How to make split view work in portrait?

Targets iOS
1

I have been looking at the split view example project in Xojo and have not been able to figure out yet how to make it work like a split view application in Xcode.

The sample app only had landscape options turned on for supported orientations. When I turn on a portrait orientation the app launches with the detail view showing but no way to see the master list to select another option.

The Xcode app, when in portrait orientation, shows a “<” button at the top that slides out the master view to be able to select an option. When in landscape orientation the “<” button is not there, it just shows the master/detail view the same as the Xojo example app.

Any ideas on how to make the split view work like it does in Xcode?

2

Does anybody know the answer to this?

3

They dont for now by default
I’ve looked at the declares required to do this but so far have not had enough time to figure it all out
Basically there are some declares that should allow you to set up how to access the master (the left hand side of the split)
You can have it slide out, pop down, etc

4

So I guess the best solution for now is that if using a split view the iPad portrait options should be disabled?

5

Thats one option

You could also just make a different detail view that is shown in portrait mode and work that way

For the things I’ve needed to do not using portrait has been fine so far

But at some point we’ll need to figure the options for showing splits on portrait

There are a few things we’ve discovered along with you guys that seem like they need to be revamped
Tabs in split views is one I know of

6

I am using a tabbed interface so if the iPad is allowed to rotate to portrait, only my “detail” view will be shown. Is there another way to solve this other than turning off the ability to rotate to portrait?

7

If you’re using tabs thats not a split so this problem doesn’t exist

I’m kind of not clear on what it is you ARE using since you’ve said splits early on and now a tabbed view
Which is it ?

8

It’s both:

9

oh I see
you’re probably going to have to just not allow portrait for now

the issue I ran into is that when you’re in portrait mode the < button doesn’t automatically appear (you may be able to shove one in there with a declare)
the reveal options are attached to that and so without it you’re SOL

there is one option that is to show the split view even in portrait mode - but for what I wanted that was not viable so I did not try it

10

Is that method currently available or would that also require a declare/series of declares?

11

Did some research on this recently and several people decided that the answer was to fake it by putting a table next to a view. Since we don’t have containers, you could just use an empty canvas for holding the stuff on the right and draw a thin 0.5pt light gray line down the left edge.

12

Thanks Greg. I think that would be a lot of “fudging” for my app because of the way things relate to other things, but I can see how it would work for some apps. I’m content to disallow portrait on iPads for now. I use a couple of other line-of-business apps in one of my businesses that are landscape-only apps on iPad and it has never bothered me. I wouldn’t feel the same way if I was creating a “beautiful” consumer app though. :wink:

13

The only example that anyone could come up with was the Settings app, and the general consensus was that Apple faked that too. :stuck_out_tongue:

14

Really? How about the DropBox app? Or the Twitter app? Or even Apple’s own Notes app is perhaps the simplest example.

15

Probably a portrait view carefully crafted to look like a split.

16

What makes you say that, specifically? Norman says there is framework support for this so I can’t understand why somebody with access to the full framework (i.e., Apple engineers) would bother faking it.

17

I was not referring to Apple, but to DropBox I use sometimes.

At any rate, am sorry, but to me there is no difference to the user if the duck quacks and walks the same way. In other words, if done right, a properly managed “split” in a portrait view should be undistinguishable from the kosher one. That is, until we actually have access to the Apple sanctionned wizardry.

18

No problem Michel. I just want to be clear that I believe this is possible within the framework, and is used by other apps (at least business/utility apps) and I would prefer that Xojo focuses on a framework solution rather than one involving smoke and mirrors. :wink:

19

I have no doubt Xojo will provide the real thing. But since that may not happen for a while at least one quarter or so if we are lucky, maybe more, some amount of creativity may be necessary in the meantime.

I just added a feature request today for higher graphics resolution, since Retina is now the norm, and not the exception on iOS. That is yet another much needed feature. How many much needed features are there on the Xojo to do list for iOS at present ? I frankly doubt that with all their might and competence, they will be able to make it happen before winter. Would love to be proven wrong, though.

20

From the Apple Docs:
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/UIKit/Reference/UISplitViewController_class/

Now what we’re missing is the ability to specify which view is primary, and it may even be a bug the way we handle it now (with no way to display the left pane). A feature request may be in order.