GKMatchmakerViewController Class Reference
| Inherits from | |
| Conforms to | |
| Framework | /System/Library/Frameworks/GameKit.framework |
| Availability | Available in iOS 4.1 and later. |
| Companion guide | |
| Declared in | GKMatchmakerViewController.h |
Overview
The GKMatchmakerViewController class is used to present a standard user interface to the player. This interface allows them to invite friends to a match or to allow Game Center to fill the remaining players needed for a match.
To show a matchmaking screen, initialize a new GKMatchmakerViewController object and set the delegate. Configure the view controller’s other properties to match your specific needs, then present the new view controller. and wait for the delegate to be called. The view controller’s delegate is notified when the matchmaking process is completed or canceled. In either situation, you dismiss the view controller.
If the user is creating the match, your game initializes the matchmaker view controller by creating a GKMatchRequest object that describes the desired match. This match request is passed to the initWithMatchRequest: method. When this view controller is displayed, the local player can invite other players into the match.
If your game receives an invitation from another player, it receives a GKInvite object representing the match the player was invited to. You initialize the matchmaker view controller by passing the GKInvite object received from Game Kit to the initWithInvite: method. When this view controller is presented to the player, the player joins the existing match, but is not allowed to invite others to the match.
On iOS, you present and dismiss the view controller from another view controller in your game, using the methods provided by the UIViewController class. On OS X, you use the GKDialogController class to present and dismiss the view controller.
Tasks
Initializing a Matchmaker View Controller
Getting and Setting the Delegate
-
matchmakerDelegateproperty
Matchmaker View Controller Properties
-
defaultInvitationMessageproperty -
hostedproperty -
matchRequestproperty
Adding Players to an Existing Match
Implementing Hosted Matches
-
– setHostedPlayer:connected: -
– setHostedPlayerReady:Deprecated in iOS 5.0
Properties
defaultInvitationMessage
The default invitation message used to initialize an invitation.
Discussion
Your game sets this property to change the default invitation text displayed when the local player creates a new invitation. The local player may edit the text before sending the invitation.
Availability
- Available in iOS 5.0 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hhosted
A Boolean value that indicates whether the match is hosted or peer-to-peer.
Discussion
The value of the hosted property determines which methods of the delegate are called when the match is complete. If YES, this is a hosted match, and the delegate’s matchmakerViewController:didFindPlayers method is to provide the list of players to your game. If NO, this is a peer-to-peer match, and matchmakerViewController:didCreateMatch is called with a GKMatch object. The default value is NO.
Hosted matches require you to provide a server that hosts the participants in the match. For more information on implementing hosted matches, see “Multiplayer”.
Availability
- Available in iOS 4.1 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hmatchmakerDelegate
The delegate for the matchmaker view controller.
Discussion
A delegate is required to receive feedback when the match is created.
Availability
- Available in iOS 4.1 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hmatchRequest
The configuration for the desired match. (read-only)
Availability
- Available in iOS 4.1 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hInstance Methods
addPlayersToMatch:
Parameters
- match
An existing match that you want to add players to.
Discussion
Your game calls this method prior to presenting the view controller to the player. Calling this method instructs the view controller to add new players to the provided match rather than creating a new match.
When called, this method sets the delegate on the match to nil and updates the view controller’s user interface to display the players already connected to the match.
Availability
- Available in iOS 5.0 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hinitWithInvite:
Initializes a matchmaker view controller to respond to an invitation received from another player.
Parameters
- invite
The invitation received from the other player.
Return Value
An initialized matchmaker view controller object. If an error occurred, NULL is returned.
Discussion
The user is allowed to join the match that the user was invited to, but is not allowed to invite others to the match.
Availability
- Available in iOS 4.1 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hinitWithMatchRequest:
Initializes a matchmaker view controller to create a new match.
Parameters
- request
A request containing the characteristics for the desired match.
Return Value
An initialized matchmaker view controller object. If an error occurred, NULL is returned.
Discussion
Your game uses the initWithMatchRequest: method when it wants the local user to create a new match.
Availability
- Available in iOS 4.1 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.hsetHostedPlayer:connected:
Updates a player’s status on the view to show that the player has connected or disconnected from your server.
Parameters
- playerID
The identifier string for a player that connected to the external server.
- connected
A Boolean value that states whether the player is connected to the hosted match.
Discussion
When setting up a hosted match, each device should instantiate a matchmaker view controller and display it to the player. Then, when a new player connects to your server, your server should notify all participating devices already connected to your server. Each participating device should then call this method to update that player’s status in the matchmaking interface. Similarly, if a player disconnects from the server, your server should inform each device so that the devices can update their user interface.
Availability
- Available in iOS 5.0 and later.
Declared In
GKMatchmakerViewController.h© 2012 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2012-09-19)