Recipe: Adding a Slider With a Custom Thumb

UISlider instances provide a control allowing users to choose a value by sliding a knob (called its “thumb”) between its left and right extent. You’ll have seen sliders in the iPod/Music application, where the class is used to control volume.

Slider values default to 0.0 for the minimum and 1.0 for the maximum, although you can easily customize this in the Interface Builder attributes inspector or by setting the minimumValue and maximumValue properties. If you want to stylize the ends of the control, you can add in a related pair of images (minimumValueImage and maximumValueImage) that reinforce those settings. For example, you might show a snowman on one end and a steaming cup of tea on the other for a slider that controls temperature settings. You can also set the color of the track before and after the thumb. Adjust the minimumTrackTintColor and maximumTrackTintColor properties.