Data encapsulation, Instance variable cannot be accessed - objective-c

Question

I'm having some trouble understanding what classes can read what variables in other classes. I've read to many different things online and cant seem to find anything solid in here. I've literally wasted the past two days trying to get my program to work but no classes can read any other classes variables. Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.
This is my ViewController.h:
#interface ViewController : UIViewController
{
#public
NSString *nameOfLabel;
}
#property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *firstLabel;
- (IBAction)Switch:(id)sender;
- (IBAction)changeLabel:(UIButton *)sender;
-(NSString *) nameOfLabel;
#end
nameOfLabel is a public variable and should be able to be accessed by an outside class, right?
ViewController.m:
#import "ViewController.h"
#import "NewView.h"
#interface ViewController ()
#end
#implementation ViewController
- (IBAction)Switch:(id)sender {
NewView * new = [[NewView alloc] initWithNibName:nil bundle:nil];
[self presentViewController: new animated:YES completion:NULL];
}
- (IBAction)changeLabel:(UIButton *)sender {
nameOfLabel = #"Test Name";
_firstLabel.text = nameOfLabel;
}
-(NSString *) nameOfLabel {
return nameOfLabel;
}
#end
changeLabel button changes *firstLabel.text to "Test name".
second class is NewView.h:
#import "ViewController.h"
#interface NewView : UIViewController
#property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *secondLabel;
- (IBAction)changeSecondLabel:(UIButton *)sender;
#end
and NewView.m:
#import "NewView.h"
#interface NewView ()
#end
#implementation NewView
{
ViewController *view;
}
- (IBAction)changeSecondLabel:(UIButton *)sender {
view = [[ViewController alloc] init];
_secondLabel.text = view.nameOfLabel;
}
#end
changeSecondLabel should change secondLabel.text to nameOfLabel which is 'Test name', however, the label actually disappears which makes me think that nameOfLabel cannot be reached. Ive played around with nameOfLabel, making it a #property and then synthesising it, as well as trying putting it in { NSString *nameOfLabel; } under #implementation but I still get the same result.

Answer 1

This line: view = [[ViewController alloc] init]; creates a new ViewController which doesn't know anything about what you may have done to some other ViewController. In your case, it specifically doesn't know that changeLabel: was called on another ViewController before this new one ever existed.

Answer 2

When the second view controller (NewView) is presented, it has no reference to the first view controller (ViewController) and it's data.
Here are a couple of suggestions.
In modern Objective-C I'd recommend using properties instead of exposing a variable.
Look over the naming in general. "ViewController" is not a good name for example.
If the property is part of an internal state of the class, declare it in a class extension.
Before you present the second view controller, set a reference to the string from the first view controller.
Part of ViewController.m:
#interface ViewController ()
#property (copy,nonatomic) NSString *nameOfLabel;
#end
#implementation ViewController
- (IBAction)Switch:(id)sender {
NewView *new = [[NewView alloc] initWithNibName:nil bundle:nil];
new.secondLabel.text = self.nameOfLabel;
[self presentViewController: new animated:YES completion:NULL];
}

Answer 3

First of all please read about coding standards, it's not a good practice to:
Name variables like "new"
Name methods like "Switch"
Name UIViewController like "view" or "NewView"
Regarding logic:
This is all messed up here. What you actually do is you create viewController with nameOfLabel which is empty and is only changed on button press. I assume you press that button so it's changed. Then on switch action you create another viewController and present it. Then from inside that new viewController you create another new viewController which has empty nameOfLabel, get this empty value and put it inside secondLabel.
There are couple of ways you can do to change secondLabel:
Move nameOfLabel to model and read it from there when you want to change secondLabel,
Because your new viewController is child of viewController that keeps nameOfLabel you can access it by calling [[self presentingViewController] nameOfLabel] but make it property first,
Pass nameOfLabel through designated initializer.

Answer 4

Well, if you want a simple demonstration of access of a public ivar, the syntax is:
view->nameOfLabel;
^^
not dot-syntax:
view.nameOfLabel;
(dot-syntax just goes through accessor methods).
I've only seen a handful of warranted edge cases over the years; there's rarely, rarely ever a good reason to make an ivar public (also, protected is also rarely a good choice).