Swift Filter array containing array of Strings

Question

I want to filter an array which contains an array of Strings.

My code is:

if(!(searchString?.isEmpty)!) {
    shouldShowSearchResults = true

    // Filter the data array and get only those countries that match the search text.
    filteredPlazaDictionary = plazaDictionary.filter({ (match) -> Bool in
        let matchText: NSString = match[1] as NSString
        return (matchText.range(of: searchString!, options: NSString.CompareOptions.caseInsensitive).location) != NSNotFound
    })
}

Here, filteredPlazaDictionary[[String]] and plazaDictionary[[String]] and I want to match every array[1] inside plazaDictionary with searchString. Help please.

What does (!(searchString?.isEmpty)!) do? It seems far too complicated. — Fogmeister
– Fogmeister, Commented Dec 23, 2016 at 14:30
OK, so what is going wrong with your code? What IS happening that you think is not right? — Fogmeister
– Fogmeister, Commented Dec 23, 2016 at 14:31
@thewarri0r9, and crashes everything if searchString happens to be nil — user28434'mstep
– user28434'mstep, Commented Dec 23, 2016 at 14:31
(foo?.bar)! is nonsense, to check for non-nil and non-empty use if let query = searchString, !query.isEmpty { ... (no parentheses at all). — vadian
– vadian, Commented Dec 23, 2016 at 14:35
If plazaDictionary is a [[String]], then why is it called plazaDictionary? It's an array, not a dictionary. — Hamish
– Hamish, Commented Dec 23, 2016 at 14:36

Fogmeister · Accepted Answer · 2016-12-23 15:14:21Z

3

I would write this something like this I think...

// make it a function that takes everything it needs and returns a result array
func filteredCountryArray(countryArray: [[String]], searchString: String) -> [[String]] {
    guard !searchString.isEmpty else {
        // search string is blank so return entire array...
        return countryArray
    }

    // Filter the data array and get only those countries that match the search text.
    return countryArray.filter { match in
        // check array is long enough to get [1] out of it
        guard match.count >= 2 else {
            return false
        }

        let matchText = match[1]
        return matchText.range(of: searchString, options: .caseInsensitive) != nil
    }
}

plazaDictionary is a very odd name to give to an array. It is an array, not a dictionary.

What you should probably do here is create some data objects (structs, classes, enums, etc...) that hold the data in a better format than a nested array.

This should do what you want for now though.

EDIT

Having another think about it, I would also change the serachString and the array into input parameters...

edited Dec 23, 2016 at 15:14

answered Dec 23, 2016 at 14:36

Fogmeister

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6 Comments

NotABot Over a year ago

Somthings strange is happening. I used your code :

filteredPlazaDictionary = self.filteredCountryArray(countryArray: plazaDictionary, searchString: searchString!)        self.tollBothPlazaTableView.reloadData()

I am calling your function like this But when searchString isn't empty cellForRowAt indexPath doesn't get a called. In short tableView does not reload.

Fogmeister Over a year ago

Cell for row is a completely unrelated function. Is the array being filtered properly?

NotABot Over a year ago

Yes it is but if TableView is not reloading then its not helping.

Fogmeister Over a year ago

@thewarri0r9 are you telling the table view to reload?

Fogmeister Over a year ago

@thewarri0r9 look at your question. Nothing in there mentions anything about table view. This is a question about filtering an array. If you are having trouble elsewhere is nothing to do with this function.

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