I'm trying to figure out how to have a few static cells in addition to dynamic cells (I think) but when I start a new Master-Detail app and switch the default Dynamic Prototypes to Static Cells, it crashes.
I think, since I'm still new at this, that I don't understand how all of the components (table views, cells, delegates) are wired. After I switched to Static Cells I made three cells but they don't show up. The app just crashes.
I can include code but basically, I create a new Master-Detail, switch to Static Cells, change the name of three cells and it crashes (in the main loop).
Thanks ahead for everything.
If I understand your question, this is the explanation you are looking for:
Prototype (reusability):
When you use Dynamic cells, you use Prototype cells. That means either in IB or in your code, you create an instance of UITableViewCell, and give it an identifier (reuseIdentifier). The UITableView uses this prototype to generate as many cells (rows) as you need. UITableView create (and use memory) for as many cells as it needs to fill the screen. Once some of these cells go off the screen, UITableView reuses them -- recycles them.
You can define more than one prototype cell in a UITableView. The idea is that each prototype serves a different purpose. For example, you define a prototype cell that has only one big UILabel and its purpose is to use static text. You define another prototype that has only one UIImageView. It depends on your design and how you want to display your data.
To use prototype cells, in IB, you use Dynamic Prototypes cells, and set an identifier. Then you have to implement UITableViewDataSource methods, such as:
– tableView:numberOfRowsInSection:
– tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath:
These methods are delegate methods of UITableView.
If not using IB, you would create cells in – tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath: method:
UITableViewCell *cell = [[UITableViewCell alloc]
initWithStyle:(UITableViewCellStyle)style reuseIdentifier:(NSString
*)reuseIdentifier];
Static:
The idea of static cells is just simplicity. You can use the prototype cells (e.g. only one prototype) and feed in a static NSArray, for example, as data source. To take the task of implementing UITableViewDataSource methods, Apple introduced static cells, where you would only use the storyboard and IB. In IB, you select the table view, and choose Static Cells instead, and type in your text, or set the image.
You don't want to make any dynamic changes to static cells later when the app is running because it is not meant to, and you would have to implement many more methods that it is not worth it. Although it not much of a work to get the indexPath of the selected row, but the idea is if you need to push a new view from selection of a static cell, you would use segues, instead of implementing any code.
When using static cells, you should not implement UITableViewDataSource method, otherwise your app crashes, and vice versa, if you do not implement UITableViewDataSource methods (required ones) when using prototype cells, your app crashes.
Related
I have a tableview where a single prototype cell is used only 3 times. This cell has some buttons on it that trigger displaying and hiding content within the cell.
I could reuse the cells, but that requires a lot of resetting each cell so that if I expand A's content, B's content isn't expanded when it loads. Furthermore, this requires me to keep a state record in the Controller class, where I would prefer to have this all handled by the Cell itself for modularity. In other words, the amount of work to keep each cell in the correct stage seems inefficient.
What would be the best way to go about this? Do I use static cells? Is there a way to instance 3 separate cells of the same type and place them in the TableView?
You certainly can have the modular part of the code you need inside the cell itself. If you don't want to reuse the cells, then add a custom initializer with a case for each cell type. Inside your delegate method cellForRow:
return CustomCell(type: .myCustomType)
If you do it this way, you can add a switch inside the cell's initializer & set up the cells according to their types that way. And i'm assuming by "static" you mean just three instances. You "add" cells to the table by telling the delegate the number of cells that it will need, which will in turn call cellForRow x times.
I need to display a table with in my iPhone app:
neither the number of cells nor the contents are known at compile time, but only at run time.
Views for each cell may differ, one cell has textField and another may have some other view control.
Should I consider Static or prototype cells?
Should I consider tableViewController or viewController with tableview in it?
Any thing I need to consider before I start coding? Thanks in advance
For The issue of dynamic Number of cell at Run time, you can call reload data for table view at any time you have the data source ready.
Prototype Cells should be used with no problem.
Simple Table View will be sufficient for the task.
You have to make cell, either in code or in storyboard, for each type of cell you want, 1 table View can have multiple types of prototype cells, Just name them differently and then make the objects of only the specific cell of which the data is best suited.
It is not that difficult but do handle the data source with extreme care.
Should I consider Static or prototype cells?
If you know all possible subview combinations that your cells might need to display the data appropriately, and they are relatively few, make one prototype for each. for example:
One text field,
Two labels,
One image view and a label,
...etc.
Otherwise, just use the plain-vanilla UITableViewCell (no subclassing) and remove/add subviews at runtime when reusing them (that is, inside the method -tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath:).
Should I consider tableViewController or viewController with tableview
in it?
The only reason I would choose UIViewController + UITableView over UITableViewController is if -for example- I needed the table view to only take up part of the main view's bounds/screen, and display some other subview in the remainder. Otherwise, you get so much "for free" with UITableViewController that there's just no point in implementing all of that from scratch.
You have to choose prototype cell, u can create different types of cell depending upon your requirement.Any think ok for u, u can create tableview controller or view controller.
In order to implement a custom UITableViewCell, I know of two options:
Create a prototype cell in the storyboard view and assign tags to the cell's constituent views
Create a subclass of UITableViewCell with an associated xib
Using the tags seems simpler. I see that it has a couple of disadvantages including the inability to re-use the custom cell in more than one scene and potentially a lot of cell specific code in the view controller which could be an issue with a bunch of different cells.
For one or two cells that do not need to be reused in multiple scenes, does anyone know of any other considerations that I should take into account that might lead me to prefer a UITableViewCell subclass?
My recommendation is to use a UITableViewCell subclass with a storyboard prototype cell. Simply link your constituent views to IBOutlet properties as you would with any other class.
If you want to use the same cell in multiple tables then you need to re layout the prototype cell in each tableView, but you can cut and paste. Using tags results in unnecessary code to get references to the UI elements.
I have a TableView in which a most cells are pretty standard. I make them buy using static cells in Storyboard. However, one cell I would like to customize probably using an XIB file so I would need to load it programmatically.
In the TableView's data source, is it possible to handle loading XIB view for this particular cell only, while leaving other cells to what's delineated in the static cells in the Storyboard? Or is it an all or nothing thing where I need to just give up using static cells altogether?
The rationality for doing this is that I would like to make Storyboard to look as close to the real thing as possible. Right now if I provide a data source, the static cells in the storyboard would have no effect on the actual output and is not in any sense linked to the actual output.
Yes, it is possible. Set the custom class for the custom cell. If you wish to customise it from code, just connect it as an IBOutlet to the UITableViewController.
I want to know the difference between making the cells in my UITableView "Static Cells" or choosing "Dynamic Prototypes".
If I want to make a UITableView that has a "+" button to add cells (like Contacts App or Clock when setting an alarm). Which one should I choose?
Static cells are basically a "what you see is what you get" in Interface Builder. What you put into the UITableView is what you'll see when you run the app.
Dynamic prototypes, instead, allow you to lay out cells that you can re-use by calling:
UITableViewCell * cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:CELL_ID_SET_IN_IB];
With this, you determine the number of cells using the delegate methods in the UITableViewController. You can have multiple prototype cells and determine which to load depending on index path.
You can use segues with both.
I would recommend prototypes for your app since it seems like, from your question, the number of cells you have will change.