UISearchController don't push viewcontroller on front but below UISearchController

Question

The behaviour different between automatic presentation UISearchController and present the search controller myself.

@implementation MyViewComtroller

// click search barbutton on right of navigationBar
- (void)searchAction:(id)sender {
    ArticleSearchViewController *searchResultsController = [[ArticleSearchViewController alloc] init];
    UISearchController *searchController = [[UISearchController alloc] initWithSearchResultsController:searchResultsController];
    searchController.searchResultsUpdater = searchResultsController;
    searchController.searchBar.delegate = searchResultsController;
    searchController.delegate = searchResultsController;
    searchController.hidesNavigationBarDuringPresentation = NO;
    [self presentViewController:searchController animated:YES completion:nil];
}

@end

@implementation ArticleSearchViewController

- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    [tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:YES];
    ArticleDetailController * articleDetailController = [ArticleDetailController new];
   [(UINavigationController *)self.presentingViewController pushViewController:articleDetailController animated:YES];
}

@end

The push action happend below UISearchController.

Answer 1

You are presenting the search controller in wrong way. Look at part of the documentation.

You use a search controller in tandem with your existing view controllers. When you have a view controller with searchable content, incorporate the search bar of a UISearchController object into your view controller’s interface. When the user interacts with that search bar, the search controller automatically displays a new view controller with the search results that you specify.

Instead of this in your main controller:

[self presentViewController:searchController animated:YES completion:nil]; 

You should do this on iOS 11:

self.definesPresentationContext = YES;
self.navigationItem.searchController = searchController;

Or this on pre iOS 11:

self.definesPresentationContext = YES;
self.navigationItem.titleView = searchController.searchBar;

Or place anywhere else the searchController.searchBar in your presented view hierarchy.

You should also setup the search controller in a place like viewDidLoad and not on a button press.

And the way you are getting a reference to your navigationController in ArticleSearchViewController has to be updated to something like:

[self.presentingViewController.navigationController pushViewController:articleDetailController animated:YES];

View controller with searchable content:

@implementation ViewController

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    [self.view setBackgroundColor:[UIColor blackColor]];

    UIStoryboard *sb = [UIStoryboard storyboardWithName:@"Main" bundle:nil];
    ArticleSearchViewController *searchResultsController = [sb instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier:@"ArticleSearchViewController"];
    UISearchController *searchController = [[UISearchController alloc] initWithSearchResultsController:searchResultsController];
    searchController.searchResultsUpdater = searchResultsController;
    searchController.searchBar.delegate = searchResultsController;
    searchController.delegate = searchResultsController;
    searchController.hidesNavigationBarDuringPresentation = NO;
//    [self presentViewController:searchController animated:YES completion:nil]; //WRONG
    self.definesPresentationContext = YES;
    self.navigationItem.searchController = searchController;
}

@end

Results Controller:

@implementation ArticleSearchViewController

- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
    [tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:YES];
    UIViewController * articleDetailController = [UIViewController new];
    [self.presentingViewController.navigationController pushViewController:articleDetailController animated:YES];
}

- (void)updateSearchResultsForSearchController:(UISearchController *)searchController {
    // update appropriately
}

@end