How to correctly present a popover from a UITableViewCell with UIPopoverArrowDirectionRight or UIPopoverArrowDirectionLeft

Question

I always try to present a popover from a cell inside a tableView this way:

[myPopover presentPopoverFromRect:cell.frame inView:self.tableView permittedArrowDirections:UIPopoverArrowDirectionAny animated:YES];

but I cannot use UIPopoverArrowDirectionRight or Left, because, depending on the position of the ipad (portrait or landscape), the popover appears someplace else.

Am I presenting the popover the right way?

PS: the table view is in the detailView of a splitView.

Answer 1

You're getting the frame from the cell via the rectForRowAtIndexPath method. This is correct. However the tableview is most likely a subview of a larger iPad view so when the popover gets the coordinates it thinks they're in the larger view. This is why the popover appears in the wrong place.

Example, the CGRect for the row is (0,40,320,44). Instead of the popover targeting that frame on the tableview it instead targets that frame on your main view.

I solved this problem by converting the frame from the relative coordinates of the table to coordinates in my larger view.

code:

CGRect aFrame = [self.myDetailViewController.tableView rectForRowAtIndexPath:[NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:theRow inSection:1]];
[popoverController presentPopoverFromRect:[self.myDetailViewController.tableView convertRect:aFrame toView:self.view] inView:self.view permittedArrowDirections:UIPopoverArrowDirectionRight animated:YES];

Hope that helps others searching for this issue.

Answer 2

In Swift, between the above answers this works for me on an iPad in any orientation:

if let popOverPresentationController : UIPopoverPresentationController = myAlertController.popoverPresentationController {

    let cellRect = tableView.rectForRowAtIndexPath(indexPath)

    popOverPresentationController.sourceView                = tableView
    popOverPresentationController.sourceRect                = cellRect
    popOverPresentationController.permittedArrowDirections  = UIPopoverArrowDirection.Any

}

Answer 3

I came across this problem today, and I've found a simpler solution.
When instantiating the popover, you need specify the cell's content view:

- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    UIViewController *aViewController = [[UIViewController alloc] init];
    // initialize view here

    UIPopoverController *popoverController = [[UIPopoverController alloc] 
        initWithContentViewController:aViewController];
    popoverController.popoverContentSize = CGSizeMake(320, 416);
    UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
    [popoverController presentPopoverFromRect:cell.bounds inView:cell.contentView 
        permittedArrowDirections:UIPopoverArrowDirectionAny animated:YES];

    [aView release];
    // release popover in 'popoverControllerDidDismissPopover:' method
}

Answer 4

To pop a popover next to the accesory u can use this code :)

I use this for more advanced use:

1. finds custom accesoryView (cell.accesoryView)
2. if empty, find generated accesoryView (UIButton) if cell has
3. if the UIButton doesn't exists, find cell contet view (UITableViewCellContentView)
4. if the cell contet view doesn't exists, use cell view

Can be use for UIActionSheet or UIPopoverController.

Here is my code:

UIView *accessoryView       = cell.accessoryView; // finds custom accesoryView (cell.accesoryView)
if (accessoryView == nil) {
    UIView *cellContentView = nil;

    for (UIView *accView in [cell subviews]) {
        if ([accView isKindOfClass:[UIButton class]]) {
            accessoryView   = accView; // find generated accesoryView (UIButton) 
            break;
        } else if ([accView isKindOfClass:NSClassFromString(@"UITableViewCellContentView")]) {
            // find generated UITableViewCellContentView                
            cellContentView = accView; 
        }
    }
    // if the UIButton doesn't exists, find cell contet view (UITableViewCellContentView)           
    if (accessoryView == nil) { 
        accessoryView   = cellContentView; 
    }
    // if the cell contet view doesn't exists, use cell view
    if (accessoryView == nil) {
        accessoryView   = cell; 
    }
}

[actionSheet showFromRect:accessoryView.bounds inView:accessoryView animated:YES];

Tested in iOS 4.3 to 5.1

Best to use as custom method:

-(UIView*)getViewForSheetAndPopUp:(UITableViewCell*)cell;

And method code:

-(UIView*)getViewForSheetAndPopUp:(UITableViewCell*)cell {
UIView *accessoryView = cell.accessoryView;

if (accessoryView == nil) {
    UIView *cellContentView = nil;

    for (UIView *accView in [cell subviews]) {
        if ([accView isKindOfClass:[UIButton class]]) {
            accessoryView = accView;
            break;
        } else if ([accView isKindOfClass:NSClassFromString(@"UITableViewCellContentView")]) {              
            cellContentView = accView;
        }
    }       

    if (accessoryView == nil) {
        accessoryView   = cellContentView;
    }
    if (accessoryView == nil) {
        accessoryView   = cell;
    }
}

return accessoryView;
}

Answer 5

I did come across this problem as well. A solution for me was to simply change the width of the rect returned by CGRect)rectForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath :

CGRect rect = [aTableView rectForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];

//create a 10 pixel width rect at the center of the cell

rect.origin.x = (rect.size.width - 10.0) / 2.0; 
rect.size.width = 10.0;  

[self.addExpensePopoverController presentPopoverFromRect:rect inView:aTableView permittedArrowDirections:UIPopoverArrowDirectionAny  animated:YES]; 

This create a rect centred inside the cell. This way, the popover has more chances of findind a good spot to position itself.