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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-28T16:04:41+00:00

How to write proper description method to a class? I have implemented – (NSString

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How to write proper description method to a class?

I have implemented 

- (NSString *)description {
     NSString *descriptionString = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Name: %@ \n Address: %@ \n", self.name, self.address];
     return descriptionString;

}

Evrey thing is fine if I call description on my object. But if I have an array of objects and I call description on it I get:

“Name: Alex \n Address: some address \n”,

What I would like to get is

“Name: Alex

Address: some address”

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    I dig a little more in iOS frameworks and I have observed that the default behavior of the iOS sdk description is not to place “\n” but “;”.

    Example: 

        UIFont *font = [UIFont systemFontOfSize:18];
    NSLog(@"FontDescription:%@",[font description]);

    NSMutableArray *fontsArray = [NSMutableArray arrayWithCapacity:0];
    for(int index = 0; index < 10; index++) {
        [fontsArray addObject:font];
    }
    NSLog(@"FontsArrayDescription:%@",[fontsArray description]);

    The out put is:

    FontDescription: font-family: “Helvetica”; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px

    FontsArrayDescription:(

     "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",    
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px",
 "<UICFFont: 0x6e2d8b0> font-family: \"Helvetica\"; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-size: 18px"

    )

    So I have decided to use the same approach with my class.

    - (NSString *)description {
     NSString *descriptionString = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Name: %@; Address: %@;", self.name, self.address];
     return descriptionString;

}

    And the out put will be:

    “Name: Alex; Address: some address;”

    For object it self.

    objecsArrayDescription:(

     "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;",
 "Name:Alex; Address: some address;"

    )

    For an array of objects.

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