why does the init-method of a custom nib-based table cell not get called

Question

I have a nib-based table view cell which I created in Interface builder. I set the class of the table view cell to FooTableViewCell which extends from UITableViewCell.

In FooTableViewCell I override the init method like this:

-(id)init{

    if ((self = [super init])){
      // My init code here
    }
    return self;
}

I now expected that my gets called, when it is being instantiated. However the table view gets displayed but the method is never called.

I could work around this but I would like to fully understand it and for me it's not clear how an object can come to live without the init method being called.

Answer 1

When being unarchived initialization goes through a slightly different path.

Instead of -(id)init being called -(id)initWithCoder:(NSCoder*)aDecoder will be called. At this point outlets aren't hooked up, if you need access to the outlets you can override -(void)awakeFromNib which will be called after the object has been hooked up.

Answer 2

When object is being loaded from nib file then its -awakeFromNib method is called - you can put your initialisation code there:

- (void)awakeFromNib{
   // Init code
}