How can I navigate through all my text fields with the "Next" Button on the iPhone Keyboard?
The last text field should close the Keyboard.
I've setup the IB the Buttons (Next / Done) but now I'm stuck.
I implemented the textFieldShouldReturn action but now the Next and Done Buttons close the Keyboard.
In Cocoa for Mac OS X, you have the next responder chain, where you can ask the text field what control should have focus next. This is what makes tabbing between text fields work. But since iOS devices do not have a keyboard, only touch, this concept has not survived the transition to Cocoa Touch.
This can be easily done anyway, with two assumptions:
UITextFields are on the same parent view.Assuming this you can override textFieldShouldReturn: as this:
-(BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField*)textField
{
NSInteger nextTag = textField.tag + 1;
// Try to find next responder
UIResponder* nextResponder = [textField.superview viewWithTag:nextTag];
if (nextResponder) {
// Found next responder, so set it.
[nextResponder becomeFirstResponder];
} else {
// Not found, so remove keyboard.
[textField resignFirstResponder];
}
return NO; // We do not want UITextField to insert line-breaks.
}
Add some more code, and the assumptions can be ignored as well.
Swift 4.0
func textFieldShouldReturn(_ textField: UITextField) -> Bool {
let nextTag = textField.tag + 1
// Try to find next responder
let nextResponder = textField.superview?.viewWithTag(nextTag) as UIResponder!
if nextResponder != nil {
// Found next responder, so set it
nextResponder?.becomeFirstResponder()
} else {
// Not found, so remove keyboard
textField.resignFirstResponder()
}
return false
}
If the superview of the text field will be a UITableViewCell then next responder will be
let nextResponder = textField.superview?.superview?.superview?.viewWithTag(nextTag) as UIResponder!
There is a much more elegant solution which blew me away the first time I saw it. Benefits:
UITextField and UITextView controls -- or any keyboard entry UI controlCreate a UITextField subclass which has an IBOutlet property called nextField. Here's the header:
@interface SOTextField : UITextField
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *nextField;
@end
And here's the implementation:
@implementation SOTextField
@end
In your view controller, you'll create the -textFieldShouldReturn: delegate method:
- (BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField {
if ([textField isKindOfClass:[SOTextField class]]) {
UITextField *nextField = [(SOTextField *)textField nextField];
if (nextField) {
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_current_queue(), ^{
[nextField becomeFirstResponder];
});
}
else {
[textField resignFirstResponder];
}
}
return YES;
}
In IB, change your UITextFields to use the SOTextField class. Next, also in IB, set the delegate for each of the 'SOTextFields'to 'File's Owner' (which is right where you put the code for the delegate method - textFieldShouldReturn). The beauty of this design is that now you can simply right-click on any textField and assign the nextField outlet to the next SOTextField object you want to be the next responder.
Moreover, you can do cool things like loop the textFields so that after the last one loses focus, the first one will receive focus again.
This can easily be extended to automatically assign the returnKeyType of the SOTextField to a UIReturnKeyNext if there is a nextField assigned -- one less thing manually configure.
Here's one without delegation:
tf1.addTarget(tf2, action: #selector(becomeFirstResponder), for: .editingDidEndOnExit)
tf2.addTarget(tf3, action: #selector(becomeFirstResponder), for: .editingDidEndOnExit)
ObjC:
[tf1 addTarget:tf2 action:@selector(becomeFirstResponder) forControlEvents:UIControlEventEditingDidEndOnExit];
[tf2 addTarget:tf3 action:@selector(becomeFirstResponder) forControlEvents:UIControlEventEditingDidEndOnExit];
Works using the (mostly unknown) UIControlEventEditingDidEndOnExit UITextField action.
You can also easily hook this up in the storyboard, so no delegation or code is required.
Edit: actually I cannot figure out how to hook this up in storyboard. becomeFirstResponder does not seem to be a offered action for this control-event, which is a pity. Still, you can hook all your textfields up to a single action in your ViewController which then determines which textField to becomeFirstResponder based on the sender (though then it is not as elegant as the above programmatic solution so IMO do it with the above code in viewDidLoad).
Here is my solution for this problem.
To solve this (and because I hate relying on tags to do stuff) I decided to add a custom property to the UITextField object. In other words I created a category on UITextField like this :
UITextField+Extended.h
@interface UITextField (Extended)
@property(retain, nonatomic)UITextField* nextTextField;
@end
UITextField+Extended.m
#import "UITextField+Extended.h"
#import <objc/runtime.h>
static char defaultHashKey;
@implementation UITextField (Extended)
- (UITextField*) nextTextField {
return objc_getAssociatedObject(self, &defaultHashKey);
}
- (void) setNextTextField:(UITextField *)nextTextField{
objc_setAssociatedObject(self, &defaultHashKey, nextTextField, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
}
@end
Now, here is how I use it :
UITextField *textField1 = ...init your textfield
UITextField *textField2 = ...init your textfield
UITextField *textField3 = ...init your textfield
textField1.nextTextField = textField2;
textField2.nextTextField = textField3;
textField3.nextTextField = nil;
And implement the textFieldShouldReturn method :
- (BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)theTextField {
UITextField *next = theTextField.nextTextField;
if (next) {
[next becomeFirstResponder];
} else {
[theTextField resignFirstResponder];
}
return NO;
}
I now have kind of a linked list of UITextField, each one knowing who's next in the line.
Hope it'll help.
A swift extension that applies mxcl's answer to make this particularly easy (adapted to swift 2.3 by Traveler):
extension UITextField {
class func connectFields(fields:[UITextField]) -> Void {
guard let last = fields.last else {
return
}
for i in 0 ..< fields.count - 1 {
fields[i].returnKeyType = .Next
fields[i].addTarget(fields[i+1], action: "becomeFirstResponder", forControlEvents: .EditingDidEndOnExit)
}
last.returnKeyType = .Done
last.addTarget(last, action: #selector(UIResponder.resignFirstResponder), forControlEvents: .EditingDidEndOnExit)
}
}
It's easy to use:
UITextField.connectFields([field1, field2, field3])
The extension will set the return button to "Next" for all but the last field and to "Done" for the last field, and shift focus / dismiss the keyboard when these are tapped.
Swift < 2.3
extension UITextField {
class func connectFields(fields:[UITextField]) -> Void {
guard let last = fields.last else {
return
}
for var i = 0; i < fields.count - 1; i += 1 {
fields[i].returnKeyType = .Next
fields[i].addTarget(fields[i+1], action: "becomeFirstResponder", forControlEvents: .EditingDidEndOnExit)
}
last.returnKeyType = .Done
last.addTarget(last, action: "resignFirstResponder", forControlEvents: .EditingDidEndOnExit)
}
}
SWIFT 3: use like this -
UITextField.connectFields(fields: [field1, field2])
Extension:
extension UITextField {
class func connectFields(fields:[UITextField]) -> Void {
guard let last = fields.last else {
return
}
for i in 0 ..< fields.count - 1 {
fields[i].returnKeyType = .next
fields[i].addTarget(fields[i+1], action: #selector(UIResponder.becomeFirstResponder), for: .editingDidEndOnExit)
}
last.returnKeyType = .go
last.addTarget(last, action: #selector(UIResponder.resignFirstResponder), for: .editingDidEndOnExit)
}
}
A more consistent and robust way is to use NextResponderTextField
You can configure it totally from interface builder with no need for setting the delegate or using view.tag.
All you need to do is
UITextField to be NextResponderTextField
nextResponderField to point to the next responder it can be anything UITextField or any UIResponder subclass. It can be also a UIButton and the library is smart enough to trigger the TouchUpInside event of the button only if it's enabled.
Here is the library in action:
I like the OO solutions that have already been suggested by Anth0 and Answerbot. However, I was working on a quick and small POC, so I didn't want to clutter things with subclasses and categories.
Another simple solution is to create an NSArray of fields and lookup the next field when you press next. Not an OO solution, but quick, simple, and easy to implement. Also, you can see and modify the ordering at a glance.
Here's my code (built upon other answers in this thread):
@property (nonatomic) NSArray *fieldArray;
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
fieldArray = [NSArray arrayWithObjects: firstField, secondField, thirdField, nil];
}
- (BOOL) textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *) textField {
BOOL didResign = [textField resignFirstResponder];
if (!didResign) return NO;
NSUInteger index = [self.fieldArray indexOfObject:textField];
if (index == NSNotFound || index + 1 == fieldArray.count) return NO;
id nextField = [fieldArray objectAtIndex:index + 1];
activeField = nextField;
[nextField becomeFirstResponder];
return NO;
}
Here is an implementation of tabbing using a category on UIControl. This solution has all of the advantages of the methods from Michael and Anth0, but works for all UIControls, not just UITextFields. It also works seamlessly with Interface Builder and storyboards.
Source and sample app: GitHub repository for UIControlsWithTabbing
Usage:
- (BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField
{
[textField transferFirstResponderToNextControl];
return NO;
}
Header:
//
// UIControl+NextControl.h
// UIControlsWithTabbing
//
#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>
@interface UIControl (NextControl)
@property (nonatomic, weak) IBOutlet UIControl *nextControl;
- (BOOL)transferFirstResponderToNextControl;
@end
Implementation:
#import "UIControl+NextControl.h"
#import <objc/runtime.h>
static char defaultHashKey;
@implementation UIControl (NextControl)
- (UIControl *)nextControl
{
return objc_getAssociatedObject(self, &defaultHashKey);
}
- (void)setNextControl:(UIControl *)nextControl
{
objc_setAssociatedObject(self, &defaultHashKey, nextControl, OBJC_ASSOCIATION_RETAIN_NONATOMIC);
}
- (BOOL)transferFirstResponderToNextControl
{
if (self.nextControl)
{
[self.nextControl becomeFirstResponder];
return YES;
}
[self resignFirstResponder];
return NO;
}
@end
I have tried many codes and finally, this worked for me in Swift 3.0 Latest [March 2017]
The ViewController class should be inherited the UITextFieldDelegate for making this code working.
class ViewController: UIViewController,UITextFieldDelegate
Add the Text field with the Proper Tag number and this tag number is used to take the control to appropriate text field based on incremental tag number assigned to it.
override func viewDidLoad() {
userNameTextField.delegate = self
userNameTextField.tag = 0
userNameTextField.returnKeyType = UIReturnKeyType.next
passwordTextField.delegate = self
passwordTextField.tag = 1
passwordTextField.returnKeyType = UIReturnKeyType.go
}
In the above code, the returnKeyType = UIReturnKeyType.next where will make the Key pad return key to display as Next you also have other options as Join/Go etc, based on your application change the values.
This textFieldShouldReturn is a method of UITextFieldDelegate controlled and here we have next field selection based on the Tag value incrementation
func textFieldShouldReturn(_ textField: UITextField) -> Bool {
if let nextField = textField.superview?.viewWithTag(textField.tag + 1) as? UITextField {
nextField.becomeFirstResponder()
} else {
textField.resignFirstResponder()
return true;
}
return false
}
After you exit from one text field, you call [otherTextField becomeFirstResponder] and the next field gets focus.
This can actually be a tricky problem to deal with since often you'll also want to scroll the screen or otherwise adjust the position of the text field so it's easy to see when editing. Just make sure to do a lot of testing with coming into and out of the text fields in different ways and also leaving early (always give the user an option to dismiss the keyboard instead of going to the next field, usually with "Done" in the nav bar)
I am surprised by how many answers here fail to understand one simple concept: navigating through controls in your app is not something the views themselves should do. It's the controller's job to decide which control to make the next first responder.
Also most answers only applied to navigating forward, but users may also want to go backwards.
So here's what I've come up with. Your form should be managed by a view controller, and view controllers are part of the responder chain. So you're perfectly free to implement the following methods:
#pragma mark - Key Commands
- (NSArray *)keyCommands
{
static NSArray *commands;
static dispatch_once_t once;
dispatch_once(&once, ^{
UIKeyCommand *const forward = [UIKeyCommand keyCommandWithInput:@"\t" modifierFlags:0 action:@selector(tabForward:)];
UIKeyCommand *const backward = [UIKeyCommand keyCommandWithInput:@"\t" modifierFlags:UIKeyModifierShift action:@selector(tabBackward:)];
commands = @[forward, backward];
});
return commands;
}
- (void)tabForward:(UIKeyCommand *)command
{
NSArray *const controls = self.controls;
UIResponder *firstResponder = nil;
for (UIResponder *const responder in controls) {
if (firstResponder != nil && responder.canBecomeFirstResponder) {
[responder becomeFirstResponder]; return;
}
else if (responder.isFirstResponder) {
firstResponder = responder;
}
}
[controls.firstObject becomeFirstResponder];
}
- (void)tabBackward:(UIKeyCommand *)command
{
NSArray *const controls = self.controls;
UIResponder *firstResponder = nil;
for (UIResponder *const responder in controls.reverseObjectEnumerator) {
if (firstResponder != nil && responder.canBecomeFirstResponder) {
[responder becomeFirstResponder]; return;
}
else if (responder.isFirstResponder) {
firstResponder = responder;
}
}
[controls.lastObject becomeFirstResponder];
}
Additional logic for scrolling offscreen responders visible beforehand may apply.
Another advantage of this approach is that you don't need to subclass all kinds of controls you may want to display (like UITextFields) but can instead manage the logic at controller level, where, let's be honest, is the right place to do so.
A very easy method for dismissing the keyboard when the 'Done' button is pressed is:
Create a new IBAction in the header
- (IBAction)textFieldDoneEditing:(id)sender;
In the implementation file (.m file) add the following method:
- (IBAction)textFieldDoneEditing:(id)sender
{
[sender resignFirstResponder];
}
Then, when you come to link the IBAction to the textfield - link to the 'Did End On Exit' event.
First set keyboard return key in xib, otherwise you can write code in viewdidload:
passWord.returnKeyType = UIReturnKeyNext;
-(BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField
{
if(textField == eMail) {
[textField resignFirstResponder];
[userName becomeFirstResponder];
}
if (textField==userName) {
[textField resignFirstResponder];
[passWord becomeFirstResponder];
}
if (textField==passWord) {
[textField resignFirstResponder];
[country becomeFirstResponder];
}
if (textField==country) {
[textField resignFirstResponder];
}
return YES;
}
If someone wants like this. I think this is the closest to the requirements asked for in question
Here is how I have implemented this one
Add accessory view for each text field for which you want the setup, using
func setAccessoryViewFor(textField : UITextField) {
let toolBar = UIToolbar()
toolBar.barStyle = .default
toolBar.isTranslucent = true
toolBar.sizeToFit()
// Adds the buttons
// Add previousButton
let prevButton = UIBarButtonItem(title: "<", style: .plain, target: self, action: #selector(previousPressed(sender:)))
prevButton.tag = textField.tag
if getPreviousResponderFor(tag: textField.tag) == nil {
prevButton.isEnabled = false
}
// Add nextButton
let nextButton = UIBarButtonItem(title: ">", style: .plain, target: self, action: #selector(nextPressed(sender:)))
nextButton.tag = textField.tag
if getNextResponderFor(tag: textField.tag) == nil {
nextButton.title = "Done"
}
let spaceButton = UIBarButtonItem(barButtonSystemItem: .flexibleSpace, target: nil, action: nil)
toolBar.setItems([prevButton,spaceButton,nextButton], animated: false)
toolBar.isUserInteractionEnabled = true
textField.inputAccessoryView = toolBar
}
Use following functions to handle taps
func nextPressed(sender : UIBarButtonItem) {
if let nextResponder = getNextResponderFor(tag: sender.tag) {
nextResponder.becomeFirstResponder()
} else {
self.view.endEditing(true)
}
}
func previousPressed(sender : UIBarButtonItem) {
if let previousResponder = getPreviousResponderFor(tag : sender.tag) {
previousResponder.becomeFirstResponder()
}
}
func getNextResponderFor(tag : Int) -> UITextField? {
return self.view.viewWithTag(tag + 1) as? UITextField
}
func getPreviousResponderFor(tag : Int) -> UITextField? {
return self.view.viewWithTag(tag - 1) as? UITextField
}
You will need to give the textFields tags in sequence in which you want the next/prev button to respond.
I have added to PeyloW's answer in case you're looking to implement a previous/next button functionality:
- (IBAction)moveThroughTextFields:(UIBarButtonItem *)sender
{
NSInteger nextTag;
UITextView *currentTextField = [self.view findFirstResponderAndReturn];
if (currentTextField != nil) {
// I assigned tags to the buttons. 0 represent prev & 1 represents next
if (sender.tag == 0) {
nextTag = currentTextField.tag - 1;
} else if (sender.tag == 1) {
nextTag = currentTextField.tag + 1;
}
}
// Try to find next responder
UIResponder* nextResponder = [self.view viewWithTag:nextTag];
if (nextResponder) {
// Found next responder, so set it.
// I added the resign here in case there's different keyboards in place.
[currentTextField resignFirstResponder];
[nextResponder becomeFirstResponder];
} else {
// Not found, so remove keyboard.
[currentTextField resignFirstResponder];
}
}
Where you subclass the UIView like this:
@implementation UIView (FindAndReturnFirstResponder)
- (UITextView *)findFirstResponderAndReturn
{
for (UITextView *subView in self.subviews) {
if (subView.isFirstResponder){
return subView;
}
}
return nil;
}
@end
Hi to everyone please see this one
- (void)nextPrevious:(id)sender
{
UIView *responder = [self.view findFirstResponder];
if (nil == responder || ![responder isKindOfClass:[GroupTextField class]]) {
return;
}
switch([(UISegmentedControl *)sender selectedSegmentIndex]) {
case 0:
// previous
if (nil != ((GroupTextField *)responder).previousControl) {
[((GroupTextField *)responder).previousControl becomeFirstResponder];
DebugLog(@"currentControl: %i previousControl: %i",((GroupTextField *)responder).tag,((GroupTextField *)responder).previousControl.tag);
}
break;
case 1:
// next
if (nil != ((GroupTextField *)responder).nextControl) {
[((GroupTextField *)responder).nextControl becomeFirstResponder];
DebugLog(@"currentControl: %i nextControl: %i",((GroupTextField *)responder).tag,((GroupTextField *)responder).nextControl.tag);
}
break;
}
}
I tried to solve this problem using a more sophisticated approach based on assigning each cell (or UITextField) in a UITableView a unique tag value that can be later retrieved:
activate-next-uitextfield-in-uitableview-ios
I hope this helps!
I've just created new Pod when dealing with this stuff GNTextFieldsCollectionManager. It automatically handles next/last textField problem and is very easy to use:
[[GNTextFieldsCollectionManager alloc] initWithView:self.view];
Grabs all textfields sorted by appearing in view hierarchy (or by tags), or you can specify your own array of textFields.
Solution in Swift 3.1, After connecting your textfields IBOutlets set your textfields delegate in viewDidLoad, And then navigate your action in textFieldShouldReturn
class YourViewController: UIViewController,UITextFieldDelegate {
@IBOutlet weak var passwordTextField: UITextField!
@IBOutlet weak var phoneTextField: UITextField!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
self.passwordTextField.delegate = self
self.phoneTextField.delegate = self
// Set your return type
self.phoneTextField.returnKeyType = .next
self.passwordTextField.returnKeyType = .done
}
func textFieldShouldReturn(_ textField: UITextField) -> Bool{
if textField == self.phoneTextField {
self.passwordTextField.becomeFirstResponder()
}else if textField == self.passwordTextField{
// Call login api
self.login()
}
return true
}
}
I rather prefer to:
@interface MyViewController : UIViewController
@property (nonatomic, retain) IBOutletCollection(UIView) NSArray *inputFields;
@end
In the NIB file I hook the textFields in the desired order into this inputFields array. After that I do a simple test for the index of the UITextField that reports that the user tapped return:
// for UITextField
-(BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField*)textField {
NSUInteger index = [_inputFields indexOfObject:textField];
index++;
if (index < _inputFields.count) {
UIView *v = [_inputFields objectAtIndex:index];
[v becomeFirstResponder];
}
return NO;
}
// for UITextView
-(BOOL)textView:(UITextView*)textView shouldChangeTextInRange:(NSRange)range replacementText:(NSString*)text {
if ([@"\n" isEqualToString:text]) {
NSUInteger index = [_inputFields indexOfObject:textView];
index++;
if (index < _inputFields.count) {
UIView *v = [_inputFields objectAtIndex:index];
[v becomeFirstResponder];
} else {
[self.view endEditing:YES];
}
return NO;
}
return YES;
}
if (cell == nil)
{
cell = [[UITableViewCell alloc] initWithStyle:UITableViewCellStyleDefault reuseIdentifier:cellIdentifier];
txt_Input = [[ UITextField alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 10, 150, 30)];
txt_Input.tag = indexPath.row+1;
[self.array_Textfields addObject:txt_Input]; // Initialize mutable array in ViewDidLoad
}
-(BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField
{
int tag = ( int) textField.tag ;
UITextField * txt = [ self.array_Textfields objectAtIndex:tag ] ;
[ txt becomeFirstResponder] ;
return YES ;
}
I had about 10+ UITextField in my story board and the way I enabled next functionality was by creating an array of UITextField and making the next UITextField the firstResponder. Here's the implementation file:
#import "RegistrationTableViewController.h"
@interface RegistrationTableViewController ()
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *fullNameTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *addressTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *address2TextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *cityTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *zipCodeTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *urlTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *usernameTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *emailTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *passwordTextField;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UITextField *confirmPWTextField;
@end
NSArray *uiTextFieldArray;
@implementation RegistrationTableViewController
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
NSLog(@"view did load");
uiTextFieldArray = @[self.fullNameTextField,self.addressTextField,self.address2TextField,self.cityTextField,self.zipCodeTextField,self.urlTextField,self.usernameTextField,self.emailTextField,self.passwordTextField,self.confirmPWTextField];
for(UITextField *myField in uiTextFieldArray){
myField.delegate = self;
}
}
-(BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField{
long index = [uiTextFieldArray indexOfObject:textField];
NSLog(@"%ld",index);
if(index < (uiTextFieldArray.count - 1)){
[uiTextFieldArray[++index] becomeFirstResponder];
}else{
[uiTextFieldArray[index] resignFirstResponder];
}
return YES;
}
- (void)didReceiveMemoryWarning {
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning];
// Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
}
@end
This worked for me in Xamarin.iOS / Monotouch. Change the keyboard button to Next, pass the control to the next UITextField and hide the keyboard after the last UITextField.
private void SetShouldReturnDelegates(IEnumerable<UIView> subViewsToScout )
{
foreach (var item in subViewsToScout.Where(item => item.GetType() == typeof (UITextField)))
{
(item as UITextField).ReturnKeyType = UIReturnKeyType.Next;
(item as UITextField).ShouldReturn += (textField) =>
{
nint nextTag = textField.Tag + 1;
var nextResponder = textField.Superview.ViewWithTag(nextTag);
if (null != nextResponder)
nextResponder.BecomeFirstResponder();
else
textField.Superview.EndEditing(true);
//You could also use textField.ResignFirstResponder();
return false; // We do not want UITextField to insert line-breaks.
};
}
}
Inside the ViewDidLoad you'll have:
If your TextFields haven't a Tag set it now:
txtField1.Tag = 0;
txtField2.Tag = 1;
txtField3.Tag = 2;
//...
and just the call
SetShouldReturnDelegates(yourViewWithTxtFields.Subviews.ToList());
//If you are not sure of which view contains your fields you can also call it in a safer way:
SetShouldReturnDelegates(txtField1.Superview.Subviews.ToList());
//You can also reuse the same method with different containerViews in case your UITextField are under different views.
This is a simple solution in swift, with no tag using, no storyboard tricks...
Just use this extension :
extension UITextField{
func nextTextFieldField() -> UITextField?{
//field to return
var returnField : UITextField?
if self.superview != nil{
//for each view in superview
for (_, view) in self.superview!.subviews.enumerate(){
//if subview is a text's field
if view.isKindOfClass(UITextField){
//cast curent view as text field
let currentTextField = view as! UITextField
//if text field is after the current one
if currentTextField.frame.origin.y > self.frame.origin.y{
//if there is no text field to return already
if returnField == nil {
//set as default return
returnField = currentTextField
}
//else if this this less far than the other
else if currentTextField.frame.origin.y < returnField!.frame.origin.y{
//this is the field to return
returnField = currentTextField
}
}
}
}
}
//end of the mdethod
return returnField
}
}
And call it like this (for example) with your textfield delegate:
func textFieldShouldReturn(textField: UITextField) -> Bool {
textField.resignFirstResponder()
textField.nextTextFieldField()?.becomeFirstResponder()
return true
}
A safer and more direct way, assuming:
Swift 4.1:
extension ViewController: UITextFieldDelegate {
func textFieldShouldReturn(_ textField: UITextField) -> Bool {
let nextTag = textField.tag + 1
guard let nextTextField = textField.superview?.viewWithTag(nextTag) else {
textField.resignFirstResponder()
return false
}
nextTextField.becomeFirstResponder()
return false
}
}
This is an old post, but has a high page rank so I'll chime in with my solution.
I had a similar issue and ended up creating a subclass of UIToolbar to manage the next/previous/done functionality in a dynamic tableView with sections: https://github.com/jday001/DataEntryToolbar
You set the toolbar as inputAccessoryView of your text fields and add them to its dictionary. This allows you to cycle through them forwards and backwards, even with dynamic content. There are delegate methods if you want to trigger your own functionality when textField navigation happens, but you don't have to deal with managing any tags or first responder status.
There are code snippets & an example app at the GitHub link to help with the implementation details. You will need your own data model to keep track of the values inside the fields.
Without usings tags and without adding a property for nextField/nextTextField, you can try this to emulate TAB, where "testInput" is your current active field:
if ([textInput isFirstResponder])
[textInput.superview.subviews enumerateObjectsAtIndexes:
[NSIndexSet indexSetWithIndexesInRange:
NSMakeRange([textInput.superview.subviews indexOfObject:textInput]+1,
[textInput.superview.subviews count]-[textInput.superview.subviews indexOfObject:textInput]-1)]
options:0 usingBlock:^(UIView *obj, NSUInteger idx, BOOL *stop) {
*stop = !obj.hidden && [obj becomeFirstResponder];
}];
if ([textInput isFirstResponder])
[textInput.superview.subviews enumerateObjectsAtIndexes:
[NSIndexSet indexSetWithIndexesInRange:
NSMakeRange(0,
[textInput.superview.subviews indexOfObject:textInput])]
options:0 usingBlock:^(UIView *obj, NSUInteger idx, BOOL *stop) {
*stop = !obj.hidden && [obj becomeFirstResponder];
}];
I've been using Michael G. Emmons' answer for about a year now, works great. I did notice recently that calling resignFirstResponder and then becomeFirstResponder immediately can cause the keyboard to "glitch", disappearing and then appearing immediately. I changed his version slightly to skip the resignFirstResponder if the nextField is available.
- (BOOL)textFieldShouldReturn:(UITextField *)textField
{
if ([textField isKindOfClass:[NRTextField class]])
{
NRTextField *nText = (NRTextField*)textField;
if ([nText nextField] != nil){
dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(),
^ { [[nText nextField] becomeFirstResponder]; });
}
else{
[textField resignFirstResponder];
}
}
else{
[textField resignFirstResponder];
}
return true;
}
