Changing outlet object properties - ios

Question

I have a view controller alertForNeedsClassification as a property in another class, as such:
#interface SCAAppDelegate()
{
HomeScreenViewController * _homeScreenViewController;
NSInteger SCAStatus;
}
#property (strong, nonatomic) PromptClassifyViewController * alertForNeedsClassification;
#end
#implementation SCAAppDelegate
#synthesize alertForNeedsClassification;
#synthesize window = _window;
PromptClassifyViewController's interface looks like this:
#interface PromptClassifyViewController : UIViewController
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *headerTitle;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextView *message;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *notNowButton;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *classifyButton;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIImageView *backgroundImageView;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIView *alertView;
#property NSUInteger tag;
#property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet id<PromptClassifyViewControllerDelegate> delegate;
- (void)show;
- (void)showFromView:(UIView *)view;
- (IBAction)show:(id)sender;
- (IBAction)dismiss:(id)sender;
- (IBAction)buttonWasPressed:(id)sender;
- (void)setHeaderTitleWithText:(NSString *)text;
#end
I am trying to change the values of IBOutlets message and headerTitle text, like this:
alertForNeedsClassification = [[PromptClassifyViewController alloc] initWithNibName:#"PromptClassifyViewController" bundle:nil];
//[alertForNeedsClassification setDelegate:self];
self.alertForNeedsClassification.headerTitle.text = #"A title";
alertForNeedsClassification.message.text = #"A message";
Then I show alertForNeedsClassification calling a show method (it's like a custom uialertview, but it doesn't subclass from uialertview).
Thing is, no matter how I change it, the text on alertForNeedsClassification.view is always that which is defined in the nib, ie. I can't change it programmatically.
My custom alert view is based on Jeff LaMarche's design: http://iphonedevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/05/custom-alert-views.html
Any ideas what might be going on?

Answer 1

Please be careful when you allocate and initialize the UIView object, especially if you trying to mix using Nib and dynamically generating objects. The best place is within -(void)awakeFromNib or -(void)viewDidLoad
Also, make sure these methods are called. By using -(id)initWithNibName:bundle: only cannot make sure your view to be loaded. Try -(void)addChildViewController and -(void)addSubview: on parentViewController's view to make sure view is loaded after being initialized.
If the text had to be prepared before being loaded, assign it to separate NSString property within PromptClassifyViewController class. Since this property is independent from view being loaded, you can change it's value BEFORE view is appeared. Make sure this text is used and applied to the headerTitle within -(void)show method.
Since you allocate PromptClassifyViewController and access weak referenced headerTitle from self. alertForNeedsClassification, make sure it's not deallocated right afterward.
Usually, weak option is not used for IBOutlet properties. Though it is used when generating outlet connection code by dragging objects from Interface Builder. Try testing your code using strong.

Answer 2

I was assigning values to the IBOutlets before they were alloc'd/initialized. The solution I implemented was to set the values I needed to non-IBOutlet properties (NSStrings in this case) and assign those where needed, in Prompt...Controller's viewDidLoad;