How can I change a UITextField position in UISearchBar?

Question

Is there a way to reposition UITextField inside UISearchBar? I'd like to move UITextField inside UISearchBar up a little bit.

Lindstrom

I think you have to implement your own search bar. – Judy

Answer 1

The UITextField approach is not working anymore, probably due to a restyling of the UISearchBar object. UISearchBar resizes its UITextField when it is presented on screen, this invalidates all manipulations on the UITextField.

However, I discovered that UISearchBar responds to the setContentInset: method (tested on iOS 5.0.1). It adjusts the inset distance from the enclosing view.

This result in a sophisticated approach involving NSInvocation:

if([aSearchBar respondsToSelector:@selector(setContentInset:)])
{
    SEL aSelector = NSSelectorFromString(@"setContentInset:");
    NSInvocation *inv = [NSInvocation invocationWithMethodSignature:[aSearchBar methodSignatureForSelector:aSelector]];

    [inv setSelector:aSelector];
    [inv setTarget:aSearchBar];
    UIEdgeInsets anInsets = UIEdgeInsetsMake(5, 0, 5, 35);
    [inv setArgument:&anInsets atIndex:2]; //arguments 0 and 1 are self and _cmd respectively, automatically set by NSInvocation
    [inv invoke];
}

The above code resizes the contentInset of the UISearchBar (effectively UITextField) using the CGRect indicated in the anInsets parameter. The parent if-statement (respondsToSelector:) saves yourself from changes of this behaviour in new versions of iOS.

Updated for Swift3 and iOS10:

if searchBar.responds(to: Selector("setContentInset:")) {
   let aSelector = Selector("setContentInset:")
   let anInset = UIEdgeInsetsMake(5, 0, 5, 35)
   searchBar.perform(aSelector, with: anInset)
}

Plattdeutsch

Works like a charm. For example, to have some space left and right, use the above with: UIEdgeInsets anInsets = UIEdgeInsetsMake(5, 50 /* left */, 5, 50 /* right */); – Veolaver

I found that if you leave the top and bottom insets as 0, it applies the default inset. Set as 5, a but happened when I selected the text field that caused it to move up to the top of the searchbar. – Feints

Will this code reject your app from AppStore? Other than that, it does, indeed, work like a charm – Opaline

No use of private APIs here and The user interface experience is not changed. So, i think that you can safely submit it to the AppStore. – Plattdeutsch

This will reject API – Grasshopper

@Grasshopper as far as I know this option is not an issue for the AppStore. Best. – Plattdeutsch

I am using searchbar in navigation and I want to move only the text to right (say by 50p) . This code moves the complete search bar. Is there a way to keep the search icon as it is but move the text ? – Spermatophore

@Spermatophore Probably too late for an answer but you can do that with property searchTextPositionAdjustment – Spermatophore

Answer 2

Swift 4+

You can try this.

searchBar.searchTextPositionAdjustment = UIOffset(horizontal: 5, vertical: 0)

It doesn't move the textField, but moves the text. This should be enough for most people.

Cretin

Answer 3

The best solution is changing of directionalLayoutMargins

searchBar.directionalLayoutMargins = NSDirectionalEdgeInsets(top: 0.0, leading: 20.0, bottom: 0.0, trailing: 20.0)

Headreach