How to get UIMenuController work for a custom view?

Question

I'm trying to get the following code work:

UIMenuController * menu = [UIMenuController sharedMenuController];
[menu setTargetRect: CGRectMake(100, 100, 100, 100) inView: self.view];
[menu setMenuVisible: YES animated: YES];

The menu instance is ready but it doesn't show - the width is always zero.

Or is there some sample code on this UIPasteboard/UIMenuController topic?

Answer 1

Don't you have to add the UIMenuController* menu to the main or subview, E.G. self.view? I think it's something like [self.view addSubView:menu.view]; Or am I missing the point of your question. You might also want to set the frame of the menu's view.

Answer 2

UIMenuController doesn't have a view. I just searched some code from apple's [iPhone Application Progamming Guide: Event Handling][1]:

Listing 3-4 Displaying the editing menu - (void)touchesEnded:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event { UITouch *theTouch = [touches anyObject];

if ([theTouch tapCount] == 2  && [self becomeFirstResponder]) {

    // selection management code goes here...

    // bring up editing menu.
    UIMenuController *theMenu = [UIMenuController sharedMenuController];
    CGRect selectionRect = CGRectMake(currentSelection.x, currentSelection.y, SIDE, SIDE);
    [theMenu setTargetRect:selectionRect inView:self];
    [theMenu setMenuVisible:YES animated:YES];
}

}

  [1]: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/library/documentation/iPhone/Conceptual/iPhoneOSProgrammingGuide/EventHandling/EventHandling.html

Answer 3

// MyView.h

@interface MyView : UIView {
IBOutlet UITextField * textField_;

}

@end

// MyView.m

- (void)touchesBegan:(NSSet *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event{
NSLog(@"show menu");

[textField_ becomeFirstResponder];
// [self.window becomeFirstResponder];

UIMenuController * menu = [UIMenuController sharedMenuController];
[menu setTargetRect: CGRectMake(0, 0, 100, 10) inView: self];
[menu setMenuVisible: YES animated: YES];

NSLog(@"menu width %f, visible %d", menu.menuFrame.size.width, menu.menuVisible);

}

- (BOOL)canPerformAction:(SEL)action withSender:(id)sender{
return YES;

}

You need to add more code in canPerformAction:withSender: - it should check the pasteboard and your selection state. Apple's iPhone Application Programming Guide provide several code snippets.

Answer 4

If you're implementing a custom view and that view is supposed to be the responder (as opposed to some other view, like a UITextField), you need to override the canBecomeFirstResponder function in your view and return YES:

- (BOOL)canBecomeFirstResponder {
    return YES;
}

then, when you're displaying the menu, you should do something like the following:

- (void)myMenuFunc {
    if (![self becomeFirstResponder]) {
        NSLog(@"couldn't become first responder");
        return;
    }

    UIMenuController *theMenu = [UIMenuController sharedMenuController];
    CGRect selectionRect = CGRectMake(0, 0, 0, 0);
    [theMenu setTargetRect:selectionRect inView:self];
    [theMenu setMenuVisible:YES animated:YES];
}

Answer 5

to display UIMenuController one has to add following

• (BOOL)canPerformAction:(SEL)action withSender:(id)sender {
  if (action == @selector(cut:)) return NO; else if (action == @selector(copy:)) return YES; else if (action == @selector(paste:)) return NO; else if (action == @selector(select:) || action == @selector(selectAll:)) return NO; else return [super canPerformAction:action withSender:sender]; }

Answer 6

Hi Ashishail, It helped me.

Answer 7

I think Cam is right, need override both canPerformAction and canBecomeFirstResponder

- (BOOL) canPerformAction:(SEL)action withSender:(id)sender
{
    if (action == @selector(doSomething:)) {
        return YES;
    }
    return NO;
}

- (BOOL)canBecomeFirstResponder {
    return YES;
}

Answer 8

This isn't helping much... i get even get the menu to show up. could someone post the code for the - (void)touchesEnded: bit?

Answer 9

I was not able to get it working even when I read all of your answers. I'm presenting ready code that will work for everyone.

Let's say we have a controller class named Controller. You can simply paste the following code to this controller to have the menu working on its view:

- (void)loadView {
    [super loadView];

    UILongPressGestureRecognizer *gr = [[UILongPressGestureRecognizer alloc] initWithTarget:self action:@selector(longPress:)];
    [self.view addGestureRecognizer:gr];
    [gr release];   
}

- (void) longPress:(UILongPressGestureRecognizer *) gestureRecognizer {
    if ([gestureRecognizer state] == UIGestureRecognizerStateBegan) {
        CGPoint location = [gestureRecognizer locationInView:[gestureRecognizer view]];
        UIMenuController *menuController = [UIMenuController sharedMenuController];
        UIMenuItem *resetMenuItem = [[UIMenuItem alloc] initWithTitle:@"Item" action:@selector(menuItemClicked:)];

        NSAssert([self becomeFirstResponder], @"Sorry, UIMenuController will not work with %@ since it cannot become first responder", self);
        [menuController setMenuItems:[NSArray arrayWithObject:resetMenuItem]];
        [menuController setTargetRect:CGRectMake(location.x, location.y, 0.0f, 0.0f) inView:[gestureRecognizer view]];
        [menuController setMenuVisible:YES animated:YES];

        [resetMenuItem release];
    }
}

- (void) copy:(id) sender {
    // called when copy clicked in menu
}

- (void) menuItemClicked:(id) sender {
    // called when Item clicked in menu
}

- (BOOL) canPerformAction:(SEL)selector withSender:(id) sender {
    if (selector == @selector(menuItemClicked:) || selector == @selector(copy:)) {
        return YES;
    }
    return NO;
}

- (BOOL) canBecomeFirstResponder {
    return YES;
}

What has to be done in order for menu to work is that the firstResponder(in our case our controller - see line with [self becomeFirstResponder]) has to be able to become first responder (override method canBecomeFirstResponder cause default implementation returns NO) as well as - (BOOL) canPerformAction:(SEL)selector withSender:(id) sender which should return YES to any action that can be performed by firstResponder