Setting screen orientation from inside SKScene

Question

My game is implemented in a single SKScene object. A button (SKSpriteNode) lets the user switch from landscape to portrait mode. Well, it should. But I can't make this work. There are many discussions on this but they are all rather complicated and give suggestions that are completely different.

So.... What is the easiest way to make a button in an SKScene that changes the orientation to portrait or landscape?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Answer 1

Here is a short, concise, complete answer to the question I posted.

1. In xcode, select File->New->Project->IOS->Application->Game to generate a default app framework for a game for IPad using SpriteKit with ObjectiveC. This is the classic HelloWorldApp where spinning airplanes appear whenever you touch the screen.

2. In Targets->DEploymentInfo->DeviceOrientation, checkmark Portrait and LandscapeLeft

3. Modify shouldAutorotate for the view controller like so...

   - (BOOL)shouldAutorotate
   {
       int currentOrientation = (int)[[UIDevice currentDevice] orientation];
       if (scene.orientation != currentOrientation) {
           // Rotate the device back to orginial orientation
           [[UIDevice currentDevice] setValue:
            [NSNumber numberWithInteger: scene.orientation]
                                       forKey:@"orientation"];
           return NO;
       }
       return YES;
   }
   

4. change the body of touchesBegan in your gameScene class like so...

   -(void) touchesBegan:(NSSet*)touches withEvent:(UIEvent*)event {
         /* Called when a touch begins */
           NSLog(@"%d", self.orientation);
           if (!self.orientation ||  self.orientation == UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait) {
               self.orientation = UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft;
           } else {
               self.orientation = UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait;
           }
           [[UIDevice currentDevice] setValue:
            [NSNumber numberWithInteger: self.orientation]
                                       forKey:@"orientation"];
   

the app will then hange orientation on each tap.