Load data from a plist to two TableViews

Question

I am having some trouble to load some data from my property list. Take a look… This is my directory.plist:

I wanna show all of this, right here on Main.storyboard:

But the keys Position e Name will appear on the first TableViewController and the keys Functionary, ImageFace and Phone have to appear on the second TableViewController.

To do this, I made this:

1. Added to AppDelegate the following:

   func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
       if let url = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "directory", withExtension: "plist"), let array = NSArray(contentsOf: url) as? [[String:Any]] {
           Shared.instance.employees = array.map{Employee(dictionary: $0)}
   }
   return true
   

2. Created a Struct like this:

   struct EmployeeDetails {
       let functionary: String
       let imageFace: String
       let phone: String
   
       init(dictionary: [String: Any]) {
           self.functionary = (dictionary["Functionary"] as? String) ?? ""
           self.imageFace = (dictionary["ImageFace"] as? String) ?? ""
           self.phone = (dictionary["Phone"] as? String) ?? ""
       }
   }
   
   struct Employee {
       let position: String
       let name: String
       let details: [EmployeeDetails] // [String:Any]
   
       init(dictionary: [String: Any]) {
       self.position = (dictionary["Position"] as? String) ?? ""
       self.name = (dictionary["Name"] as? String) ?? ""
   
       let t = (dictionary["Details"] as? [Any]) ?? []
       self.details = t.map({EmployeeDetails(dictionary: $0 as! [String : Any])})
       }
   }
   
   struct Shared {
       static var instance = Shared()
       var employees: [Employee] = []
   }
   

3. My First TableViewController, is like this:

   class Page1: UITableViewController {
   
   override func viewDidLoad() {
       super.viewDidLoad()
   
       let anEmployee = Shared.instance.employees[1]
   
       print("Name:", anEmployee.name)
       print("Position:", anEmployee.position)
   
       anEmployee.details.forEach({
   
           print("Functionary:", $0.functionary)
           print("ImageFace:", $0.imageFace)
           print("Phone:", $0.phone)
       })
   }
   
   override func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
   return 1
   }
   
   override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
       return Shared.instance.employees.count
   }
   
   override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
       let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell", for: indexPath) as! TableViewCell1
   
           cell.nameLabel.text = Shared.instance.employees[indexPath.row].name
           cell.positionLabel.text = Shared.instance.employees[indexPath.row].position
   
           return cell
       }
   
   override func prepare(for segue: UIStoryboardSegue, sender: Any?) {
       if let destination = segue.destination as? Page2,
           let indexPath = tableView.indexPathForSelectedRow {
           destination.newPage = Shared.instance.employees[indexPath.row].details[indexPath.row]
           tableView .deselectRow(at: indexPath, animated: true)
           }
       }
   }
   

4. My Second TableViewController, here:

   var newPage: EmployeeDetails! //recently added
   
   class Page2: UITableViewController {
   
   var newPage: EmployeeDetails!
   
   override func viewDidLoad() {
       super.viewDidLoad()
   
       if let theEmployee = newPage {
           self.title = theEmployee.name
       }
   }
   
   override func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
       return 1
   }
   
   override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
       if let theEmployee = newPage {
           return theEmployee.details.count
       }
   return 0
   }
   
   override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
       let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell", for: indexPath) as! TableViewCell2
   
       if let theEmployee = newPage {
   
           cell.faceImage.image = theEmployee.details[indexPath.row].imageFace as? UIImage // did not work
           cell.functionary.text = theEmployee.details[indexPath.row].functionary
           cell.phoneLabel.text = theEmployee.details[indexPath.row].phone
       }
       return cell
       }
   }
   

When I touch in any item of the first TableViewController, I see the second TableViewController totally empty! And the debug area shows it:

2017-03-28 17:16:28.456 plist sample[7138:425253] Unknown class Page2 in Interface Builder file.

Answer 1

According to your plist structure:

Shared.instance.employees[indexPath.row].details

details is an Array of Dictionaries. You are treating it as a Dictionary.

Edit: the initial issue was correct... multiple ways to solve it (as you have seen / done). Another option, which may or may not be helpful:

struct EmployeeDetails {
    let functionary: String
    let imageFace: String
    let phone: String

    init(dictionary: [String: Any]) {
        self.functionary = (dictionary["Functionary"] as? String) ?? ""
        self.imageFace = (dictionary["ImageFace"] as? String) ?? ""
        self.phone = (dictionary["Phone"] as? String) ?? ""
    }
}
struct Employee {
    let position: String
    let name: String
    let details: [EmployeeDetails] // [String:Any]

    init(dictionary: [String: Any]) {
        self.position = (dictionary["Position"] as? String) ?? ""
        self.name = (dictionary["Name"] as? String) ?? ""

        let t = (dictionary["Details"] as? [Any]) ?? []
        self.details = t.map({EmployeeDetails(dictionary: $0 as! [String : Any])})
    }
}

struct Shared {
    static var instance = Shared()
    var employees: [Employee] = []
}

you can then do your original:

    if let url = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "directory", withExtension: "plist"), let array = NSArray(contentsOf: url) as? [[String:Any]] {

        Shared.instance.employees = array.map{Employee(dictionary: $0)}

    }

and then access the data via:

    let anEmployee = Shared.instance.employees[0]

    print("Name:", anEmployee.name)
    print("Position:", anEmployee.position)

    print("Detail 0 Functionary:", anEmployee.details[0].functionary)
    print("Detail 0 ImageFace:", anEmployee.details[0].imageFace)
    print("Detail 0 Phone:", anEmployee.details[0].phone)

    // or

    anEmployee.details.forEach({

        print("Functionary:", $0.functionary)
        print("ImageFace:", $0.imageFace)
        print("Phone:", $0.phone)

    })

just for example.

See https://github.com/DonMag/SWPListData for a working example.