UITableView how to "dim" the actual table when UISearchbar gets focus?

Question

Many of the table searches I see actually dim (change alpha?) of the actual tableView when the search bar gets focused. I am trying to implement this.

When I overload

- (void)searchBarTextDidBeginEditing:(UISearchBar *)searchBar

I am trying to do something like

self.tableView.alpha = .5f

But it is changing the alpha of the actual searchBar (if I have searchBar on its own) or changing the alpha of the entire table (including searchBar) if I have searchBar underneath the tableView in IB.

What am I doing wrong here. How can I just Dim the table and not everything.

I guess what I am really failing to understand is how all this stuff gets layered on the screen.

EDIT: The contacts application is a good example of what I am trying to do.

Answer 1

Most such apps just throw a black-background UIView on top of the table and fade it in (to an alpha of .5 or whatever) when the search bar gains focus.