget:self action:#selector(onArrowButton:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[self.rightButton addTarget:self action:#selector(onArrowButton:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[self.confirmButton addTarget:self action:#selector(onConfirmButton:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
// Create and configure SwipeRecognizers
self.leftSwipeRecognizer = [[UISwipeGestureRecognizer alloc] initWithTarget:self action:#selector(respondToSwipe:)];
self.leftSwipeRecognizer.direction = UISwipeGestureRecognizerDirectionLeft;
[self.view addGestureRecognizer:self.leftSwipeRecognizer];
self.rightSwipeRecognizer = [[UISwipeGestureRecognizer alloc] initWithTarget:self action:#selector(respondToSwipe:)];
self.rightSwipeRecognizer.direction = UISwipeGestureRecognizerDirectionRight;
[self.view addGestureRecognizer:self.rightSwipeRecognizer];
// Here a create a custom page control scheme. I load two radio button images
// create views and add them to the root view node.
// Add remaining view to the hierarchy
[self.view addSubview:self.antBackLayer];
[self.view addSubview:self.rope];
[self.view addSubview:self.antFrontLayer];
[self.view addSubview:self.confirmButton];
[self.view bringSubviewToFront:self.antDescriptionBG];
[self.view bringSubviewToFront:self.antDescriptionLabel];
[self.view addSubview:self.leftButton];
[self.view addSubview:self.rightButton];
[self.view addSubview:self.antNameView];
[self.view bringSubviewToFront:[self.radioViews objectAtIndex:0]];
}
- (void) viewDidDisappear:(BOOL)animated
{
if ([self.view window] == nil)
{
self.rope = nil;
self.antFrontLayer = nil;
self.antBackLayer = nil;
self.antFrontImages = nil;
self.antBackImages = nil;
self.antNameImages = nil;
self.leftButton = nil;
self.rightButton = nil;
self.confirmButton = nil;
self.radioImageHighlighted = nil;
self.radioImage = nil;
self.radioViews = nil;
self.antNameView = nil;
self.leftSwipeRecognizer = nil;
self.rightSwipeRecognizer = nil;
self.view = nil;
}
}
- (void)didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning];
if ([self.view window] == nil)
{
self.view = nil;
}
}
- (void)onArrowButton:(id)sender
{
UIButton* button = (UIButton*)sender;
NSInteger direction = button.tag;
// if on boundaries do nothing (first ant selected and swipe left or last ant selected and swipe right)
if ((self.selectedAntID == 0 && direction == -1) || (self.selectedAntID == (MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS - 1) && direction == 1))
{
return;
}
// Update Radio Buttons. Unselect previous and select next.
UIImageView* currRadio = [self.radioViews objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID];
currRadio.image = self.radioImage;
self.selectedAntID = (self.selectedAntID + MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS + direction) % MAX_AVAILABLE_ANTS;
UIImageView* nextRadio = [self.radioViews objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID];
nextRadio.image = self.radioImageHighlighted;
self.antFrontLayer.image = [self.antFrontImages objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID];
self.antBackLayer.image = [self.antBackImages objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID];
self.antNameView.image = [self.antNameImages objectAtIndex:self.selectedAntID];
// here I was issuing some block to perform the swipe animation for the ant image views. I commented them and I'm just replacing the images now (3 lines above)
}
- (void)onConfirmButton:(id)sender
{
// Save player choice to profile and perform segue
SMProfile* profile = [SMProfile mainProfile];
profile.antID = [NSNumber numberWithUnsignedInt:self.selectedAntID];
[profile save];
[self performSegueWithIdentifier:#"chooseAntToStageSelect" sender:self];
}
- (void) respondToSwipe:(UISwipeGestureRecognizer *)recognizer
{
// forward swipe to onArrowButton message
if (recognizer.direction == UISwipeGestureRecognizerDirectionLeft)
{
[self onArrowButton:self.rightButton];
}
else if (recognizer.direction == UISwipeGestureRecognizerDirectionRight)
{
[self onArrowButton:self.leftButton];
}
}
#end

Answer 1

When presenting B view controller from A, A will not release as A is the presentingViewController (please refer to the sdk doc).
Or if A,B are sub view controller of a navigation controller, A is store int he push stack which is not removed when pushing to B.

Answer 2

You are pushing a view controller on to a stack hence until the last one is not popped, the controller will not be released.
To go deep into dependencies on childs read the the article below.
Greatly explained, i am sure it'll help. :)
http://www.cocoawithlove.com/2009/07/rules-to-avoid-retain-cycles.html