uisearchbar transparent background view

Question

In UISearchBar default a background view should present. How to hide that. I need only the search textview part, in uisearchbar

Answer 1

The UISearchBar background cannot be hidden by public methods (assigning a transparent color as the tintColor won't help).

You should use a UITextField if you want precise control on the text field's style.

Answer 2

I experimented with using a mask layer in order to make everything around the actual text field in the search bar transparent (thus showing the content from the view underneath). It works, but i'd be nervous to use it in a shipping app since you have to match the shape of your mask exactly to the shape of the text field in UISearchBar. If Apple changes the shape of the text field at all, then your mask won't fit and you'll see parts of the search bar gradient that you don't want and/or you won't see parts of the text field that you do want. That said, here's how i did it:

//first make sure you include core animation so that the compiler will know about your view's layer
#import <QuartzCore/QuartzCore.h>

//now make a mask.  this is basically just a solid colored shape.  When you apply the mask, anywhere where the color is solid will become transparent in your view.  i used the excellent Opacity (http://likethought.com/opacity/) to generate this code, but you can do it any way you'd like

@interface SearchMaskLayer : CALayer {
}
@end

@implementation SearchMaskLayer

- (void)drawInContext:(CGContextRef)context
{


    CGRect imageBounds = CGRectMake(0, 0, 310, 34);
    CGRect bounds = imageBounds;

    CGFloat alignStroke;
    CGFloat resolution;
    CGMutablePathRef path;
    CGPoint point;
    CGPoint controlPoint1;
    CGPoint controlPoint2;
    UIColor *color;
    resolution = 0.5 * (bounds.size.width / imageBounds.size.width + bounds.size.height / imageBounds.size.height);

    CGContextSaveGState(context);
    CGContextTranslateCTM(context, bounds.origin.x, bounds.origin.y);
    CGContextScaleCTM(context, (bounds.size.width / imageBounds.size.width), (bounds.size.height / imageBounds.size.height));

    // Layer 1

    alignStroke = 0.0;
    path = CGPathCreateMutable();
    point = CGPointMake(295.0, 32.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathMoveToPoint(path, NULL, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(310.0, 17.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1 = CGPointMake(303.229, 32.0);
    controlPoint1.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2 = CGPointMake(310.0, 25.229);
    controlPoint2.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddCurveToPoint(path, NULL, controlPoint1.x, controlPoint1.y, controlPoint2.x, controlPoint2.y, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(310.0, 17.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, NULL, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(295.0, 2.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1 = CGPointMake(310.0, 8.771);
    controlPoint1.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2 = CGPointMake(303.229, 2.0);
    controlPoint2.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddCurveToPoint(path, NULL, controlPoint1.x, controlPoint1.y, controlPoint2.x, controlPoint2.y, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(15.0, 2.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, NULL, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(0.0, 17.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1 = CGPointMake(6.771, 2.0);
    controlPoint1.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2 = CGPointMake(0.0, 8.771);
    controlPoint2.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddCurveToPoint(path, NULL, controlPoint1.x, controlPoint1.y, controlPoint2.x, controlPoint2.y, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(0.0, 17.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, NULL, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(15.0, 32.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1 = CGPointMake(0.0, 25.229);
    controlPoint1.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint1.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint1.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2 = CGPointMake(6.771, 32.0);
    controlPoint2.x = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    controlPoint2.y = (round(resolution * controlPoint2.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddCurveToPoint(path, NULL, controlPoint1.x, controlPoint1.y, controlPoint2.x, controlPoint2.y, point.x, point.y);
    point = CGPointMake(295.0, 32.0);
    point.x = (round(resolution * point.x + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    point.y = (round(resolution * point.y + alignStroke) - alignStroke) / resolution;
    CGPathAddLineToPoint(path, NULL, point.x, point.y);
    CGPathCloseSubpath(path);
    color = [UIColor colorWithRed:0.0 green:0.0 blue:0.0 alpha:1.0];
    [color setFill];
    CGContextAddPath(context, path);
    CGContextFillPath(context);
    CGPathRelease(path);
}

Later in one of your methods, apply the mask

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    SearchMaskLayer *maskLayer = [[SearchMaskLayer alloc] init];
    [maskLayer setFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 310, 34)];
    [maskLayer setPosition:CGPointMake(162,21)];
    [maskLayer setNeedsDisplay];    
    [self.searchBar.layer setNeedsDisplay];
    [self.searchBar.layer setMask:maskLayer];
    [maskLayer release];
}

I fudged the positioning of the layer just to see what it would look like, but you could calculate those sizes and positions to suit your needs.

Answer 3

[[searchBar.subviews objectAtIndex:0] removeFromSuperview];

Answer 4

@Brandon : I tried your solution and it works perfectly. but question is it allowed? Because SearchBar is apples built in control. because some of my apple developer friend says this is may be not allowed. This is may be stupid question but it has confused me.