How to make custom UIBarButtonItem with image and label?

Question

I would like to make a custom UIBarButtonItem that contains both image and text, something like this:

I tried subclassing UIBarButtonItem and overriding this method:

- (UIView *)customView
{
    if (!self.storedView) {

        UIView *temp = [[UIView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 120, 44)];
        UIImageView *tempImageView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:self.image];
        tempImageView.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, self.image.size.width, self.image.size.height);
        UILabel *tempLabel = [[UILabel alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(44, 0, 100, 44)];
        tempLabel.text = @"text";
        [temp addSubview:tempImageView];
        [temp addSubview:tempLabel];
        self.storedView = temp;
    }
    return self.storedView;
}

And I use it like this:

UIBarButtonItem *left = [[LeftItem alloc] initWithTitle:@"Settings" style:UIBarButtonItemStylePlain target:self action:@selector(settingsPressed)];
left.title = @"Settings";
left.image = [UIImage imageNamed:@"settings.png"];
self.navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = left;

But using this I only get the image, but not label. What am I doing wrong?

Perse

Answer 1

UIButton *button =  [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
[button setImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"image.png"] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[button addTarget:target action:@selector(buttonAction:)forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[button setFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 53, 31)];
UILabel *label = [[UILabel alloc]initWithFrame:CGRectMake(3, 5, 50, 20)];
[label setFont:[UIFont fontWithName:@"Arial-BoldMT" size:13]];
[label setText:title];
label.textAlignment = UITextAlignmentCenter;
[label setTextColor:[UIColor whiteColor]];
[label setBackgroundColor:[UIColor clearColor]];
[button addSubview:label];
UIBarButtonItem *barButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:button];
self.navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = barButton;

Valenta

Worth noting that you can set the image to the buttons background image property, and that removes the need to add a label, because you can use the buttons label instead. – Heyduck

Any suggestions how I would accomplish this in Interface Builder? I hate having parts of the UI in code and parts in IB. – Knavery

@Knavery write everything in code - problem solved :D That's most senior devs do it. – Iodide

Unable to set tintColor to button with this approach any thoughts on setting tintColor? – Ivory

Answer 2

You can add a custom view to the UIBarButtonItem.

In iOS 7, there is a new buttonType called UIButtonTypeSystem for UIButton which serve your purpose. Try this,

UIView* leftButtonView = [[UIView alloc]initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 110, 50)];

UIButton* leftButton = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeSystem];
leftButton.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
leftButton.frame = leftButtonView.frame;
[leftButton setImage:[UIImage imageNamed:<YourImageName>] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[leftButton setTitle:@"YourTitle" forState:UIControlStateNormal];
leftButton.tintColor = [UIColor redColor]; //Your desired color.
leftButton.autoresizesSubviews = YES;
leftButton.autoresizingMask = UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleWidth | UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleLeftMargin;
[leftButton addTarget:self action:@selector(<YourTargetMethod>) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[leftButtonView addSubview:leftButton];

UIBarButtonItem* leftBarButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc]initWithCustomView:leftButtonView];
self.navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = leftBarButton;

Updated Swift code,

let leftButtonView = UIView.init(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 110, height: 50))

let leftButton = UIButton.init(type: .system)
leftButton.backgroundColor = .clear
leftButton.frame = leftButtonView.frame
leftButton.setImage(UIImage.init(imageLiteralResourceName: <YourImageName>), for: .normal)
leftButton.setTitle("YourTitle", for: .normal)
leftButton.tintColor = .red //Your desired color.
leftButton.autoresizesSubviews = true
leftButton.autoresizingMask = [.flexibleWidth , .flexibleHeight]
leftButton.addTarget(self, action: #selector(<YourTargetMethod>), for: .touchUpInside)
leftButtonView.addSubview(leftButton)

let leftBarButton = UIBarButtonItem.init(customView: leftButtonView)
navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = leftBarButton

Maxentia

The question is, what should be the image's dimensions to look exactly like the native back image? (I want to create my own custom back button so I can control its events...) – Volans

This works when assign with: "self.navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = leftBarButton;" but it doesnt when assign it to UIBarbuttonItem like "self.boto_icona_client = leftBarButton;" any idea why? – Adenoma

Answer 3

If your BarButtonItem is in Storyboard, you can drag another Button into BarButtonItem, so there will be a Button inside the BarButtonItem, you can add both image and label to the button.

Conklin

Confirmed that this is working in both iOS7 and iOS8. – Logarithm

You cannot adjust the height of BarButtonItems lower than 44p in Storyboard in iOS13. Must be done programmatically. – Skyscraper

Answer 4

a SWIFT version

    let button =  UIButton(type: .Custom)
    button.setImage(UIImage(named: "icon_right"), forState: .Normal)
        button.addTarget(self, action: "buttonAction", forControlEvents: .TouchUpInside)
    button.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 53, 31)
    button.imageEdgeInsets = UIEdgeInsetsMake(-1, 32, 1, -32)//move image to the right
    let label = UILabel(frame: CGRectMake(3, 5, 50, 20))
    label.font = UIFont(name: "Arial-BoldMT", size: 16)
    label.text = "title"
    label.textAlignment = .Center
    label.textColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
    label.backgroundColor =   UIColor.clearColor()
    button.addSubview(label)
    let barButton = UIBarButtonItem(customView: button)
    self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItem = barButton

Furculum

Answer 5

Using UIButton as custom view inside your UIBarButtonItem. You can create UIButton however you want, including with an image and text, using -setImage:forState: and -setTitle:forState:

UIButton* button = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
[button setImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"settings.png"] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[button setTitle:@"Settings" forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[button addTarget:self action:@selector(buttonAction:)forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[button sizeToFit];
UIBarButtonItem* barButtonItem = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:button];
self.navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = barButtonItem;

this can be done using interface builder just by dragging a UIButton to the left bar button slot on a navigation bar.

Joke

Answer 6

The problem with the accepted answer is that the UIBarButtonItem text does not change when highlighted. The code below will display text plus an image. The UIEdgeInsetsMake moves the text to the left and the image to the right.

UIButton *button =  [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
[button addTarget:self action:@selector(myButtonEvent:) 
             forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
[button setFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 53, 32)];

[button setTitle:title forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[button setTitleColor:[UIColor whiteColor] 
                 forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[button setTitleColor:[UIColor lightGrayColor] 
                 forState:UIControlStateHighlighted];
button.titleEdgeInsets = UIEdgeInsetsMake(-2, -20, 2, 20);
button.titleLabel.font = font;
button.titleLabel.textAlignment = NSTextAlignmentLeft;

UIImage *image = [UIImage imageNamed:@"imageName"];
[button setImage:image 
        forState:UIControlStateNormal];
button.imageEdgeInsets = UIEdgeInsetsMake(-1, 32, 1, -32);
UIBarButtonItem *barButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:button];

Defeatist

Answer 7

I posted answer that handles tint colour and image simmilar to normal uibarbuttonitem here... https://mcmap.net/q/297874/-ios-7-barbuttonitem-with-image-and-title

Armory

Answer 8

Another approach with NSAttributedString:

NSMutableAttributedString *attributedString = [[NSMutableAttributedString alloc] initWithString:@"Button Text"];
NSTextAttachment *textAttachment = [[NSTextAttachment alloc] init];
textAttachment.image = [UIImage imageNamed:@"buttonImage"];
textAttachment.bounds = CGRectMake(0, -3, textAttachment.image.size.width, textAttachment.image.size.height); //the origin y value depends on the size of the image to get a perfect fit
NSAttributedString *attrStringWithImage = [NSAttributedString attributedStringWithAttachment:textAttachment];
[attributedString replaceCharactersInRange:NSMakeRange(0, 0) withAttributedString:attrStringWithImage]; // Adding the image at the beginning
[customButton setAttributedTitle:attributedString forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[customButton sizeToFit];
[customButton addTarget:self action:@selector(back:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
UIBarButtonItem *back = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:customButton];

Discoverer

Answer 9

Here's my solution based on previous answers. May be will be helpful.

extension UIBarButtonItem {
    static func button(image: UIImage, title: String, target: Any, action: Selector) -> UIBarButtonItem {
        let button = UIButton()
        button.setImage(image, for: .normal)
        button.addTarget(target, action: action, for: .touchUpInside)
        button.setTitle(title, for: .normal)
        button.sizeToFit()
        return UIBarButtonItem(customView: button)
    }
}

Venal

how can set title left side of image instead of right side? – Poppo

Answer 10

UIImage *image = [UIImage imageNamed:@"icon.png"];
UIImage *backgroundSelected = [UIImage imageNamed:@"icon_selected.png"];
UIButton *button = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
[button addTarget:self action:@selector(ButtonTapped:event:)forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside]; //adding action
[button setBackgroundImage:image forState:UIControlStateNormal];
[button setBackgroundImage:backgroundSelected forState:UIControlStateSelected];
button.frame = CGRectMake(0 ,0,35,35);

then make that button as your custom barbutton

UIBarButtonItem *barButton = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:button];
self.navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem = barButton;

Pathe

Answer 11

This is the updated version of ripegooseberry's answer for Swift 3

    let button =  UIButton(type: .custom)
    button.setImage(UIImage(named: "icon_right"), for: .normal)
    button.addTarget(self, action: Selector(("buttonAction")), for: .touchUpInside)
    button.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 53, height: 31)
    button.imageEdgeInsets = UIEdgeInsetsMake(-1, 32, 1, -32)//move image to the right
    let label = UILabel(frame: CGRect(x: 3, y: 5, width: 50, height: 20))
    label.font = UIFont(name: "Arial-BoldMT", size: 16)
    label.text = "title"
    label.textAlignment = .center
    label.textColor = UIColor.white
    label.backgroundColor =   UIColor.clear
    button.addSubview(label)
    let barButton = UIBarButtonItem(customView: button)
    self.navigationItem.rightBarButtonItem = barButton

Graffito