Delegate is nil - ios

I have a property on a ViewController which I set from a parent SplitViewController:
Property declaration/synthesization
#interface DownloadRecipesViewController_iPad : DownloadRecipesViewController<PopoverMenuDelegate, RecipeChangeDelegate>{
id <NSObject, PopoverMenuParentDelegate, RecipeChangeDelegate, RecipeDownloadedDelegate> _selectionDelegate;
}
#property (strong) UIBarButtonItem *btnMenu;
#property (strong) id <NSObject, RecipeChangeDelegate, RecipeDownloadedDelegate> selectionDelegate;
#implementation DownloadRecipesViewController_iPad
#synthesize btnMenu;
#synthesize selectionDelegate = _selectionDelegate;
I wire up the delegate in the parent SplitViewVC's viewDidLoad method:
Wiring up the delegate
self.downloadVc = [self.storyboard instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier:#"RecipeDownload"];
[self.downloadVc setSelectionDelegate:self];
A button in the Child VC calls a method to fire an event up to the parent ViewController, but when this event is called, the delegate is nil and the event isn't fired. I've wracked my brains trying every which way to find out why this happens but I'm at a total loss.
Delegate is nil here (firing the delegate):
-(IBAction)didTapMenu:(id)sender{
if([_selectionDelegate respondsToSelector:#selector(shouldToggleMenu)])
[_selectionDelegate shouldToggleMenu];
}
I've also tried without the backing property but hit the same problem.

Suggestions on how to find this follow. But first, why not save yourself some typing and remove the ivar and remove the #synthesize - its totally unnecessary typing at this time. Also, as a comment said, delegates should almost always be typed as weak.
Suggestions:
1) Write a (temporary) setter for the selectionDelegate, then set a break point where you actually set the value (or after) so you can verify that its getting set, and that nothing else is zeroing it out.
2) Set a breakpoint on the IBAction method, on the line where the if statement is, and when you hit it verify the object is the same one where you set the delegate, what the delegate value is, and then see if the respondsTo method succeeds (use single step).

The way I eventually solved this was:
Create a new delegate which exposes a method: -(void)segueBeginning:(UIStoryboardSegue*)destination
Use this delegate to expose prepareForSegue from the child UINavigationController to the parent SplitViewController
.3. Hook up my child VC in the parent ViewController when prepareForSegue is raised in the child nav controller:
if([destination.destinationViewController isKindOfClass:[DownloadRecipesViewController_iPad class]] && !self.downloadVc){ // download recipes
self.downloadVc = destination.destinationViewController;
self.downloadVc.selectionDelegate = self;
[self.downloadVc setSnapshotChangeDelegate:self];
[self.downloadVc.navigationItem setRightBarButtonItems:[NSArray arrayWithObjects:btnAdd, nil]];
}

Related

ObjectiveC - [self.view viewWithTag] returning null

I am completely stumped and have been researching for days. Probably something really simple that I am missing.
I have a ViewController which contains a custom UIView called GameView, and a UIView called buttonBox which contains a "next level" button. What I am trying to achieve is when the level is completed in GameView, it fires a function in my ViewController which shows the buttonBox so the user can click the "next level" button. It simply will not work.
I have attempted this in 3 ways, neither have worked:
Creating an IBOutlet in the ViewController, connecting it to the hidden UIView (and it was definitely connected) and calling setHidden:NO.
Calling the [self.view viewWithTag:xxx] and then calling setHidden:NO.
Using hidden=NO instead of setHidden:NO.
Relevant code for ViewController as follows:
#interface PlayViewController : UIViewController
#property GameView *gv;
#property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIView *buttonBox;
-(void) showButtonBox;
#end
#implementation PlayViewController
#synthesize buttonBox;
...
- (IBAction)showButtonBox {
UIView *uiv = (UIView*) [self.view viewWithTag:999];
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
NSLog(#"Showing box function");
NSLog(#"%#", uiv);
uiv.hidden = NO;
});
}
#end
And my custom view:
#implementation GameView
...
dispatch_async(bgQueue, ^{
_loopRunning = true;
//NSLog(#"Calling main loop...");
while ([self loopRunning])
{
...
PlayViewController * pvc = [[PlayViewController alloc]init];
[pvc showButtonBox];
...
}
#end
The thing is, the variable uiv is returning null in NSLog, which is obviously why hidden is not working, but I have no idea why. It also didn't work when I was using IBOutlet.
Also, current output from NSLog is as follows:
2015-11-24 00:18:38.612 ib[12579:1264539] Showing box function
2015-11-24 00:18:38.612 ib[12579:1264539] (null)
Thanks in advance.
Correct Answer:
The problem was that I was using StoryBuilder to build my UI, but by using the alloc init method was creating a new view controller (which is never shown) instead of correctly referencing the view controller which was being displayed. This is achieved by passing the view controller being displayed to the view in the viewDidLoad function, see below:
#implementation PlayViewController
#synthesize buttonBox;
#synthesize gv;
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
[super viewDidLoad];
gv = [self.view viewWithTag:777];
[gv setPlayViewController:self];
}
...
Man, it's simple. Let's take a look at:
#implementation GameView
...
dispatch_async(bgQueue, ^{
_loopRunning = true;
//NSLog(#"Calling main loop...");
while ([self loopRunning])
{
...
PlayViewController * pvc = [[PlayViewController alloc]init];
[pvc showButtonBox];
...
}
#end
Here we have the issue:
dispatch_async(bgQueue, ^{
I assume, bgQueue stands for "background queue", which means this is not served by the main thread (the UI thread).
Having that said, it's quite naive to expect
[pvc showButtonBox];
to work properly. Just move this code into the main thread. For instance, you can just wrap the aforementioned line of code into a dispatch_async on the main queue. That should solve your probem, if your outlets and/or tags are OK. Cheers.
[[PlayViewController alloc]init];
This creates a new instance of PlayViewController. Where have you defined your outlets and views?
In a storyboard? You can't use this initialiser - nothing from the storyboard will be picked up, you have to use a segue or initializeViewControllerWithIdentifier:.
In a xib file? Is it called PlayViewController.xib? If not, it won't be picked up by the initialiser. Plain alloc/init of a view controller will only find a nib file as described in the documentation of the nibName property.
Do you really want alloc / init at all? Do you actually want to make a new view controller, or is one already on the screen?
From your comments it seems option 3 is the right answer. The PlayViewController is already on the screen, alloc/init is creating a new instance of it, which is never being put on screen, which never loads any views regardless of storyboards or nibs.
You need to get a reference to the existing instance of PlayViewController. Without knowing the structure of your app it's not too easy to say how that's done - is it presenting the game view? Is the game view a subview of the view controller's view? You may need to pass in a reference (weak) to the game view when it is created, at viewDidLoad, or set up an outlet in the storyboard.

How to ensure a UIView has loaded?

This may sound silly, but read on...
I want to set the text of a UILabel from outside of a UIViewController that is instantiated by a storyboard. I need to make sure that the label property of the view controller is set when I set its text otherwise the label's text won't be set(because it won't be loaded yet to receive a text value).
Here's my current solution:
// Show pin entry
if (!self.pinViewController) {
// Load pin view controller
self.pinViewController = [self.storyboard instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier:#"pinScreen"];
self.pinViewController.delegate = self;
if (!self.pinViewController.view) {
// Wait for pin screen to fully load
}
[self.pinViewController setMessageText:#"Set a pin for this device"];
}
Initially I had a while loop that looped until the value of view was not nil, But it seems the very act of checking the view loads it(as mentioned here: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/UIKit/Reference/UIViewController_Class/Reference/Reference.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40006926-CH3-SW37)
I tried using the isViewLoaded method with no success. It just looped forever.
I've gone forward with the above code as my current solution, but it feels wrong.
Is there a better way ensure a UIView has loaded?
I want to propose an alternative way where you don't have to rely on the availability of the view.
If you need to wait for the view to load before you can call other methods on your viewController you break encapsulation, because the viewController that calls your PinViewController has to know about the inner workings of your PinViewController. That's usually not a good idea.
But you could save objects like NSStrings in the PinViewController instance, and when the view of the PinViewController will appear you set its views according to the properties you have set before.
If you need to change the text of an label from outside your viewController you can also create a custom setter that sets the label.text for you.
Your .h
#interface PinViewController : UIViewController
#property (copy, nonatomic) NSString *messageText;
// ...
#end
And your .m
#implementation PinViewController
- (void)viewWillAppear:(BOOL)animated {
[super viewWillAppear:animated];
self.messageLabel.text = self.messageText;
}
// optional, if you want to change the message text from another viewController:
- (void)setMessageText:(NSString *)messageText {
_messageText = messageText;
self.messageLabel.text = messageText;
}
// ...
#end
viewDidLoad should solve this I guess.
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/UIKit/Reference/UIViewController_Class/Reference/Reference.html
I would rather see you change your logic and do it the way that #MatthiasBauch shows in his answer. However, to answer your actual question, you can simply set a view property in order to force it to load:
self.pinViewController.view.hidden = NO;

Where to initialise an object

I have a UITableView in my main view and an 'add' button in a UINavigationBar that will push to another view that allows the user to add another object to the tableview. I have a protocol in this view that allows the information to be sent back to the main view.
My problem is that whenever I try to add this new object sent from the protocol (which is a NSMutableDictionary) to a NSMutableDictionary property in the main view, it does not add. I have tried adding an NSLog and it says that this object is null. If I initialise this object in the viewDidLoad method, it will run whenever the UINavigationController pops the view, and resets everything in the dictionary. I do not know where to initialise the object to make sure that it keeps everything stored in it.
The protocol works fine, but I cannot do anything with the object it sends.
In AddCellViewController.h:
#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>
#protocol AddCellDelegate <NSObject>
#required
-(void)passCellInfo:(NSMutableDictionary *)cellInfo;
#end
#interface AddCellViewController : UITableViewController <UITextFieldDelegate> {
id <AddCellDelegate> delegate;
}
#property (strong) id <AddCellDelegate> delegate;
#end
in AddCellViewController.m (the method that utilises the protocol):
-(void)sendObject{
[[self delegate] passCellInfo:newCellInfo];
[self.navigationController popToRootViewControllerAnimated:YES];
}
in MainView.m:
-(void)passCellInfo:(NSMutableDictionary *)cellInfo{
[self.cellInformation setValue:cellInfo forKey:[cellInfo objectForKey:#"cell_title"]];
[self.cells addObject:[cellInfo objectForKey:#"cell_title"]];
[self.tableView reloadData];
NSLog(#"%#: cellInfo - cellInformation: %# - cells: %#",cellInfo ,self.cellInformation,self.cells); //logs the object passed from the protocol (this works), the cellInformation object, and cells object (these return null)
}
You can use a NSMutableDictionary property in a static or global class, and access it very easy from the tableview or any other view:
You feed your table from that dictionary
And you add elements from your other view into that dictionary (the protocol is not needed anymore).
Everytime your tableView appears, you should refresh the data of the table from this global class.
Some example of how to use it:
How to implement global static class
In your code you do this. You using same key every time. So it will get replaced.
[self.cells addObject:cellInfo];
I will tell you a simple way instead. Send your mutableDictionary to secondView from init method. Copy in class level mutableDictionary. Do not allocate or initialize. Add new item in that Dictionary. It will reflect in mainView dictionary. Call [tableView reloadData] in mainView viewWillAppear method.

How to initialize a custom view(controller) so it works both programmatically and in Interface Builder?

Suppose you implement a custom table view and a custom view controller (which mostly mimics UITableViewControllers behaviour, but when initialized programmatically, ...
#interface Foo : MyCustomTableViewController ...
Foo *foo = [[Foo alloc] init];
... foo.view is kind of class MyCustomTableView instead of UITableView:
// MyCustomTableView.h
#protocol MyTableViewDelegate <NSObject, UITableViewDelegate>
// ...
#end
#protocol MyTableViewDataSource <NSObject, UITableViewDataSource>
// ...
#end
#interface MyCustomTableView : UITableView
// ...
#end
// MyCustomTableViewController.h
#interface MyCustomTableViewController : UIViewController
// ...
#end
How should you implement/override init methods in correct order/ways so that you could create and use an instance of MyCustomTableView both by subclassing MyCustomTableViewController programmatically or from any custom nib file by setting custom class type to MyCustomTableView in Interface Builder?
It important to note that this is exactly how UITableView (mostly UIKit for that matter) works right now: a developer could create and use either programmatically or by creating from nib, whether be it File owner's main view or some subview in a more complex hierarchy, just assign data source or delegate and you're good to go...
So far I managed to get this working if you subclass MyCustomTableViewController, where I will create an instance of MyCustomTableView and assign it to self.view in loadView method; but couldn't figure out how initWithNibName:bundle:, initWithCoder:, awakeFromNib, awakeAfterUsingCoder:, or whatever else operates. I am lost in life cycle chain and end up with a black view/screen each time.
Thanks.
It is a real mystery how the UITableViewController loads its table regardless of if one is hooked up in interface builder, however I have came up with a pretty good way to simulate that behavior.
I wanted to achieve this with a reusable view controller that contains a MKMapView, and I figured out a trick to make it happen by checking the background color of the view.
The reason this was hard is because any call to self.view caused the storyboard one to load or load a default UIView if didnt exist. There was no way to figure out if inbetween those 2 steps if the user really didn't set a view. So the trick is the one that comes from a storyboard has a color, the default one is nil color.
So now I have a mapViewController that can be used in code or in storyboard and doesn't even care if a map was set or not. Pretty cool.
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
[super viewDidLoad];
//magic to work without a view set in the storboard or in code.
//check if a view has been set in the storyboard, like what UITableViewController does.
//check if don't have a map view
if(![self.view isKindOfClass:[MKMapView class]]){
//check if the default view was loaded. Default view always has no background color.
if([self.view isKindOfClass:[UIView class]] && !self.view.backgroundColor){
//switch it for a map view
self.view = [[MKMapView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectZero];
self.mapView.delegate = self;
}else{
[NSException raise:#"MapViewController didn't find a map view" format:#"Found a %#", self.view.class];
}
}
The strategy I've used when writing such classes has been to postpone my custom initialization code as late as possible. If I can wait for viewDidLoad or viewWillAppear to do any setup, and not write any custom code in init, initWithNibName:bundle: or similar methods I'll know that my object is initialized just like the parent class no mater what way it was instantiated. Frequently I manage to write my classes without any overrides of these init methods.
If I find that I need to put my initialization code in the init methods my strategy is to write just one version of my initialization code, put that in a separate method, and then override all the init methods. The overridden methods call the superclass version of themselves, check for success, then call my internal initialization method.
If these strategies fail, such that it really makes a difference what way an object of this class is instantiated, I'll write custom methods for each of the various init methods.
This is how I solved my own issue:
- (void)loadView
{
if (self.nibName) {
// although docs states "Your custom implementation of this method should not call super.", I am doing it instead of loading from nib manually, because I am too lazy ;-)
[super loadView];
}
else {
self.view = // ... whatever UIView you'd like to create
}
}

Best practice to send "reloading" signal to UITableView from one view to another

My goal is to notify a UITableView to refresh itself every time some configurations have changed. The problem is that the configuration view is "not" on the same view that produces the signal. (Yes, I used Tabbed Application.)
Currently I use a sort of global variable in AppDelegate for detecting the change in one view, and do the check in another view. This is fine but the code is not readable as it is so tightly coupling. Is there an elegant method for doing this? Do I miss something in this programming framework?
If there were such an elegant way, I suppose the refreshing process of UITableView should happen as soon as the notification occurs. In this case, I would like to know whether it's possible to delay UITableView from refreshing itself until viewDidAppear occurs.
I would use KVO (Key Value Observing) to keep track of when it changes:
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
// Note that you can use the options to get the new value passed when it
// changes if you want to update immediately.
[configurationObject addObserver:self forKeyPath:#"configurationItem" options:0 context:nil];
}
- (void)viewDidUnload {
[super viewDidUnload];
[configurationObject removeObserver:self forKeyPath:#"configurationItem"];
}
// Note that I would refresh in viewWillAppear instead of viewDidAppear
- (void)viewWillAppear:(BOOL)animated {
[super viewWillAppear:animated];
if (self.needToRefreshData == YES) {
[self.tableView refreshData];
}
}
- (void)observeValueForKeyPath:(NSString *)keyPath ofObject:(id)object change:(NSDictionary *)change context:(void *)context {
if (keyPath isEqualToString:#"configurationItem") {
[self.needToRefreshData = YES];
}
}
Use Delegation Design Pattern to pass data from one View Controller to the Other.
For example, let's say one Tab shows a list of cars in a UITableViewController and you have another view that let's a user add a new car to the list. You can let the UITableViewController
Adopt AddCarViewController's protocol
Set itself as a Delegate for AddCarViewController's protocol
Implement its protocol method
Execute the protocol method when informed
You can then let the AddCarViewController
Create a Protocol
Declare object reference Delegate with getter and setter methods
Define a method under that protocol
Inform the Delegate when the Save action is performed
Take a look at the following sample code for your UITableViewController
#interface ViewController : UITableViewController <AddCarViewControllerDelegate>
:
:
// The addCar: method is invoked when the user taps the Add button created at run time.
- (void)addCar:(id)sender
{
// Perform the segue named ShowAddCar
[self performSegueWithIdentifier:#"ShowAddCar" sender:self];
}
:
:
// This method is called by the system whenever you invoke the method performSegueWithIdentifier:sender:
// You never call this method. It is invoked by the system.
- (void)prepareForSegue:(UIStoryboardSegue *)segue sender:(id)sender
{
NSString *segueIdentifier = [segue identifier];
if ([segueIdentifier isEqualToString:#"ShowAddCar"]) {
// Obtain the object reference of the destination view controller
AddCarViewController *addCarViewController = [segue destinationViewController];
// Under the Delegation Design Pattern, set the addCarViewController's delegate to be self
addCarViewController.delegate = self;
// Instantiate a Save button to invoke the save: method when tapped
UIBarButtonItem *saveButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc]
initWithBarButtonSystemItem:UIBarButtonSystemItemSave
target:addCarViewController action:#selector(save:)];
// Set up the Save custom button on the right of the navigation bar
addCarViewController.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItem = saveButton;
}
}
:
:
- (void)addCarViewController:(AddCarViewController *)controller didFinishWithSave: (BOOL)save {
:
:
}
Sample code for the AddCarViewController is here
#protocol AddCarViewControllerDelegate;
#interface AddCarViewController : UIViewController
#property (nonatomic, strong) IBOutlet UITextField *carMake;
#property (nonatomic, strong) IBOutlet UITextField *CarName;
#property (nonatomic, assign) id <AddCarViewControllerDelegate> delegate;
// The keyboardDone: method is invoked when the user taps Done on the keyboard
- (IBAction)keyboardDone:(id)sender;
// The save: method is invoked when the user taps the Save button created at run time.
- (void)save:(id)sender;
#end
/*
The Protocol must be specified after the Interface specification is ended.
Guidelines:
- Create a protocol name as ClassNameDelegate as we did above.
- Create a protocol method name starting with the name of the class defining the protocol.
- Make the first method parameter to be the object reference of the caller as we did below.
*/
#protocol AddCarViewControllerDelegate
- (void)addCarViewController:(AddCarViewController *)controller didFinishWithSave:(BOOL)save;
#end
Well, one approach would be to have some common class (singleton perhaps which app delegate kind of is) that keeps track of your model, when the settings viewController detects a change it can mark the model as changed, then when the view in question comes in to view, ie, viewDidAppear gets called, it can query the model to see if the changed flag has been set, if it has then you know to reload the table view, otherwise you dont...
Another way could be to use notification center for it, if your view is loaded it can sign up for the notifications of the model change, in which at point it sets a flag that it needs to reload the table view next time it comes on screen..
hope this helps
You could store the configuration in core data and use an NSFetchedResultsController with the dependant view controller set as a delegate. This way your view controller will get a callback whenever the data is changed.
Apple has some boilerplate code to handle the updates as well

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