How to load images into Custom UITableViewCell? - iphone

Question

Here's what I need to do:
Load 66px x 66px images into the table cells in the MainViewController table.
each TableCell has a unique image.
But how? Would we use cell.image?
cell.image = [UIImage imageNamed:#"image.png"];
If so, where? Is an if/else statement required?
To load each cell's labels, MainViewController uses an NSDictionary and NSLocalizedString like so:
//cell one
menuList addObject:[NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
NSLocalizedString(#"PageOneTitle", #""), kTitleKey,
NSLocalizedString(#"PageOneExplain", #""), kExplainKey, nil]];
//cell two
menuList addObject:[NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
NSLocalizedString(#"PageOneTitle", #""), kTitleKey,
NSLocalizedString(#"PageOneExplain", #""), kExplainKey, nil]];
...
// this is where MainViewController loads the cell content
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
MyCustomCell *cell = (MyCustomCell*)[tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:kCellIdentifier];
if (cell == nil)
{
cell = [[[MyCustomCell alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectZero reuseIdentifier:kCellIdentifier] autorelease];
}
...
// MyCustomCell.m adds the subviews
- (id)initWithFrame:(CGRect)aRect reuseIdentifier:(NSString *)identifier
{
self = [super initWithFrame:aRect reuseIdentifier:identifier];
if (self)
{
// you can do this here specifically or at the table level for all cells
self.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryDisclosureIndicator;
// Create label views to contain the various pieces of text that make up the cell.
// Add these as subviews.
nameLabel = [[UILabel alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectZero]; // layoutSubViews will decide the final frame
nameLabel.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
nameLabel.opaque = NO;
nameLabel.textColor = [UIColor blackColor];
nameLabel.highlightedTextColor = [UIColor whiteColor];
nameLabel.font = [UIFont boldSystemFontOfSize:18];
[self.contentView addSubview:nameLabel];
explainLabel = [[UILabel alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectZero]; // layoutSubViews will decide the final frame
explainLabel.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
explainLabel.opaque = NO;
explainLabel.textColor = [UIColor grayColor];
explainLabel.highlightedTextColor = [UIColor whiteColor];
explainLabel.font = [UIFont systemFontOfSize:14];
[self.contentView addSubview:explainLabel];
//added to mark where the thumbnail image should go
imageView = [[UIView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 66, 66)];
[self.contentView addSubview:imageView];
}
return self;
}

Answer 1

If the image is going to be the same for every cell, i.e., it's part of that type of cell, you could load it in MyCustomCell's init, using self.image = [UIImage imageNamed:"blabla"];
Otherwise, if the image will be different for different cells, it would be more logical to put it in tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath:

Answer 2

Yes, cell.image is deprecated. use imageview.image instead in the default TableViewCell. I am not sure why custom cell was required to do what the standard tableviewcell already does (title, subtitle, and an image using UITableViewStyleSubtitle)

Answer 3

It works now. You were right, Seventoes, about putting it in tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath:
indexPath.row was what I was I missing. The working result goes like this:
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
MyCustomCell *cell = (MyCustomCell*)[tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:kCellIdentifier];
if (cell == nil)
{
cell = [[[MyCustomCell alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectZero reuseIdentifier:kCellIdentifier] autorelease];
}
if (indexPath.row == 1)
{
cell.image = [UIImage imageNamed:#"foo.png"];
}
else if (indexPath.row == 2)
cell.image = [UIImage imageNamed:#"bar.png"];
}
...
else
{
cell.image = [UIImage imageNamed:#"lorem.png"];
}
return.cell;
}

Answer 4

A better approach then that if-else mess would be to push your images onto a NSMutableArray in the right order, and then just use
cell.image = [myImages objectAtIndex:indexPath.row];