Set the maximum character length of a UITextField

Question

How can I set the maximum amount of characters in a UITextField on the iPhone SDK when I load up a UIView?

Answer 1

Swift 3 version //***** This will NOT work with Swift 2.x! *****//

First create a new Swift file : TextFieldMaxLength.swift, and then add the code below:

import UIKit

private var maxLengths = [UITextField: Int]()

extension UITextField {

   @IBInspectable var maxLength: Int {

      get {

          guard let length = maxLengths[self] 
             else {
                return Int.max
      }
      return length
   }
   set {
      maxLengths[self] = newValue
      addTarget(
         self,
         action: #selector(limitLength),
         for: UIControlEvents.editingChanged
      )
   }
}
func limitLength(textField: UITextField) {
    guard let prospectiveText = textField.text,
        prospectiveText.characters.count > maxLength
    else {
        return
    }

   let selection = selectedTextRange
   let maxCharIndex = prospectiveText.index(prospectiveText.startIndex, offsetBy: maxLength)
   text = prospectiveText.substring(to: maxCharIndex)
   selectedTextRange = selection
   }
}

and then you will see in Storyboard a new field (Max Length) when you select any TextField

if you still have more questions check out this link: http://www.globalnerdy.com/2016/05/18/ios-programming-trick-how-to-use-xcode-to-set-a-text-fields-maximum-length-visual-studio-style/