How do I present a new UIViewController when Storyboard Refrences are used

Question

So I am using some Storyboard References to bring in some structure. Now I am trying to change the ViewController from code, but I am not able to use a ViewController from a different Storyboard. My Code is currently looking like that:

func showCommunityDetail(){
    let storyBoard : UIStoryboard = UIStoryboard(name: "community", bundle:nil)
    let nextViewController = storyBoard.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "communityDetail") as! CommunityViewController
    self.present(nextViewController, animated:true, completion:nil)
}

The community Storyboard contains the communityDetail controller, but the view which is shown at the moment this code is executed, is in a different storyboard.

How can I present between different Storyboards?

Update

I updated my code to the following line:

  let detailViewController = UIStoryboard(name: "community", bundle: nil).instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "communityDetail");

However, now i get a new error: whose view is not in the window hierarchy!

I have about 20 different ViewControllers and I think it's easier for a team to work in different files. — Fabio ha, May 15 '17 at 08:17
It is, i also prefer having a view controller per storyboard (unless its directly connected to that view controller) — Pochi, May 15 '17 at 08:18
@Fabioha if different developers are working on the project, don't you think that xib way would be better to avoid merge conflicts etc instead of using different storyboard. — Maddy, May 15 '17 at 08:45
@Maddy I don't have a lot of experience in ios development so I don't really see the advantages or disadvantages. — Fabio ha, May 15 '17 at 08:50
The thing is, the View should change on a Click in the collectionView so I can't execute it in the viewWillAppear. — Fabio ha, May 15 '17 at 09:18
Then you have to provide some more info because i have created the sample and used your code and i was able to navigate to other controller — Maddy, May 15 '17 at 09:23
try this: `let newViewController = UIStoryboard(name: "community", bundle: nil).instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "communityDetail") UIApplication.topViewController()?.present(newViewController, animated: true, completion: nil)` — Maddy, May 15 '17 at 09:26
So I you pointed me in the right direction @Maddy. However for your code to work, you need to write an extension for the UIApplication. — Fabio ha, May 15 '17 at 09:34

Pochi · Answer 1 · 2017-05-15T08:33:05.363

1

To present a view controller in a different storyboard.

1) Make sure the "Initial View Controller" property is set for the entry ViewController in each of the storyboards.

Present it:

let vcToPresent = UIStoryboard(name: "StoryboardName", bundle: nil).instantiateInitialViewController();

// Ensure its of the type that you want, so that you can pass info to it
guard let specialVC = vcToPresent as? SpecialViewController else {
        return
    }

specialVC.someProperty = somePropertyToPass

self.present(specialVC, animated: true, completion: nil)

Edit:

To instantiate a different viewcontroller (other than the one who is marked as initial) the following method can be used:

func instantiateViewController(withIdentifier identifier: String) -> UIViewController

Link to the documentation: https://developer.apple.com/reference/uikit/uistoryboard/1616214-instantiateviewcontroller

Note that you MUST set an identifier on the interface builder for the viewcontroller you want to use this method with.

edited May 15 '17 at 08:33

answered May 15 '17 at 08:19

Pochi

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So If I have more than one ViewController in the Storyboard it doesn't work right? Is there a way or should I create a new Storyboard? – Fabio ha May 15 '17 at 08:27
Yes it does. Just set an identifier in the interface builder and use this method instead: instantiateViewController(withIdentifier:) https://developer.apple.com/reference/uikit/uistoryboard/1616214-instantiateviewcontroller – Pochi May 15 '17 at 08:31
So I tried it with instantiateViewController but got a new error. I updated the post with the new error. I also set the Storyboard Id to communityDetail. – Fabio ha May 15 '17 at 08:44
sorry, didn't see your response until now. The error you are getting is the following: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11862883/whose-view-is-not-in-the-window-hierarchy by the way, i think you already solved your issue by finding out the current top vc as you described in your comments. But you should know that this is NOT a very safe approach. You might experience issues if it happens to run while an UIAlertView is on display for example. – Pochi May 16 '17 at 00:54

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered May 15 '17 at 09:25

Just worked on the requirement you asked for and it is in swift 2.2. Try it out it works this way.

var nextViewController : CommunityViewController!
func showCommunityDetail() {
    let mainStoryboard = UIStoryboard(name: "community", bundle: nil)
    nextViewController = mainStoryboard.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("communityDetail") as! CommunityViewController
    addChildViewController(nextViewController)
// Optionally you can change the frame of the view controller to be added
    nextViewController.view.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0 , width: view.frame.width, height: view.frame.height)
    view.addSubview(nextViewController.view)
    nextViewController.didMoveToParentViewController(self)
}

No, he want to navigate to other controller that is in separate storyboard, but in your solution you are adding it as child controller i.e. completely different thing — Maddy, May 15 '17 at 09:34
Oh okay, it can be done via segue and an easy one to implement. — Praveen Kumar, May 15 '17 at 09:39

How do I present a new UIViewController when Storyboard Refrences are used

2 Answers2