Customise UITableView Subclass Cell? - iphone

Question

I have made my custom cell in Interface Builder and created a custom UITableViewCell class for it, but when its loaded in no changes are made to it. I have this code in the custom class:
- (id)initWithStyle:(UITableViewCellStyle)style reuseIdentifier:(NSString *)reuseIdentifier
{
self = [super initWithStyle:style reuseIdentifier:reuseIdentifier];
if (self)
{
// Initialization code
//Get the wedding date and display it
myLabel.text = #"Hello";
}
return self;
}
myLabel has been declared in the header, has a property and has been linked in Interface builder, but when I run the app and see my table, I don't get my 'Hello' text. Any ideas?
Thanks.
EDIT:
I am not using a nib file, I have it in a UITableViewController within my Storyboard. Plus, here is the cellForRowAtIndexPath code below, I simply have an array filled with the required cell identifiers and then creates said arrays:
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
static NSString *CellIdentifier;
for (int cell = 0; cell <= [tableCellsArray count]; cell++)
{
if ([indexPath row] == cell)
{
CellIdentifier = [tableCellsArray objectAtIndex:cell];
}
}
UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:CellIdentifier];
if (cell == nil)
{
cell = [[UITableViewCell alloc] initWithStyle:UITableViewCellStyleDefault reuseIdentifier:CellIdentifier];
}
// Configure the cell...
return cell;
}

Answer 1

How do you create your cell ? Do you load it from a Nib or you allocate it ?
If you allocate it, you need to properly initialize your instance fieds (e.g. myLabel).
If you load the cell from a nib, i fear
(id) initWithCoder:(NSCoder *)aDecoder
is the init method you want to override.
Anyway, you could just put a breakpoint to make sure you pass through there and print myLabel to make sure it's correctly initialized.
-- Edit
If you want to have a customized cell view using a nib, you cannot initialize your cell view using initWithStyle:reuseIdentifier: method.
Using initWithStyle:reuseIdentifier: means you will initialize all your view by your own implementation (e.g. you will allocate, initialize and configure all you views, it won't use the xib file)
If you want to use a xib file, you need to use loadNibNamed:owner:options: method in NSBundle.
Typically, i've seen two implementations :
[[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:#"" owner:self options:nil];
In this implementation, you load your xib giving the UIViewController subclass as an owner. In the xib, make sure the File Owner class is your UIViewController subclass. Then just link the cell with a property of your UIViewController subclass and calling loadNibNamed:owner:options: will just allocate and initialize a new cell view which will be available in the property of you UIViewController subclass. This is what the Apple Documentation advise you to do.
NSArray *nibObjects = [[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:#"" owner:nil options:nil];
UITableViewCell myCustomCell = [nibObjects objectAtIndex:0];
In this implementation, you don't pass any owner to the xib file and get the object you want. Just makes sure your xib file only has one object which is the cell view. I prefer this approach as i think it's "weird" to have a property for cell creation but you need to make sure that the content of your xib file will keep your custom cell view at the 0 index.
Whatever method you pick, remember that loading a xib will call
initWithCoder:
instead of
initWithStyle:reuseIdentifier:
Finally, i advise you to go take a look at Aadhira's link to the Apple documentation which explain with exemple how to use custom UITableCellView with a xib file.

Answer 2

Go though the Apple documentation , which describes about customizing UITableViewCell.
In the above page, pl. see Listing 5-5 Loading a cell from a nib file and assigning it content, which describes clearly on customizing cell with nib file.