How do you load custom UITableViewCells from Xib files?

Here are two methods which the original author states was recommended by an IB engineer.

See the actual post for more details. I prefer method #2 as it seems simpler.

Method #1:

- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:@"BDCustomCell"];
    if (cell == nil) {
        // Create a temporary UIViewController to instantiate the custom cell.
        UIViewController *temporaryController = [[UIViewController alloc] initWithNibName:@"BDCustomCell" bundle:nil];
        // Grab a pointer to the custom cell.
        cell = (BDCustomCell *)temporaryController.view;
        [[cell retain] autorelease];
        // Release the temporary UIViewController.
        [temporaryController release];
    }

    return cell;
}

Method #2:

- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:@"BDCustomCell"];
    if (cell == nil) {
        // Load the top-level objects from the custom cell XIB.
        NSArray *topLevelObjects = [[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:@"BDCustomCell" owner:self options:nil];
        // Grab a pointer to the first object (presumably the custom cell, as that's all the XIB should contain).
        cell = [topLevelObjects objectAtIndex:0];
    }

    return cell;
}

Update (2014): Method #2 is still valid but there is no documentation for it anymore. It used to be in the official docs but is now removed in favor of storyboards.

I posted a working example on Github:
https://github.com/bentford/NibTableCellExample

edit for Swift 4.2

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()

    // Do any additional setup after loading the view.
    self.tblContacts.register(UINib(nibName: CellNames.ContactsCell, bundle: nil), forCellReuseIdentifier: MyIdentifier)
}

func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {

    let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: MyIdentifier, for: indexPath) as! ContactsCell

    return cell
}

I used bentford's Method #2:

- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    UITableViewCell *cell = [tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:@"BDCustomCell"];
    if (cell == nil) {
        // Load the top-level objects from the custom cell XIB.
        NSArray *topLevelObjects = [[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:@"BDCustomCell" owner:self options:nil];
        // Grab a pointer to the first object (presumably the custom cell, as that's all the XIB should contain).
        cell = [topLevelObjects objectAtIndex:0];
    }

    return cell;
}

It works, but watch out for connections to File's Owner in your custom UITableViewCell .xib file.

By passing owner:self in your loadNibNamed statement, you set the UITableViewController as File's Owner of your UITableViewCell.

If you drag and drop to the header file in IB to set up actions and outlets, it will set them up as File's Owner by default.

In loadNibNamed:owner:options, Apple's code will try to set properties on your UITableViewController, since that's the owner. But you don't have those properties defined there, so you get an error about being key value coding-compliant:

*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSUnknownKeyException', reason:     '[<MyUITableViewController 0x6a383b0> setValue:forUndefinedKey:]: this class is not key value coding-compliant for the key myLabel.'

If an Event gets triggered instead, you'll get an NSInvalidArgumentException:

-[MyUITableViewController switchValueDidChange:]: unrecognized selector sent to instance 0x8e9acd0
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: '-[MyUITableViewController switchValueDidChange:]: unrecognized selector sent to instance 0x8e9acd0'
*** First throw call stack:
(0x1903052 0x15eed0a 0x1904ced 0x1869f00 0x1869ce2 0x1904ec9 0x5885c2 0x58855a 0x62db76 0x62e03f 0x77fa6c 0x24e86d 0x18d7966 0x18d7407 0x183a7c0 0x1839db4 0x1839ccb 0x1f8b879 0x1f8b93e 0x585a9b 0xb904d 0x2c75)
terminate called throwing an exceptionCurrent language:  auto; currently objective-c

An easy workaround is to point your Interface Builder connections at the UITableViewCell instead of File's Owner:

1. Right click on File's Owner to pull up the list of connections
2. Take a screen capture with Command-Shift-4 (drag to select the area to be captured)
3. x out the connections from File's Owner
4. Right click on the UITableCell in the Object hierarchy and re-add the connections.

Loading UITableViewCells from XIBs saves a lot of code, but usually results in horrible scrolling speed (actually, it's not the XIB but the excessive use of UIViews that cause this).

I suggest you take a look at this: Link reference

Here's the class method that I've been using for creating custom cells out of XIBs:

+ (CustomCell*) createNewCustomCellFromNib {

    NSArray* nibContents = [[NSBundle mainBundle]
                            loadNibNamed:@"CustomCell" owner:self options:NULL];

    NSEnumerator *nibEnumerator = [nibContents objectEnumerator];
    CustomCell *customCell= nil;
    NSObject* nibItem = nil;

    while ( (nibItem = [nibEnumerator nextObject]) != nil) {

        if ( [nibItem isKindOfClass: [CustomCell class]]) {
            customCell = (CustomCell*) nibItem;

            if ([customCell.reuseIdentifier isEqualToString: @"CustomCell"]) {
                break; // we have a winner
            }
            else
                fuelEntryCell = nil;
        }
    }
    return customCell;
}

Then, in the XIB, I set the class name, and reuse identifier. After that, I can just call that method in my view controller instead of the

[[UITableViewCell] alloc] initWithFrame:]

It's plenty fast enough, and being used in two of my shipping applications. It's more reliable than calling [nib objectAtIndex:0], and in my mind at least, more reliable than Stephan Burlot's example because you're guaranteed to only grab a view out of a XIB that is the right type.

What I do for this is declare an IBOutlet UITableViewCell *cell in your controller class. Then invoke the NSBundle loadNibNamed class method, which will feed the UITableViewCell to the cell declared above.

For the xib I will create an empty xib and add the UITableViewCell object in IB where it can be setup as needed. This view is then connected to the cell IBOutlet in the controller class.

- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)table
         cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
{
    NSLog(@"%@ loading RTEditableCell.xib", [self description] );

    static NSString *MyIdentifier = @"editableCellIdentifier";
    cell = [table dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:MyIdentifier];

    if(cell == nil) {
        [[NSBundle mainBundle] loadNibNamed:@"RTEditableCell"
                                      owner:self
                                    options:nil];
    }

    return cell;
}

NSBundle additions loadNibNamed (ADC login)

cocoawithlove.com article I sourced the concept from (get the phone numbers sample app)

In Swift 4.2 and Xcode 10

I have three XIB cell files

in ViewDidLoad register your XIB files like this...

This is first approach

tableView.register(UINib.init(nibName: "XIBCell", bundle: nil), forCellReuseIdentifier: "cell1")
tableView.register(UINib.init(nibName: "XIBCell2", bundle: nil), forCellReuseIdentifier: "cell2")
//tableView.register(UINib.init(nibName: "XIBCell3", bundle: nil), forCellReuseIdentifier: "cell3")

Second approach directly register XIB files in cellForRowAt indexPath:

This is my tableview delegate functions

//MARK: - Tableview delegates
override func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {

    return 1
}

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {

    return 6
}

override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
    //This is first approach
    if indexPath.row == 0 {//Load first XIB cell
        let placeCell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell1") as! XIBCell
        return placeCell
    //Second approach
    } else if indexPath.row == 5 {//Load XIB cell3
        var cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier:"cell3") as? XIBCell3
        if cell == nil{
            let arrNib:Array = Bundle.main.loadNibNamed("XIBCell3",owner: self, options: nil)!
            cell = arrNib.first as? XIBCell3
        }

        //ADD action to XIB cell button
        cell?.btn.tag = indexPath.row//Add tag to button
        cell?.btn.addTarget(self, action: #selector(self.bookbtn1(_:)), for: .touchUpInside);//selector

        return cell!
    //This is first approach
    } else {//Load XIB cell2
        let placeCell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell2") as! XIBCell2

        return placeCell
    }

}

I dont know if there is a canonical way, but here's my method:

• Create a xib for a ViewController
• Set the File Owner class to UIViewController
• Delete the view and add an UITableViewCell
• Set the Class of your UITableViewCell to your custom class
• Set the Identifier of your UITableViewCell
• Set the outlet of your view controller view to your UITableViewCell

And use this code:

MyCustomViewCell *cell = (MyCustomViewCell *)[_tableView dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:CellIdentifier];
if (cell == nil) {
  UIViewController* c = [[UIViewController alloc] initWithNibName:CellIdentifier bundle:nil];
  cell = (MyCustomViewCell *)c.view;
  [c release];
}

In your example, using

[nib objectAtIndex:0]

may break if Apple changes the order of items in the xib.

 func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {

            let cellReuseIdentifier = "collabCell"
            var cell:collabCell! = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: cellReuseIdentifier) as? collabCell
            if cell == nil {
                tableView.register(UINib(nibName: "collabCell", bundle: nil), forCellReuseIdentifier: cellReuseIdentifier)
                cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: cellReuseIdentifier) as! collabCell!
            }


            return cell

}