iPhone Fixed-Position UITableView Background

Question

I'm building an iPhone app without the use of Interface Builder. I have set the background of a grouped UITableView in the following manor:

self.view.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithPatternImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"groupedBackground.png"]];

I'm trying to fix this background image so that it doesn't scroll with the table cells. Does anyone know how to do this?

Answer 1

We find that it works exactly as you ask, if instead of using backgroundColor, you assign to backgroundView, like so:

self.tableView.backgroundView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:
                 [UIImage imageNamed:@"background.png"]];

The table cells then scroll on top of the background, which is stationary. (This has been available since version 3.2 of the SDK, I believe.)

Answer 2

You can achieve a stationary background using a pattern image as follows:

UIView *patternView = [[UIView alloc] initWithFrame:tableView.frame];
patternView.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithPatternImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"groupedBackground.png"]];
patternView.autoresizingMask = UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleWidth | UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleHeight;
tableView.backgroundView = patternView;

Answer 3

A little late but maybe for all the others looking for a solution. I could get that work by calling the parentViewController in the viewDidLoad method of the UITableViewController:

self.parentViewController.view.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithPatternImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"background.png"]];
self.tableView.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];

or with using just a background color:

self.parentViewController.view.backgroundColor = [UIColor scrollViewTexturedBackgroundColor];
self.tableView.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];

It took me a while to figure that out but now it works like a charm.

Answer 4

You can place an additional view below UITableView and set its background, so if UITableView is transparent - you'll achieve your goal - it will have correct background and it will not scroll.