Core Graphics rounded rectangle with gradient background on the iPhone, NSTokenField/NSTokenFieldCell style. Kind of like in Mail.app.

README.markdown

Rounded rectangle with gradient background on the iPhone, NSTokenFieldCell style.

Unlike my previous implementation, this one is drawn inside a single view using Core Graphics. It can thus be used for optimized, fast-scrolling cells per Apple's TableViewSuite sample.

The gradient shades are changed from that implementation, too, and the border itself is gradiented (by drawing a smaller rectangle inside a larger one that becomes the border).

You need to include the uicolor-utilities category by Ars Technica.

ViewContainingToken.h

// ViewContainingToken.h
// By Henrik Nyh <http://henrik.nyh.se> 2010-04-01 under the MIT license.
// http://gist.github.com/352307

#import <UIKit/UIKit.h>

@interface ViewContainingToken : UIView {
}

@end

ViewContainingToken.m

#import "ViewContainingToken.h"
// Include this: http://github.com/ars/uicolor-utilities/
#import "UIColor-Expanded.h"

@interface ViewContainingToken (Private)
- (void)drawTokenInRect:(CGRect)rect color:(UIColor *)color text:(NSString *)text;
@end


@implementation ViewContainingToken

- (id)initWithFrame:(CGRect)frame {
  if ((self = [super initWithFrame:frame])) {
    self.opaque = YES;
    self.backgroundColor = [UIColor whiteColor];
  }
  return self;
}


#pragma mark -

- (void)drawRect:(CGRect)rect {
  [self drawTokenInRect:CGRectMake(7, 12, 62, 22) color:[UIColor purpleColor] text:@"Hello!"];
}


#pragma mark -

void AKCGGradientRoundedRectCreate(CGContextRef context, CGRect rect, 
                                   CGColorSpaceRef colorspace, CGColorRef firstColor, CGColorRef lastColor);

- (void)drawTokenInRect:(CGRect)rect color:(UIColor *)color text:(NSString *)text {
  
  // Rounded rectangle

  UIColor *bottomColor = color;
  UIColor *topColor = [bottomColor colorByMultiplyingBy:1.07];
  UIColor *borderTopColor = [bottomColor colorByMultiplyingBy:0.95];
  UIColor *borderBottomColor = [bottomColor colorByMultiplyingBy:0.85];
  
  // We draw a lighter gradient rectangle inside a darker gradient rectangle to get a gradient border.
  CGRect outerRect = rect;
  CGRect innerRect = CGRectInset(outerRect, 1, 1);
  
  CGContextRef context = UIGraphicsGetCurrentContext();
  CGColorSpaceRef colorspace = CGColorSpaceCreateDeviceRGB();
  
  AKCGGradientRoundedRectCreate(context, outerRect, colorspace, borderTopColor.CGColor, borderBottomColor.CGColor);  
  AKCGGradientRoundedRectCreate(context, innerRect, colorspace, topColor.CGColor, bottomColor.CGColor);  
  
  CGColorSpaceRelease(colorspace);
  
  // Text inside the rectangle
  
  UIFont *labelFont = [UIFont systemFontOfSize:12];
  CGRect labelRect = CGRectInset(innerRect, 3, 2);
  CGRect labelShadowRect = CGRectOffset(labelRect, 0, 1);

  // Text shadow
  [[UIColor whiteColor] set];
  [text drawInRect:labelShadowRect 
          withFont:labelFont
     lineBreakMode:UILineBreakModeMiddleTruncation
         alignment:UITextAlignmentCenter];

  // Text proper
  [[UIColor blackColor] set];
  [text drawInRect:labelRect 
          withFont:labelFont
     lineBreakMode:UILineBreakModeMiddleTruncation
         alignment:UITextAlignmentCenter];  


CGMutablePathRef AKCGRoundedRectCreate(CGRect rect, CGFloat radius);

void AKCGGradientRoundedRectCreate(CGContextRef context, CGRect rect, 
                                   CGColorSpaceRef colorspace, CGColorRef firstColor, CGColorRef lastColor) {
  CGFloat radius = rect.size.height/2;
  CGMutablePathRef path = AKCGRoundedRectCreate(rect, radius);
  
  CGContextAddPath(context, path);
  
  CGContextSaveGState(context);
  CGContextClip(context);
  
  CGColorRef colors[] = {firstColor, lastColor};
  CFArrayRef colorsArray = CFArrayCreate(NULL, (void *)colors, 2, &kCFTypeArrayCallBacks);
  
  CGGradientRef gradient = CGGradientCreateWithColors(colorspace, colorsArray, NULL);
  CGPoint startPoint = rect.origin;
  CGPoint endPoint = CGPointMake(rect.origin.x, rect.origin.y + rect.size.height);
  CGContextDrawLinearGradient(context, gradient, startPoint, endPoint, 0);
  CFRelease(colorsArray);
  CGGradientRelease(gradient);
  
  CGContextRestoreGState(context);
  
  CGPathRelease(path);
}

CGMutablePathRef AKCGRoundedRectCreate(CGRect rect, CGFloat radius) {
  CGMutablePathRef thePath = CGPathCreateMutable();
  CGPathMoveToPoint(thePath, NULL, CGRectGetMinX(rect) + radius, CGRectGetMinY(rect));
  CGPathAddArc(thePath, NULL, CGRectGetMaxX(rect) - radius, CGRectGetMinY(rect) + radius, radius, 3 * M_PI / 2, 0, 0);
  CGPathAddArc(thePath, NULL, CGRectGetMaxX(rect) - radius, CGRectGetMaxY(rect) - radius, radius, 0, M_PI / 2, 0);
  CGPathAddArc(thePath, NULL, CGRectGetMinX(rect) + radius, CGRectGetMaxY(rect) - radius, radius, M_PI / 2, M_PI, 0);
  CGPathAddArc(thePath, NULL, CGRectGetMinX(rect) + radius, CGRectGetMinY(rect) + radius, radius, M_PI, 3 * M_PI / 2, 0);	 
  CGPathCloseSubpath(thePath);
  return thePath;
}


@end

the effect image is missing.