Change text color in UIActionSheet buttons

Question

In my project, I am using UIActionSheet for displaying for some sorting type. I want to change the color of the text displayed in the action sheet buttons. How can we change the text color?

Nebuchadnezzar

Answer 1

iOS 8: UIActionSheet is deprecated. UIAlertController respects -[UIView tintColor], so this works:

alertController.view.tintColor = [UIColor redColor];

Better yet, set the whole window's tint color in your application delegate:

self.window.tintColor = [UIColor redColor];

iOS 7: In your action sheet delegate, implement -willPresentActionSheet: as follows:

- (void)willPresentActionSheet:(UIActionSheet *)actionSheet
{
    for (UIView *subview in actionSheet.subviews) {
        if ([subview isKindOfClass:[UIButton class]]) {
            UIButton *button = (UIButton *)subview;
            [button setTitleColor:[UIColor redColor] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
    }
}

Ruth

This works only default state. If you tap the button, it keep blue color on the titleLabel. – Chemotropism

Thanks. Try [button setTitleColor:fooColor forState:UIControlStateNormal] instead. – Ruth

This just doesn't work at all on the iPhone simulator. – Household

Reuben - Not sure what you're doing wrong but it works fine in Simulator. – Celindaceline

People, stop iterating through Apple's private controls subviews. This is bad, will crash one day and will make other developers laugh at you. – Downstairs

@Downstairs it's only private if it's not public. But it doesn't make it wrong, especially if Apple approves them. It's a shame Apple has to restrict access to simple fundamental features like the colors of a string just so we have to go and create our own from scratch. Have you ever tried to change the title color of the cancel button in a UISearchBar? I guess Apple thinks everyone sees only blue – Sextant

This is a guidelines violation, while setting your custom color to the destructive buttons (if one is presented in your sheet), which must be red. – Widget

You are using something you assume Apple won't change, which is not the case in iOS 8, the code is not safe – Chirrup

Guys, this isn't using a private API; -[UIView subviews] is very much public. But changing text color this way is of course not what Apple intended, so you could say it is private "in spirit". If your designer or product owner asks for this to be done, here is a way. If you don't think it should be done, don't do it. End of story. – Ruth

Yes it's not using private API but you are assuming the subviews inside the action sheet will remain UIButtons which is not valid, they might change by Apple cause they are not documented and not provided through public API – Chirrup

@Downstairs iterating using strong condition dont crash anything. I've olds app with ios 6 sdk actually running in ios9 devices..what do you understand is what do you doing.. – Fr

Answer 2

In iOS 8, none of this works anymore. UIActionSheet text seems to get its color from window.tintColor.

Tarah

Sorry for the late reply. My workaround was to stop changing window.tintColor or self.view.tintColor to white. Instead, I'm now explicitly setting any elements which need a white tintColor, rather than relying upon parent view tintColors. – Tarah

Nice post! I was wondering all the time why my UIAlertViews and UIAlertControllerappear in whiteColor. – Fluviatile

In iOS8, UIActionSheet is deprecated. You can use UIAlertController and set tintColor on the alert controller view. – Quiteri

Answer 3

This works for me in iOS8

[[UIView appearanceWhenContainedIn:[UIAlertController class], nil] setTintColor:[UIColor redColor]];

Hondo

This will change the color of all the buttons, including the cancel button. Is there a way to change the color to red, but not for the cancel button? – Monogenetic

Answer 4

If ever you want to go through the UIActionSheet's subviews, you should not directly set the text color of the UILabel but use the UIButton setTitleColor:forState method instead. Otherwise, the initial color will be set back upon events like UIControlEventTouchDragOutside for example.

Here is the proper way to do it, reusing the jrc's code:

- (void)willPresentActionSheet:(UIActionSheet *)actionSheet
{
    for (UIView *subview in actionSheet.subviews) {
        if ([subview isKindOfClass:[UIButton class]]) {
            UIButton *button = (UIButton *)subview;
            [button setTitleColor:[UIColor redColor] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
    }
}

Byran

Answer 5

To change particular buttons colour in alert action use this

let cancelAction = UIAlertAction(title: "Success", style: .cancel, handler: nil)
cancelAction.setValue(UIColor.green, forKey: "titleTextColor")

Depersonalization

the only thing that worked, not sure what others are smoking. thanks! – Teeth

Answer 6

May be a late answer but I figure it could help someone.

iOS 8: You could simply initialize your UIAlertAction with the style: UIAlertActionStyleDestructive like so:

UIAlertAction *delete = [UIAlertAction actionWithTitle:@"Delete" style:UIAlertActionStyleDestructive handler:^(UIAlertAction *action){

   // your code in here   

}];

This will make the button's text red by default.

Putandtake

Answer 7

Soulution for Swift 3. Changes all colors.

UIView.appearance(whenContainedInInstancesOf: [UIAlertController.self]).tintColor = .yellow

Scheme

this will change all UIAlertController's colour which is used in your app. – Stiegler

but +1 from my side. – Stiegler

Answer 8

@jrc solution works, but titleLabel color changes when you tap the button. Try this to keep the same color at all states.

- (void)willPresentActionSheet:(UIActionSheet *)actionSheet
{     
 UIColor *customTitleColor = [UIColor greenColor];
      for (UIView *subview in actionSheet.subviews) {
        if ([subview isKindOfClass:[UIButton class]]) {
          UIButton *button = (UIButton *)subview;

          [button setTitleColor:customTitleColor forState:UIControlStateHighlighted];
          [button setTitleColor:customTitleColor forState:UIControlStateNormal];
          [button setTitleColor:customTitleColor forState:UIControlStateSelected];
        }
      }
}

Chemotropism

Answer 9

EDIT

Here is a similar question: How to customize Buttons in UIActionSheet?

Try to use the appearance protocol [NOT WORKING]

 UIButton *btn = [UIButton appearanceWhenContainedIn:[UIActionSheet class], nil];
 [btn setTitleColor:[UIColor redColor] forState:UIControlStateNormal];

Roice

Answer 10

use this for ios 8 and above

SEL selector = NSSelectorFromString(@"_alertController");
if ([actionSheet respondsToSelector:selector])
{
    UIAlertController *alertController = [actionSheet valueForKey:@"_alertController"];
    if ([alertController isKindOfClass:[UIAlertController class]])
    {
        alertController.view.tintColor = [UIColor blueColor];
    }
}
else
{
    // use other methods for iOS 7 or older.
}

Brachyuran

Answer 11

UIAppearance can handle this:

[[UIButton appearanceWhenContainedIn:[UIActionSheet class], nil] setTitleColor:[UIColor cyanColor] forState:UIControlStateNormal];

Much easier than going through the subviews, but I haven't tested this solution on iOS 6 or earlier.

Peag

Answer 12

In Swift smth like this:

let actionSheet = UIAlertController(title: nil, message: nil, preferredStyle: .actionSheet)
actionSheet.view.tintColor = UIColor.primary

Adoration