Custom text in navigation bar

Question

I want to set a text on the position of leftBarButtonItem/rightBarButtonItem in the UINavigationBar. You have to use UIBarButtonItem, but you can put different UIView objects into it. First I tried to use a label, but that doesn't work. The code is in C#, but you should get the idea:

UILabel textLabel = new UILabel();
textLabel.Text = "My custom text which should be displayed in navigation bar";
UIBarButtonItem customBarButtonItem = new UIBarButtonItem (textLabel);
NavigationItem.RightBarButtonItem = customBarButtonItem;

The label is not shown. If I use a button it seems to work (except the styling has to be adapted).

UIBarButtonItem customBarButtonItem = new UIBarButtonItem ("My custom text which should be displayed in navigation bar", UIBarButtonItemStyle.Plain,null);
NavigationItem.RightBarButtonItem = customBarButtonItem;

Why isn't it possible to use a UILabel? What is the correct way of showing a text like a header in a UIBarButtonItem?

Edit:

My current findings are:

Either set the title of UIBarButtonItem or set the frame of UILabel (thanks to Anbu.Karthik for this).

You better show the real code and stick to naming conventions. This is rather guess work. — Hermann Klecker
– Hermann Klecker, Commented Sep 7, 2015 at 8:18
@HermannKlecker: I edited my question to have some more meaningful placeholders. The code is what I want to use later. Only the content would change. — testing
– testing, Commented Sep 7, 2015 at 8:48

Anbu.Karthik · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-07 09:02:52Z

1

change

UILabel testLabel = new UILabel();
testLabel.frame=CGRectMake(0, 0, 200, 21);

testLabel.Text = "yuhu";
UIBarButtonItem test = new UIBarButtonItem (testLabel.text);

edited Sep 7, 2015 at 9:02

answered Sep 7, 2015 at 8:12

Anbu.Karthik

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8 Comments

Anbu.Karthik Over a year ago

else check the label frame is necessary or not

testing Over a year ago

The only constructor I see is the one I used in my question (you need some more parameters). FIrst, I tried to use auto layout which leads to a crash because he doesn't know the parent. Now I tried to set the frame and the label gets displayed! How would the same thing work with auto layout? Where do I have to add the constraints? The View of UINavigationController?

Anbu.Karthik Over a year ago

if you use the label in directly in your view then you can thing about auto layout , but UIBarbutton does not underwith in any chain hierarchy , so in here only need to move/assign the label text to bar button text , so label frame is fine for here

testing Over a year ago

If I understood you correctly I can safely set the frame and forget auto layout for this case (because it Isn't in any view hierarchy)?

Anbu.Karthik Over a year ago

in here if you try to use auto layout , surely your app will crash the reason is not a UIButton , UIButton has chain hierarcy , but UIBarbutton contains not

|

Mukesh · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-07 08:42:30Z

1

Change this line of code UIBarButtonItem test = new UIBarButtonItem (testLabel);

UILabel testLabel = new UILabel();
testLabel.Text = "yuhu";
 testLabel.frame=CGRectMake(x, y, width, height);
//change this line

UIBarButtonItem *barBtn = [[UIBarButtonItem alloc] initWithCustomView:testLabel];
NavigationItem.RightBarButtonItem = test;

edited Sep 7, 2015 at 8:42

answered Sep 7, 2015 at 8:12

Mukesh

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8 Comments

testing Over a year ago

If I translate that into the C# world this is exactly the same line UIBarButtonItem test = new UIBarButtonItem (testLabel); if btn is testLabel. Or do you mean UIButton?

testing Over a year ago

I only want to display a text. The first idea for this is to use UILabel, but that didn't worked for me.

Mukesh Over a year ago

but a label will not give any meaning to bar button as it will not have any action.are u planning to add to tap gesture to uilabel

testing Over a year ago

It should only display a text. No action required here.

Mukesh Over a year ago

i don't thin so constraint will work, U may have to go frame based

|

Varun Naharia · Accepted Answer · 2015-09-07 08:13:26Z

0

Use this

UIImage *buttonImage = [UIImage imageNamed:@"back.png"];
 UIButton *button = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
 [button setImage:buttonImage forState:UIControlStateNormal];
 button.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, buttonImage.size.width, buttonImage.size.height);
 [button addTarget:self action:@selector(back) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];

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

answered Sep 7, 2015 at 8:13

Varun Naharia

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