How to customize cell backgrounds

Question

Currently working on a Swift application, and I have built a slide out navigation menu using an API at https://github.com/mutualmobile/MMDrawerController. I'm trying to change the background image of each cell from the blank and boring white color into an image I choose of my own.

I have checked many resources from Stack Overflow self.view.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithPatternImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"background"]] which I inserted at the beginning of a case statement seems to produce the error of: Expected Expression From String Literal. Where would I insert a statement for background image and what would it be?

class LeftSideViewController: UIViewController, UITableViewDataSource, UITableViewDelegate {

    var menuItems:[String] = ["Daily Quote","Passion", "Failure","Dream","Grind","Hang on","Haters","Wisdom","Karma"];


    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        // Do any additional setup after loading the view.
    }

    override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() {
        super.didReceiveMemoryWarning()
        // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
    }

    func tableView(tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int
    {
        return menuItems.count
    }

    func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell
    {

        var mycell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier("MyCell", forIndexPath: indexPath) as! MyCustomTableViewCell

        mycell.menuItemLabel.text = menuItems[indexPath.row]
        return mycell;
    }

    func tableView(tableView: UITableView, didSelectRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath)
    {
        switch(indexPath.row){

        case 0:

            var centerViewController = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("ViewController") as! ViewController

            var centerNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: centerViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate

            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = centerNavController

            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)

 break;
        case 1:
            self.view.backgroundColor = [UIColor colorWithPatternImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"background"]]

            var aboutViewController = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("PassionViewController") as! PassionViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)

 break;

        case 2:

            var aboutViewController = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("FailureViewController") as! FailureViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)
break;
        case 3:

            var aboutViewController =
            self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("DreamViewController")
            as! DreamViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)
            break;

        case 4:

            var aboutViewController =
            self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("GrindViewController")
                as! GrindViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)
break;
        case 5:

            var aboutViewController =
            self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("HangViewController")
                as! HangViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)
break;

        case 6:

            var aboutViewController =
            self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("HaterViewController")
                as! HaterViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)
break;
        case 7:

            var aboutViewController =
            self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("WisdomViewController")
                as! WisdomViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)
break;
        case 8:

            var aboutViewController =
            self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("KarmaViewController")
                as! KarmaViewController

            var aboutNavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: aboutViewController)

            var appDelegate:AppDelegate = UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.centerViewController = aboutNavController
            appDelegate.centerContainer!.toggleDrawerSide(MMDrawerSide.Left, animated: true, completion: nil)

        default:

            println("\(menuItems[indexPath.row]) is selected");
        }
    }

Answer 1

You can do it programmatically also by creating a custom class for tableview cell. for example inside your cellForRowAtIndexPath call the custom class

var imageArray = ["pic1.png", "pic2.png", "pic3.png"]
func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell
{
    var mycell = MyCustomClass(frame: CGRectMake(0, 0, self.view.frame.width, 50), row: indexPath.row, imageArray: imageArray)
    mycell.menuItemLabel.text = menuItems[indexPath.row]
    return mycell;
}

class MyCustomClass: UITableViewCell {
    var menuItemLabel: UILabel!
    init(frame: CGRect, row: Int, imageArray: Array<String>) {
        super.init(style: UITableViewCellStyle.Default, reuseIdentifier: "cell")

       //declare a image array that has the name of the image to be included
       var image = imageArray[row]

        backgroundColor = UIColor(patternImage: UIImage(named: "\(image)")!)
        menuItemLabel = UILabel(frame: CGRectMake(0, 0, frame.width, 50))
        addSubview(menuItemLabel)
    }
}

Hope this help

Answer 2

First you have to set view background, then you have to set for each cell a transparent background color color:

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()
    self.view.background = UIColor(patternImage: UIImage(named: "backgroundImage")!)
}

func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
    var mycell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier("MyCell", forIndexPath: indexPath) as! MyCustomTableViewCell
    mycell.backgroundColor = UIColor.clearColor()
    mycell.menuItemLabel.text = menuItems[indexPath.row]
    return mycell;
}

update

With a custom cell created on a xib (eg. "MyCustomTableViewCell.xib"), you have to do:

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()
    let nib: UINib = UINib(nibName: "MyCustomTableViewCell", bundle: NSBundle.mainBundle())
    tableView.registerNib(nib, forCellReuseIdentifier: "MyCustomTableViewCellIdentifier")
}

func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
   var mycell = tableView.dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier("MyCustomTableViewCellIdentifier", forIndexPath: indexPath) as! MyCustomTableViewCell
   ...
}

And you have to set MyCustomTableViewCellIdentifier name on xib:

Answer 3

Please try this following code :

self.view.backgroundColor = UIColor(patternImage: UIImage(named: "imageName")!)