How to use BusyNavigationBar in a SwiftUI app?

Since BusyNavigationBar is built for UIKit, you need to wrap it in a UIViewControllerRepresentable to integrate it into SwiftUI views, which adds complexity compared to native SwiftUI solutions. This involves creating a bridge that manages the UINavigationBar instance.

BusyNavigationBar vs UIActivityIndicatorView: which should I choose?

BusyNavigationBar is better for integrated, stylish loading animations within the navigation bar with custom visuals, while UIActivityIndicatorView is a standard, accessible component suitable for general loading indicators across the UI with better out-of-the-box iOS consistency.

How to create a custom animation layer for BusyNavigationBar?

Set the animationType to .CustomLayer and provide a closure that returns a CALayer with your custom animation, as shown in the README code snippet. You'll need to design the layer's properties and animations using Core Animation frameworks.

Does BusyNavigationBar support iOS dark mode?

Yes, but not automatically; you can configure the color property using dynamic UIColor (e.g., UIColor.systemGray) to adapt to dark mode. However, you must handle trait collection changes manually since the library doesn't provide built-in dark mode adjustments.

How to stop the animation after a network request finishes?

Call the stop() method on the navigation bar instance in the completion handler of your network request. For example, use URLSession or Alamofire completion blocks to ensure the animation stops when data is fetched or an error occurs.

Can I use BusyNavigationBar with multiple navigation controllers in an app?

Yes, you can apply it to any UINavigationBar instance by calling start() and stop() on each navigation controller's navigation bar. However, you need to manage the animation state separately to avoid conflicts or unintended overlaps across different screens.

Open-Awesome

BusyNavigationBar

MITSwift

A UINavigationBar extension for iOS that displays animated loading effects above the navigation bar's background.

GitHub

984 stars55 forks0 contributors

What is BusyNavigationBar?

BusyNavigationBar is a Swift library that extends iOS's UINavigationBar to display animated loading effects above the navigation bar background. It solves the problem of providing subtle, integrated activity indicators during network operations or background processing, improving user feedback without disrupting the app's layout.

Target Audience

iOS developers building apps that require visual loading indicators within the navigation bar, particularly those seeking Periscope-like animation effects or custom progress visuals.

Value Proposition

Developers choose BusyNavigationBar for its simple integration, multiple pre-built animation styles, and support for custom CALayer animations, allowing for polished, app-specific loading indicators that enhance user experience.

Overview

A UINavigationBar extension to show loading effects

Use Cases

Best For

Adding Periscope-style sliding stripe animations to iOS apps
Displaying loading indicators during network requests in navigation bars
Creating custom progress animations with CALayer in UINavigationBar
Implementing wave-like bar animations for background tasks
Enhancing UI feedback without adding separate loading views
Building apps that require subtle, integrated activity indicators

Not Ideal For

SwiftUI-based applications without UIKit integration, as it relies exclusively on UINavigationBar.
Projects requiring detailed progress feedback or percentage-based loading indicators, since it only provides visual animations without progress tracking.
Teams that minimize third-party dependencies and prefer using native iOS components like UIActivityIndicatorView for consistency and maintenance.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Simple API

Offers easy-to-use start() and stop() methods, making it straightforward to add and remove animations from any UINavigationBar with minimal code.

Highly Customizable

Provides configurable options for color, alpha, bar width, gap width, and animation speed, allowing developers to fine-tune the visual effects to match app design.

Custom Layer Support

Enables injection of custom CALayer objects for unique animations, as demonstrated in the README with the bird GIF example, offering flexibility beyond pre-built styles.

Lightweight Integration

Focused solely on extending UINavigationBar for loading effects, keeping the library minimal and purpose-driven without unnecessary bloat.

Cons

UIKit-Only

Does not support SwiftUI natively, requiring additional bridging code for modern iOS apps that use SwiftUI exclusively, which complicates integration.

No Progress Indicators

The animations are purely visual without any API to reflect actual task progress or completion percentages, limiting usefulness for long-running operations.

Limited Documentation

The README lacks advanced examples, troubleshooting guides, or comprehensive API references, which could hinder complex implementations or debugging.

Frequently Asked Questions

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