When am I supposed to use UITableViewCellSeparatorStyleSingleLineEtched?

Question

I see a description of what UITableViewCellSeparatorStyleSingleLineEtched looks like in Apple's Class Reference, and can see it by running the application. But I can't find any mention of when it's appropriate to use UITableViewCellSeparatorStyleSingleLineEtched instead of UITableViewCellSeparatorStyleSingleLine.

In other words, what does this etched line mean to the user? Can anyone explain?

Answer 1

This is the description from Apple:

UITableViewCellSeparatorStyleSingleLine

The separator cell has a single line running across its width. This is the default value

Available in iPhone OS 2.0 and later.

Declared in UITableViewCell.h.

UITableViewCellSeparatorStyleSingleLineEtched

The separator cell has double lines running across its width, giving it an etched look. This style is currently only supported for grouped-style table views.

Available in iPhone OS 3.2 and later.

Declared in UITableViewCell.h.

So in my opinion, the SingleLineEtched will look more clear separation, make 2 groups differentiate to each other, because it contains double lines

Answer 2

The "why" part is because normal table cells have a white background and an etched look would not be appropriate, while the section heading cell has a gray background and adding a bit of highlight makes it pop out. At least, that's my interpretation.