Select table cell only if tapped inside a view

Question

I would like to create a messaging app, and therefore I would like to allow users to select the messages.

The problem is that I can not find a way to make it so that cell gets selected only if tapped inside it on a specific view

My source code:

 override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willSelectRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> IndexPath? { let cell = tableView.cellForRow(at: indexPath) as! BubbleCell if (cell.messageBubble.wasClicked){ //? somehow return indexPath } else { return nil } }

Just like in messenger.

If you click on the blank space then the cell wont be selected, but if on the message bubble (inside the cell there's a view for that) then it gets selected.

matt · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-03 23:59:28Z

It's easiest to see how to do this if we pretend the message bubble is a button. If it isn't a button, you can give it a tap gesture recognizer and get the same effect.

First, use the delegate method to suppress the normal ability of the user to tap the cell to select it:

func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, willSelectRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> IndexPath? { return nil }

Second, we've given the button (or tap gesture recognizer) an action function. When it fires, figure out what cell the button is in and select it in code:

@IBAction func buttonPressed (_ sender:AnyObject) { let cell = (sender as! UIView).superview!.superview! as! UITableViewCell let row = self.tableView.indexPath(for: cell)! self.tableView.selectRow(at: row, animated: true, scrollPosition: .none) }

In that example, I happen to know that the button is directly inside the cell's content view, so it's two steps up the view hierarchy to reach the cell. You might need to make adjustments, of course.

This screencast shows the result: attempting to click on the cell as a whole does nothing, but clicking on the "Button" area selects the cell.

The reason this approach works is that our willSelectRowAt is not called when we select the row in code — only when the user taps on the cell.

maxwell · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-03 22:34:37Z

1

You can remove willSelectRowAt method and add buttons (or views with UITapGestureRecognizer) in your cells.

answered Mar 3, 2018 at 22:34

maxwell

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1 Comment

maxwell Over a year ago

Add a button over the view.

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