When should one use UITableView reloadData ? And defect associated ;)

Question

Hi,

I have built a UITableView with custom cells which each contain 5 textfields (a bit like a grid). The cells can be edited inline (no need to go in a separate view).

I am faced with some wierd defects when it comes to using reloadData.

• my table footer is dynamic (calculates a value based on the cells). Should I call reloadData everytime I update a cell ? Or is there a way for the footer only to be updated?

• When I start editing my cell but leave it empty (do not write any text in the textfield), the cell does not move to edit mode if I have used reloadData. Is there any known defect when doing reloadData on empty cells?

Basically I am not really sure on the best practices to use reloadData and did not find any guide anywhere. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Regards, Jonathan

Answer 1

You should minimize reloads in tableviews, and use it only when you cannot update the table other way.
For example when deleting a row you do not need a reload, just use deleteRowsAtIndexPaths or deleteSections as needed.

Other views you can just update their properties. For example if you have a label in the footer, you just need to set its text property. You do not need a table reload.

I think you cannot edit directly some properties of the cells outside cellForRowAtIndexPath method. In cases like this you will need a table reload that will call cellForRowAtIndexPath method.