What I’ve learned when developing BlockAlertViews

What I’ve learned when developing

BlockAlertViews

Gustavo Ambrozio360iDev 2012

Tuesday, September 11, 12

About me• Developing professionally since age of 15

• For iOS since the official SDK came out

• Did some apps and contracts as an independent developer in Brazil

• Writter for raywenderlich.com

• Hired by PocketGems to code games in SF

• Hate engligh prepositions

What’s BlockAlertView

My love and hate story with UIAlertView

• (apparently) Easy to use • Delegates

• Switches

• Tags

• Constants

@interface MyViewController : UIViewController <UIAlertViewDelegate>

#define kRemoveConfirmAlertView 1#define kSendAlertView 2#define kLogoutConfirmAlertView 3

- (IBAction)sendItem:(id)sender{ UIAlertView *view = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@”Send to” message:@”Send message using:” delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:@”Cancel” otherButtonTitles:@”Twitter”, @”Facebook”, @”Email”, nil]; view.tag = kSendAlertView; [view show]; [view release];}

- (void)alertView:(UIAlertView *)alertView clickedButtonAtIndex:(NSInteger)buttonIndex {

switch (alertView.tag){

case kRemoveConfirmAlertView:if (buttonIndex == 1)

[self removeItem];break;

case kSendAlertView:{

switch (buttonIndex){

case 0: // Cancelbreak;

case 1: // Twitter[self sendWith:kTwitter];break;

case 2: // Facebook[self sendWith:kFacebook];break;

case 3: // emailMFMailComposeViewController *view = [[MFMailComposeViewController alloc] init];view.mailComposeDelegate = self;[self.navigationController presentModalViewController:view animated:YES];break;

}}break;

How blocks ended my hatred

• PSFoundation (https://github.com/steipete/PSFoundation/tree/master/Utils)

• Peter Steinberger

• PSAlertView e PSActionSheet

• Renamed to BlockAlertView and BlockActionSheet

- (IBAction)sendItem:(id)sender{ BlockAlertView *view = [BlocAlertView alertWithTitle:@”Send to” message:@”Send message using:”]; [view setCancelButtonWithTitle:@”Cancel” block:nil]; [view addButtonWithTitle:@”Twitter”, block:^{ [self sendWith:kTwitter]; }]; [view addButtonWithTitle:@”Facebook”, block:^{ [self sendWith:kFacebook]; }]; [view addButtonWithTitle:@”Email”, block:^{ MFMailComposeViewController *view = [[MFMailComposeViewController alloc] init];

view.mailComposeDelegate = self;[self.navigationController presentModalViewController:view animated:YES];

}]; view .tag = kSendAlertView; [view show];}

- (IBAction)sendItem:(id)sender{ BlockAlertView *view = [BlockAlertView alertWithTitle:@”Send to” message:@”Send message using:”];

[view setCancelButtonWithTitle:@”Cancel” block:nil];

[view addButtonWithTitle:@”Twitter”, block:^{ [self sendWith:kTwitter]; }];

[view addButtonWithTitle:@”Facebook”, block:^{ [self sendWith:kFacebook]; }];

[view addButtonWithTitle:@”Email”, block:^{ MFMailComposeViewController *view = [[MFMailComposeViewController alloc] init];

[view show];}

[view addButtonWithTitle:@”Email”, block:^{ MFMailComposeViewController *view = [[MFMailComposeViewController alloc] init];

[view show];}

Lesson number 1

1. Use blocks instead of delegates (almost) all the time

Lesson number 1

1. Use blocks instead of delegates (almost) all the time

• Exception: When the block can retain something that can be deallocated before que block call gets made (NSURLConnections for example)

How to do it

1. Subclass the original class and have it conform with it’s delegate.

2. Create typedefs for all blocks

3. Create @property for all blocks with (copy)

4. Implement all init methods and set self as delegate.

5. Implement all delegates, create ivars for all and call them if not nil.

ARC compatibility

• Simple:

#if ! __has_feature(objc_arc)

#error This file must be compiled with ARC. Please add -fobjc-arc to the compiler flags of this file.

#endif

• Better:

Use Nick Lockwood’s ARC Helper .h file:

https://gist.github.com/1563325

Improving AVAudioPlayer

#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>#import <AVFoundation/AVFoundation.h>#import "ARCHelper.h"

typedef void (ÂudioPlayerDidFinishPlayingBlock)(BOOL);typedef void (ÂudioPlayerDecodeErrorDidOccurBlock)(NSError *);typedef void (ÂudioPlayerBeginInterruptionBlock)();typedef void (ÂudioPlayerEndInterruptionBlock)(NSUInteger);

@interface BlockAudioPlayer : AVAudioPlayer <AVAudioPlayerDelegate>

@property (nonatomic, copy) AudioPlayerDidFinishPlayingBlock audioPlayerDidFinishPlayingBlock;@property (nonatomic, copy) AudioPlayerDecodeErrorDidOccurBlock audioPlayerDecodeErrorDidOccurBlock;@property (nonatomic, copy) AudioPlayerBeginInterruptionBlock audioPlayerBeginInterruptionBlock;@property (nonatomic, copy) AudioPlayerEndInterruptionBlock audioPlayerEndInterruptionBlock;

Improving AVAudioPlayer- (id)initWithContentsOfURL:(NSURL *)url error:(NSError **)outError{ self = [super initWithContentsOfURL:url error:outError]; if (self) { self.delegate = self; } return self;}

#pragma mark - AVAudioPlayerDelegate

- (void)audioPlayerDidFinishPlaying:(AVAudioPlayer *)player successfully:(BOOL)flag{ if (audioPlayerDidFinishPlayingBlock) audioPlayerDidFinishPlayingBlock(flag);}

https://github.com/gpambrozio/BlockAudioPlayer

Zachary Waldowski’s https://github.com/zwaldowski/BlocksKit

Hate comes back with a new face

A vision on how to end this hatred

Striking hatred with code

UIWindow

UILabel

UIButton

UIWindow

UILabel

UIButton

UIWindow

UILabel

UIButton

Lesson number 2

2. UIWindow is an unkown obscure class that’s very rarely used (and with very poor documentation) but that might solve some tricky UI problems. Use with care.

UIWindow basics

• No hierarchy. UIWindow are ordered using their windowLevel:• UIWindowLevelNormal• UIWIndowLevelAlert• UIWindowLevelStatusBar

• If on the same level, ordered by creation time, last on top.

• makeKeyAndVisible can push it to the top, but still respecting windowLevel.

Key Window

• From the docs: “...window which is currently receiving keyboard events and other non touch-related events. Whereas touch events are delivered to the window in which the touch occurred, events that do not have an associated coordinate value are delivered to the key window of your application. Only one window at a time may be key."

• When you create a UIWindow and call makeKeyWindow, don’t just call resignKeyWindow. Save the previous keyWindow and call makeKeyWindow on it when you’re done.

Destroying hate

Lessons number 3 and 4

3. Open your mind to other libraries and don’t assume you need to do it the Apple way

Lessons number 3 and 4

3. Open your mind to other libraries and don’t assume you need to do it the Apple way

4. Don’t be lazy. It’s fun to implement something from scratch.

Spreading the love• BlockAlertView and BlockActionSheets are

open source

• github.com/gpambrozio/BlockAlertsAnd-ActionSheets

open source

• blog.codecropper.com/2012/01/replicating-tweetbot-alerts-and-action-sheets/

open source

• blog.codecropper.com/2012/01/replicating-tweetbot-alerts-and-action-sheets/

• Improvements to UIAlertView and UIActionSheet

Spreading the love

• Import 6 files, 3 .h and 3 .m

Spreading the love

• Copy 1 .h file with UI attributes

Spreading the love

• Copy PNG assets or create your own

Spreading the love

• Copy PNG assets or create your own

• Change UI (optional)

[view setDestructiveButtonWithTitle:@”Delete”, block:^{ [self removeItem]; }];

[view show];}

Spreading the love

Advanced love• Background and buttons and simple PNGs

Advanced love• It’s only an UIView....

[BlockBackgroundsharedInstance]

UIView

Advanced love• BlockTextPromptAlertView

Animated love

Lesson number 5

5. Opening your source is good: Improves your karma, your reputation and your source code.

Gustavo Ambrozio

• @gpambrozio

• blog.codecropper.com

• github.com/gpambrozio

• linkedin.com/in/gustavoambrozio

We’re hiring

2 apps in top 25 grossing apps

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