Create a button programmatically and set a background image

When I try creating a button and setting a background image in Swift:

let button   = UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.System) as UIButton
    button.frame = CGRectMake(100, 100, 100, 100)
    button.setImage(IMAGE, forState: UIControlState.Normal)
    button.addTarget(self, action: "btnTouched:", forControlEvents: UIControlEvents.TouchUpInside)
    
    self.view.addSubview(button)

I always get an error: "Cannot convert the expression's type 'Void' to type 'UIImage'".

Your code should look like below

let image = UIImage(named: "name") as UIImage?
let button   = UIButton(type: UIButtonType.Custom) as UIButton
button.frame = CGRectMake(100, 100, 100, 100)
button.setImage(image, forState: .Normal)
button.addTarget(self, action: "btnTouched:", forControlEvents:.TouchUpInside)
self.view.addSubview(button)

Try below:

let image = UIImage(named: "ImageName.png") as UIImage
var button   = UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.System) as UIButton
button.frame = CGRectMake(100, 100, 100, 100)
button .setBackgroundImage(image, forState: UIControlState.Normal)
button.addTarget(self, action: "Action:", forControlEvents:UIControlEvents.TouchUpInside)
menuView.addSubview(button)

Let me know whether if it works or not?

Swift 5 version of accepted answer:

let image = UIImage(named: "image_name")
let button = UIButton(type: UIButton.ButtonType.custom)
button.frame = CGRect(x: 100, y: 100, width: 200, height: 100)
button.setImage(image, for: .normal)
button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(function), for: .touchUpInside)
    
//button.backgroundColor = .lightGray
self.view.addSubview(button)

where of course

@objc func function() {...}

The image is aligned to center by default. You can change this by setting button's imageEdgeInsets, like this:

// In this case image is 40 wide and aligned to the left
button.imageEdgeInsets = UIEdgeInsets(top: 5, left: 5, bottom: 5, right: button.frame.width - 45)

SWIFT 3 Version of Alex Reynolds' Answer

let image = UIImage(named: "name") as UIImage?
let button = UIButton(type: UIButtonType.custom) as UIButton
button.frame = CGRect(x: 100, y: 100, width: 100, height: 100)
button.setImage(image, for: .normal)
button.addTarget(self, action: Selector("btnTouched:"), for:.touchUpInside)
        self.view.addSubview(button)

You need check for image is not nil before assign it to button.

Example:

let button   = UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.System) as UIButton
button.frame = CGRectMake(100, 100, 100, 100)
if let image  = UIImage(named: "imagename.png") {
    button.setImage(image, forState: .Normal)
}

button.addTarget(self, action: "btnTouched:", forControlEvents:.TouchUpInside)
self.view.addSubview(button)

> Create Button and add image as its background swift 4

     let img = UIImage(named: "imgname")
     let myButton = UIButton(type: UIButtonType.custom)
     myButton.frame = CGRect.init(x: 10, y: 10, width: 100, height: 45)
     myButton.setImage(img, for: .normal)
     myButton.addTarget(self, action: #selector(self.buttonClicked(_:)), for: UIControlEvents.touchUpInside)
     self.view.addSubview(myButton)

let btnRight=UIButton.buttonWithType(UIButtonType.Custom) as UIButton
btnRight.frame=CGRectMake(0, 0, 35, 35)
btnRight.setBackgroundImage(UIImage(named: "menu.png"), forState: UIControlState.Normal)
btnRight.setTitle("Right", forState: UIControlState.Normal)
btnRight.tintColor=UIColor.blackColor()

This is how you can create a beautiful button with a bezel and rounded edges:

loginButton = UIButton(frame: CGRectMake(self.view.bounds.origin.x + (self.view.bounds.width * 0.325), self.view.bounds.origin.y + (self.view.bounds.height * 0.8), self.view.bounds.origin.x + (self.view.bounds.width * 0.35), self.view.bounds.origin.y + (self.view.bounds.height * 0.05)))
loginButton.layer.cornerRadius = 18.0
loginButton.layer.borderWidth = 2.0
loginButton.backgroundColor = UIColor.whiteColor()
loginButton.layer.borderColor = UIColor.whiteColor().CGColor
loginButton.setTitle("Login", forState: UIControlState.Normal)
loginButton.setTitleColor(UIColor(red: 24.0/100, green: 116.0/255, blue: 205.0/205, alpha: 1.0), forState: UIControlState.Normal)

To set background we can no longer use forState, so we have to use for to set the UIControlState:

let zoomInImage = UIImage(named: "Icon - plus") as UIImage?
let zoomInButton = UIButton(frame: CGRect(x: 10), y: 10, width: 45, height: 45))
zoomInButton.setBackgroundImage(zoomInImage, for: UIControlState.normal)
zoomInButton.addTarget(self, action: #selector(self.mapZoomInAction), for: .touchUpInside)
self.view.addSubview(zoomInButton)

Update to Swift 3

let image = UIImage(named: "name")
let button = UIButton(type: .custom)
button.frame = CGRect(x: 100, y: 100, width: 100, height: 100)
button.setImage(image, for: .normal)
button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(self.btnAbsRetClicked(_:)), for:.touchUpInside)
self.view.addSubview(button)

Swift: Ui Button create programmatically

let myButton = UIButton()

myButton.titleLabel!.frame = CGRectMake(15, 54, 300, 500)

myButton.titleLabel!.text = "Button Label"

myButton.titleLabel!.textColor = UIColor.redColor()

myButton.titleLabel!.textAlignment = .Center

myButton.addTarget(self,action:"Action:",forControlEvents:UIControlEvent.TouchUpInside)

self.view.addSubview(myButton)