Understanding the moreNavigationController in iOS

The moreNavigationController is a common navigation controller used in iOS applications to provide additional menu items beyond those found on the main tab bar. This component is particularly useful for providing access to frequently used features or settings that might not be immediately visible from the main tab bar.

What is the purpose of the moreNavigationController?

The primary purpose of the moreNavigationController is to serve as a secondary navigation hub, allowing users to quickly access additional features or options. By default, this controller includes items such as “More”, “Recent”, and other settings that can be customized by the app developer.

Understanding the tab bar title

In iOS, the tab bar title refers to the string displayed at the bottom of each tab bar item. When using the moreNavigationController, the default title is indeed set to “More”. However, as the question posed, there seems to be an expectation to change this title to something more customized.

Working with the moreNavigationController

To work with the moreNavigationController and customize its appearance or behavior, you typically need to access it through the main tab bar controller. This can be done using the tabBarController.moreNavigationController property.

Accessing and modifying the moreNavigationController’s top item title

In order to change the “More” label on the moreNavigationController’s top item title, you must first understand how this component is structured. The moreNavigationController consists of several items, including a navigation bar with a single top item.

{
    self.tabBarController.moreNavigationController.navigationBar.topItem.title = @"Custom Title";
}

To achieve this, we need to access the navigationBar property of the moreNavigationController, and then set the topItem.title property to our desired string value. This can be accomplished using a straightforward assignment statement.

Setting up a sample project

For the purposes of demonstration, let’s assume that we have an iOS project with a single view controller (ViewController) embedded in a navigation bar and tab bar controller. We will create a TabBarController to manage our tab bar items and a NavigationController for our main content.

{
    import UIKit

    class ViewController: UIViewController, UITabBarControllerDelegate {

        let tabBar = UITabBarController()
        var navController: UINavigationController!

        override func viewDidLoad() {
            super.viewDidLoad()

            // Set up the moreNavigationController
            self.tabBar.moreNavigationController.navigationBar.topItem.title = "Custom Title"

            // Initialize the view controller components
            navController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: ViewController())

            // Configure and present the tab bar controller
            tabBar.delegate = self
            tabBar.dataSource = self
            tabBar.viewControllers = [navController]

            let window = UIWindow(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: UIScreen.main.bounds.width, height: UIScreen.main.bounds.height))
            window.rootViewController = tabBar
            window.makeKeyAndVisible()
        }
    }

    extension ViewController: UITabBarControllerDelegate {
        func tabBarController(_ tabBarController: UITabBarController, didSelect viewedController: UIViewController) {
            print("Tab bar selected")
        }
    }

    extension ViewController: UITabBarControllerDataSource {

        func numberOfTabItems(in tabBar: UITabBarController) -> Int {
            return 1
        }

        func tabItem(forIndex index: Int, in tabBar: UITabBarController) -> UITabBarItem? {
            if index == 0 {
                let item = UITabBarItem(title: "Home", image: UIImage(systemName: "house"), tag: 0)
                return item
            }
            return nil
        }
    }
}

This code snippet demonstrates how to set up and customize the moreNavigationController’s top item title, as well as create a basic tab bar configuration with one view controller component.

Conclusion

Changing the tab bar title of the moreNavigationController is achieved by accessing its navigation bar’s top item title property and assigning our desired string value. By following this guide, you should now be able to customize your moreNavigationController’s appearance and create a unique user experience for your iOS application.

Last modified on 2023-11-12