Show iPhone cut copy paste menu on UILabel

Question

1. Can we enable the cut copy paste menu for a UILabel as it is for a UITextField?

2. If not, and I need to convert my UIL

Answer 1

2019 ...

Save anyone typing:

public class SomeComplexCustomView: UIView {

    @IBOutlet var oneOfYourLabels: UILabel!
    ... your other labels, boxes, etc

    public func makeThatLabelCopyable() {
        oneOfYourLabels.isUserInteractionEnabled = true
        addGestureRecognizer(UITapGestureRecognizer(
          target: self, action: #selector(self.copyMenu(sender:))))
        addGestureRecognizer(UILongPressGestureRecognizer(
          target: self, action: #selector(self.copyMenu(sender:))))

        // or use oneOfYourLabels.addGesture... to touch just on that item 
    }

    public override var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool { return true }

    @objc func copyMenu(sender: Any?) {
        becomeFirstResponder()
        UIMenuController.shared.setTargetRect(bounds, in: self)
        // or any exact point you want the pointy box pointing to
        UIMenuController.shared.setMenuVisible(true, animated: true)
    }

    override public func copy(_ sender: Any?) {
        UIPasteboard.general.string = oneOfYourLabels.text
        // or any exact text you wish
        UIMenuController.shared.setMenuVisible(false, animated: true)
    }

    override public func canPerformAction(
      _ action: Selector, withSender sender: Any?) -> Bool {
        return (action == #selector(copy(_:)))
    }
}

It's that easy!

---

One subtlety:

One detail for better engineering:

Notice we turn on first responder:

 public override var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool { return true }

Often, on a given screen with such a label, you either will or won't have a copyable link like this.

So you'll very likely have something like:

var linkTurnedOnCurrently: Bool = false

func doShowThatLink( blah ) {
    linkAvailableOnThisScreen = true
    ... the various code above ...
}

func doShowThatLink( blah ) {
    linkAvailableOnThisScreen = false
    ... perhaps de-color the link, etc ...
}

Thus, in fact instead of this:

 public override var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool { return true }

be sure to do this:

 public override var canBecomeFirstResponder: Bool {
    if linkTurnedOnCurrently { return true }
    return super.canBecomeFirstResponder
 }

(Note that it is not something like "return linkTurnedOnCurrently".)