Modal view with semi-transparent background

TomWhitson · March 2009

Hi all,

I want to pop up and animated modal view (with controller) over my current view. I have that working fine using a .xib file and some code like


	ModalViewController *popupController = [[ModalViewController alloc] initWithNibName:@\"ModalViewController\" bundle:nil];
	[self presentModalViewController:popupController animated:YES];

What I would like to do is for the modal view to have a semi-transparent background image so that the views underneath can still be seen. I have used a semi transparent image as a background but it doesn't work. Has any one experienced this? Or is there some standard code/way to do this.

Cheers,
Tom

toughturtle · March 2009

As far as I know it can't be done. Modals are solid and cover 320x480 only. Instead you can add a subview and animate with CAanimation.

mrbelk · March 2009

Why can't you simply set the alpha value of the background of the modal view to something less than 1?

I think another way is to use an opaque image and set the transparency of the whole view to something less than 1. The downside (and partial upside) to this is that any subviews on the modal view will take the same alpha value.

Maybe you could set the alpha of the modal view's background to zero, making the background completely transparent, then overlay a partially transparent image, then whatever UI elements you want? I think that might work.

-MrB

spstanley · May 2009

I have this same problem. Not sure how to get around the fact that the background just isn't transparent. I got an off-the-cuff answer from someone at Apple that maybe they're throwing up an opaque window, but my experiments with that theory went nowhere....

SteveY · July 2009

So we're stuck with solid backgrounds on view controllers that are presented modally? Setting the background of the View to alpha=0 has no effect ,nor does this, in the view controllers viewDidLoad:

self.view.backgroundColor = [UIColor clearColor];

krye · August 2009

I'm having the same problem. Can't find a solution.

I wanted to push a modal view onto the stack with semi-transparency and a clear background so that the text in my UIWeb view look like a heads up display. But no luck so far.

coder19 · August 2009

I don't think it's possible unless Apple updates the modalViewController class.

shomarim · October 2009

It is possible but I don't know how. I'm trying to figure out how to do this. The USAToday app does this with their survey. The modalview comes up, covers the tabbar and everything. The top bar is still visible through the modalview.

coder19 · October 2009

I haven't seen the App you are referencing, but is it possible that it's just a regular view that they're popping up and not necessarily invoking a modal view controller?

yoichi · February 2010

Apparently the reason is that the modal view removes (replaces) the previous view from the window. So, even if the modal view itself is semi-transparent, there is nothing to show underneath. That is the problem. Apparently this was proven.

So people are suggesting to make a "modal" view to be inserted as the top view, or draw the "modal" view on top of the current contents of the window.

Transparent Modal View on Navigation Controller - Stack Overflow

Talk Funnel Blog Archive Semi-Modal (Transparent) Dialogs on the iPhone

Either way, you don't use the presentModalViewController, but you do the view hierarchy management yourself. If you used a delegate protocol, you have to dispose of the delegate and the view controller instance yourself appropriately.

I have done similar things before and pondering which way is the best for me...

pufftissue · September 2010

yoichi;172262 said:
Apparently the reason is that the model view removes (replaces) the previous view from the window. So, even if the model view itself is semi-transparent, there is nothing to show underneath. That is the problem. Apparently this was proven.

So people are suggesting to make a "modal" view to be inserted as the top view, or draw the "modal" view on top of the current contents of the window.

Transparent Modal View on Navigation Controller - Stack Overflow

Talk Funnel Blog Archive Semi-Modal (Transparent) Dialogs on the iPhone

Either way, you don't use the presentModalViewController, but you do the view hierarchy management yourself. If you still used a delegate protocol, you have to dispose of the delegate and the view controller instance yourself appropriately.

I have done similar things before and pondering which way is the best for me...

7 months later, is there still no way to get transparency when presenting modal views? I mean, no easy built-in ways in the SDK?

ahmedr · January 2011

I know this is an old thread but I've come across some sample code that implements showing a semi-transparent view by using UIActionSheet with no buttons.

	

MyViewController *myVC = [[myViewController alloc] init];
	UIActionSheet *myActionSheet = [[UIActionSheet alloc] initWithTitle:@\"\n\n\" delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:@\"cancel\" destructiveButtonTitle:@\"done\" otherButtonTitles:nil];
	[myActionSheet addSubview:myVC.view];
	[myActionSheet showInView:currentView];
	[myActionSheet release];

you must have a handle (currentView) of the view you and to add the semi-transparent view to.

2five7 · August 2011

TomWhitson;65294 said:
Hi all,

I want to pop up and animated modal view (with controller) over my current view. I have that working fine using a .xib file and some code like
	ModalViewController *popupController = [[ModalViewController alloc] initWithNibName:@\"ModalViewController\" bundle:nil];
	[self presentModalViewController:popupController animated:YES];
What I would like to do is for the modal view to have a semi-transparent background image so that the views underneath can still be seen. I have used a semi transparent image as a background but it doesn't work. Has any one experienced this? Or is there some standard code/way to do this.

Cheers,
Tom

Hi, You can check this link
reednj - iOS: Semi-modal date picker for iPhone
There is a beautiful example given about modalviewcontrollers with semi transparent background. Hope this serves your purpose.:D:D:D

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