Draw a line with a CALayer

Question

I'm trying to draw a line between two points using a CALayer. Here is my code:

//positions a CALayer to be a line between a parent node and its subnodes.

-(void)makeLineLayer:(CALayer *)layer lineFromPointA:(CGPoint)pointA toPointB:(CGPoint)pointB{
    NSLog([NSString stringWithFormat:@"Coordinates: \n Ax: %f Ay: %f Bx: %f By: %f", pointA.x,pointA.y,pointB.x,pointB.y]);

    //find the length of the line:
    CGFloat length = sqrt((pointA.x - pointB.x) * (pointA.x - pointB.x) + (pointA.y -     pointB.y) * (pointA.y - pointB.y));
    layer.frame = CGRectMake(0, 0, 1, length);

    //calculate and set the layer's center:
    CGPoint center = CGPointMake((pointA.x+pointB.x)/2, (pointA.y+pointB.y)/2);
    layer.position = center;

    //calculate the angle of the line and set the layer's transform to match it.
    CGFloat angle = atan2f(pointB.y - pointA.y, pointB.x - pointA.x);
    layer.transform = CATransform3DMakeRotation(angle, 0, 0, 1);
}

I know that the length is being calculated correctly, and I'm am pretty sure that the center is also. When I run it lines are displayed that are the right length and that pass through the center point between the two points, but are not rotated correctly. At first I thought that the line was being rotated around the wrong anchor point, so I did: layer.anchorPoint = center;, but this code fails to show any lines on the screen. What am I doing wrong

Answer 1

Try This...

-(void)makeLineLayer:(CALayer *)layer lineFromPointA:(CGPoint)pointA toPointB:(CGPoint)pointB
{
    CAShapeLayer *line = [CAShapeLayer layer];
    UIBezierPath *linePath=[UIBezierPath bezierPath];
    [linePath moveToPoint: pointA];
    [linePath addLineToPoint:pointB];
    line.path=linePath.CGPath;
    line.fillColor = nil;
    line.opacity = 1.0;
    line.strokeColor = [UIColor redColor].CGColor;
    [layer addSublayer:line];
}

Answer 2

Here's a Swift version based on Rajesh Choudhary's answer:

Swift 2

func drawLine(onLayer layer: CALayer, fromPoint start: CGPoint, toPoint end: CGPoint) {
    let line = CAShapeLayer()
    let linePath = UIBezierPath()
    linePath.moveToPoint(start)
    linePath.addLineToPoint(end)
    line.path = linePath.CGPath
    line.fillColor = nil
    line.opacity = 1.0
    line.strokeColor = UIColor.redColor().CGColor
    layer.addSublayer(line)
}

Swift 3

func drawLine(onLayer layer: CALayer, fromPoint start: CGPoint, toPoint end: CGPoint) {
    let line = CAShapeLayer()
    let linePath = UIBezierPath()
    linePath.move(to: start)
    linePath.addLine(to: end)
    line.path = linePath.cgPath
    line.fillColor = nil
    line.opacity = 1.0
    line.strokeColor = UIColor.red.cgColor
    layer.addSublayer(line)
}

Answer 3

Here's a Swift 3 version based on Rajesh Choudhary's answer:

func drawLine(onLayer layer: CALayer, fromPoint start: CGPoint, toPoint end:CGPoint) {
        let line = CAShapeLayer()
        let linePath = UIBezierPath()
        linePath.move(to: start)
        linePath.addLine(to: end)
        line.path = linePath.cgPath
        line.fillColor = nil
        line.opacity = 1.0
        line.strokeColor = UIColor.green.cgColor
        layer.addSublayer(line)
    }