How can I add/remove cells in a table view more elegantly?

Question

I think this is probably an X Y problem, so I\'ll give some background info first.

I am building an app that can show a \"form\". The user can fill in the form with

Answer 1

I found a solution!

I basically keep an array of an array of cells for the table view to display:

var cells: [[UITableViewCell]] = [[], [], []] // I have 3 sections, so 3 empty arrays

And then I added these data source methods:

override func numberOfSectionsInTableView(tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
    return cells.count
}

override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
    return cells[section].count
}

override func tableView(tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAtIndexPath indexPath: NSIndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
    return cells[indexPath.section][indexPath.row]
}

Now, I can add and remove cells super easily:

func addCellToSection(section: Int, index: Int, cell: UITableViewCell) {
    cells[section].insert(cell, atIndex: index)
    tableView.insertRowsAtIndexPaths([NSIndexPath(forRow: index, inSection: section)], withRowAnimation: .Left)
}

func removeCellFromSection(section: Int, index: Int) {
    cells[section].removeAtIndex(index)
    tableView.deleteRowsAtIndexPaths([NSIndexPath(forRow: index, inSection: section)], withRowAnimation: .Left)
}

With just two lines, I can add/remove cells with animation!