How can I add a custom view to an attributed string or text view?

Question

I'm trying to get a custom view in an attributed string to be displayed on a textView. I am able to add an image with an NSTextAttachment, but it isn't what I want. I have a custom view that supports Gif's and Animated PNGs that I'd like to display between text.

Example:

text text text [customView] text [customView] text. <- In text view, preferably in attributed string

I would love some guidance as to where I should search specifically. So far I've seen related issues...

• Subclass NSTextAttachment: How to subclass NSTextAttachment?
• Use NSTextAttachmentContainer..?
• NSTextAttachmentCell - Only OSX
• Do manipulation in the text view

Answer 1

First, use NSAttributedString or NSMutableAttributedString to show your RichText in subviews (such as UITextView/UILabel)

Then, use NSTextAttachment to replace your image-script in text.

NSString *egText = @"hello [this_is_an_img_script]";

NSMutableAttributedString * destStr = [[NSMutableAttributedString alloc] initWithString:egText];

NSTextAttachment *attachment = [[NSTextAttachment alloc] initWithData:nil ofType:nil];

attachment.image = [UIImage imageNamed:[this_is_an_img_script]];

NSAttributedString *textAttachmentString = [NSAttributedString attributedStringWithAttachment:attachment]; //make your image to an attributedString

[destStr replaceCharactersInRange:range withAttributedString:textAttachmentString];

at last: [YourLabel(or YourTextView) setAttributedString:destStr];

BTW: if you use the YYkit for the RichText, you cannot use the YYAttachMentString to replace NSAttachMentString , these are different things, the UITextView(UILabel) cannot load the YYAttachMentString . I'm looking for some way to show my gifs with the UITextView (because YYKit cannot load and preview netimage with a url, YYKit always show empty which should be a netImage , cripes!)

Answer 2

Mixing text with images reliably is a complicated task. And it was solved many years ago with invention of web browser. So you can use UIWebView to accomplish this.

Or, if you have static positions of text and images, you can use just several controls inside your main view. Fe one below another.

In any case you should use third party control to display your gifs, as UIImageView doesn't support it.

Here is one