Expand/collapse section in UITableView in iOS

Question

Could somebody tell me the way to perform UITableView expandable/collapsible animations in sections of UITableView as below?

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Answer 1

in support to @jean.timex solution, use below code if you want to open one section at any time. create a variable like: var expandedSection = -1;

func toggleSection(_ header: CollapsibleTableViewHeader, section: Int) {
    let collapsed = !sections[section].collapsed
    // Toggle collapse
    sections[section].collapsed = collapsed
    header.setCollapsed(collapsed)
    tableView.reloadSections(NSIndexSet(index: section) as IndexSet, with: .automatic)
    if (expandedSection >= 0 && expandedSection != section){
        sections[expandedSection].collapsed = true
        tableView.reloadSections(NSIndexSet(index: expandedSection) as IndexSet, with: .automatic)
    }
    expandedSection = section;
}

Answer 2

This is the best way i found to create expandable table view cells

.h file

  NSMutableIndexSet *expandedSections;

.m file

if (!expandedSections)
    {
        expandedSections = [[NSMutableIndexSet alloc] init];
    }
   UITableView *masterTable = [[UITableView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0,100,1024,648) style:UITableViewStyleGrouped];
    masterTable.delegate = self;
    masterTable.dataSource = self;
    [self.view addSubview:masterTable];

Table view delegate methods

- (BOOL)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView canCollapseSection:(NSInteger)section
{
    // if (section>0) return YES;

    return YES;
}

- (NSInteger)numberOfSectionsInTableView:(UITableView *)tableView
{
    // Return the number of sections.
    return 4;
}

- (NSInteger)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView numberOfRowsInSection:(NSInteger)section
{
    if ([self tableView:tableView canCollapseSection:section])
    {
        if ([expandedSections containsIndex:section])
        {
            return 5; // return rows when expanded
        }

        return 1; // only top row showing
    }

    // Return the number of rows in the section.
    return 1;
}

- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    static NSString *CellIdentifier = @"Cell";

    UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:CellIdentifier];
    if (cell == nil) {
        cell = [[UITableViewCell alloc] initWithStyle:UITableViewCellStyleDefault reuseIdentifier:CellIdentifier] ;
    }

    // Configure the cell...

    if ([self tableView:tableView canCollapseSection:indexPath.section])
    {
        if (!indexPath.row)
        {
            // first row
            cell.textLabel.text = @"Expandable"; // only top row showing

            if ([expandedSections containsIndex:indexPath.section])
            {

                UIImageView *imView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"UITableContract"]];
                cell.accessoryView = imView;
            }
            else
            {

                UIImageView *imView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"UITableExpand"]];
                cell.accessoryView = imView;
            }
        }
        else
        {
            // all other rows
            if (indexPath.section == 0) {
                cell.textLabel.text = @"section one";
            }else if (indexPath.section == 1) {
                cell.textLabel.text = @"section 2";
            }else if (indexPath.section == 2) {
                cell.textLabel.text = @"3";
            }else {
                cell.textLabel.text = @"some other sections";
            }

            cell.accessoryView = nil;
            cell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryDisclosureIndicator;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        cell.accessoryView = nil;
        cell.textLabel.text = @"Normal Cell";

    }

    return cell;
}
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    if ([self tableView:tableView canCollapseSection:indexPath.section])
    {
        if (!indexPath.row)
        {
            // only first row toggles exapand/collapse
            [tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:YES];

            NSInteger section = indexPath.section;
            BOOL currentlyExpanded = [expandedSections containsIndex:section];
            NSInteger rows;


            NSMutableArray *tmpArray = [NSMutableArray array];

            if (currentlyExpanded)
            {
                rows = [self tableView:tableView numberOfRowsInSection:section];
                [expandedSections removeIndex:section];

            }
            else
            {
                [expandedSections addIndex:section];
                rows = [self tableView:tableView numberOfRowsInSection:section];
            }


            for (int i=1; i<rows; i++)
            {
                NSIndexPath *tmpIndexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:i 
                                                               inSection:section];
                [tmpArray addObject:tmpIndexPath];
            }

            UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];

            if (currentlyExpanded)
            {
                [tableView deleteRowsAtIndexPaths:tmpArray 
                                 withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationTop];

                UIImageView *imView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"UITableExpand"]];
                cell.accessoryView = imView;
            }
            else
            {
                [tableView insertRowsAtIndexPaths:tmpArray 
                                 withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationTop];

                UIImageView *imView = [[UIImageView alloc] initWithImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"UITableContract"]];
                cell.accessoryView = imView;
            }
        }
    }

    NSLog(@"section :%d,row:%d",indexPath.section,indexPath.row);

}

Answer 3

This action will happen in your didSelectRowAtIndexPath, when you will try to hide or show number of cell in a  section

first of all declare a global variable numberOfSectionInMoreInfo in .h file and in your viewDidLoad set suppose to numberOfSectionInMoreInfo = 4.

Now use following logic: 


 // More info link
        if(row == 3) {

            /*Logic: We are trying to hide/show the number of row into more information section */

            NSString *log= [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Number of section in more %i",numberOfSectionInMoreInfo];

            [objSpineCustomProtocol showAlertMessage:log];

            // Check if the number of rows are open or close in view
            if(numberOfSectionInMoreInfo > 4) {

                // close the more info toggle
                numberOfSectionInMoreInfo = 4;

            }else {

                // Open more info toggle
                numberOfSectionInMoreInfo = 9;

            }

            //reload this section
            [self.tableView reloadSections:[NSIndexSet indexSetWithIndex:1] withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationFade];

//vKj

Answer 4

I've used a NSDictionary as datasource, this looks like a lot of code, but it's really simple and works very well! how looks here

I created a enum for the sections

typedef NS_ENUM(NSUInteger, TableViewSection) {

    TableViewSection0 = 0,
    TableViewSection1,
    TableViewSection2,
    TableViewSectionCount
};

sections property:

@property (nonatomic, strong) NSMutableDictionary * sectionsDisctionary;

A method returning my sections:

-(NSArray <NSNumber *> * )sections{

    return @[@(TableViewSection0), @(TableViewSection1), @(TableViewSection2)];
}

And then setup my data soruce:

-(void)loadAndSetupData{

    self.sectionsDisctionary = [NSMutableDictionary dictionary];

    NSArray * sections = [self sections];

    for (NSNumber * section in sections) {

    NSArray * sectionObjects = [self objectsForSection:section.integerValue];

    [self.sectionsDisctionary setObject:[NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithDictionary:@{@"visible" : @YES, @"objects" : sectionObjects}] forKey:section];
    }
}

-(NSArray *)objectsForSection:(NSInteger)section{

    NSArray * objects;

    switch (section) {

        case TableViewSection0:

            objects = @[] // objects for section 0;
            break;

        case TableViewSection1:

            objects = @[] // objects for section 1;
            break;

        case TableViewSection2:

            objects = @[] // objects for section 2;
            break;

        default:
            break;
    }

    return objects;
}

The next methods, will help you to know when a section is opened, and how to respond to tableview datasource:

Respond the section to datasource:

/**
 *  Asks the delegate for a view object to display in the header of the specified section of the table view.
 *
 *  @param tableView The table-view object asking for the view object.
 *  @param section   An index number identifying a section of tableView .
 *
 *  @return A view object to be displayed in the header of section .
 */
- (UIView *) tableView:(UITableView *)tableView viewForHeaderInSection:(NSInteger)section{

    NSString * headerName = [self titleForSection:section];

    YourCustomSectionHeaderClass * header = (YourCustomSectionHeaderClass *)[tableView dequeueReusableHeaderFooterViewWithIdentifier:YourCustomSectionHeaderClassIdentifier];

    [header setTag:section];
    [header addGestureRecognizer:[[UITapGestureRecognizer alloc] initWithTarget:self action:@selector(handleTapGesture:)]];
    header.title = headerName;
    header.collapsed = [self sectionIsOpened:section];


    return header;
}

/**
 * Asks the data source to return the number of sections in the table view
 *
 * @param An object representing the table view requesting this information.
 * @return The number of sections in tableView.
 */
- (NSInteger)numberOfSectionsInTableView:(UITableView *)tableView{
    // Return the number of sections.

    return self.sectionsDisctionary.count;
}

/**
 * Tells the data source to return the number of rows in a given section of a table view
 *
 * @param tableView: The table-view object requesting this information.
 * @param section: An index number identifying a section in tableView.
 * @return The number of rows in section.
 */
- (NSInteger)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView numberOfRowsInSection:(NSInteger)section{

    BOOL sectionOpened = [self sectionIsOpened:section];
    return sectionOpened ? [[self objectsForSection:section] count] : 0;
}

Tools:

/**
 Return the section at the given index

 @param index the index

 @return The section in the given index
 */
-(NSMutableDictionary *)sectionAtIndex:(NSInteger)index{

    NSString * asectionKey = [self.sectionsDisctionary.allKeys objectAtIndex:index];

    return [self.sectionsDisctionary objectForKey:asectionKey];
}

/**
 Check if a section is currently opened

 @param section the section to check

 @return YES if is opened
 */
-(BOOL)sectionIsOpened:(NSInteger)section{

    NSDictionary * asection = [self sectionAtIndex:section];
    BOOL sectionOpened = [[asection objectForKey:@"visible"] boolValue];

    return sectionOpened;
}


/**
 Handle the section tap

 @param tap the UITapGestureRecognizer
 */
- (void)handleTapGesture:(UITapGestureRecognizer*)tap{

    NSInteger index = tap.view.tag;

    [self toggleSection:index];
}

Toggle section visibility

/**
 Switch the state of the section at the given section number

 @param section the section number
 */
-(void)toggleSection:(NSInteger)section{

    if (index >= 0){

        NSMutableDictionary * asection = [self sectionAtIndex:section];

        [asection setObject:@(![self sectionIsOpened:section]) forKey:@"visible"];

        [self.tableView reloadSections:[NSIndexSet indexSetWithIndex:section] withRowAnimation:UITableViewRowAnimationFade];
    }
}

Answer 5

I got a nice solution inspired by Apple's Table View Animations and Gestures. I deleted unnecessary parts from Apple's sample and translated it into swift.

I know the answer is quite long, but all the code is necessary. Fortunately, you can just copy&past most of the code and just need to do a bit modification on the step 1 and 3

1.create SectionHeaderView.swift and SectionHeaderView.xib

import UIKit

protocol SectionHeaderViewDelegate {
    func sectionHeaderView(sectionHeaderView: SectionHeaderView, sectionOpened: Int)
    func sectionHeaderView(sectionHeaderView: SectionHeaderView, sectionClosed: Int)
}

class SectionHeaderView: UITableViewHeaderFooterView {

    var section: Int?
    @IBOutlet weak var titleLabel: UILabel!
    @IBOutlet weak var disclosureButton: UIButton!
    @IBAction func toggleOpen() {
        self.toggleOpenWithUserAction(true)
    }
    var delegate: SectionHeaderViewDelegate?

    func toggleOpenWithUserAction(userAction: Bool) {
        self.disclosureButton.selected = !self.disclosureButton.selected

        if userAction {
            if self.disclosureButton.selected {
                self.delegate?.sectionHeaderView(self, sectionClosed: self.section!)
            } else {
                self.delegate?.sectionHeaderView(self, sectionOpened: self.section!)
            }
        }
    }

    override func awakeFromNib() {
        var tapGesture: UITapGestureRecognizer = UITapGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: "toggleOpen")
        self.addGestureRecognizer(tapGesture)
        // change the button image here, you can also set image via IB.
        self.disclosureButton.setImage(UIImage(named: "arrow_up"), forState: UIControlState.Selected)
        self.disclosureButton.setImage(UIImage(named: "arrow_down"), forState: UIControlState.Normal)
    }

}

the SectionHeaderView.xib(the view with gray background) should look something like this in a tableview(you can customize it according to your needs, of course):

note:

a) the toggleOpen action should be linked to disclosureButton

b) the disclosureButton and toggleOpen action are not necessary. You can delete these 2 things if you don't need the button.

2.create SectionInfo.swift

import UIKit

class SectionInfo: NSObject {
    var open: Bool = true
    var itemsInSection: NSMutableArray = []
    var sectionTitle: String?

    init(itemsInSection: NSMutableArray, sectionTitle: String) {
        self.itemsInSection = itemsInSection
        self.sectionTitle = sectionTitle
    }
}

3.in your tableview

import UIKit

class TableViewController: UITableViewController, SectionHeaderViewDelegate  {

    let SectionHeaderViewIdentifier = "SectionHeaderViewIdentifier"

    var sectionInfoArray: NSMutableArray = []

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        let sectionHeaderNib: UINib = UINib(nibName: "SectionHeaderView", bundle: nil)
        self.tableView.registerNib(sectionHeaderNib, forHeaderFooterViewReuseIdentifier: SectionHeaderViewIdentifier)

        // you can change section height based on your needs
        self.tableView.sectionHeaderHeight = 30

        // You should set up your SectionInfo here
        var firstSection: SectionInfo = SectionInfo(itemsInSection: ["1"], sectionTitle: "firstSection")
        var secondSection: SectionInfo = SectionInfo(itemsInSection: ["2"], sectionTitle: "secondSection"))
        sectionInfoArray.addObjectsFromArray([firstSection, secondSection])
    }

    // MARK: - Table view data source

    override func numberOfSectionsInTableView(tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
        return sectionInfoArray.count
    }

    override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
        if self.sectionInfoArray.count > 0 {
            var sectionInfo: SectionInfo = sectionInfoArray[section] as! SectionInfo
            if sectionInfo.open {
                return sectionInfo.open ? sectionInfo.itemsInSection.count : 0
            }
        }
        return 0
    }

    override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, viewForHeaderInSection section: Int) -> UIView? {
        let sectionHeaderView: SectionHeaderView! = self.tableView.dequeueReusableHeaderFooterViewWithIdentifier(SectionHeaderViewIdentifier) as! SectionHeaderView
        var sectionInfo: SectionInfo = sectionInfoArray[section] as! SectionInfo

        sectionHeaderView.titleLabel.text = sectionInfo.sectionTitle
        sectionHeaderView.section = section
        sectionHeaderView.delegate = self
        let backGroundView = UIView()
        // you can customize the background color of the header here
        backGroundView.backgroundColor = UIColor(red:0.89, green:0.89, blue:0.89, alpha:1)
        sectionHeaderView.backgroundView = backGroundView
        return sectionHeaderView
    }

    func sectionHeaderView(sectionHeaderView: SectionHeaderView, sectionOpened: Int) {
        var sectionInfo: SectionInfo = sectionInfoArray[sectionOpened] as! SectionInfo
        var countOfRowsToInsert = sectionInfo.itemsInSection.count
        sectionInfo.open = true

        var indexPathToInsert: NSMutableArray = NSMutableArray()
        for i in 0..<countOfRowsToInsert {
            indexPathToInsert.addObject(NSIndexPath(forRow: i, inSection: sectionOpened))
        }
        self.tableView.insertRowsAtIndexPaths(indexPathToInsert as [AnyObject], withRowAnimation: .Top)
    }

    func sectionHeaderView(sectionHeaderView: SectionHeaderView, sectionClosed: Int) {
        var sectionInfo: SectionInfo = sectionInfoArray[sectionClosed] as! SectionInfo
        var countOfRowsToDelete = sectionInfo.itemsInSection.count
        sectionInfo.open = false
        if countOfRowsToDelete > 0 {
            var indexPathToDelete: NSMutableArray = NSMutableArray()
            for i in 0..<countOfRowsToDelete {
                indexPathToDelete.addObject(NSIndexPath(forRow: i, inSection: sectionClosed))
            }
            self.tableView.deleteRowsAtIndexPaths(indexPathToDelete as [AnyObject], withRowAnimation: .Top)
        }
    }
}

Answer 6

I am adding this solution for completeness and showing how to work with section headers.

import UIKit

class ViewController: UIViewController, UITableViewDataSource, UITableViewDelegate {

    @IBOutlet var tableView: UITableView!
    var headerButtons: [UIButton]!
    var sections = [true, true, true]

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        tableView.dataSource = self
        tableView.delegate = self

        let section0Button = UIButton(type: .detailDisclosure)
        section0Button.setTitle("Section 0", for: .normal)
        section0Button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(section0Tapped), for: .touchUpInside)

        let section1Button = UIButton(type: .detailDisclosure)
        section1Button.setTitle("Section 1", for: .normal)
        section1Button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(section1Tapped), for: .touchUpInside)

        let section2Button = UIButton(type: .detailDisclosure)
        section2Button.setTitle("Section 2", for: .normal)
        section2Button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(section2Tapped), for: .touchUpInside)

        headerButtons = [UIButton]()
        headerButtons.append(section0Button)
        headerButtons.append(section1Button)
        headerButtons.append(section2Button)
    }

    func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
        return sections.count
    }

    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
        return sections[section] ? 3 : 0
    }

    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
        let cellReuseId = "cellReuseId"
        let cell = UITableViewCell(style: .default, reuseIdentifier: cellReuseId)
        cell.textLabel?.text = "\(indexPath.section): \(indexPath.row)"
        return cell
    }

    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, viewForHeaderInSection section: Int) -> UIView? {
        return headerButtons[section]
    }

    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, heightForHeaderInSection section: Int) -> CGFloat {
        return 44
    }

    @objc func section0Tapped() {
        sections[0] = !sections[0]
        tableView.reloadSections([0], with: .fade)
    }

    @objc func section1Tapped() {
        sections[1] = !sections[1]
        tableView.reloadSections([1], with: .fade)
    }

    @objc func section2Tapped() {
        sections[2] = !sections[2]
        tableView.reloadSections([2], with: .fade)
    }

}

Link to gist: https://gist.github.com/pawelkijowskizimperium/fe1e8511a7932a0d40486a2669316d2c