Question

I’m trying to use NameSubView from NameSubViewController as a subview in MainViewController. I made that work, but I also want to access the UITextField of the subview, something like this:

MainViewController.m:

#import "NameSubViewController.h"

...

UIViewController *nameController = [[NameSubViewController alloc] initWithNibName:@"NameSubViewController" bundle:nil];
nameSubView = [nameController view];
[self.view addSubview:nameSubView];

NSString *textFieldString = nameSubView.textField.text;

---

But I’m having trouble making it work. This is what I’ve did to create the subview:

• Made NameSubViewController class with XIB for interface

• Made NameSubView class for the IB view, set the view to this class Identity Inspector

• Created @property (nonatomic, strong) IBOutlet UITextField *textField; in NameSubView and connected to the text field in IB.

---

Then I can load the subview, but I could not access the textField from MainViewController. So to get access to it I did change the Files Owner’s class from NameSubViewController to NameSubView in Identity Inspector.

Now the NameSubViewController is accessed, but no property for the view is found, so the app crashes. I don’t know if I’m following the right procedure, can I now create a property for the NameSubView in NameSubViewController? Or should I follow another procedure?

Answer 1

• Return the NameSubViewController to the file’s owner in identity inspector.
• Add the NameSubView to the view in identity inspector.

Then use this code:

#import "NameSubViewController.h"
// If view's declaration is located in a separate file then the next line is important
#import "NameSubView.h" 

...

// It is better to declare the view controller as 'NameSubViewController'
NameSubViewController *nameController = [[NameSubViewController alloc] initWithNibName:@"NameSubViewController" bundle:nil];
// A casting to 'NameSubView' should do the main magic
NameSubView *nameSubView = (NameSubView *)[nameController view];
[self.view addSubview:nameSubView];

// It is better to ensure that the view is of a correct class 
// before using its specific properties
if ([nameSubView isKindOfClass:[NameSubView class]]) {
  // Now it should work 
  // (assuming that you have a property 'textField' in 'NameSubView')
  NSString *textFieldString = nameSubView.textField.text;
}