Professional iPhone® Programming with MonoTouch and .NET/C#

Chapter 4. Data Controls

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Understanding windows, views, and controllers

• Displaying data and editing controls

• Using a toolbar

• Navigating with tabs

The Interface Builder Objects Library divides the Cocoa Touch controls into four groups: Controllers; Data Views; Inputs & Values; and Windows, Views & Bars. The Inputs & Values objects were introduced in Chapter 3, and a few other objects like Tables, Maps, and Image-related controls appear in Chapters 6, 7, and 10.

These are the remaining classes, which you are going to learn about in this chapter:

• Controllers

  • UIViewController

  • UINavigationController

  • UITabBarController

  • UIToolBarController

• Data Views

  • UIWebView

  • UITextView

  • UIScrollView

  • UIPickerView

  • UIDatePicker

• Windows, Views & Bars

  • UIWindow

  • UIView

  • UINavigationBar

  • UINavigationItem

  • UIToolbar

  • UIBarButtonItem

  • UITabBar

  • UITabBarItem

Figure 4-1 shows how each of these classes appear in Interface Builder, so you know where to find them.

Figure 4-1. FIGURE 4-1

WINDOWS AND VIEWS

Windows and views form the underpinnings of all iPhone OS applications. They are the basis of the layout system and capture and handle user input. The UIWindow class in the iPhone OS is relatively simple and won't require a great deal of customization while UIView and its subclasses form the basis of every piece of your user interface.

UIWindow

An iPhone OS application generally has only one window — it provides the background upon ...