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Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointsCode Challenge: A StoryBoard with a TabBarController - badgeValue STUCK.
I am stuck on the Code Challenge below. Help anyone? I posted my code at the bottom.
Tabs have a property named 'badgeValue' that displays text in a red circle in the upper-right corner of the tab, like the number badges on the App Store or Messages apps. The tabs (UITabBarItems) are already stored in an array named 'tabBarItems'. Access the item in the array that corresponds to the selected index and then set the badge value to '3' for that UITabBarItem. Remember that 'badgeValue' must be an NSString!
#import "MainViewController.h"
#import "UITabBarItem.h"
@implementation MainViewController
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
NSArray *tabBarItems = self.tabBarController.tabBar.items;
// Add your code below! The property for MainViewController's
// tab bar controller is named 'tabBarController'.
self.tabBarController.selectedIndex = 2;
self.tabBarItem.selectedIndex.badgeValue = @"3";
}
@end
23 Answers
Michael Reining
10,101 PointsSo after trying to solve this challenge for a while, I came up with four possible solutions. They are all the same but figuring them out has really helped me understand the challenge and the code a lot better so I wanted to share it in case it might help someone else that was really stuck like me on this one.
// 1st solution
UITabBarItem *item =
tabBarItems[self.tabBarController.selectedIndex];
item.badgeValue = @"3";
// 2nd solution
[[tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2]
setBadgeValue:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"3"]];
// 3rd solution
UITabBarItem *newItem = [tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2];
[newItem setBadgeValue:@"3"];
// 4th solution - cleanest, shortest, and simplest.
[[tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2] setBadgeValue:@"3"];
I hope that helps,
Mike
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Caleb Abraham
15,158 PointsI'm pretty annoyed with this challenge. It's a challenge to even follow the question. If it's not going to be covered in the vid it should at least be broken up into multiple steps. I can code a tab bar controller but I can't seem to figure out what the challenge is exactly looking for.
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherHi Caleb,
Sorry to hear that! I can understand -- I have some doubts about this as well. On the one hand, in an Advanced project like this, I think it's good to work through a problem that you haven't explicitly been shown yet because it's very indicative of real-world experience. However, I am not totally happy with how it is worded and it sounds like it's causing more frustration than I predicted. I will revisit it and try to improve it, possibly by breaking it up into smaller steps as you've mentioned. Let us know in here if you're still having trouble with it.
NA Smeall
12,127 PointsI agree. If it doesn't explicitly support the course work why include it? Figuring it out takes too much time for too little reward.
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherIt's included because it relates to the project but didn't fit in as a separate video. We've talked about ways we can effectively teach during the Code Challenges, too. But it's good to hear the student feedback about it so we can tweak our approach. :)
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherHi Thomas,
So with your last line there:
self.tabBarItem.selectedIndex.badgeValue = @"3";
This first part: `self.tabBarItem.selectedIndex gives you an int. Adding .badgeValue to an int gives you the Compiler Error.
Instead, let's take a look at the instructions.
The tabs (UITabBarItems) are already stored in an array named 'tabBarItems'.
So there's a hint: start with tabBarItems. :)
Access the item in the array that corresponds to the selected index
tabBarItems is an NSArray, so get the item in the array using an appropriate method and the same selected index.
and then set the badge value to '3' for that UITabBarItem.
So here, you can either create a UITabBarItem variable and set it there or just chain everything together.
Remember that 'badgeValue' must be an NSString!
Looks like you're already using the correct value there!
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointsI must be too tired to think clearly. I can't figure it out right now. I would have to wait until tomorrow before i sit down and look at this some more. I am sure there is a ridiculously simple solution to my problem. :) Thank you for the hint Ben. I am sure i will get good use out of it tomorrow. Norway is signing off for the day :)
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherI could see that - I didn't want to give away the whole answer too easily. :) Goodnight, Norway! We'll be here tomorrow to help if you need it!
David Collins
6,643 PointsThanks for the hints, This question had me stumped for a while.
Bradan Jackson
20,558 PointsThanks! Your hint was super helpful without just giving away the answer!
Steven Sickler
2,692 PointsThese challenge questions have nothing to do with what was discussed in the video. In the video we learned about creating tabs in storyboard not creating them programmatically. Having taught for more then a decade I would recommend rewriting this challenge to align with what was taught in the video. Testing on material not covered is Redonkulous!
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointssetValueBadge NSString stringWithFormat
is also used in the code.
Spencer Fornaciari
7,780 PointsWhy is it stringWithFormat? Just trying to understand the rationale of using it since no formatting is actually passed. Are there alternatives that could be used?
Fateh Waharp
6,039 Points//First [self.tabBarController setSelectedIndex:2];
//Second
UITabBarItem *tab = [tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2];
//Third
[tab setBadgeValue:@"3"];
x124441249481294124
2,492 PointsSo that's what I came up with, but its still not working!
import "MainViewController.h"
import "UITabBarItem.h"
@implementation MainViewController
-
(void)viewDidLoad { [super viewDidLoad];
NSArray *tabBarItems = self.tabBarController.tabBar.items;
// Add your code below! The property for MainViewController's // tab bar controller is named 'tabBarController'.
self.tabBarController.selectedIndex = 2;
[tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2].badgeValue = @"3"; }
@end
I would be glad if anyone could help :) Is it possible to chain it like that?
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointsHi Fabio,
Just started to look at the Code again. I am looking through the further reading part. Will give you a clue once i find it out or maybe you will figure it out before me :)
The way you wrote the code does not look like it would be a valid code. Not sure if you can do a dot notation after the braced code.
x124441249481294124
2,492 PointsHi Thomas,
ok thank you. I'm also looking around if I find something to fix it :D
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherSorry this one is causing you all trouble! I might have to revisit it. I wanted it to be challenging, and it's nice to see good discussion going on in here.
Since we don't have compile-time errors in our code challenge engine yet, one way to troubleshoot is to copy your code into Xcode to see if you can get any errors. Here's what happens if I use the code from above:
The reason this happens is because 'objectAtIndex' returns a generic object of type id. As such, we don't know what kind of messages we can pass to it (or more specifically, the compiler doesn't).
Though there are different ways to do it, the way I intended this challenge is to do one piece at a time. So first, get the UITabBarItem and store it in its own variable. Then on a new line access the badgeValue property (or send the setBadgeValue message. Hope this helps!
Christian Georg Strobl
27,656 PointsBen Jakuben This is a great idea with copying the code into XCode. Did help me!
Btw: This was a challenging one :)
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointsI knew i just needed some sleep. I figured it out.
Do you want to look some more or do you want a hint?
x124441249481294124
2,492 Pointsi hint wouldn't hurt, thanks
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 Points[[something in here] something:[something something:@"something"]];
Kai Aldag
Courses Plus Student 13,560 Pointsthanks
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointsDid you get it?
Kai Aldag
Courses Plus Student 13,560 Pointsno i already had the part you gave me but not the last part.
Kai Aldag
Courses Plus Student 13,560 Pointsheres my code i dont know why its not working. [[tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2] setBadgeValue:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"3"];
Kai Aldag
Courses Plus Student 13,560 Pointsthats what i had the whole time
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 Pointsmissing an ] should be @"3"]]; you have to close them all.
Kai Aldag
Courses Plus Student 13,560 Pointswow all that work just to realize i missed that. thanks for all the help. best of luck, Kai
Italo Borges
7,238 PointsI'm stuck in this challenge right now!
//I was trying this
[self.tabBarController setSelectedIndex:2];
// i'm saving the item at index 2
UITabBarItem *item = [[self tabBarItems] objectAtIndex:2];
// and then setting de badge
[item setBadgeValue:@"3"];
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherSo close! tabBarItems is a local variable, so you don't need to use 'self' to reference it. We use self to reference properties of the class. Remove 'self' (and one set of square brackets) and you should be set.
Michael Reining
10,101 PointsWhy is this not working for me? I always get an error that the code engine is not responding is it due to my code?
[self.tabBarController setSelectedIndex:2];
UITabBarItem *item = [tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2];
[item setBadgeValue:@“3”];
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherCan you give us the exact wording of the error? Although it looks like your double quotes are different than regular ones for some reason (maybe pasted in?). That could be causing a problem.
Michael Reining
10,101 PointsThanks for letting me know of the weird quotes. I did not notice that before but will pay more attention. The error that I got was very cryptic. It was a browser pop-up error in Google Chrome that said:
There was a problem connecting to the Code Challenge Engine: Timeout Error. If this problem persists, please contact support at help@teamtreehouse.com.
Michael Reining
10,101 PointsAlso, just to confirm. The error was caused due to the funny quotes.
Chris Lange
3,890 PointsI believe I've tried all of the above answers and still seem to be missing something. Any tips? Here's my code:
[self.tabBarController setSelectedIndex: 2]; UITabBarItem *item = [[tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2] setBadgeValue = @"3"];
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherSo the danger of combining method calls like this is that you can end up trying to return the wrong value. setBadgeValue is a void method, meaning it doesn't return anything. But you are trying to assign the result into a UITabBarItem variable. So in this case you need to break the statements apart: first store the result of objectAtIndex and then separately call setBadgeValue.
Felix Guerrero
3,813 PointsI was dealing with this for a while then I realized that I was misunderstanding the original question. Despite the question is kinda confusing it just takes a little bit of time to completly understand.
Brooks Wood
Courses Plus Student 2,147 PointsI feel i am cheating more with questions like this by jumping into the Forums for the answers. I can only beat my head against the wall for so long before I get annoyed with the questions or the lack of covering the subject before a quiz. Nerd Rage sets in and Google-Fu takes over.
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse TeacherIt's a balance! We try to avoid direct answers here in the Forum, but they definitely pop up. It's still useful, though, as long as you understand why your answer was wrong and the other answer is correct. Please do ask any follow-up questions to clear things up!
richard grice
1,798 Points.......setBadgeValue:@"3"]]; will work.
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 PointsJust let me know if you need a better hint. Play around with it for a while.
Kai Aldag
Courses Plus Student 13,560 Pointshey do you have a better hint im also stuck.
Thomas Skjelstad
11,541 Points[[tabBarItems objectAtIndex:2] something:[something something:@"3"]];
This is as much as i can let myself to give away. You should be able to figure it out from here.
Masao Kitamura
1,783 PointsElaine - the code you have above (a few comments ago) worked for me, as long as you fix the square bracket at the end. Worked for me!
Hope this helps!
rishavatreya
4,945 PointsLet's see this way:) something.something=@"3";