How to Clear UITextView Text in a SwiftUI Chat App

Learn how to properly reset the text in your custom `UITextView` after sending a message in a SwiftUI chat application. This guide will help you implement the solution effectively.
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Clearing Text in Custom UITextView in a SwiftUI Chat App

Building a chat application in iOS can be quite challenging, especially when you mix SwiftUI with UIKit. One common requirement is to clear the text field after sending a message. If you are facing a problem where the message field doesn't reset properly after sending a message, you’re not alone. In this guide, we’ll explore how to effectively clear the text in your custom UITextView when the send button is clicked.

The Problem

In a recent guide, I created a chat room interface that allowed users to send messages. However, I encountered an issue where the text message was being reset internally, but it wasn't reflecting in the MessageField, a custom UITextView. The problem lies in how the UI updates and tracks the editing state between UIKit and SwiftUI.

Solution Overview

After spending some time debugging and trying various approaches, a simple solution emerged. The key is to utilize an isEditing boolean to track the text view's status. By doing so, we can manage UI updates more effectively within the updateUIView method rather than directly updating it in the delegate methods.

Let’s break this down step-by-step to implement the solution.

Changes in Code

We will introduce the isEditing boolean to efficiently handle the text view updates.

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You shouldn’t need to change much here, just ensure that the send button resets the text variable correctly.

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Conclusion

By simply tracking the editing state of your UITextView with the isEditing boolean, you've optimized the process of clearing the text field after sending a message. This straightforward approach minimizes complexity and enhances the user experience in your chat application.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for further enhancements, feel free to leave a comment. Happy coding!