How to Hide UITableView Until All Data is Loaded in Swift

Learn how to effectively hide your UITableView until all cell data is fully loaded in Swift. Discover step-by-step solutions to maintain a clean user interface with a loading indicator.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/66212536/ asked by the user 'Lukeksaunders' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14973679/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66227540/ provided by the user 'Asol' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14976235/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Hide UITableView Until All Data is Loaded in Swift

When developing applications for iOS, one common challenge developers face is how to gracefully handle loading data in a UITableView. Often, as images and other cell data load, the table view may appear unpolished or "ugly," which can negatively impact the user experience. If you've ever found yourself juggling with these issues, you might be wondering, how can I ensure my UITableView only appears after all the relevant data has been loaded?

In this guide, we will explore a straightforward approach to displaying a loading indicator (Activity Indicator) while your table view's data is being prepared, ensuring a smooth and professional UI experience for the user. Let’s break down the solution step-by-step.

Understanding UITableView Loading Mechanics

Before we dive into the solution, it’s essential to understand how UITableView operates:

UITableView doesn't load all cells at once. Instead, it only loads the cells that are visible on the screen.

As a user scrolls, the method tableView:cellForRowAt: is called repeatedly to create new visible cells. This means that technically, the UITableView never finishes loading.

Why is this a problem?

This behavior means that you can't simply wait for the table view to finish loading all data before showing it. Instead, you need a method to detect when the last visible cells are ready, signaling that the user can safely interact with the table view.

Solution: Using willDisplay Method

To show or hide the UITableView effectively, we will employ the willDisplay method to determine when the last cell is about to be displayed. Here’s how it can be implemented:

Step 1: Set Up the Activity Indicator

First, ensure your Activity Indicator is in the view hierarchy and set to be visible before data is loaded. It might look something like this in your view controller:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Fetch Your Data

Start fetching the data you need for your cells. Once the data has been retrieved, you can reload the table view:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Detect Last Visible Cell

Now, implement the tableView(_:willDisplay:forRowAt:) method to identify the last cell that gets displayed:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Summary

By implementing these steps, you will ensure that your UITableView only appears once all the necessary data is ready, enhancing the overall user experience by displaying a clean loading interface rather than half-rendered cells.

Key Takeaways

The UITableView approach loads only visible cells, so it never truly "finishes" loading.

You can utilize the tableView(_:willDisplay:forRowAt:) method to detect when to hide your loader and display your table view responsibly.

Now you are equipped with a strategy to manage your table view’s loading state gracefully! Happy coding!

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