Designing iOS UI: Storyboard vs. Programmatically

Storyboard: A Visual Approach

Storyboard allows you to design your UI by dragging and dropping elements onto a canvas. This visual approach makes it easy to prototype and test your app’s UI. With Storyboard, you can create a sample project in just a few minutes.

Creating a Sample UI with Storyboard

Let’s create a sample project called Koala-Storyboard. We’ll add a koala image and the text “Koala” to the Interface Builder. Then, we’ll use Auto Layout to position the elements correctly.

The Pros and Cons of Storyboard

• Pros:
  • Easy to prototype and test
  • Quick to create a sample project
• Cons:
  • Can lead to merge conflicts when working with multiple developers
  • Doesn’t automatically generate a responsive design

Designing iOS UI Programmatically

Building your UI programmatically means creating the user interface in code, rather than using the Interface Builder. This approach gives you more control over the layout and design of your app.

Creating a Sample UI Programmatically

import UIKit

class KoalaViewController: UIViewController {
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        
        let koalaImage = UIImageView(image: UIImage(named: "koala"))
        let koalaLabel = UILabel()
        koalaLabel.text = "Koala"
        
        view.addSubview(koalaImage)
        view.addSubview(koalaLabel)
        
        koalaImage.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        koalaLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        
        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            koalaImage.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerXAnchor),
            koalaImage.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerYAnchor),
            koalaLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: koalaImage.bottomAnchor, constant: 8),
            koalaLabel.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerXAnchor)
        ])
    }
}

The Pros and Cons of Programmatically

• Pros:
  • Gives you more control over the layout and design
  • Can be more flexible and customizable
• Cons:
  • Can be more time-consuming
  • Requires more coding expertise

Which Method is Best for You?

Ultimately, the choice between Storyboard and programmatically depends on your project’s needs and your personal preferences. If you’re working solo and want to create a static UI quickly, Storyboard might be the way to go. However, if you need more control and flexibility, building your UI programmatically could be the better option.