navigation bar right bar button items spacing

Question

I have created a with left bar button item added from storyboard, titleView and three right bar button items from code.

Here is the code:

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()

    var screenWidth = UIScreen.mainScreen().bounds.width
    // custom title view
    var navBarWidth: CGFloat = self.navigationController!.navigationBar.frame.size.width
    let customTitleView = UIView(frame: CGRectMake(0, 0, navBarWidth, 44))
    titleLabel = UILabel(frame: CGRectMake(20, 0, navBarWidth, 40))
    titleLabel.text = conversationName
    if let titleFont = UIFont(name: "Roboto-Regular", size: 20) {
        titleLabel.font = titleFont
    }
    titleLabel.textColor = UIColor.whiteColor()

    customTitleView.addSubview(titleLabel)
    self.navigationItem.titleView = customTitleView

    // right bar buttons
    var searchImage = UIImage(named: "search")!
    var clipImage = UIImage(named: "clip")!
    var pencilImage = UIImage(named: "pencil")!

    var searchBtn = UIBarButtonItem(image: searchImage, style: UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, target: self, action: Selector("searchBtnPressed"))
    searchBtn.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
    var clipBtn = UIBarButtonItem(image: clipImage, style: UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, target: self, action: Selector("clipBtnPressed"))
    clipBtn.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
    var pencilBtn = UIBarButtonItem(image: pencilImage, style: UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, target: self, action: Selector("pencilBtnPressed"))
    pencilBtn.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()

    self.navigationItem.setRightBarButtonItems([pencilBtn, clipBtn, searchBtn], animated: false)
}

My problem is that I want to change the spacing between right buttons but I don't know how.

I've tried to add a fixedButton between them but it just increased the existing space.

Can some one help me? Thanks.

Navigation bar neglects spacing .use UIBarButton containerView initializer — Mousavian, Sep 08 '15 at 12:30

score 76 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 13 '18 at 13:15

I solved my problem in this way:

var searchImage = UIImage(named: "search-selected")!
var clipImage = UIImage(named: "clip")!
var pencilImage = UIImage(named: "pencil")!

let searchBtn: UIButton = UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.Custom) as! UIButton
searchBtn.setImage(searchImage, forState: UIControlState.Normal)
searchBtn.addTarget(self, action: "searchBtnPressed", forControlEvents: UIControlEvents.TouchUpInside)
searchBtn.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30)
let searchBarBtn = UIBarButtonItem(customView: searchBtn)

let clipBtn: UIButton = UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.Custom) as! UIButton
clipBtn.setImage(clipImage, forState: UIControlState.Normal)
clipBtn.addTarget(self, action: "clipBtnPressed", forControlEvents: UIControlEvents.TouchUpInside)
clipBtn.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30)
let clipBarBtn = UIBarButtonItem(customView: clipBtn)

let pencilBtn: UIButton = UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.Custom) as! UIButton
pencilBtn.setImage(pencilImage, forState: UIControlState.Normal)
pencilBtn.addTarget(self, action: "pencilBtnPressed", forControlEvents: UIControlEvents.TouchUpInside)
pencilBtn.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30)
let pencilBarBtn = UIBarButtonItem(customView: pencilBtn)

self.navigationItem.setRightBarButtonItems([pencilBarBtn, clipBarBtn, searchBarBtn], animated: false)

Now it looks good,

Update for Swift 4.1

let testButton : UIButton = UIButton.init(type: .custom)
testButton.setImage(editImage, for: .normal)
testButton.addTarget(self, action: #selector(didTapCameraButton), for: .touchUpInside)
testButton.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 30, height: 30)
let addButton = UIBarButtonItem(customView: testButton)

You could well use a function instead of repeating all that code. But, well thanks it worked! — LaloLoop, Feb 24 '17 at 04:08
a perfect answer I love this. so below i going to give the answer in objective c — Anup Gupta, Dec 22 '17 at 12:50
Exactly what I was looking for, however setting the frame was not neccessary for me, so I left that line. — balazs630, Mar 06 '19 at 13:24
But what if those bar buttons are not custom bar buttons, but provided by system like "Done", "Camera" or "Edit". — Ashutosh Shukla, Jun 07 '19 at 07:19
Just using the `customView` initializer instead of the one with `image` gave me the correct result, since the image had not insets as it seems. — Skoua, Jun 13 '20 at 09:06
@mkz tintColor was not able to set with this approach any thoughts on applying tintColor? — iOSDude, Sep 29 '21 at 19:43

score 7 · Answer 2 · edited May 27 '19 at 12:09

7

Set testButton.frame doesn't help.

This solution is correct for me!

rightButton.imageEdgeInsets = UIEdgeInsets(top: 3, left: 10, bottom: 7, right: 0)

edited May 27 '19 at 12:09

Praveenkumar

24,084
23
95
173

answered Feb 09 '19 at 11:00

IvanPavliuk

1,460
1
21
16

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 02 '17 at 23:43

For Swift 3:

let searchBtn: UIButton = UIButton(type: UIButtonType.custom)
searchBtn.setImage(UIImage(named: "search"), for: [])
searchBtn.addTarget(self, action: #selector(ViewController.searchBtnPressed(_:)), for: UIControlEvents.touchUpInside)
searchBtn.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 30, height: 30)
let searchButton = UIBarButtonItem(customView: searchBtn)

let clipBtn: UIButton = UIButton(type: UIButtonType.custom)
clipBtn.setImage(UIImage(named: "clip"), for: [])
clipBtn.addTarget(self, action: #selector(ViewController.clipBtnPressed(_:)), for: UIControlEvents.touchUpInside)
clipBtn.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 30, height: 30)
let clipButton = UIBarButtonItem(customView: clipBtn)

let pencilBtn: UIButton = UIButton(type: UIButtonType.custom)
pencilBtn.setImage(UIImage(named: "pencil"), for: [])
pencilBtn.addTarget(self, action: #selector(ViewController.pencilBtnPressed(_:)), for: UIControlEvents.touchUpInside)
pencilBtn.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 30, height: 30)
let pencilButton = UIBarButtonItem(customView: pencilBtn)

self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItems = [pencilButton, clipButton, searchButton]

Replace ViewController with your view controller

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 09 '18 at 06:15

// create three nav bar buttons
    var searchBtn = UIBarButtonItem(image: searchImage, style: UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, target: self, action: Selector("searchBtnPressed"))
    searchBtn.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
    var clipBtn = UIBarButtonItem(image: clipImage, style: UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, target: self, action: Selector("clipBtnPressed"))
    clipBtn.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
    var pencilBtn = UIBarButtonItem(image: pencilImage, style: UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain, target: self, action: Selector("pencilBtnPressed"))
    pencilBtn.tintColor = UIColor.whiteColor()

// create a spacer
  var space = UIBarButtonItem(barButtonSystemItem: .fixedSpace, target: self, action: nil)
  space.width = 10

  var buttons = [pencilBtn, space, clipBtn, space, searchBtn]
  navigationItem?.rightBarButtonItems = buttons

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited May 27 '19 at 12:10

This solution is in Objective C

UIImage *settingImageName = [UIImage imageNamed:@"Menu_Burger_Icon"];
UIButton * settingButton = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
[settingButton setImage:settingImageName forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[settingButton addTarget:self action:@selector(settingsBtnClicked) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
settingButton.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30);

UIBarButtonItem *settingBarButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:settingButton];

UIImage *notificationImageName = [UIImage imageNamed:@"NotificationON"];
UIButton * notificationButton = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
[notificationButton setImage:notificationImageName forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[notificationButton addTarget:self action:@selector(notificationButtonClicked) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
notificationButton.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30);
UIBarButtonItem *notificationBarButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:notificationButton];

self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItems  = @[settingBarButton,notificationBarButton];

Solution reference by @mikle94. His answer is in Swift.

this works as expected for me but the problem is I want to apply tint color to the button I tried as below but it was not working can you check once. **settingButton.tintColor = [UIColor blackColor]; settingBarButton.tintColor = [UIColor blackColor];** — iOSDude, Sep 29 '21 at 19:19
Unable to set tintColor with this approach any thoughts on applying tintColor? — iOSDude, Sep 29 '21 at 19:45

score 1 · Answer 6 · edited Apr 29 '18 at 22:20

let rightActionButton:UIButton = UIButton()

if #available(iOS 11.0, *) {

    let widthConstraint = rightActionButton.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 30)
    let heightConstraint = rightActionButton.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 30)
    heightConstraint.isActive = true
    widthConstraint.isActive = true
}
else {
    rightActionButton.frame = CGRect.init(x: 0, y: 0, width: 30, height: 30)
}

rightActionButton.setImage(UIImage.init(named: "3-dots-right-button"), for: .normal)
rightActionButton.addTarget(self, action: #selector(handleRightMenu), for: UIControlEvents.touchUpInside)
rightActionButton.setTitle("", for: .normal)
rightActionButton.tintColor = UIColor(hex:K.NODD_GREEN_HEX)


let rightActionBarButton:UIBarButtonItem = UIBarButtonItem(customView: rightActionButton)

let rightBarButtonItem1 = rightActionBarButton
let rightBarButtonItem2 = UIBarButtonItem(barButtonSystemItem: .action, target: self, action: #selector(handleRight2Menu))

self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItems = [rightBarButtonItem1,rightBarButtonItem2]

score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Nov 15 '17 at 09:08

0

Try to change the constraintEqualToConstant

[myUIButton.widthAnchor constraintEqualToConstant:24].active = YES;
[myUIButton.heightAnchor constraintEqualToConstant:24].active = YES;

answered Nov 15 '17 at 09:08

Mutawe

6,464
3
47
90

score 0 · Answer 8 · edited May 27 '19 at 12:10

You can also wire things up first in Storyboard.
I have two right bar button items.

(This is objective-c code, which you can modify for swift.)

First create references to them in view controller.

@interface MyViewController ()
    @property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *smsButton;
    @property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIButton *checkoutButton;
@end

Then, in viewDidLoad, adjust their widths and heights.

// Adjust right bar button item spacing.
self.smsButton.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30);
self.lockButton.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30);

score 0 · Answer 9 · answered May 16 '19 at 10:15

Supporting solution by @mkz, by using function to reduce the code (Swift 4.2.1)

Added most important parameters to the function (note how to pass selector to a function), you may want to add more as per your need.

func makeCustomNavigationButton(imageName: String, action: Selector) -> UIBarButtonItem{

    let image = UIImage(named: imageName)!
    let btn: UIButton = UIButton(type: UIButton.ButtonType.custom)
    btn.setImage(image, for: .normal)
    btn.addTarget(self, action: action, for: .touchUpInside)
    btn.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 30, height: 30)
    let barBtn = UIBarButtonItem(customView: btn)

    return barBtn
}

How to call:

let search = self.makeCustomNavigationButton(imageName: "search", action: #selector(searchBtnPressed(_:)))
let clip = self.makeCustomNavigationButton(imageName: "clip", action: #selector(clipBtnPressed(_:)))
let pencil = self.makeCustomNavigationButton(imageName: "pencil", action: #selector(pencilBtnPressed(_:)))
self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItems = [search, clip, pencil]

navigation bar right bar button items spacing

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