Can't store data to a var (property) of a class - xcode

Question

I know, my title is confusing, but my problem is confusing for me, too. :-(
In the class ReadMoreTextView I've a var of the type NSAttributedString that I can fill but when I read it, it is nil!?
Ok, I've to declare this and that with my terrible English ;-)
I want to use a IMHO very nice solution "ReadMoreTextView" of Ilya Puchka to "compress" a large UITextView:
I want to use an NSAttributedString, because I want to "highlight" the "Read more" with a red or blue color.
For that I use this init:
import UIKit
class ViewController: UIViewController {
#IBOutlet var textView: ReadMoreTextView!
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
// Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
let text = "und ein neuer text Lorem ipsum dolor..."
let attributedString = NSAttributedString(string:text as String)
// 1) 2) 3)
textView = ReadMoreTextView(maximumNumberOfLines: 3, attributedTrimText: attributedString, shouldTrim: true)
...
}
There
are the Number of the leading lines in the "compressed" view,
is the NSAttributedString and
is a Flag, if the Text should be trimmed
And here is the class:
class ReadMoreTextView: UITextView {
override init(frame: CGRect, textContainer: NSTextContainer?) {
super.init(frame: frame, textContainer: textContainer)
scrollEnabled = false
editable = false
}
convenience init(maximumNumberOfLines: Int, attributedTrimText: NSAttributedString?, shouldTrim: Bool) {
self.init()
self.maximumNumberOfLines = maximumNumberOfLines // 1)
self.attributedTrimText = attributedTrimText // 2)
println(attributedTrimText) // of course displays the attributedTrimText
self.shouldTrim = shouldTrim // 3)
}
#IBInspectable
var maximumNumberOfLines: Int = 0 {
didSet { setNeedsLayout() }
}
var attributedTrimText: NSAttributedString? {
didSet { setNeedsLayout() }
}
#IBInspectable
var shouldTrim: Bool = false {
didSet { setNeedsLayout() }
}
Then I make a "po attributedTrimText" at a breakpoint at shouldTrim (last called), the result is nil?!
So because of the nil in attributedTrimText, the textView is empty when it will be displayed! :-(
I can't find the reason...

Answer 1

If you've set the class of the textView in the Storyboard to ReadMoreTextView, then the Storyboard instantiates the ReadMoreTextView class for you and assigns it to the textView IBOutlet.
On this line of code:
textView = ReadMoreTextView(maximumNumberOfLines: 3, attributedTrimText: attributedString, shouldTrim: true)
you are creating a new ReadMoreTextView and overwriting your outlet pointer textView pointing to this new ReadMoreTextView. Unfortunately, now you are not interacting with the ReadMoreTextView that is on screen.
You shouldn't overwrite an IBOutlet variable. You should just use it to read/write the properties of the IBOutlet variable.
textView.maximumNumberOfLines = 3
textView.attributedTrimText = attributedString
textView.shouldTrim = true