Using a custom image for a UITableViewCell's accessoryView and having it respond to UITableViewDelegate

Question

Sadly that method doesn't get called unless the internal button type provided when you use one of the predefined types is tapped. To use your own, you'll have to create your accessory as a button or other UIControl subclass (I'd recommend a button using -buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom and setting the button's image, rather than using a UIImageView).

Here's some things I use in Outpost, which customizes enough of the standard widgets (just slightly, to match our teal colouring) that I wound up doing my own UITableViewController intermediary subclass to hold utility code for all other table views to use (they now subclass OPTableViewController).

Firstly, this function returns a new detail disclosure button using our custom graphic:

- (UIButton *) makeDetailDisclosureButton
{
    UIButton * button = [UIButton outpostDetailDisclosureButton];

[button addTarget: self
               action: @selector(accessoryButtonTapped:withEvent:)
     forControlEvents: UIControlEventTouchUpInside];

    return ( button );
}

The button will call this routine when it's done, which then feeds the standard UITableViewDelegate routine for accessory buttons:

- (void) accessoryButtonTapped: (UIControl *) button withEvent: (UIEvent *) event
{
    NSIndexPath * indexPath = [self.tableView indexPathForRowAtPoint: [[[event touchesForView: button] anyObject] locationInView: self.tableView]];
    if ( indexPath == nil )
        return;

    [self.tableView.delegate tableView: self.tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath: indexPath];
}

This function locates the row by getting the location in the table view of a touch from the event provided by the button and asking the table view for the index path of the row at that point.

I found this website to be very helpful: custom accessory view for your uitableview in iphone

In short, use this in cellForRowAtIndexPath::

UIImage *image = (checked) ? [UIImage imageNamed:@"checked.png"] : [UIImage imageNamed:@"unchecked.png"];

UIButton *button = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeCustom];
CGRect frame = CGRectMake(0.0, 0.0, image.size.width, image.size.height);
button.frame = frame;
[button setBackgroundImage:image forState:UIControlStateNormal];

[button addTarget:self action:@selector(checkButtonTapped:event:)  forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
button.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];
cell.accessoryView = button;

then, implement this method:

- (void)checkButtonTapped:(id)sender event:(id)event
{
    NSSet *touches = [event allTouches];
    UITouch *touch = [touches anyObject];
    CGPoint currentTouchPosition = [touch locationInView:self.tableView];
    NSIndexPath *indexPath = [self.tableView indexPathForRowAtPoint: currentTouchPosition];

    if (indexPath != nil)
    {
        [self tableView: self.tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath: indexPath];
    }
}

My approach is to create a UITableViewCell subclass and encapsulate the logic that will call the usual UITableViewDelegate's method within it.

// CustomTableViewCell.h
@interface CustomTableViewCell : UITableViewCell

- (id)initForIdentifier:(NSString *)reuseIdentifier;

@end

// CustomTableViewCell.m
@implementation CustomTableViewCell

- (id)initForIdentifier:(NSString *)reuseIdentifier;
{
    // the subclass specifies style itself
    self = [super initWithStyle:UITableViewCellStyleValue1 reuseIdentifier:reuseIdentifier];
    if (self) {
        // get the button elsewhere
        UIButton *accBtn = [ViewFactory createTableViewCellDisclosureButton];
        [accBtn addTarget: self
                   action: @selector(accessoryButtonTapped:withEvent:)
         forControlEvents: UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
        self.accessoryView = accBtn;
    }
    return self;
}

#pragma mark - private

- (void)accessoryButtonTapped:(UIControl *)button withEvent:(UIEvent *)event
{
    UITableViewCell *cell = (UITableViewCell*)button.superview;
    UITableView *tableView = (UITableView*)cell.superview;
    NSIndexPath *indexPath = [tableView indexPathForCell:cell];
    [tableView.delegate tableView:tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath:indexPath];
}

@end

An extension to Jim Dovey's answer above:

Be careful when you use a UISearchBarController with your UITableView. In that case you want to check for self.searchDisplayController.active and use self.searchDisplayController.searchResultsTableViewinstead of self.tableView. Otherwise you'll get unexpected results when the searchDisplayController is active, especially when the search results are scrolled.

For example:

- (void) accessoryButtonTapped:(UIControl *)button withEvent:(UIEvent *)event
{
    UITableView* tableView = self.tableView;
    if(self.searchDisplayController.active)
        tableView = self.searchDisplayController.searchResultsTableView;

    NSIndexPath * indexPath = [tableView indexPathForRowAtPoint:[[[event touchesForView:button] anyObject] locationInView:tableView]];
    if(indexPath)
       [tableView.delegate tableView:tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath:indexPath];
}

1. Define a macro for tags of buttons:

   #define AccessoryViewTagSinceValue 100000 // (AccessoryViewTagSinceValue * sections + rows) must be LE NSIntegerMax
   

2. Create button and set the cell.accessoryView when creating a cell

   UIButton *accessoryButton = [UIButton buttonWithType:UIButtonTypeContactAdd];
   accessoryButton.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 30, 30);
   [accessoryButton addTarget:self action:@selector(accessoryButtonTapped:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventTouchUpInside];
   cell.accessoryView = accessoryButton;
   

3. Set cell.accessoryView.tag by indexPath in UITableViewDataSource method -tableView:cellForRowAtIndexPath:

   cell.accessoryView.tag = indexPath.section * AccessoryViewTagSinceValue + indexPath.row;
   

4. Event handler for buttons

   - (void) accessoryButtonTapped:(UIButton *)button {
       NSIndexPath *indexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:button.tag % AccessoryViewTagSinceValue
                                                   inSection:button.tag / AccessoryViewTagSinceValue];
   
       [self.tableView.delegate tableView:self.tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath:indexPath];
   }
   

5. Implement the UITableViewDelegate method

   - (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
       // do sth.
   }
   

When the button is tapped, you could have it call the following method inside a UITableViewCell subclass

 -(void)buttonTapped{
     // perform an UI updates for cell

     // grab the table view and notify it using the delegate
     UITableView *tableView = (UITableView *)self.superview;
     [tableView.delegate tableView:tableView accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath:[tableView indexPathForCell:self]];

 }

With yanchenko approach I had to add: [accBtn setFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, 20, 20)];

If you're using xib file to customise your tableCell then initWithStyle:reuseIdentifier: wont get called.

Instead override:

-(void)awakeFromNib
{
//Put your code here 

[super awakeFromNib];

}