UITabBar with UITableView - I can see the table correctly, but cannot select a row

Question

This may be an easy answer for someone.

I first built an a navigation app that had a table loaded from SQLite. The rootViewController (UITableViewController) is loaded from the mainWindow.xib . I added the search and scope functions, and push a detailed view (UIViewController) from a row selection just fine, and can navigate back and forth to and from the table and filtered results, search, with scoping different searches. All is good, no errors, crashes, or warnings.

Now I have tried to add a tabBar interface on top of the rootViewController...after 2 days I have got the TabBarController to display (I was trying to implement it directly on the RootviewController, but found I had to implement it in the mainWindow) and I can select different views (xib) from the tab bar. I have one tab that has no view assigned to it in IB, and I can see the RootViewController load as it did before as the first screen in this tab view, even though RootViewController is not assigned in the tab.

The problem is I cannot click on a row in the table when it loads this way. Alternatively if I create a tab, calling the RootViewController, I get the search bar on the top, but the table is empty. I feel this is somehow due to my appDelegate loading the rootViewController, and me not knowing how to get it to "load" or "reload" into the tab, or something like this. I tried creating a separate "search.xib" that was identical to the original mainWindow before adding the tab bar, then trying to load that in the TabItem, so it called the appDelegate first, but no cigar: crash. I verified the search.xib works fine, as I put it as the info.plist "Main nib file base name", and this loads fine and works as before this BS of adding a tabBarController...

I would start pasting code, but not sure what someone would need to know what is missing or wrong. I do call [self.tableView reloadData] in -(void)viewDidLoad, in RootViewController.m but it is not helping this problem at all.

Can anyone help? Mac OS X is version 10.5.8, and I am using XCode 3.1.4.

// Create and configure the main view controller.
RootViewController *rootViewController = [[RootViewController alloc] initWithNibName:@"RootViewController" bundle:nil];
rootViewController.violinMakers = violinMakers;
[violinMakers release];



// Add create and configure the navigation controller.
UINavigationController *navigationController = [[UINavigationController alloc] initWithRootViewController:rootViewController];
self.navController = navigationController;
[navigationController release];



// Configure and show the window, Override point for customization after app launch 
[window addSubview:[navController view]];
[window addSubview:tabBarController.view];
[window makeKeyAndVisible];

Thanks for trying to help! The last section above appears to be where I should get the RootViewController to be on top of the stack, but not sure how.

  // <AppName>AppDelegate.h
@interface <AppName>AppDelegate: NSObject  <UIApplicationDelegate,
UITabBarControllerDelegate, UINavigationControllerDelegate>{
UIWindow *window;
UINavigationController *navController;
UITabBarController *tabBarController;
}

@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UIWindow *window; 
@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UINavigationController *navController;
@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutlet UITabBarController *tabBarController;
@end

Ben - I do realize what you are saying about the rootViewController being behind the tabBarController. I just don't know how to set the tabBar as the main view, and the navController as a tab of it. I will look at the tutorial you mention and see if that helps explain it. Thanks Ben!

09-10-14 update

Some progress! I now have the view in the tab with the with the NavBar at the top. I know it is coming from the correct .xib file as the title and the search can now be clicked on, and the scope buttons are the correct names. .... but as before, if I got to this stage or even close, the table information is not loaded into this tab(all cells are blank). How do I get my table to load properly in this cell? I know it is loading on launch, as if there is no view assigned at all to this window, I can see the table n Nav, but cannot click on it.(So close, yet so far away). I now have the tab set up correctly, but the table is not loading properly... rrrr

I have the typical

[self.tableView reloadData];

in the viewController.m in the method:

- (void)viewWillAppear:(BOOL)animated

and in

- (void)viewDidAppear:(BOOL)animated

and in

- (void)viewDidLoad

and tried it some other methods as well, but it is not reloading the table info when I select the tab.

Any ideas on how to reload this table in the TabBar view properly ?

I did find a good tutorial on tabBars that went a bit further than some others in explaining with IB. Twillo Embed Nav in a Tab Tutorial

Answer 1

It would appear that you're adding your tab bar controller on TOP of your table controller. It's not clear where you set up tabBarController, but you should only be adding ONE view to your window (in the third-to-last and second-to-last lines you are adding two).

The basic premise for Navigation and TabBar controllers is that your Tab Bar controller is the primary, and you'll add the Navigation controller as one of its tabs. Then, add the tabBarController.view to your window. Which ever tab is selected will be the visible one.

There's a tutorial posted on the web on this subject.

Answer 2

Basically here is what I have found for those of you with the same problem. It is not easy, or really suggested by Apple it instantiate a tab bar later in a program. Yes it can be done, but now I would suggest a different method. I found a modal view controller works just a good as a tabBar, abeit smaller, but takes less real-estate, because it can be placed in the navigation bar. If you are planning an app with tabs, start with a tab based app and then customize it, don't try to change the navigation structure later, which is the underlying issue. Secondly I have found Apple's documentation on Interface Builder less than satisfactory. Everyone seams confused and it's implementation limits the actual final product cusomization, not making it easier. Not to mention more confusing on "wiring" all the elements together in it. That really sucks, and I took 2 weeks in trying various methods to make it work. It is not impossible, just incredibly unintuitive, and a mistake on my part to change paddles half way down stream. Look at the alternatives to the way you want to give access to the information, and I think you will find better ways like the modal view to accomplish this, or by simple buttons with IB actions to access different views or further information. Happy Programming! Kirk