Creating response to answering quiz questions in a table - ios

I am creating an app for medical students, and one view is a quiz mode that randomly generates quiz questions with a table view of the answer options. In the current stage, the user selects an answer from the table view, and a text field below the table view tells them whether they are right or not.
What I would like to do is, when the user clicks an answer, if the answer is correct, the selected answer in the table is highlighted green. If the answer is wrong, the selected answer would turn red, and the correct answer in the table would turn red. Anyone know if it's possible to have different selection background colors in the same table (and also whether the logic described is possible)?

This should do the trick, beware it is not tested:
-(void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
if(indexPath.row != self.correctAnswerRow)
{
UITableViewCell *wrongCell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
[wrongCell setBackgroundColor:[UIColor redColor]];
}
UITableViewCell *correctCell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:
[NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:self.correctAnswerRow inSection:indexPath.section]];
[correctCell setBackgroundColor:[UIColor greenColor]];
}

Related

iOS Expanded/Selected Custom UITableViewCells state changes when scrolling UITableView

I have a list of custom cells in my tableview and as I scroll everything appears to fine and the cells appear to be in the same order. I have some functionality with my cells - as i select a cell (and it dynamically expands)the background color changes and a few other custom cell properties. Once I do this and then I start scrolling, different cells that i haven't even touched before show up, selected(expanded) and the cell only updates when I select it manually to the correct data. I seem to see duplicates and all kinds of craziness.
I know there are LOTS of posts about this on here so far but for me, so far nothing has worked. Would like some input on what I could do to stop this ridiculous behavior.
I have posted some code to give you a better idea of what I am doing. I know that 'dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier' is the culprit but don't know of an alternative.
As side notes, this is a tableview(its own xib) that is a child view of a large view (also a xib). I have also already registered the nib for the tableview.
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
MyCustomCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:myIndentifier forIndexPath:indexPath];
if(self.currentSelectedIndex){
if(self.previousSelectedIndex){
//collapse cell
//configure cell in method(change background color etc)
}
else{
//expand cell
//configure cell in method(change background color etc)
}
}
}
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
self.currentSelectedIndex = indexPath;
[tableView beginUpdates];
if(self.currentSelectedIndex){
if(self.previousSelectedIndex && (self.previousSelectedIndex != self.currentSelectedIndex)){
[tableView reloadRowsAtIndexPaths:#[self.currentSelectedIndex, self.previousSelectedIndex] withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationAutomatic];
}
else{
[tableView reloadRowsAtIndexPaths:#[self.currentSelectedIndex] withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationAutomatic];
}
}
[tableView endUpdates];
if(self.previousSelectedIndex == self.currentSelectedIndex){
self.previousSelectedIndex = nil;
}
else{
self.previousSelectedIndex = self.currentSelectedIndex;
}
}
What can I do or how would i make sure that nothing else in the list 'seems' to be selected(expanded) or prevent from appearing to see duplicates as i scroll? I already keep track of my current and last selected index(as shown in the code) so I suppose that I could use that somehow?
Dequeued Cells are Reused
Know that cells are re-used, so that the appearance of a UITableViewCell is persistent for the entire life of that cell.
This means that if you do not explicitly reset all the presentation view of your cell, and just returning it unchanged in cellForRowAtIndexPath, what you are returning may be a currently selected (or deselected) cached cell.
A possible location to reset a table cell is prepareForReuse.
Design note:
How are you maintaining self.currentSelectedIndex and self.previousSelectedIndex? This is typically quite dangerous, since you are attempting to replicate the UITableView behavior. It is for example, unlikely to work with multiple selection. Setting an active selection is unlikely handle situations when the OS didDeselectRowAtIndexPath, as a result of a keyboard dismissal for example.

iOS Dynamic Form in UITableViewCells, Retrieve Values

I have been searching and reading all over but couldn't find any conclusive method to achieve what I want to and hope to find help here...
I have a UITableView which allows the user to add multiple Flavours and Percentages to a Recipe. I have implemented the method to add or delete rows of Flavours with a custom Cell / Nib and it works perfectly well.
The issue I'm facing now, is how to retrieve the values the user has provided per added row.
(Edit for Clarity: My problem is not the populating of data, but only the dynamic reading of all data so I can save it)
I do manage to get the values for the visible rows (I do understand how the Reuseidentifier and the Tableview works, per se that for memory management's sake, iOS only keeps track of the visible rows), but not the hidden ones.
I assume in theory that I have to create an Array of Cells outside of 'cellForRowAtIndexPath' which maintains all cells. But then I'm facing another conceptual problem that my custom Nib / cell doesn't show.... basically:
How can I then use / register a nib without using the dequeingidentifier
Or in General, how can I solve the overall problem to be able an read all user entered values per row
Here the code I'm using within my cellForRowAtIndexPath. As mentioned adding and remove cell works like a charm, that isn't the issue...
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
RecipeFlavourTableViewCell *cell;
int section = (int)indexPath.section;
if(section==0)
return [super tableView:tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
if(!cell){
[tableView registerNib:[UINib nibWithNibName:#"RecipeFlavourCell" bundle:nil] forCellReuseIdentifier:#"Cell"];
cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:#"Cell"];
}
cell.selectionStyle = UITableViewCellSelectionStyleNone;
return cell;
}
I have seen some Libraries doing it (e.g. XLForm) but do not understand (also when checking their sources) how they iterate through the values and overcome this dequeuing problem...
Any help is highly appreciated
EDIT 2: here the code I'm using to iterate through the cells in order to save the data, but as said I can only iterate through the visible cells:
- (IBAction)saveRecipe:(id)sender {
NSInteger dynamicRows = [self.tableView numberOfRowsInSection:1];
for (int i=0; i<dynamicRows; i++) {
NSIndexPath *indexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:i inSection:1];
RecipeFlavourTableViewCell *cell = (RecipeFlavourTableViewCell *)[self.tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
NSLog(cell.flavour.text);
}
}
After 2 days of searching I finally came up with a solid solution. In case someone bumps into the same problem of dynamic forms with a tableview, here the solution:
As we understand, what ever cell is created in cellForRowAtIndexPath, it only persists as long as it is displayed. As soon as you scroll and the cell disappears, it gets automatically thrown out of memory. This behaviour makes it impossible to iterate through all cells at a later stages.
The steps to follow in order to make it work are as follows:
Preparation
Create an NSObject with all properties you want to persist in one form cell (-> cellObject)
In the ViewDidLoad of your controller create a NSMutableArray which will contain the cellObjects (-cellsArray)
Add as many cellObjects to the cellsArray as you initially want to appear in the Tableview
In numberOfRowsInSection return the count of you cellsArray
In the cellForRowAtIndexPath build your cells as usual BUT add a Textfield Delegate (self) to every Textfield in a cell
TextField Delegate
Implement:
- (void)textFieldDidEndEditing:(UITextField *)textField
and update your cellsArray Objects every time a Textfield ends editing. Per se, get the cellObject for the row and edit the properties with the value of the TextField
Add Row
When ever you add a row, just add an empty cellObject to your cellsArray and use the beginUpdates / insertRowsAtIndexPaths / endUpdates on your tableView (NOT reloadData as the already typed in data would get lost). Also add the following at the very beginning of your addRow method, as you want to make sure that if the user adds a row while editing a textfield, the latter gets persisted as well:
[self.view.window endEditing: YES];
Remove Row
Same as Add Row just reverse, remove the cellObject from your cellsArray and use deleteRowsAtIndexPaths on your tableView
Save Data
Now comes the trick: since you ought to always persist your data when a field ends editing mode, there is one case you need to cover: What if the user pushes "Save" when the focus is set on one TextField? Well at the very beginning of your Save Action insert the following:
[self.view.window endEditing: YES];
This make sure the the textFieldEndEditing will be triggered one last time for the current textField and that its data will also be persisted.
Finally iterate through your cellsArray and do whatever you want with it (validate, save etc)...
That's it, hope this can help anyone else as I couldn't find any valuable explanation anywhere else...
Lets assume that you have an NSArray and that it contains data you want to show. Your code should look something like this:
// Add this property to the class and fill it in with data you want to show
#property NSArray flavourElements;
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
RecipeFlavourTableViewCell *cell;
int section = (int)indexPath.section;
if(section==0)
return [super tableView:tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
if(!cell){
[tableView registerNib:[UINib nibWithNibName:#"RecipeFlavourCell" bundle:nil] forCellReuseIdentifier:#"Cell"];
cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:#"Cell"];
// At this point your cell is ready for showing
// And you can change values in it by getting element from array that contains data
cell.flavorTextField = flavourElements[indexPath.row].flavour
cell.precentageTextField = flavourElements[indexPath.row].precentage
}
cell.selectionStyle = UITableViewCellSelectionStyleNone;
return cell;
}
I wrote a code for accessing elements without knowing what you actually have, so you will need to adjust it a little bit to fit your app.

UITableVIew with Single Selection iOS

I am totally new to iOS development and have been requested by my company to jump into some code written by another amateur that left us and fix it. The main view of this app is just a table view and we would like the user to be able to select one cell from the table, which would highlight it and set some other buttons on the page to do something to that particular cell.
Making the other buttons on the page works just fine, as long as I know what cell is selected, so I am not too worried about that. But the code this other guy wrote to select one cell at a time is atrocious, and the code I tried to replace his with was better, but still very buggy.
My code is this written below (sort of adopted from the old stuff that I don't completely understand). The issue with it is that the background turns black when the cell is clicked twice in a row or if you change views and come back to this table view.
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
for (int i = 0; i < [tableView numberOfRowsInSection:0]; i++) {
[tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:currentSelection animated:true];
}
if(currentSelection.item == indexPath.item){
[tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:currentSelection animated:true];
}
UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
//highlight bg to light grey
cell.backgroundColor =[UIColor colorWithRed:200/255 green:200/255 blue:200/255 alpha:1.0f];
currentSelection = indexPath;
//code for other button functions
}
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didDeselectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
//set bg back to white
cell.backgroundColor =[UIColor colorWithRed:255/255 green:255/255 blue:255/255 alpha:1.0f];
noSelectedRows = true;
}
If that is too terrible too look at and try to fix, I was looking at a tutorial provided by Apple that I wanted to understand a little better anyway. The following code was found here: https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/userexperience/conceptual/tableview_iphone/ManageSelections/ManageSelections.html
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
[tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:NO];
NSInteger catIndex = [taskCategories indexOfObject:self.currentCategory];
if (catIndex == indexPath.row) {
return;
}
NSIndexPath *oldIndexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:catIndex inSection:0];
UITableViewCell *newCell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
if (newCell.accessoryType == UITableViewCellAccessoryNone) {
newCell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark;
self.currentCategory = [taskCategories objectAtIndex:indexPath.row];
}
UITableViewCell *oldCell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:oldIndexPath];
if (oldCell.accessoryType == UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark) {
oldCell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryNone;
}
}
The only things I need to know about that last code is where variables like self.currentCategory and taskCategories are coming from. As of now, there don't seem to be any similar variables in the code I am working with, so I would like to know what I have to point to or create.
This is also my first post on StackOverflow, so if I left out something important, please let me know.
The UITableView is a huge control, and it can be implemented in several ways. By your description, I think you using it with Static Grouped cells, in order to compose a form, right?
Actually selection display is handled automatically by the UITableView, so the code for didDeselecteRowAtIndex path which manually change cells background may be one source if the buggy behavior. Notice in the Apple Sample that they are using a similar logic to change the accessory view when cells are tapped, which need to be set manually.
If you're using the Storyboard and Template cells, you can set the "Selection" property on the cell to change the color when it is selected. Then you can remove the logic for changing cells backgrounds. I think it could be a good starting point....
You can right click on the variable and select Jump To Definition and it will show you where its declared.
As far as the rest of the code, what the other answers said is correct.
I suggest picking up a book on iOS development as well. Big Nerd Ranch's book is a great start.
One of your problems is, that
200/255 is 0
use 200/255.0f instead
Complementing Justin answers, here are some links. The iOS Apprentice Bundle is a great jumpstart material, that guides you through the creation of several Apps, pinpoint basics of iOS, such as the table view. I highly recommend!
http://www.raywenderlich.com/store/ios-apprentice
This series of videos also has a great introduction to Table Views, it will take less than a hour and will show the big picture on using UITableViews, this one is free:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh-vfLXsTac

Get tableview row on cell button tap

I have a tableview with cells (not custom), and each cell has a button (among other things).
Depending on the cell, the button that is created is different. I have 3 different types of cell/button, Rate/View/Edit (I'm not sure that's at all relevant)
This button is only used for this:
[button addTarget:self action:#selector(rateEvent:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
The selector is different for each button (rateEvent, viewEvent, editEvent).
Here is an example, they're all 3 fairly similar and start the segue sequence:
- (IBAction)viewEvent:(UIButton*)sender
{
[self performSegueWithIdentifier:#"fromHomeToDetails" sender:self];
}
My didSelectedRowAtIndexPath saves the details of a meeting in the selectedMeeting object.
-(void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
selectedMeeting = [_nextMeetingsArray objectAtIndex:indexPath.row];
}
The segue sends selectedMeeting to the next controller.
My issue : The meeting that is sent depends on the selected cell. That means the user has to select a cell and THEN tap the button to get the correct details on the next page. What can i do to get the correct indexpath of a tapped button inside a cell?
I tried to add parameters to the viewEvent method, to make it look like -(void)viewEvent:(int)index:(UIButton*)sender; but it doesn't work in the #selector(viewEvent:).
The solutions i can imagine but not create are :
- Manage to get the indexpath of the cell of a tapped button and send it to my viewEvent method, somehow.
- Create a customCell and/or use an accessory, so i've read here and there.
- Force row selection when i tap the button, but that also requires to know the index of said row.
Both seem "too complicated" for something that (should?) be fairly simple. I'm pretty sure any experienced programmer will have an obvious easy answer that I haven't learned yet, and i'd rather ask for it than implement something heavier than it should be.
Also, if you have any comment/criticism on how i've done that, i'm all ears :)
Thanks for your time guys, as always, i'm very grateful.
EDIT :
cellForRow method :
Note : i removed everything that has to do with labeling. Because i have different buttons there are multiple if{} statements but they are of no influence in my opinion. Also, the cell is based on a storyboard cell with a tag of 228 ; after creation a new tag is set so it shouldn't influence. Also, i have a cap of 50 items in tableview (set from webservice) so there is no way the indexpath reaches >50.
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath{
UITableViewCell *nextCell = [self.tbvNextMeetings dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:#"tbNextCell" forIndexPath:indexPath];
UIButton *bt= (UIButton*) [nextCell viewWithTag:228];
[bt setTitle:#"Edit" forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[bt addTarget:self action:#selector(editEvent:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[bt setTag:indexPath.row];
return nextCell;
Add tag to button as indexpath.row, in cellForRowAtIndexPath() method. Then in selector method get sender tag. And pass in
NSIndexPath *path = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:sender.tag inSection:yoursection];
UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:path];
Edit : Setting the cell with a tag of 228 at first and then switching it to the value of indexpath made its creation fail.

TableView Cell reuse and unwanted checkmarks - this is killing me

Apple's iOS TableView and cell reuse is killing me. I searched and searched and studied, but can't find good docs or good answers. The problem is that when the TableView reuses cells things like Checkmarks (cell accessory) set on a selected Cell are repeated in the cells further down in the table view. I understand that cell reuse is by design, due to memory constraints, but if you have a list with say 50 items, and it starts setting extra checkmarks where they're not wanted, this makes whole endeavor useless.
All I want to do is set a checkmark on a cell I've selected. I've tried this using my own custom cell class, and standard cells generated by a boiler plate TableView class, but it always ends up the same.
Apple even have an example project called TouchCell you can download from the dev center, that is supposed to show a different way of setting a checkmark using a custom cell with an image control on the left. The project uses a dictionary object for a data source instead of a muteable array, so for each item there is a string value and bool checked value. This bool checked value is supposed to set the checkmark so it can track selected items. This sample project also displays this goofy behavior as soon as you populate the TableView with 15+ cells. The reuse of cells starts setting unwanted check marks.
I've even tried experimenting with using a truely unique Cell Identifier for each cell. So instead of each cell having something like #"Acell" I used a static int, cast to a string so the cells got #"cell1", #"cell2" etc. During testing though, I could see that hundreds of new cells where generated during scrolling, even if the table only had 30 items.
It did fix the checkmark repeat problem, but I suspect the memory usage was going way too high.
It's as though the cells that are not currently in the viewable area of the table are created all over again when they are scrolled back into view.
Has anyone come up with an elegant solution to this irritating behavior?
cell reusing can be tricky but you have to keep 2 things in mind:
Use one identifier for one type of cell - Using multiple identifiers is really only needed when you use different UITableViewCell-subclasses in one table view and you have to rely on their different behaviour for different cells
The cell you reuse can be in any state, which means you have to configure every aspect of the cell again - especially checkmars / images / text / accessoryViews / accessoryTypes and more
What you need to do is to create a storage for your checkmark states - a simple array containing bools (or NSArray containing boolean NSNumber objects respectively) should do it. Then when you have to create/reuse a cell use following logic:
-(UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
static NSString *reuseIdentifier = #"MyCellType";
UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:reuseIdentifier];
if(cell == nil) {
/* create cell here */
}
// Configure cell now
cell.textLabel.text = #"Cell text"; // load from datasource
if([[stateArray objectAtIndex:indexPath.row] boolValue]) {
cell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark;
} else {
cell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryNone;
}
return cell;
}
then you will have to react on taps:
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
[stateArray replaceObjectAtIndex:indexPath.row withObject:[NSNumber numberWithBool:![[stateArray objectAtIndex:indexPath.row] boolValue]]];
[tableView reloadRowsAtIndexPaths:[NSArray arrayWithObject:indexPath] withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationFade];
}
Just remember to use NSMutableArray for your data store ;)

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