Resize inputAccessoryView dynamically in iOS 8

Question

Basically I am trying to create a resizing UITextView within a inputAccessoryView property.

I have a viewController with the method canBecomeFirstResponder returning true and a view I instantiate via a custom class (which gets it from a XIB). Within this view is a UITextView located.

I try to resize the complete inputAccessoryView from inside of that class. I tried in in a few ways: setting the frame directy, try to use a height constraint. It appears it resizes only half way:

This is basically what i want (with or without autolayout, but working in iOS 7/8+):

class MessageInputAccessory: UIView, UITextViewDelegate
{
    @IBOutlet weak var textView: UITextView!

    func textViewDidChange(textView: UITextView)
    {
        var contentSize = textView.sizeThatFits(CGSizeMake(textView.frame.size.width, CGFloat.max))

        self.frame.size.height = contentSize.height + 20

        self.textView.reloadInputViews()
    }
}

I have found this post: Changing the frame of an inputAccessoryView in iOS 8. Stating that a automatically created constraint is being created. The thing is, it does not create the constraint for me. In no way, with autolayout disabled or enabled (also via setTranslatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints()).

Melisent

Answer 1

It works for me in iOS7/iOS8:

class MessageInputAccessory: UIView, UITextViewDelegate {
    private var textView: UITextView!
    private var heightConstraint: NSLayoutConstraint?

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)

        commonInit()
    }

    required init(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) {
        super.init(coder: aDecoder)

        commonInit()
    }

    func commonInit() {
        self.userInteractionEnabled = true

        textView = UITextView()
        textView.delegate = self
        textView.bounces = false
        textView.scrollEnabled = false
        textView.layer.cornerRadius = 5
        textView.layer.borderWidth = 1
        textView.layer.borderColor = UIColor.blueColor().CGColor

        self.addSubview(textView)
    }

    override func layoutSubviews() {
        super.layoutSubviews()

        textView.frame = self.bounds
    }

    override func addConstraint(constraint: NSLayoutConstraint) {
        self.heightConstraint = constraint

        super.addConstraint(constraint)
    }

    func textViewDidChange(textView: UITextView) {
        var contentSize = textView.sizeThatFits(CGSizeMake(textView.frame.size.width, CGFloat.max))
        self.frame.size.height = contentSize.height

        if let heightConstraint = self.heightConstraint {
            heightConstraint.constant = self.frame.size.height
        }

        self.textView.reloadInputViews()
    }
}

---

EDIT: This works with xib too (iOS7/iOS8):

class MessageInputAccessory: UIView, UITextViewDelegate {
    @IBOutlet var textView: UITextView!
    @IBOutlet var textViewHeightConstraint: NSLayoutConstraint!
    private var heightConstraint: NSLayoutConstraint?

    override func awakeFromNib() {
        textView.layer.cornerRadius = 5
        textView.layer.borderWidth = 1
        textView.layer.borderColor = UIColor.blueColor().CGColor
    }

    override func layoutSubviews() {
        textViewHeightConstraint.constant = self.bounds.size.height

        super.layoutSubviews()
    }

    override func addConstraint(constraint: NSLayoutConstraint) {
        if constraint.firstItem === self {
            self.heightConstraint = constraint
        }

        super.addConstraint(constraint)
    }

    override func addConstraints(constraints: [AnyObject]) {
        super.addConstraints(constraints)
    }

    func textViewDidChange(textView: UITextView) {
        var contentSize = textView.sizeThatFits(CGSizeMake(textView.frame.size.width, CGFloat.max))
        self.frame.size.height = contentSize.height

        if let heightConstraint = self.heightConstraint {
            heightConstraint.constant = self.frame.size.height
        }

        self.textView.reloadInputViews()
    }

    override func intrinsicContentSize() -> CGSize {
        return self.bounds.size;
    }
}

There is my xib:

It is not a very good solution, but it works.. Please tell me if you know a better way.

Honegger

This works indeed, but in my case I load the view from a NIB. I would really want to load the view from a NIB file instead of creating it programmatically. – Melisent

Yes it works, it really sucks you have to hack around setting the height with a private constraint! I will accept it as correct for now, maybe there is a better solution for it. – Melisent

Isn't addConstraint(_:) deprecated? – Delphina

Where do you initialize heightConstraint? – Delphina

Answer 2

SWIFT 5 Solution

If anyone has been trying to find for a solution in stackoverflow like me for input accessory view, I have made a simple project demo for a dynamically resizing input accessory with UITextView. It also comes with a tappable button on top of the UITextView to demonstrate added views on top of the Input Accessory View. All of these are loaded in a XIB for easy customisation. Written in Swift 5, and also takes care of the safe area for X devices.

class InputAccessoryView: UIView, UITextViewDelegate {

@IBOutlet weak var textView: UITextView!

@IBOutlet weak var accessoryButtonViewHeightConstraint: NSLayoutConstraint!

@IBOutlet weak var accessoryButtonView: UIView!
// MARK: - Init

required init?(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) {

    super.init(coder: aDecoder)

    self.setup()
}

override init(frame: CGRect) {

    super.init(frame: frame)

    self.setup()
}

private func setup() {

    let view = self.viewFromNibForClass()

    view?.frame = self.bounds

    view?.autoresizingMask = [.flexibleHeight, .flexibleWidth]

    self.accessoryButtonViewHeightConstraint.constant = 0

    if let view = view {

        self.addSubview(view)

        self.textView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    }
}

override func didMoveToWindow() {

    super.didMoveToWindow()

    if let window = self.window {

        self.bottomAnchor.constraint(lessThanOrEqualTo: window.safeAreaLayoutGuide.bottomAnchor).isActive = true
    }
}

private func viewFromNibForClass() -> UIView? {

    let bundle = Bundle(for: type(of: self))

    let nib = UINib(nibName: String(describing: type(of: self)), bundle: bundle)

    let view = nib.instantiate(withOwner: self, options: nil).first as? UIView

    return view
}

func textViewDidChange(_ textView: UITextView) {

    self.accessoryButtonViewHeightConstraint.constant = 40

    self.accessoryButtonView.alpha = 1

    self.updateHeight(textView.contentSize.height + 20 + self.accessoryButtonViewHeightConstraint.constant)
}

private func updateHeight(_ height: CGFloat) {

    for constraint in self.constraints where constraint.firstAttribute == .height {

        constraint.constant = height
    }
}

@IBAction func accessoryButtonTouchUpInside(_ sender: Any) {

    let height = self.frame.size.height - 40

    self.updateHeight(height)

    self.accessoryButtonViewHeightConstraint.constant = 0
}
}

Here is an example of the usage: https://github.com/jaysalvador/InputAccessoryView

Biota

Answer 3

A fairly simple fix for this is to not make the actual inputAccessoryView resize at all - if you know the maximum height you'll need for it, you can create it at that maximum height, make it transparent, and add a subview that resizes however you like.

The detail you need to make it work is that that the inputAccessoryView needs to be a UIView subclass containing the following:

- (BOOL)pointInside:(CGPoint)point withEvent:(UIEvent *)event
{
    point = [self.innerView convertPoint:point fromView:self];
    return [self.innerView pointInside:point withEvent:event];
}

(where self.innerView is your dynamically resizing subview).

This makes it claim taps inside the subview, but pass on any that fall outside it.

The main drawback to be aware of is that keyboard notifications will give you frames containing the entire max-height inputAccessoryView. So if you're using them to (eg) adjust insets, you need to do some extra math there.

Memory