Detect backspace Event in UITextField

I am searching for solutions on how to capture a backspace event, most Stack Overflow answers are in Objective-C but I need on Swift language.

First I have set delegate for the UITextField and set it to self

self.textField.delegate = self;

Then I know to use shouldChangeCharactersInRange delegate method to detect if a backspace was pressed is all code are in Objective-C. I need in Swift these following method as below is used.

-(BOOL)textField:(UITextField *)textField shouldChangeCharactersInRange:(NSRange)range replacementString:(NSString *)string {
    const char * _char = [string cStringUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
    int isBackSpace = strcmp(_char, "\b");

    if (isBackSpace == -8) {
        // NSLog(@"Backspace was pressed");
    }

    return YES;
}

Swift 4.2

func textField(textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersInRange range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
    if let char = string.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8) {
	    let isBackSpace = strcmp(char, "\\b")
	    if (isBackSpace == -92) {
		    print("Backspace was pressed")
	    }
    }
    return true
}

Older Swift version

func textField(textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersInRange range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
    let  char = string.cStringUsingEncoding(NSUTF8StringEncoding)!
    let isBackSpace = strcmp(char, "\\b")
    
    if (isBackSpace == -92) {
        println("Backspace was pressed")
    }
    return true
}

I prefer subclassing UITextField and overriding deleteBackward() because that is much more reliable than the hack of using shouldChangeCharactersInRange:

class MyTextField: UITextField {
    override public func deleteBackward() {
	    if text == "" {
             // do something when backspace is tapped/entered in an empty text field
		}
        // do something for every backspace
	    super.deleteBackward()
    }
}

The shouldChangeCharactersInRange hack combined with an invisible character that is placed in the text field has several disadvantages:

• with a keyboard attached, one can place the cursor before the invisible character and the backspace isn't detected anymore,
• the user can even select that invisible character (using Shift Arrow on a keyboard or even by tapping on the caret) and will be confused about that weird character,
• the autocomplete bar offers weird choices as long as there's only this invisible character,
• Asian language keyboards that have candidate options based on the text field's text will be confused,
• the placeholder isn't shown anymore,
• the clear button is displayed even when it shouldn't for clearButtonMode = .whileEditing.

Of course, overriding deleteBackward() is a bit inconvenient due to the need of subclassing. But the better UX makes it worth the effort!

And if subclassing is a no-go, e.g. when using UISearchBar with its embedded UITextField, method swizzling should be fine, too.

Swift 5.3

In some version its changed and now it says:

> When the user deletes one or more characters, the replacement string > is empty.

So answer for this:

func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
  if string.isEmpty {
    // do something
  }
  return true
}

If you want to detect that some characters will be deleted

func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
  if range.length > 0 {
    // We convert string to NSString instead of NSRange to Range<Int>
    // because NSRange and NSString not counts emoji as one character
    let replacedCharacters = (string as NSString).substring(with: range)
  }
  return true
}

If you want detect backspaces even on empty textField

class TextField: UITextField {
  var backspaceCalled: (()->())?
  override func deleteBackward() {
    super.deleteBackward()
    backspaceCalled?()
  }
}

Old answer

Please don't trash your code. Just put this extension somewhere in your code.

extension String {
  var isBackspace: Bool {
    let char = self.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
    return strcmp(char, "\\b") == -92
  }
}

And then just use it in your functions

func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
  if string.isBackspace {
    // do something
  }
  return true
}

In Swift 3

func textField(textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersInRange range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
    let  char = string.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
    let isBackSpace = strcmp(char, "\\b")
            
    if (isBackSpace == -92) {
         print("Backspace was pressed")
    }
    return true
}

:)

Try this

public func textField(textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersInRange range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {

if(string == "") {
        
        print("Backspace pressed");
        return true;
    }
}

Note: You can return "true" if you want to allow backspace. Else you can return "false".

If u need detect backspace even in empty textField (for example in case if u need auto switch back to prev textField on backSpace pressing), u can use combination of proposed methods - add invisible sign and use standard delegate method textField:shouldChangeCharactersInRange:replacementString: like follow

1. Create invisible sign

    private struct Constants {
        static let InvisibleSign = "\u{200B}"
    }
   

2. Set delegate for textField

    textField.delegate = self
   

3. On event EditingChanged check text and if needed add invisible symbol like follow:

    @IBAction func didChangeEditingInTextField(sender: UITextField) {
        if var text = sender.text {
            if text.characters.count == 1 && text != Constants.InvisibleSign {
                text = Constants.InvisibleSign.stringByAppendingString(text)
                sender.text = text
            }
        }
    }
   

4. Add implementation of delegate method textField:shouldChangeCharactersInRange:replacementString:

    extension UIViewController : UITextFieldDelegate {
        // MARK: - UITextFieldDelegate
        func textField(textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersInRange range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
    
            let  char = string.cStringUsingEncoding(NSUTF8StringEncoding)!
            let isBackSpace = strcmp(char, "\\b")
    
            if (isBackSpace == -92) {
                if var string = textField.text {
                    string = string.stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString(Constants.InvisibleSign, withString: "")
                    if string.characters.count == 1 {
                        //last visible character, if needed u can skip replacement and detect once even in empty text field
                        //for example u can switch to prev textField 
                        //do stuff here                            
                    }
                }
            }
            return true
        }
    }
   

I implemented this feature:

And in the case where the last textFiled is empty, I just want to switch to the previous textFiled. I tried all of the answers above, but no one works fine in my situation. For some reason, if I add more logic than print in isBackSpace == -92 parentheses block this method just stopped work...

As for me the method below more elegant and works like a charm:

Swift

class YourTextField: UITextField {

    // MARK: Life cycle

    override func awakeFromNib() {
        super.awakeFromNib()
    }

    // MARK: Methods

    override func deleteBackward() {
        super.deleteBackward()
        
        print("deleteBackward")
    }

}

Thanks @LombaX for the answer

Swift 4

func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {

            let  char = string.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
            let isBackSpace = strcmp(char, "\\b")

            if isBackSpace == -92 {
                print("Backspace was pressed")
                return false
            }
}

Swift 4

I find the comparison using strcmp irrelevant. We don't even know how strcmp is operating behind the hoods.In all the other answers when comparing current char and \b results are -8 in objective-C and -92 in Swift. I wrote this answer because the above solutions did not work for me. ( Xcode Version 9.3 (9E145) using Swift 4.1 )

FYI : Every character that you actually type is an array of 1 or more elements in utf8 Encoding. backSpace Character is [0]. You can try this out.

PS : Don't forget to assign the proper delegates to your textFields.

public func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {

    let  char = string.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
    if (char.elementsEqual([0])) {
        print("Backspace was pressed")
    }
    else {
        print("WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY ?\n")
        print(char)
    }
    return true
}

Swift 4

func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {

    //MARK:- If Delete button click
    let  char = string.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8)!
    let isBackSpace = strcmp(char, "\\b")

    if (isBackSpace == -92) {
        print("Backspace was pressed")

        return true
    }
}

Swift 4: If the user presses the backspace button, string is empty so this approach forces textField to only accept characters from a specified character set (in this case utf8 characters) and backspaces (string.isEmpty case).

func textField(_ textField: UITextField, shouldChangeCharactersIn range: NSRange, replacementString string: String) -> Bool {
    if string.cString(using: String.Encoding.utf8) != nil {
        return true
    } else if string.isEmpty {
        return true
    } else {
        return false
    }
}

Swift 5: Per the text view delegate documentation, if the replacement text returned by the shouldChangeTextIn method is empty, the user pressed the backspace button. If the range upper bound is greater than the range lower bound (or range count is 1 or more), text should be deleted. If the range upper and lower bounds are the same (or both equal 0), then there is no text to delete (a range of length 0 to be replaced by nothing). I tested, and this will get called even on an empty textfield.

func textView(_ textView: UITextView, shouldChangeTextIn range: NSRange, replacementText text: String) -> Bool {
    
    guard text.isEmpty else { return true } // No backspace pressed
    if (range.upperBound > range.lowerBound) {
        print("Backspace pressed")
    } else if (range.upperBound == range.lowerBound) {
        print("Backspace pressed but no text to delete")
        if (textView.text.isEmpty) || (textView.text == nil) {
            print("Text view is empty")
        }
    }
    return true
}