Question

I have implemented Facebook type left Slide Bar layout in my first view of iphone app. Now, I want to implement this throughout all view controllers (screens) in application, means irrespective of the view the left slide bar should appear on clicking the menu button at the top in all views.

My app contains 25-30 viewcontrollers and my slide bar layout should appear in all views..

Can anyone suggest, how can I include above FB Layout in all views

Thanks in advance

Ramu

Answer 1

I had the same problem. I was using a facebook-style menu, and needed it in all view controllers.

You can use a Container Controller. A Container Controller can have the base layout, which I defined in a nib, containing a navigation bar and a bar button item to toggle the menu, and then add child view controllers and remove them as you need them. That way, you can throw whatever view controller you need to the container controller and it will display it.

You can also add gesture control to slide open/close the menu easily.

You will have to make the Container controller your self, it is not standard. I think it is better solution than inheritance, since if you use inheritance you can’t make a for example UITableViewController, all your controllers will be of the type of yuor master class. Of course, you can fix this anyway with delegates.

It may sound a bit tricky, but see this tutorial which I used: http://www.cocoanetics.com/2012/04/containing-viewcontrollers/

It wasn’t accutally that hard.

EDIT: You can just use a UINavigationController as well. Just set the base view controller to the view controller you want to display, and you can prevent it adding the back button etc to the nav bar by overriding the default methods. Make a UINavigationController as rootNavigationController. Might be simpler.