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UITableView example for Swift

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Introduction

UITableView is the most commonly used component in iOS for displaying scrollable lists of data. It requires a data source (providing cells and section info) and optionally a delegate (handling selection and layout). This article shows a complete, working example of a UITableView in Swift — from basic setup through custom cells, sections, swipe actions, and the modern diffable data source API.

Basic UITableView Setup

swift
1import UIKit
2
3class FruitListViewController: UIViewController, UITableViewDataSource, UITableViewDelegate {
4
5    let tableView = UITableView()
6    let fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry", "Date", "Elderberry"]
7
8    override func viewDidLoad() {
9        super.viewDidLoad()
10        title = "Fruits"
11
12        tableView.dataSource = self
13        tableView.delegate = self
14        tableView.register(UITableViewCell.self, forCellReuseIdentifier: "cell")
15        tableView.frame = view.bounds
16        tableView.autoresizingMask = [.flexibleWidth, .flexibleHeight]
17        view.addSubview(tableView)
18    }
19
20    // MARK: - UITableViewDataSource
21
22    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
23        return fruits.count
24    }
25
26    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
27        let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell", for: indexPath)
28        cell.textLabel?.text = fruits[indexPath.row]
29        cell.accessoryType = .disclosureIndicator
30        return cell
31    }
32
33    // MARK: - UITableViewDelegate
34
35    func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, didSelectRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) {
36        tableView.deselectRow(at: indexPath, animated: true)
37        print("Selected: \(fruits[indexPath.row])")
38    }
39}

This is the minimum setup: register a cell, implement two data source methods, and handle selection.

Custom UITableViewCell

swift
1class FruitCell: UITableViewCell {
2    static let reuseIdentifier = "FruitCell"
3
4    let fruitImageView = UIImageView()
5    let nameLabel = UILabel()
6    let detailLabel = UILabel()
7
8    override init(style: UITableViewCell.CellStyle, reuseIdentifier: String?) {
9        super.init(style: style, reuseIdentifier: reuseIdentifier)
10        setupUI()
11    }
12
13    required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
14        fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented")
15    }
16
17    private func setupUI() {
18        fruitImageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
19        fruitImageView.contentMode = .scaleAspectFill
20        fruitImageView.layer.cornerRadius = 20
21        fruitImageView.clipsToBounds = true
22
23        nameLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
24        nameLabel.font = .systemFont(ofSize: 17, weight: .semibold)
25
26        detailLabel.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
27        detailLabel.font = .systemFont(ofSize: 14)
28        detailLabel.textColor = .secondaryLabel
29
30        contentView.addSubview(fruitImageView)
31        contentView.addSubview(nameLabel)
32        contentView.addSubview(detailLabel)
33
34        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
35            fruitImageView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: contentView.leadingAnchor, constant: 16),
36            fruitImageView.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: contentView.centerYAnchor),
37            fruitImageView.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 40),
38            fruitImageView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 40),
39
40            nameLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: fruitImageView.trailingAnchor, constant: 12),
41            nameLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: contentView.topAnchor, constant: 8),
42            nameLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: contentView.trailingAnchor, constant: -16),
43
44            detailLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: nameLabel.leadingAnchor),
45            detailLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: nameLabel.bottomAnchor, constant: 2),
46            detailLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: nameLabel.trailingAnchor),
47            detailLabel.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: contentView.bottomAnchor, constant: -8),
48        ])
49    }
50
51    func configure(name: String, detail: String) {
52        nameLabel.text = name
53        detailLabel.text = detail
54        fruitImageView.image = UIImage(systemName: "leaf.fill")
55    }
56}

Register and use in the view controller:

swift
1tableView.register(FruitCell.self, forCellReuseIdentifier: FruitCell.reuseIdentifier)
2
3func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
4    let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: FruitCell.reuseIdentifier, for: indexPath) as! FruitCell
5    cell.configure(name: fruits[indexPath.row], detail: "Fresh fruit")
6    return cell
7}

Sections

swift
1let sections = ["Fruits", "Vegetables"]
2let data = [
3    ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"],
4    ["Carrot", "Broccoli", "Spinach"]
5]
6
7func numberOfSections(in tableView: UITableView) -> Int {
8    return sections.count
9}
10
11func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, titleForHeaderInSection section: Int) -> String? {
12    return sections[section]
13}
14
15func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
16    return data[section].count
17}
18
19func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
20    let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell", for: indexPath)
21    cell.textLabel?.text = data[indexPath.section][indexPath.row]
22    return cell
23}

Swipe Actions

swift
1func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView,
2               trailingSwipeActionsConfigurationForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UISwipeActionsConfiguration? {
3    let delete = UIContextualAction(style: .destructive, title: "Delete") { _, _, completion in
4        self.fruits.remove(at: indexPath.row)
5        tableView.deleteRows(at: [indexPath], with: .automatic)
6        completion(true)
7    }
8
9    let edit = UIContextualAction(style: .normal, title: "Edit") { _, _, completion in
10        print("Edit \(self.fruits[indexPath.row])")
11        completion(true)
12    }
13    edit.backgroundColor = .systemBlue
14
15    return UISwipeActionsConfiguration(actions: [delete, edit])
16}

Pull to Refresh

swift
1override func viewDidLoad() {
2    super.viewDidLoad()
3
4    let refreshControl = UIRefreshControl()
5    refreshControl.addTarget(self, action: #selector(refresh), for: .valueChanged)
6    tableView.refreshControl = refreshControl
7}
8
9@objc func refresh() {
10    // Reload data from server...
11    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 1) {
12        self.tableView.refreshControl?.endRefreshing()
13        self.tableView.reloadData()
14    }
15}

Common Pitfalls

  • Forgetting to register the cell: Calling dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier:for:) without registering the cell class or nib first causes a crash. Always call tableView.register(CellClass.self, forCellReuseIdentifier:) in viewDidLoad.
  • Adding subviews to cell instead of cell.contentView: UI elements must be added to contentView, not the cell directly. Adding to the cell causes layout issues with editing mode, swipe actions, and accessory views.
  • Not calling dequeueReusableCell: Creating a new cell every time instead of dequeuing wastes memory and causes scroll performance issues. Always dequeue and configure the returned cell.
  • Forgetting reloadData after data changes: Modifying the data array without calling tableView.reloadData() (or insertRows/deleteRows) leaves the table view out of sync, causing crashes on scroll.
  • Cell reuse not resetting state: Dequeued cells retain state from their previous use. If a cell has an image and the new data has no image, the old image persists. Always reset all UI elements in cellForRowAt or override prepareForReuse().

Summary

  • Implement UITableViewDataSource for numberOfRowsInSection and cellForRowAt (minimum required)
  • Implement UITableViewDelegate for didSelectRowAt and layout customization
  • Always register cell classes before dequeuing — use tableView.register()
  • Create custom UITableViewCell subclasses for complex layouts with Auto Layout
  • Add subviews to contentView, not the cell directly
  • Use swipe actions, pull-to-refresh, and sections to build feature-rich table views
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