Title color of UIButton won't change on highlighted/selected but background color will

Question

This has been a very odd process.

I have an IBOutletCollection of UIButtons. I loop through the collection and create them like this (the displayHourButtons is called from viewWillAppear):

- (void)displayHourButtons
{
    // Counter
    NSUInteger b = 0;

    // Set attributes
    UIFont *btnFont = [UIFont fontWithName:@"Metric-Semibold" size:13.0];
    UIColor *btnTextColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:(147/255.0f) green:(147/255.0f) blue:(147/255.0f) alpha:1.0];
    NSNumber *btnTracking = [NSNumber numberWithFloat:0.25];
    NSMutableParagraphStyle *btnStyle = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
    [btnStyle setLineSpacing:2.0];

    NSDictionary *btnAttrs = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
                              btnFont, NSFontAttributeName,
                              btnTextColor, NSForegroundColorAttributeName,
                              btnTracking, NSKernAttributeName, nil];

    // CREATE THE BUTTONS
    for (UIButton *hourButton in hourButtons) {
            // I'm using the attributed string for something else
            // later in development that I haven't got to yet. 
            // I simplified the string for this example's sake.
        NSString *btnTitleText = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Button %lu", (unsigned long)b];

        NSMutableAttributedString *attributedText = [[NSMutableAttributedString alloc]
                                                     initWithString:btnTitleText
                                                     attributes:btnAttrs];

        [attributedText addAttribute:NSParagraphStyleAttributeName
                               value:btnStyle
                               range:NSMakeRange(0, btnTitleText.length)];


        CALayer *btnLayer = [hourButton layer];
        [btnLayer setMasksToBounds:YES];
        [btnLayer setCornerRadius:19.0f];
        [hourButton setTag:b];
        [hourButton setContentEdgeInsets:UIEdgeInsetsMake(5.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0)];
        [hourButton setAttributedTitle:attributedText forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        [hourButton setContentHorizontalAlignment:UIControlContentHorizontalAlignmentCenter];
        [hourButton setContentVerticalAlignment:UIControlContentVerticalAlignmentCenter];
        hourButton.titleLabel.lineBreakMode = NSLineBreakByWordWrapping;
        [hourButton addTarget:self action:@selector(showHour:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside]; 

        b++;
    }
}

When one of the buttons is clicked, per the action showHour: is called:

- (IBAction)showHour:(id)sender
{
    [self.hourButtons enumerateObjectsUsingBlock:^(id obj, NSUInteger idx, BOOL *stop) {
        UIButton *button = (UIButton *)obj;

        if (button != sender && button.enabled) {
                // This is applied. I know because I tested it with redColor
            [button setBackgroundColor:[UIColor clearColor]];

            // Doesn't change, stays the gray set initially
            [button setTitleColor:[UIColor redColor] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
        else {
                // This is applied
            [button setBackgroundColor:[UIColor colorWithRed:(169/255.0f) green:(234/255.0f) blue:(255/255.0f) alpha:1.0]];

            // This is not
            [button setTitleColor:[UIColor whiteColor] forState:(UIControlStateNormal | UIControlStateSelected | UIControlStateHighlighted)];
        }
    }];

    // displayHour uses the tag to change labels, images, etc.
    [self displayHour:(long int)[sender tag]];
}

I tried all sorts of crazy things to get the UIImage to be in a selected state, but nothing worked. This enumerateObjects deal is the only thing that has worked. That's why I say this has been an odd process. I guess buttons don't stay active indefinitely?

Anyways, MY QUESTION: Is there a certain reason why the title color isn't changing? Just the background? I suspect it has something to do with the background not being set initially, but I couldn't explain why.

Thanks!

UPDATED

Per @Timothy Moose's answer, below is the updated code.

- (IBAction)showHour:(id)sender
{   
    [self.hourButtons enumerateObjectsUsingBlock:^(id obj, NSUInteger idx, BOOL *stop) {
        UIButton *button = (UIButton *)obj;

        // Grab the mutable string from the button and make a mutable copy
        NSMutableAttributedString *attributedText = [[button attributedTitleForState:UIControlStateNormal] mutableCopy];

        // Shared attribute styles
        UIFont *btnFont = [UIFont fontWithName:@"Metric-Semibold" size:14.0];
        NSNumber *btnTracking = [NSNumber numberWithFloat:0.25];
        NSMutableParagraphStyle *btnStyle = [[NSMutableParagraphStyle alloc] init];
        [btnStyle setLineSpacing:2.0];

        // Since we can't set a color directly on a Attributed string we have
        // to make a new attributed string.
        if (button != sender && button.enabled) {
            // Return to the default color
            UIColor *btnTextColor = [UIColor colorWithRed:(147/255.0f) green:(147/255.0f) blue:(147/255.0f) alpha:1.0];

            // Set up attributes
            NSDictionary *btnAttrs = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
                                      btnFont, NSFontAttributeName,
                                      btnTextColor, NSForegroundColorAttributeName,
                                      btnTracking, NSKernAttributeName, nil];

            // Reapply the default color (for the one button that was changed to white)
            [attributedText setAttributes:btnAttrs
                                    range:NSMakeRange(0, attributedText.length)];

            // Add line-height
            [attributedText addAttribute:NSParagraphStyleAttributeName
                                   value:btnStyle
                                   range:NSMakeRange(0, attributedText.length)];

            // Reset default attributes
            [button setBackgroundColor:[UIColor clearColor]];
            [button setAttributedTitle:attributedText forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
        else {
            // Our new white color for the active button
            UIColor *btnTextColor = [UIColor whiteColor];

            // Set up attributes
            NSDictionary *btnAttrs = [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObjectsAndKeys:
                                      btnFont, NSFontAttributeName,
                                      btnTextColor, NSForegroundColorAttributeName,
                                      btnTracking, NSKernAttributeName, nil];

            // Apply our new white color
            [attributedText setAttributes:btnAttrs
                                    range:NSMakeRange(0, attributedText.length)];

            // Add line-height
            [attributedText addAttribute:NSParagraphStyleAttributeName
                                   value:btnStyle
                                   range:NSMakeRange(0, attributedText.length)];

            // Add new attributes for active button
            [button setBackgroundColor:[UIColor colorWithRed:(169/255.0f) green:(234/255.0f) blue:(255/255.0f) alpha:1.0]];
            [button setAttributedTitle:attributedText forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
    }];

    [self displayHour:(long int)[sender tag]];
}

Answer 1

setTitleColor doesn't have any effect when the title is an attributed string. Either use a plain NSString or call setAttributedTitle again after applying the desired color to the attributed string.

Answer 2

Also it is very important not to have the button on System style, just put it on custom... This is for similar questions, not for this particular question.