How to subclass custom Cell class with xib in swift

Question

I got stuck with simple issue and can't find any solution.

MyCell.xib has fileowner MyCell : UITableViewCell class.

I use it like that:

viewDidLoad method:

 let nib = UINib(nibName: "MyCell", bundle: nil)
 self.tableView.register(nib, forCellReuseIdentifier: "myIdentifier")

tableView cellForRowAt method:

 let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "myIdentifier", for: indexPath) as? MyCell

It works good.

I subclass my class to add some new methods:

 class SuperCell : MyCell {
      func coolMethod {
           print("cool")
      }
 }

And try to use it like that:

let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "myIdentifier", for: indexPath) as? SuperCell

it returns nil

How can I make it work?

I tried to create prototype cell in InterfaceBuilder with identifier myIdentifier and with class SuperCell, but it didn't help.

Why do I need it

I just want to use the same view (xib) for different cell classes.

In my case I have common cell (MyCell) with view (xib). MyCell completely describes fields (IBOutlets). Also I want to create some another cell classes that subclasses MyCell, but they will provide some behaviour of these IBOutlets. For example FirstMyCell : MyCell will have method setFieldsFrom(objectOne: ObjectOne) and SecondMyCell : MyCell will have another method setFieldsFrom(anotherObject: ObjectAnother).

Of course, I can just add this two methods into my MyCell class, but it will be unclean.

why whould you want to subclass a custom cell ? – Umair Afzal Jan 26 '17 at 10:07 — Umair Afzal, Jan 26 '17 at 10:07
@UmairAfzal please look my update – John Kakon Jan 26 '17 at 10:20 — John Kakon, Jan 26 '17 at 10:20
@JohnKakon did you find a way to subclass using same xib. – Shirish Jan 08 '19 at 11:21 — Shirish, Jan 08 '19 at 11:21
@JohnKakon Did you find any solution for this? – Khadija Daruwala Oct 31 '19 at 06:46 — Khadija Daruwala, Oct 31 '19 at 06:46
@JohnKakon Did you resolve your problem ? – MMSousa Apr 03 '20 at 13:35 — MMSousa, Apr 03 '20 at 13:35

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 26 '17 at 09:54

2

Do not set the files owner (remove it)
Make sure your your XIBs Custom Class is set to SuperCell:

answered Jan 26 '17 at 09:54

shallowThought

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What If I will have `SuperClass : MyClass` and `SecondSuperClass : MyClass` with the same xib? Which one should I set in InterfaceBuilder? `MyClass`? – John Kakon Jan 26 '17 at 10:02
That does not make sense to me. Maybe update your question and describe your use case, what you want to achieve, more detailed. – shallowThought Jan 26 '17 at 10:04
Are you saying that there is no additional code required inside 'MyClass.swift' ? – Marmelador Jun 05 '17 at 07:47
Only code is `let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "myIdentifier") as? SuperCell`. You certainly need to set outlets for Labels or such to `MyCellClass`. – shallowThought Jun 05 '17 at 12:54

How to subclass custom Cell class with xib in swift

Why do I need it

1 Answers1