I want native iOS copy and paste UI on UILabel

Question

I want to create the native Copy and Paste experience that iOS provides when you tap and hold a UITextField - but I want it to work on a UILabel instead of a UITextField.

Is this possible, or is it something that only works with UITextField? Would I need to create my own custom UI and mess around in UIPasteboard or is there a more eloquent solution?

Here is a typical example, although it normally also shows the zoomed in circle:

Answer 1

It is difficult to do the standard copy menu on the label. Or maybe at that time I tried but didnt succeed. So I just implemented a complete copy solution. I did it something like below:

import UIKit

class KGCopyableLabel: UILabel {
    
    override public var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool {
        get {
            return true
        }
    }

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

    required init?(coder aDecoder: NSCoder) {
        super.init(coder: aDecoder)
        setup()
    }

    func setup() {
        isUserInteractionEnabled = true
        addGestureRecognizer(UILongPressGestureRecognizer(
            target: self,
            action: #selector(showCopyMenu(sender:))
        ))
    }

    override func copy(_ sender: Any?) {
        UIPasteboard.general.string = text
        UIMenuController.shared.hideMenu()
    }

    @objc func showCopyMenu(sender: Any?) {
        becomeFirstResponder()
        let menu = UIMenuController.shared
        if !menu.isMenuVisible {
            menu.showMenu(from: self, rect: bounds)
        }
    }

    override func canPerformAction(_ action: Selector, withSender sender: Any?) -> Bool {
        return (action == #selector(copy(_:)))
    }
}

You can then simple drag drop the label in Storyboard and make its type KGCopyableLabel and it should work.