Implementing a Notification View like Xcode’s “Build Success” in iPad

Introduction

When developing iOS applications, we often need to provide users with feedback about the progress or outcome of our application. One common way to achieve this is by displaying notifications, which can be shown without requiring any user interaction. In this article, we will explore how to implement a notification view similar to Xcode’s “Build Success” in iPad.

Understanding Notifications in iOS

Before diving into implementing the notification view, it’s essential to understand how notifications work in iOS. Notifications are displayed to the user when an app sends them a message indicating that something has happened. There are two types of notifications: local and remote.

Local notifications are sent by the app itself and do not require any server connection. Remote notifications are sent by the server and require a connection to be established between the app and the server.

In our case, we will focus on implementing a notification view that is similar to Xcode’s “Build Success” without requiring any user interaction. We can achieve this using local notifications.

Implementing MBProgressHUD

One popular library for displaying notifications in iOS isMBProgressHUD. You can download the working source code from GitHub and use it in your project.

Here’s an example of how you can implement MBProgressHUD to display a notification view:

// Import necessary libraries
import UIKit
import MBProgressHUD

class ViewController: UIViewController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        // Display a loading indicator
        MBProgressHUD.showWaitingAlert(withTitle: "Loading...")
    }
}

In the above code, we are importing the MBProgressHUD library and displaying a waiting alert when the view loads.

Customizing the Notification View

While using MBProgressHUD is convenient, you might want to customize the notification view to fit your application’s design. You can do this by creating a custom view that extends the MBProgressHUD class.

Here’s an example of how you can create a custom notification view:

// Import necessary libraries
import UIKit
import MBProgressHUD

class CustomHUD: MBProgressHUD {

    override func didFailWithError(_ error: Error?) {
        super.didFailWithError(error)
        self.dismiss()
    }

    override func show() {
        super.show()

        // Set the custom font and color for the HUD title
        let font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 17)
        self.label.font = font
        self.label.textColor = .white

        // Set the custom background color for the HUD view
        self.backgroundView.backgroundColor = UIColor.black.withAlphaComponent(0.5)

    }
}

In the above code, we are creating a custom HUD class that extends the MBProgressHUD class. We are overriding two methods: didFailWithError and show. In these methods, we are setting the font and color for the HUD title, as well as the background color of the HUD view.

Displaying Local Notifications

To display local notifications, you need to use the UserNotifications framework. You can register your app for notifications using the -registerForRemoteNotifications method.

Here’s an example of how you can display a local notification:

// Import necessary libraries
import UIKit
import UserNotifications

class ViewController: UIViewController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        // Register for local notifications
        UNUserNotificationCenter.current().delegate = self
        UNUserNotificationCenter.current().registerForRemoteNotifications()
    }

    @available(iOS 10.0, *)
    func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter,
                                willPresent alert: UNAlertNotification,
                                withCompletionHandler handler: @escaping (UNPresentationOptions) -> Void) {
        // Get the notification message
        let message = alert.request.content.categoryIdentifier

        // Display a local notification
        self.displayLocalNotification(message)
    }

    func displayLocalNotification(_ message: String) {
        // Create a local notification
        let content = UNMutableNotificationContent()
        content.title = "Custom Notification"
        content.subtitle = ""
        content.body = message
        content.sound = UNNotificationSound.default

        // Set the category identifier for the notification
        let categoryIdentifier = "com.example.category"

        // Get the notification trigger
        let trigger: UNTimeIntervalNotificationTrigger = UNTimeIntervalNotificationTrigger(timeInterval: 1, repeats: true)

        // Create a notification request
        let request = UNNotificationRequest(identifier: categoryIdentifier,
                                             content: content,
                                             trigger: trigger)

        // Add the notification request to the user's notification center
        UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(request)
    }
}

In the above code, we are importing the UserNotifications framework and registering our app for notifications. We are also implementing the willPresent method to get the notification message and display a local notification.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored how to implement a notification view similar to Xcode’s “Build Success” in iPad. We used the MBProgressHUD library to display a loading indicator and customized it to fit our application’s design. We also displayed local notifications using the UserNotifications framework.

While implementing a notification view is a crucial part of iOS development, it requires careful planning and execution. By following this article, you can create a notification view that fits your application’s design and provides users with feedback about the progress or outcome of your app.

Best Practices for Implementing Notifications in iOS

Register your app for notifications as soon as possible after launch.
Display local notifications when necessary to provide users with immediate feedback.
Use remote notifications when possible to send messages from your server.
Handle notification errors and exceptions gracefully.
Customize the appearance of your notification view using custom fonts, colors, and backgrounds.

By following these best practices and implementing a notification view like Xcode’s “Build Success,” you can create a better user experience for your iOS application.

Last modified on 2023-09-21