When designing a table view in iOS, one common task is to display long text in a table cell. By default, the text will be truncated with ellipses, making it difficult for users to read the entire content. In this article, we will explore how to wrap text in a UITableViewCell without using a custom cell.
To start, let's create a new project in Xcode and select the "Single View App" template. Next, add a Table View to the main storyboard and set its constraints to fill the entire view. Then, add a Table View Cell to the Table View and give it a reusable identifier, such as "cell". Finally, add a UILabel to the Table View Cell and set its constraints to fill the entire cell.
Now, let's move on to the code. In the view controller, we will need to implement the UITableViewDataSource protocol to populate the table view with data. In the viewDidLoad() method, we will register the reusable cell identifier and set the table view's row height to UITableViewAutomaticDimension. This will allow the table view to dynamically calculate the height of each cell based on its content.
Next, we will implement the tableView(_:cellForRowAt:) method to set the text of the label in the cell. We will also set the label's numberOfLines property to 0, which will allow it to have an unlimited number of lines. This is essential for wrapping the text in the cell.
However, this alone will not wrap the text in the cell. We also need to set the label's preferredMaxLayoutWidth property to the width of the cell. This will ensure that the label knows the maximum width it has to work with when wrapping the text.
Finally, we need to implement the tableView(_:heightForRowAt:) method to calculate the height of the cell based on the label's content. We can use the systemLayoutSizeFitting(_:withHorizontalFittingPriority:verticalFittingPriority:) method to get the size of the label's content. Then, we can return the height of the label plus some extra padding to make the cell look visually appealing.
With these steps, we have successfully wrapped the text in the table view cell without using a custom cell. Now, when we run the app and add a long text to the label, it will automatically wrap the text and display it in multiple lines within the cell.
In conclusion, wrapping text in a UITableViewCell without using a custom cell is a simple task that can greatly improve the user experience of your app. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily display long text in a table view without any truncation. Happy coding!
