Highlight Button

Our discussion goes nowhere if you do not answer questions, precisely.

1. What is the result of

print("selectedButton", selectedButton)

print("therapistGenderMale.tag", therapistGenderMale.tag) // Idem for all others

Have you defined IBAction for the button ?

Can you show the code of the IBAction associated to the buttons (if any) ?

Have you checked that the connection of the buttons to their IBOutlet are valid ?

Could you post the crashlog (with the sigabrt message)

==> PLEASE answer those questions

2. I still don't understand how to make an array

Do you mean an array of UIButton ?

Did you follow the steps ?

To create an array of UIButton:

- create a button in IB

- control-drag to viewController, and select Outlet collection

- you get this declaration:

@IBOutlet var allButtons: [UIButton]!

- create a second button in IB

- control-drag from the IBOutlet declaration to this new button, it will be included in Outlet collection ([UIButton]

==> WHERE exactly do you have problem ?

3. what you mean when you say you will probably set this var when you prepare to segue to the view

The buttons are in a controller (let call it destVC)

You go there from initilalVC

What you want, is that a button in destVC is preselected when you show destVC

==> IS THAT what you want ?

If so, when you segue, you need to tell destVC which button to hilite ; hence, you need to pass a parameter with selectedButton.

4. To do this, you have to:

- know which is preselectedButton ; this is done in initialVC. You store this value in thePreselectedButton

- How it is done, depends on your app ; on which condition do you choose the preselected button ? As you don't show code, it is hard to say

- Probably, you should have code as:

if someCondition {
    thePreselectedButton = 1
} else if someOtherCondition {
    thePreselectedButton = 2
} else if yetAnotherCondition {
      thePreselectedButton = 3
} else {
     thePreselectedButton = 0     // No preselection
}

- in prepare, you write

destVC.selectedButton = thePreselectedButton

- in destVC, you have define a var (selectedButton) to receive the value

var selectedButton = 0

- in destVC, in viewDidLoad, you use the value to set the hilite of the selectedButton, by calling hiliteButtons()

var selectedButtons = 0
    @IBOutlet var therapistGender: [UIButton]!
    @IBOutlet weak var therapistGenderFemale: UIButton!
    @IBOutlet weak var eitherGender: UIButton!
    @IBOutlet weak var therapistGenderMale: UIButton!

//MARK: Highlight Button Therapist Gender
    
    func hiliteButtons() {
        
        therapistGenderMale.backgroundColor = .white
        eitherGender.backgroundColor = .white
        therapistGenderFemale.backgroundColor = .white
        switch selectedButtons {
        case therapistGenderMale.tag :
            therapistGenderMale.backgroundColor = .lightGray
        case eitherGender.tag :
            eitherGender.backgroundColor = .lightGray
        case therapistGenderFemale.tag :
            therapistGenderFemale.backgroundColor = .lightGray
        default: break
        }
    }
    
    @IBAction func femaleTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("therapistGenderFemale.tag", therapistGenderFemale.tag)
    }
    
    @IBAction func eitherTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("eitherGender.tag", eitherGender.tag)
    }
    
    @IBAction func maleTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("therapistGenderMale.tag", therapistGenderMale.tag)
    }

Heres is my code I was able to get rid of the crash error. However, the when I press the button it doesn't stay highlighted.

How did you solve the crash ? Was it bad connections to IBOutlets ?

You say: when I press the button it doesn't stay highlighted.

do you mean such as therapistGenderFemale ?

What do you get printed ?

Nothing happens as you have not set selectedButtons nor calle hilite

Complement as follows

   @IBAction func femaleTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = therapistGenderFemale.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("therapistGenderFemale.tag", therapistGenderFemale.tag)
        hiliteButtons()
    }

Do the same for other IBActions.

Nota

Looks like you do not use therapistGender anywhere ?

It works the female and male work and highlights like they are supposed too, but when I tapped the either button it highlights the male button, it doesn't highlight the either button. Here is the code

//MARK: Highlight Button Therapist Gender
    
    func hiliteButtons() {
        
        therapistGenderMale.backgroundColor = .white
        eitherGender.backgroundColor = .white
        therapistGenderFemale.backgroundColor = .white
        switch selectedButtons {
        case therapistGenderMale.tag :
            therapistGenderMale.backgroundColor = .lightGray
        case eitherGender.tag :
            eitherGender.backgroundColor = .lightGray
        case therapistGenderFemale.tag :
            therapistGenderFemale.backgroundColor = .lightGray
        default: break
        }
    }
    
    @IBAction func femaleTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = therapistGenderFemale.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("therapistGenderFemale.tag", therapistGenderFemale.tag)
        hiliteButtons()
    }
    
    @IBAction func eitherTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = eitherGender.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("eitherGender.tag", eitherGender.tag)
        hiliteButtons()
    }
    
    @IBAction func maleTherapist(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = therapistGenderMale.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("therapistGenderMale.tag", therapistGenderMale.tag)
        hiliteButtons()
    }

Are you sure you have set different tags for all buttons ?

I would suspect you have given the same tag to eitherGender and to therapistGenderMale

No, I just checked the tags are set at 1, 2, and 3. In the box on the bottom of XCode, it reads this when I tap the either button.

selectedButtons 2

eitherGender.tag 2

selectedButtons 3

therapistGenderMale.tag 3

You have probably ill connected the eitherGender button.

Look at its connections (connection inspector): it is probably connected to 2 IBActions : eitherTherapist and maleTherapist

Delecte the second one.

Note : check also connections of other buttons, in case.

It works now thank you. I just have one more question I want it so that the either button is already preselected. Then if you decide to switch to the male or female button the highlight changes to that button how would I do that.

That's very easy

in prepare for segue, you write :

     thePreselectedButton = 2 // THis is the eitherGender.tag 
     destVC.selectedButton = thePreselectedButton

override func prepare(for segue: UIStoryboardSegue, sender: Any?) {
        eitherGender.tag = 2 
        destVC.selectedButton = eitherGender
    }
  

This is the code that I wrote, however, I don't think I did this right. I get an error saying unresolved identifier for destVC

I am still getting an error when I try to implement this code.

override func prepare(for segue: UIStoryboardSegue, sender: Any?) {  
        eitherGender.tag = 2   
        destVC.selectedButton = eitherGender  
    }

Also, where am I supposed to implement this code? This is the code I have for highlighting the buttons:

    func hiliteButtons1() {
        
        driverGenderMale.backgroundColor = .white
        eitherGender.backgroundColor = .white
        driverGenderFemale.backgroundColor = .white
        switch selectedButtons {
        case driverGenderMale.tag :
            driverGenderMale.backgroundColor = UIColor.customBlue
        case eitherGender.tag :
            eitherGender.backgroundColor = UIColor.customBlue
        case driverGenderFemale.tag :
            driverGenderFemale.backgroundColor = UIColor.customBlue
        default: break
        }
    }
    
    @IBAction func femaleDriver(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = driverGenderFemale.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("driverGenderFemale.tag", driverGenderFemale.tag)
        hiliteButtons1()
    }
    
    @IBAction func eitherDriver(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = eitherGender.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("eitherGender.tag", eitherGender.tag)
        hiliteButtons1()
    }
    
    @IBAction func maleDriver(_ sender: Any) {
        selectedButtons = driverGenderMale.tag
        print("selectedButtons", selectedButtons)
        print("driverGenderMale.tag", driverGenderMale.tag)
        hiliteButtons1()
    }