Question

How can I load separate nib files for my iPhone app that checks whether the user has an iPhone 5/iPod Touch 4-inch screen versus a 3.5 inch screen?

Is this done in the init method?

Details
– I am not using a storyboard for the entire app. At one point I do use a storyboard and call it up from one of the view controllers. (is there a way to differentiate for storyboards as well?)

• I am looking for a solution that initializes in each separate viewController… not something that I would put in the appdelegate that only runs once.

• Autolayout doesn’t work in many situations situation for me. The designs are very graphical, and too much white space makes things look bad.

Answer 1

I have found a way!

• I make separate nib files, one for the 3.5″ / iPhone non retina and one for the iPhone5
• I use a macro to check if the current phone is an iPhone 5 format or not. (1)
• For the normal initWithNibName:bundle: I write an exception so that they don’t use the normal initializer. I name it @”Wrong initializer”
• I created a new designated initializer for the viewController naming it initForFormat:
• I use my macro and check against if the device is an iPhone 5 or not. if it is iphone5 then I init with the nib name ViewControllerIphone5

Macro
I got this macro from https://stackoverflow.com/a/13068238/1492368 from RayOfHope

 #define HEIGHT_IPHONE_5 568
#define IS_IPHONE   ([[UIDevice currentDevice] userInterfaceIdiom] == UIUserInterfaceIdiomPhone)
#define IS_IPHONE_5 ([[UIScreen mainScreen] bounds ].size.height == HEIGHT_IPHONE_5 )

so In the new designated initializer initForLayout: I write

if(IS_IPHONE_5)
    {
        self=[super initWithNibName:@"DetailViewControlleriPhone5" bundle:nil];
    }
    else
    {
        self=[super initWithNibName:@"DetailViewController" bundle:nil];
    }

Old Initializer

I learned this from Big Nerd Ranch:
to throw an exception when using the standard initializer

- (id)initWithNibName:(NSString *)nibNameOrNil bundle:(NSBundle *)nibBundleOrNil
{

    @throw [NSException exceptionWithName:@"Wrong initializer"
                                   reason:@"Use initForLayout:"
                                 userInfo:nil];
    return nil;
}

Calling the View Controller from another ViewController/AppDelegate
So when I call this DetailViewController from another view Controller or the appdelegate I write:

DetailViewController *detailViewController = [[DetailViewController alloc] initForLayout];