UITextView

UITextView is a UIKit component that provides a scrollable, multiline text region for displaying and editing text. It supports both plain and attributed strings, making it suitable for note-taking, chat interfaces, or any UI that requires user input. It is a subclass of UIScrollView and implements the UITextInput protocol, enabling rich text editing features and a responsive scrolling experience.

Text rendering and editing: UITextView can display NSAttributedString, allowing per-character attributes such as font, color, and kerning. It supports text selection, copy and paste, and user-driven editing. Data detectors can be enabled to recognize links, phone numbers, addresses, and dates, opening in appropriate apps or browsers.

Interaction and configuration: A delegate conforming to UITextViewDelegate receives events such as text changes and editing state changes. Common properties control behavior, including text, attributedText, font, textColor, textAlignment, isEditable, isSelectable, dataDetectorTypes, keyboardType, returnKeyType, and isScrollEnabled. The text container’s insets and padding can be adjusted via textContainerInset and textContainer.padding for layout.

Layout and accessibility: UITextView works with Auto Layout and can grow in height when not constrained by a fixed frame, though dynamic sizing may require measuring with sizeThatFits. It provides standard accessibility support via VoiceOver and accessibilityTraits, enabling better navigation for users with visual impairments.

Limitations and usage notes: While powerful for rich text, UITextView does not replace a full rich-text editor. Complex inline layouts or custom editing features may require additional frameworks or custom views. Basic use cases involve configuring the view, setting its delegate, and updating its text or attributedText in response to user input.