| Conforms to | |
| Framework | /System/Library/Frameworks/UIKit.framework |
| Availability | Available in iOS 2.0 and later. |
| Companion guide | |
| Declared in | UITableView.h |
The UITableViewDataSource protocol is adopted by an object that mediates the application’™s data model for a UITableView object. The data source provides the table-view object with the information it needs to construct and modify a table view.
As a representative of the data model, the data source supplies minimal information about the table view’s appearance. The table-view object’s delegate—an object adopting the UITableViewDelegate protocol—provides that information.
The required methods of the protocol provide the cells to be displayed by the table-view as well as inform the UITableView object about the number of sections and the number of rows in each section. The data source may implement optional methods to configure various aspects of the table view and to insert, delete, and reorder rows.
Note: To enable the swipe-to-delete feature of table views (wherein a user swipes horizontally across a row to display a Delete button), you must implement the tableView:commitEditingStyle:forRowAtIndexPath: method.
Many methods take NSIndexPath objects as parameters. UITableView declares a category on NSIndexPath that enables you to get the represented row index (row property) and section index (section property), and to construct an index path from a given row index and section index (indexPathForRow:inSection: class method). (The first index in each index path identifies the section and the next identifies the row.)
– tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath: required method
– numberOfSectionsInTableView:
– tableView:numberOfRowsInSection: required method
– sectionIndexTitlesForTableView:
– tableView:sectionForSectionIndexTitle:atIndex:
– tableView:titleForHeaderInSection:
– tableView:titleForFooterInSection:
Asks the data source to return the number of sections in the table view.
- (NSInteger)numberOfSectionsInTableView:(UITableView *)tableView
An object representing the table view requesting this information.
The number of sections in tableView. The default value is 1.
UITableView.hAsks the data source to return the titles for the sections for a table view.
- (NSArray *)sectionIndexTitlesForTableView:(UITableView *)tableView
The table-view object requesting this information.
An array of strings that serve as the title of sections in the table view and appear in the index list on the right side of the table view. The table view must be in the plain style (UITableViewStylePlain). For example, for an alphabetized list, you could return an array containing strings “€A”€ through “Z”.
UITableView.hAsks the data source to verify that the given row is editable.
- (BOOL)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView canEditRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
The table-view object requesting this information.
An index path locating a row in tableView.
YES if the row indicated by indexPath is editable; otherwise, NO.
The method permits the delegate to exclude individual rows from being treated as editable. Editable rows display the insertion or deletion control in their cells. If this method is not implemented, all rows are assumed to be editable. Rows that are not editable ignore the editingStyle property of a UITableViewCell object and do no indentation for the deletion or insertion control. Rows that are editable, but that do not want to have an insertion or remove control shown, can return UITableViewCellEditingStyleNone from the tableView:editingStyleForRowAtIndexPath: delegate method.
UITableView.hAsks the data source whether a given row can be moved to another location in the table view.
- (BOOL)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView canMoveRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
The table-view object requesting this information.
An index path locating a row in tableView.
YES if the row can be moved; otherwise NO.
This method allows the delegate to specify that the reordering control for a the specified row not be shown. By default, the reordering control is shown if the data source implements the tableView:moveRowAtIndexPath:toIndexPath: method.
UITableView.hAsks the data source for a cell to insert in a particular location of the table view. (required)
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
A table-view object requesting the cell.
An index path locating a row in tableView.
An object inheriting from UITableViewCell that the table view can use for the specified row. An assertion is raised if you return nil.
The returned UITableViewCell object is frequently one that the application reuses for performance reasons. You should fetch a previously created cell object that is marked for reuse by sending a dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier: message to tableView. The identifier for a reusable cell object is assigned when the delegate initializes the cell object by calling the initWithStyle:reuseIdentifier: method of UITableViewCell. Various attributes of a table cell are set automatically based on whether the cell is a separator and on information the data source provides, such as for accessory views and editing controls.
UITableView.hAsks the data source to commit the insertion or deletion of a specified row in the receiver.
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView commitEditingStyle:(UITableViewCellEditingStyle)editingStyle forRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
The table-view object requesting the insertion or deletion.
The cell editing style corresponding to a insertion or deletion requested for the row specified by indexPath. Possible editing styles are UITableViewCellEditingStyleInsert or UITableViewCellEditingStyleDelete.
An index path locating the row in tableView.
When users tap the insertion (green plus) control or Delete button associated with a UITableViewCell object in the table view, the table view sends this message to the data source, asking it to commit the change. (If the user taps the deletion (red minus) control, the table view then displays the Delete button to get confirmation.) The data source commits the insertion or deletion by invoking the UITableView methods insertRowsAtIndexPaths:withRowAnimation: or deleteRowsAtIndexPaths:withRowAnimation:, as appropriate.
To enable the swipe-to-delete feature of table views (wherein a user swipes horizontally across a row to display a Delete button), you must implement this method.
You should not call setEditing:animated: within an implementation of this method. If for some reason you must, invoke it after a delay by using the performSelector:withObject:afterDelay: method.
UITableView.hTells the data source to move a row at a specific location in the table view to another location.
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView moveRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)fromIndexPath toIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)toIndexPath
The table-view object requesting this action.
An index path locating the row to be moved in tableView.
An index path locating the row in tableView that is the destination of the move.
The UITableView object sends this message to the data source when the user presses the reorder control in fromRow.
UITableView.hTells the data source to return the number of rows in a given section of a table view. (required)
- (NSInteger)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView numberOfRowsInSection:(NSInteger)section
The table-view object requesting this information.
An index number identifying a section in tableView.
The number of rows in section.
UITableView.hAsks the data source to return the index of the section having the given title and section title index.
- (NSInteger)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView sectionForSectionIndexTitle:(NSString *)title atIndex:(NSInteger)index
The table-view object requesting this information.
The title as displayed in the section index of tableView.
An index number identifying a section title in the array returned by sectionIndexTitlesForTableView:.
An index number identifying a section.
This method is passed the index number and title of an entry in the section index list and should return the index of the referenced section. To be clear, there are two index numbers in play here: an index to an section index title in the array returned by sectionIndexTitlesForTableView:, and an index to a section of the table view; the former is passed in, and the latter is returned. You implement this method only for table views with a section index list—which can only be table views created in the plain style (UITableViewStylePlain). Note that the array of section titles returned by sectionIndexTitlesForTableView: can have fewer items than the actual number of sections in the table view.
UITableView.hAsks the data source for the title of the footer of the specified section of the table view.
- (NSString *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView titleForFooterInSection:(NSInteger)section
The table-view object asking for the title.
An index number identifying a section of tableView .
A string to use as the title of the section footer. If you return nil , the section will have no title.
The table view uses a fixed font style for section footer titles. If you want a different font style, return a custom view (for example, a UILabel object) in the delegate method tableView:viewForFooterInSection: instead.
UITableView.hAsks the data source for the title of the header of the specified section of the table view.
- (NSString *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView titleForHeaderInSection:(NSInteger)section
The table-view object asking for the title.
An index number identifying a section of tableView .
A string to use as the title of the section header. If you return nil , the section will have no title.
The table view uses a fixed font style for section header titles. If you want a different font style, return a custom view (for example, a UILabel object) in the delegate method tableView:viewForHeaderInSection: instead.
UITableView.hLast updated: 2010-05-24