Programmatic navigation in iOS Swift - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to push a new view controller onto the navigation stack.

iOS Swift

navigationController?.[1](DetailViewController(), animated: true)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Apresent

BpushViewController

CpopViewController

Ddismiss

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using popViewController instead of pushViewController

Using present instead of pushViewController

Use pushViewController to navigate forward in a navigation stack.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to pop the current view controller from the navigation stack.

iOS Swift

navigationController?.[1](animated: true)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ApushViewController

Bpresent

CpopViewController

Ddismiss

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using pushViewController instead of popViewController

Using dismiss instead of popViewController

Use popViewController to go back to the previous screen in a navigation stack.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to present a view controller modally.

iOS Swift

present([1], animated: true, completion: nil)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ADetailViewController()

Bself

CnavigationController

Dself.navigationController

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Passing self instead of the new view controller

Passing navigationController instead of the new view controller

To present a new screen modally, pass the new view controller instance to present.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to pop to the root view controller with animation.

iOS Swift

navigationController?.[1](animated: [2])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ApopToRootViewController

Btrue

Cfalse

DpopViewController

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using popViewController instead of popToRootViewController

Setting animated to false when animation is desired

Use popToRootViewController(animated: true) to go back to the first screen with animation.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to replace the current view controller stack with a new one.

iOS Swift

navigationController?.[1]([[2]], animated: [3])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AsetViewControllers

BDetailViewController()

Ctrue

Dfalse

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using pushViewController instead of setViewControllers

Passing a single view controller instead of an array

Setting animated to false when animation is desired

Use setViewControllers with an array of new controllers and animation flag to replace the stack.

Practice

1. What does pushViewController do in iOS programmatic navigation?

easy

A. It moves to a new screen by adding it on top of the navigation stack.

B. It removes the current screen from the navigation stack.

C. It resets the entire navigation stack to the root screen.

D. It presents a screen modally without navigation.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand navigation stack behavior

   In iOS, navigation uses a stack where screens are pushed and popped.

2. Step 2: Role of pushViewController

   The method pushViewController adds a new screen on top, moving forward.

3. Final Answer:

   It moves to a new screen by adding it on top of the navigation stack. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   pushViewController = move forward [OK]

Hint: Push adds a screen on top; pop removes the top screen [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing push with pop behavior
• Thinking push resets the stack
• Mixing modal presentation with push navigation

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to push a view controller named DetailViewController onto the navigation stack?

easy

A. navigationController.pushViewController(DetailViewController, animated: true)

B. navigationController?.pushViewController(DetailViewController(), animated: true)

C. navigationController.push(DetailViewController(), animated: true)

D. navigationController?.pushViewController(DetailViewController, animated: false)

Solution

1. Step 1: Check method call and optional chaining

   navigationController is optional, so use ? to safely call method.

2. Step 2: Instantiate the view controller correctly

   Use DetailViewController() to create an instance before pushing.

3. Final Answer:

   navigationController?.pushViewController(DetailViewController(), animated: true) -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Optional chaining + instance creation = correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use ? for optional navigationController and () to create instance [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to instantiate the view controller
• Not using optional chaining on navigationController
• Using wrong method name like push instead of pushViewController

3. Given this code snippet, what will happen when the button is tapped?

func buttonTapped() {
  let vc = SettingsViewController()
  navigationController?.pushViewController(vc, animated: true)
}

medium

A. The app will crash because SettingsViewController is not initialized properly.

B. Nothing will happen because pushViewController is called without a navigation controller.

C. The current screen will be removed and replaced by SettingsViewController.

D. The app will navigate to the SettingsViewController screen with animation.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the code behavior

   The code creates a new SettingsViewController instance and pushes it onto the navigation stack.

2. Step 2: Understand navigationController optional chaining

   If navigationController exists, it will push with animation, moving to the new screen.

3. Final Answer:

   The app will navigate to the SettingsViewController screen with animation. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   pushViewController with valid instance = navigate forward [OK]

Hint: pushViewController moves forward if navigationController exists [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming crash without checking optional navigationController
• Thinking push removes current screen
• Confusing push with modal presentation

4. Identify the error in this code snippet for navigating back to the previous screen:

func goBack() {
  navigationController.popViewController(animated: true)
}

medium

A. popViewController is not a valid method for navigationController.

B. popViewController should be called with a completion handler.

C. Missing optional chaining operator (?) after navigationController.

D. Missing parentheses after navigationController to call optional chaining.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check navigationController usage

   navigationController is optional, so it needs optional chaining with ? before calling methods.

2. Step 2: Identify missing ? operator

   The code uses navigationController.popViewController without ?, causing a compile error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing optional chaining operator (?) after navigationController. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Optional chaining needed for navigationController calls [OK]

Hint: Use ? after navigationController to safely call methods [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting navigationController is optional
• Trying to add completion handler to popViewController
• Confusing popViewController with pushViewController

5. You want to programmatically navigate back to the root view controller from a deep screen. Which code snippet correctly achieves this?

hard

A. navigationController?.popToRootViewController(animated: true)

B. navigationController?.popViewController(animated: true)

C. navigationController?.dismiss(animated: true)

D. navigationController?.pushViewController(rootViewController, animated: true)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand navigation stack methods

   popToRootViewController moves back to the first screen in the stack, popping all intermediate ones.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   popViewController removes only the top screen; dismiss is for modal; push adds a new screen, not back.

3. Final Answer:

   navigationController?.popToRootViewController(animated: true) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   popToRootViewController = go back to root [OK]

Hint: Use popToRootViewController to return to first screen [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using popViewController to go back multiple screens
• Confusing dismiss with navigation pop
• Trying to push root instead of popping to it