Easy way to locate unknown button in Xcode? - ios

Question

I'm attempting to learn Xcode currently, and instead of reading a lengthy tutorial, I much prefer to learn by doing. Therefore, I'm looking at some of the sample code from the Apple Developer website and learning the ins and outs of the code. I'm currently learning about Core Data (https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/samplecode/iPhoneCoreDataRecipes/Introduction/Intro.html) but I ran into a problem. There's a button that links me to "Categories" in which I can select a category to put a recipe in. The categories are connected to an SQLite database best I can tell. However, I'm trying to delete this button, and I can't find out where the button is in any of the code. If anyone knows an easy way to locate and delete a button through the simulator, I would really appreciate it, or if anyone would have the time to look over the code and see where the button is (It's right below Prep Time and directly above Ingredients) and see how to delete it, I would be very appreciative. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

From Apple's introduction to Core Data:
Important: Core Data is not an entry-level technology. Before starting
to use Core Data, you must understand the basics of iOS application
development, including:
How to use Xcode and Interface Builder
Fundamental design patterns such as model-view-controller and delegation
How to use view controllers, navigation controllers, and table views
The sample code you linked to has some very helpful info for learning Core Data, but you should really learn the ropes of Xcode, etc. first. Additionally, the project doesn't use Storyboards and appears to be targeting iOS 3.2. You may want to check out some sample code that targets a more current version of iOS and integrates Storyboards if you're just getting started. If you're dead set on starting with Core Data, start by picking apart the Master Detail Application template--it's much easier to consume (pun intended).
If you must know, the "Category" button is actually a UITableViewCell. It resides in RecipeDetailViewController.m and triggers a push transition to the TypeSelectionViewController when tableView:didSelectRowAtIndexPath: is called.
If you want to get rid of the cell and the title for the section, comment out lines 249 and 228 - 230.
Line 249:
// case TYPE_SECTION:
Lines 228 - 230:
// case TYPE_SECTION:
// title = #"Category";
// break;
Stop now, don't pass go. Thank me later.

Answer 2

If you search the project for the word "Category", you can see that it's a section in a tableview inside RecipeDetailViewController:
This app-wide search function (which admittedly only scans code, not NIBs or Storyboards) is very useful.
This tells us that this is not part of the UI defined by the NIBs, but rather a UI generated from code (it's a section in the table view). As you can see from that code, that means that the section whose section number is equal to TYPE_SECTION results in the "Category" behavior. So search the code for all occurrences of TYPE_SECTION, and comment that out of the code. Because these section numbers are integral to the code (and have to start at zero), you have to adjust the constants that say:
#define TYPE_SECTION 0
#define INGREDIENTS_SECTION 1
#define INSTRUCTIONS_SECTION 2
and replace that with something like:
// #define TYPE_SECTION 0
#define INGREDIENTS_SECTION 0
#define INSTRUCTIONS_SECTION 1
This code, rather gracelessly, has hard-coding for the number of sections, too, so you'd probably have to fix that, too, namely, replacing:
- (NSInteger)numberOfSectionsInTableView:(UITableView *)tableView {
return 4;
}
with
- (NSInteger)numberOfSectionsInTableView:(UITableView *)tableView {
return 3;
}
This is, at my quick investigation, what you need to do. There might be other things you'd have to do, too. If this was a UI element defined by a NIB or storyboard, the process of hunting it down is a little different (and sufficiently more cumbersome that I hesitate to go into it here ... the answer to that question is (a) not applicable to your immediate question of how to remove the "Category" section and (b) a detailed answer on searching NIBs would probably be more confusing than helpful; if you really want me to describe it I can, but it's probably not a good use of your time as you're just getting started).
Having said all of this, if you're looking to learn, diagnosing really old code might not be the first avenue I'd suggest.
I would, instead, suggest following some tutorials that walk you through the creation of your own test apps (e.g. Apple's "My First App" described in Jump Right In section of the Start Developing iOS Apps Today guide; or the Second or Third app that they describe in Where to Go From Here? section at the end of that guide.
Actually writing your own code (simplified by following along a tutorial like these) is going to be a heck of a lot more productive than trying to reverse engineer some old code (IMHO).

Answer 3

The interface is probably in a xib file. But if you are learning in this way, you will have to accept you will run into stuff where a more formal approach would probably have helped you.