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Closed 10 years ago.
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Subclass UIButton to add a property
I'm trying to find a way to extend UIButton so that it can have a property like
#property(assign, nonatomic) id userInfos;
without subclassing it...
Is this possible?
the button.tag is not enough in my situation...
Okay as always a better answer is available here
Subclass UIButton to add a property
This is very easy using Objective-C associated objects:
In your header:
#interface UIButton (MyCustomProperty)
#property (readwrite, retain, nonatomic) id myCustomProperty;
#end
In your implementation file:
#include <objc/runtime.h>
/* Associated objects need a unique memory location to use as a key. */
static char MyCustomPropertyKey = 0;
#implementation UIButton (MyCustomProperty)
/* Use #dynamic to tell the compiler you're handling the accessors yourself. */
#dynamic myCustomProperty;
- (id)myCustomProperty {
return objc_getAssociatedObject(self, &MyCustomPropertyKey);
}
- (void)setMyCustomProperty: (id)anObject {
objc_setAssociatedObject(self, &MyCustomPropertyKey, anObject, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
}
#end
That's it!
What you want is to create a UIButton category. Categories are designed as a way to extend the functionality of an existing class. Once created an set up, you only need to import the category and you can use its function on any instance of the class it's designed for.
You can use the objective-c runtime's associated objects functions to associate an object with another object:
void objc_setAssociatedObject(id object, void *key, id value, objc_AssociationPolicy policy)
id objc_getAssociatedObject(id object, void *key)
Also, voting to close. Duplicate of:
How to add properties to NSMutableArray via category extension?
Adding custom behavior and state to all my classes
among many others.
Edit:
I also agree with the comment on your question by #Paul.s. Attaching data to a button sounds messy. Without knowing what you're doing, I would suggest tagging the button and then have your view controller handle fetching whatever data you need based on the button's tag.
Related
This question already has answers here:
Objective-C: Property / instance variable in category
(6 answers)
Closed 2 years ago.
I've got a form implementation in objective-c and I'd like to extend my widgets (NSButton, NSTextField, etc..) to contain additional string representing their unique identifier string to be used after submit event occur, which trigger generation of json contain all widget id/value pairs.
I've tried using categories to extend NSControl which is the common parent of all those widgets in the following way.
NSControl+formItemSupport.h
-------------------------------
#interface NSControl (formItemSupport)
#property NSString * formItemId;
#end
NSControl+formItemSupport.m
-------------------------------
#implementation NSControl (formItemSupport)
-(NSString *)formItemId {
return self.formItemId;
}
-(void)setFormItemId:(NSString *)formItemId {
self.formItemId = formItemId;
}
in the form.m file I import from NSControl+formItemSupport.m but when I try to set this field in NSButton : NSControl object. However, when I try to set the property formItemId, I get into infinite loop. Perhaps there's another way for extending objc class with variable based property without using inheritance ?
you can
#synthesize formItemId = _formItemId;
//synthesize needs local declaration of _formItemId;
#implementation ExtraWurst {
NSString *_formItemId;
}
but this is done behind the scene for you from Xcode without #synthesize.
Sometime it is still easier to define the use of an internal variable for a property in this way.
apart from that you can and have to change your setter and getter methods in the following way.
-(NSString *)formItemId {
return _formItemId;
}
-(void)setFormItemId:(NSString *)formItemId {
_formItemId = formItemId;
}
this will prevent you from ending up in a loop.
Why?
Because self.formItemId = refers to -(void)setFormItemId:
So you would call the setter inside the setter that will set with the same again and again aka an endless loop.
You can take care of the getter the same way as shown above.
Where to use self.yourProperty then?
You can use self.formItemId anywhere in the class but not inside getter and setter of formItemId.
Correctly mentioned, Instance variables may not be placed in categories.
Meaning if you need such you have to subclass UIControl but that breaks the inheritance of your used UIControls. You would have to subclass all your SpecialUIControls you are using later.
Another solution, you could define a constant in your implementation and go with objective-C runtime functions and associate this constant yourself. Beware because you transform the ObjectModel for all UIControl classes then..
#import "NSControl+formItemSupport.h"
#import <objc/runtime.h>
#implementation UIControl (formItemSupport)
NSString const *key = #"formItemSupport.forItemKey";
-(void)setFormItemId:(NSString *)formItemId {
objc_setAssociatedObject(self, &key, formItemId, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
}
-(NSString *)formItemId {
return objc_getAssociatedObject(self, &key);
}
#end
still, its much easier and safer and flexible to subclass your own UIControl instead to extent all subclasses inherited from UIControl.
Why is subclassing easier here?
As you mentioned you want to json later on with the given formItemId per Control you can make use of an archiver / unarchiver design pattern of your subclasses which are nice to jsonify later.
I'm a beginner with Objective-C, and am trying to use a global variable. I know that this question has been asked a hundred times, but none of the answers have worked for me. I'm trying to declare a BOOL variable in one class, and check its value in another. This is what I'm working with:
SController.h:
#interface SController : UIViewController {
BOOL leftSide;
BOOL rightSide;
}
SController.m:
- (void)viewDidLoad {
leftSide = YES;
rightSide = YES;
}
Now, for the class I'm trying to access the value of the BOOLs in:
#import "SController.h"
#interface VViewController : UIViewController
{
}
And VViewController's .m:
- (void)viewDidLoad {
// See what the BOOL values from SController are.
}
What I've tried:
Going off of the previous related questions on here, I've tried putting "extern" in front of the BOOLs declaration in SController.h, but that did not work. I tried simply importing the SControllers header file into VViewController, and that did not work either. I'm very new to Objective-C and programming in general, so I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around basic concepts like this. I understand the potential issues surrounding using a global variable, but this program is very small and for personal use. If anyone can show me what to change to make this happen, that would be great.
Like the others said, don't use a global variable for that (and most other) purpose.
You created iVars and in order to access them, you need to expose them to other objects.
You generally do that by defining #properties in your SControllers header file. When doing that, you don't need to create iVars yourself, they are created implicitly. And methods to access the iVars are also automagically created (getters and setters).
Your SControllers header could look something like this:
#interface SController: UIViewController
//no need to declare the iVars here, they are created by the #property definitions
#property (nonatomic, assign) BOOL leftSide;
#property (nonatomic, assign) BOOL rightSide;
#end
In your other viewController you need a reference to the instance of SController you previously created and want to "talk" to (it is important you understand this), then you could access the instance variable through the generated getter/setter methods like so:
//this is "dot notation", the first line would be equivalent
//to writing: [sControllerInstance setLeftSide: YES]
sControllerInstance.leftSide = YES;
BOOL valueRightSide = sControllerInstance.rightSide;
Please read up on: objective-c properties, getters/setters and dot notation.
You will find plenty of information on google and SO
I know this is not the answer you're looking for, but try rethinking your app. Global variables is not the best way to go for Object oriented programming.
Create GlobalVariable.h header class file and defined following externs as follows
extern NSString * googleURL;
And then in your implementation GlobalVariable.m file
#import "GlobalVariable.h"
NSString * googleURL = #"www.google.co.uk";
And then import the class wherever you want to use it across.
By default the variables (as defined in your code) are protected. You can add the #public keyword before the 2 variables to make them public but it's not recommended. Generally you want to expose those as properties using the #property keyword
Example:
#interface SController : UIViewController {
#public
BOOL leftSide;
BOOL rightSide;
#protected
//other protected variables here
}
I'm trying to add new categories to the NSArrayController class: it can select the first and the last item. I did so:
#import "NSArrayController+selectEnds.h"
#implementation NSArrayController (selectEnds)
- (void)selectFirst:(id)sender {
if (self.arrangedObjects !=nil){ BOOL ignore = [self setSelectionIndex:0];}
}
- (void)selectLast:(id)sender {
if (self.arrangedObjects !=nil){
NSUInteger lastItem = [self.arrangedObjects count]-1;
BOOL ignore = [self setSelectionIndex:lastItem];}
}
#end
I get no errors, but I would like to put this object in IB, using a blue cube and binding buttons to its "selectFirst" and "selectLast" methods.
But I'm a bit lost: which standard object to start with? A standard ArrayController? And then, which class name to choose to have the new methods listed?
Thanks for your help…
Since you didn't show NSArrayController+selectEnds.h (which is what IB actually looks at), just NSArrayController+selectEnds.m, it's hard to know exactly what you got wrong, but there's two plausible guesses.
First, if you want these new methods to be part of the interface of the class NSArrayController, you have to add them to the interface declaration, not just to the implementation.
Second, if you want Xcode (or IB) to know that these new methods are actions, you have to label them as such: in the interface, instead of marking them plain void methods, mark them IBAction methods. (In the implementation, you can do either; it doesn't matter.)
So, NSArrayController+selectEnds.h should be:
#import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h>
#interface NSArrayController (selectEnds)
- (IBAction)selectFirst:(id)sender;
- (IBAction)selectLast:(id)sender;
#end
basicaly I am a C# developer but started learning Objective-C couple of last days.
Now I have to do an exercise which need to create a class and link instance variables (properties) to the UIControls values of the View (e.g. UITextField string value).
Meaning I have already implemented the desired IBOutlets in the ViewControler and inside this controler I will create an instance of the created class. In C# a class could implement the INotifyPropertyChanged interface, bind the class to the controls and notify the object when the Datasource value has changed.
Is there anything equal to this concept in Objective C? Or how can I achieve something like that, only through events when value changed for every Control?
Thank you.
Your question and grammar is a bit ambiguous but it seems to me what you want is custom (manual) property getters/setters. Try this:
#intrface AClass: NSObject {
int iVar;
}
#property (nonatomic, assign) int iVar;
#end
#implementation AClass
- (int)iVar
{
// notify object of value being read, then:
return iVar;
}
- (void)setIVar:(int)_iVar
{
iVar = _iVar;
// then notify object about property being set
}
#end
Not 100% sure what you're asking for from your question. Are you asking whether the ViewController views can auto-update when your model changes?
There are a bunch of different mechanisms for providing notifications between objects/classes/etc. The main ones are as follows (I've included IBAction which you probably know for completeness):
1) IBAction - For UI controls just as you've connected IBOutlets in your UIViewController class, you can also fire events (touch up/touch down/etc) on user interaction.
2) NSNotification - you can post these pretty much anywhere:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/Cocoa/Reference/Foundation/Classes/NSNotificationCenter_Class/Reference/Reference.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40003701
3) Key-Value Observing:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/KeyValueObserving/KeyValueObserving.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/10000177i
I have a situation where it seems like I need to add instance variables to a category, but I know from Apple's docs that I can't do that. So I'm wondering what the best alternative or workaround is.
What I want to do is add a category that adds functionality to UIViewControllers. I would find it useful in all my different UIViewControllers, no matter what specific UIViewController subclass they extend, so I think a category is the best solution. To implement this functionality, I need several different methods, and I need to track data in between them, so that's what led me to wanting to create instance methods.
In case it's helpful, here's what I specifically want to do. I want to make it easier to track when the software keyboard hides and shows, so that I can resize content in my view. I've found that the only way to do it reliably is to put code in four different UIViewController methods, and track extra data in instance variables. So those methods and instance variables are what I'd like to put into a category, so I don't have to copy-paste them each time I need to handle the software keyboard. (If there's a simpler solution for this exact problem, that's fine too--but I would still like to know the answer to category instance variables for future reference!)
Yes you can do this, but since you're asking, I have to ask: Are you absolutely sure that you need to? (If you say "yes", then go back, figure out what you want to do, and see if there's a different way to do it)
However, if you really want to inject storage into a class you don't control, use an associative reference.
Recently, I needed to do this (add state to a Category). #Dave DeLong has the correct perspective on this. In researching the best approach, I found a great blog post by Tom Harrington. I like #JeremyP's idea of using #property declarations on the Category, but not his particular implementation (not a fan of the global singleton or holding global references). Associative References are the way to go.
Here's code to add (what appear to be) ivars to your Category. I've blogged about this in detail here.
In File.h, the caller only sees the clean, high-level abstraction:
#interface UIViewController (MyCategory)
#property (retain,nonatomic) NSUInteger someObject;
#end
In File.m, we can implement the #property (NOTE: These cannot be #synthesize'd):
#implementation UIViewController (MyCategory)
- (NSUInteger)someObject
{
return [MyCategoryIVars fetch:self].someObject;
}
- (void)setSomeObject:(NSUInteger)obj
{
[MyCategoryIVars fetch:self].someObject = obj;
}
We also need to declare and define the class MyCategoryIVars. For ease of understanding, I've explained this out of proper compilation order. The #interface needs to be placed before the Category #implementation.
#interface MyCategoryIVars : NSObject
#property (retain,nonatomic) NSUInteger someObject;
+ (MyCategoryIVars*)fetch:(id)targetInstance;
#end
#implementation MyCategoryIVars
#synthesize someObject;
+ (MyCategoryIVars*)fetch:(id)targetInstance
{
static void *compactFetchIVarKey = &compactFetchIVarKey;
MyCategoryIVars *ivars = objc_getAssociatedObject(targetInstance, &compactFetchIVarKey);
if (ivars == nil) {
ivars = [[MyCategoryIVars alloc] init];
objc_setAssociatedObject(targetInstance, &compactFetchIVarKey, ivars, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
[ivars release];
}
return ivars;
}
- (id)init
{
self = [super init];
return self;
}
- (void)dealloc
{
self.someObject = nil;
[super dealloc];
}
#end
The above code declares and implements the class which holds our ivars (someObject). As we cannot really extend UIViewController, this will have to do.
I believe it is now possible to add synthesized properties to a category and the instance variables are automagically created, but I've never tried it so I'm not sure if it will work.
A more hacky solution:
Create a singleton NSDictionary which will have the UIViewController as the key (or rather its address wrapped as an NSValue) and the value of your property as its value.
Create getter and setter for the property that actually goes to the dictionary to get/set the property.
#interface UIViewController(MyProperty)
#property (nonatomic, retain) id myProperty;
#property (nonatomic, readonly, retain) NSMutableDcitionary* propertyDictionary;
#end
#implementation UIViewController(MyProperty)
-(NSMutableDictionary*) propertyDictionary
{
static NSMutableDictionary* theDictionary = nil;
if (theDictionary == nil)
{
theDictioanry = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
}
return theDictionary;
}
-(id) myProperty
{
NSValue* key = [NSValue valueWithPointer: self];
return [[self propertyDictionary] objectForKey: key];
}
-(void) setMyProperty: (id) newValue
{
NSValue* key = [NSValue valueWithPointer: self];
[[self propertyDictionary] setObject: newValue forKey: key];
}
#end
Two potential problems with the above approach:
there's no way to remove keys of view controllers that have been deallocated. As long as you are only tracking a handful, that shouldn't be a problem. Or you could add a method to delete a key from the dictionary once you know you are done with it.
I'm not 100% certain that the isEqual: method of NSValue compares content (i.e. the wrapped pointer) to determine equality or if it just compares self to see if the comparison object is the exact same NSValue. If the latter, you'll have to use NSNumber instead of NSValue for the keys (NSNumber numberWithUnsignedLong: will do the trick on both 32 bit and 64 bit platforms).
This is best achieved using the built-in ObjC feature Associated Objects (aka Associated References), in the example below just change to your category and replace associatedObject with your variable name.
NSObject+AssociatedObject.h
#interface NSObject (AssociatedObject)
#property (nonatomic, strong) id associatedObject;
#end
NSObject+AssociatedObject.m
#import <objc/runtime.h>
#implementation NSObject (AssociatedObject)
#dynamic associatedObject;
- (void)setAssociatedObject:(id)object {
objc_setAssociatedObject(self, #selector(associatedObject), object, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
}
- (id)associatedObject {
return objc_getAssociatedObject(self, #selector(associatedObject));
}
See here for the full tutorial:
http://nshipster.com/associated-objects/
It mentioned in many document's online that you can't create create new variable in category but I found a very simple way to achieve that. Here is the way that let declare new variable in category.
In Your .h file
#interface UIButton (Default)
#property(nonatomic) UIColor *borderColor;
#end
In your .m file
#import <objc/runtime.h>
static char borderColorKey;
#implementation UIButton (Default)
- (UIColor *)borderColor
{
return objc_getAssociatedObject(self, &borderColorKey);
}
- (void)setBorderColor:(UIColor *)borderColor
{
objc_setAssociatedObject(self, &borderColorKey,
borderColor, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
self.layer.borderColor=borderColor.CGColor;
}
#end
That's it now you have the new variable.
Why not simply create a subclass of UIViewController, add the functionality to that, then use that class (or a subclass thereof) instead?
Depending on what you're doing, you may want to use Static Category Methods.
So, I assume you've got this kind of problem:
ScrollView has a couple of textedits in them. User types on text edit, you want to scroll the scroll view so the text edit is visible above the keyboard.
+ (void) staticScrollView: (ScrollView*)sv scrollsTo:(id)someView
{
// scroll view to someviews's position or some such.
}
returning from this wouldn't necessarily require the view to move back, and so it doesn't need to store anything.
But that's all I can thinkof without code examples, sorry.
I believe it is possible to add variables to a class using the Obj-C runtime.
I found this discussion also.