How to display UIView over keyboard in iOS

Question

I want to create a simple view over keyboard, when users tap "Attach" button in inputAccessoryView. Something like this:

Is there an easy way to do it? Or i should create my custom keyboard?

score 21 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 04 '15 at 07:01

21

You can add that new subview to your application window.

func attach(sender : UIButton)
{
    // Calculate and replace the frame according to your keyboard frame
    var customView = UIView(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: self.view.frame.size.height-300, width: self.view.frame.size.width, height: 300))
    customView.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor()
    customView.layer.zPosition = CGFloat(MAXFLOAT)
    var windowCount = UIApplication.sharedApplication().windows.count
    UIApplication.sharedApplication().windows[windowCount-1].addSubview(customView);
}

answered Sep 04 '15 at 07:01

Midhun MP

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You could use `sender.window` instead of `UIApplication.sharedApplication().windows[...]`? – rintaro Sep 04 '15 at 07:17
1

@rintaro: That won't work, that will add the view below the keyboard – Midhun MP Sep 04 '15 at 07:19
7

This is a hacky solution and should be avoided. The window hierarchy can change on any newly introduced iOS version. – atulkhatri May 19 '16 at 18:56
1

this one not support for ios 16 , cannot add view over keybbaord, anything to fixedthis ? – Seak Sep 28 '22 at 02:37

Milan Nosáľ · Answer 2 · 2018-02-01T15:11:41.997

9

Swift 4 version:

let customView = UIView(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: self.view.frame.size.height - 300, width: self.view.frame.size.width, height: 300))
customView.backgroundColor = UIColor.red
customView.layer.zPosition = CGFloat(Float.greatestFiniteMagnitude)
UIApplication.shared.windows.last?.addSubview(customView)

The trick is to add the customView as a top subview to the UIWindow that holds the keyboard - and it happens to be the last window in UIApplication.shared.windows.

edited Feb 01 '18 at 15:11

answered Feb 01 '18 at 14:30

Milan Nosáľ

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Getting last of `windows` rather than `keyWindow` from UIApplication works! – Tai Le Dec 11 '20 at 03:38
1

Hey, this code doesn't work with Xcode 14. – Coder Apr 15 '23 at 20:16

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 27 '17 at 16:35

Swift 4.0

let customView = UIView(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: self.view.frame.size.height-300, width: self.view.frame.size.width, height: 300))
customView.backgroundColor = UIColor.red
customView.layer.zPosition = CGFloat(MAXFLOAT)
let windowCount = UIApplication.shared.windows.count
UIApplication.shared.windows[windowCount-1].addSubview(customView)

Egzon P. · Answer 4 · 2019-06-07T13:20:24.550

As Tamás Sengel said, Apple's guidelines does not support adding a view over the keyboard. The recommended way to add a view over keyboard in Swift 4 & 5 is:

1) Add view with your "Next" button in your storyboard as external view and connect in your class (see Explain Image), in my case:

IBOutlet private weak var toolBar: UIView!

2) For the textfield you want to add your custom view over keyboard, add it as accessory view in viewDidLoad:

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()
    phoneNumberTextField.inputAccessoryView = toolBar
}

3) Add action for "Next" button:

@IBAction func nextButtonPressed(_ sender: Any) {
    descriptionTextView.becomeFirstResponder()

    // or -> phoneNumberTextField.resignFirstResponder()
}

Explain Image:

Method 2: Result with image

In TableView Controller - add stricked view at bottom

Please follow this great link to handle safe area for screens like iPhone X if you want to use this method(2). Article: InputAccessoryView and iPhone X

override var inputAccessoryView: UIView? {
    return toolBar
}

override var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool {
    return true
}

This should be the correct answer. Thanks user doca. You are the man. — Florent, Mar 13 '19 at 08:58

score 3 · Answer 5 · edited May 09 '18 at 13:25

3

Do you have find some effective method to solve this problem? In iOS9,you put your customView on the top of the windows:

UIApplication.sharedApplication().windows[windowCount-1].addSubview(customView);

But if the keyboard dismisses, the top Windows will be removed, so your customView will be removed. Looking forward for your help! Thank you for your help!

edited May 09 '18 at 13:25

Abhishek Jain

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answered Sep 22 '15 at 10:16

Shi Jobs

31
1

Please see my answer, i solve this problem like this - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32598490/show-uiview-with-buttons-over-keyboard-like-in-skype-viber-messengers-swift-i – pavel_s Sep 22 '15 at 13:46

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Feb 01 '18 at 15:57

2

You can definitely add the view to your application’s window, and you can also add another window entirely. You can set its frame and level. The level could be UIWindowLevelAlert.

answered Feb 01 '18 at 15:57

Daniel

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score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 24 '17 at 07:55

While this can be possible with accessing the topmost window, I would avoid doing this, as it clearly interferes with Apple's guidelines.

What I would do is dismissing the keyboard and replacing its frame with a view with same dimensions.

The keyboard's frame can be accessed from keyboard notifications listed here, their userInfo contain a key that can be accessed with UIKeyboardFrameEndUserInfoKey.

How to display UIView over keyboard in iOS

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