WKWebView evaluate JavaScript return value

Update: This is not working on iOS 12+ anymore.


I solved this problem by waiting for result until result value is returned.

I used NSRunLoop for waiting, but I'm not sure it's best way or not...

Here is the category extension source code that I'm using now:

@interface WKWebView(SynchronousEvaluateJavaScript)
- (NSString *)stringByEvaluatingJavaScriptFromString:(NSString *)script;
@end

@implementation WKWebView(SynchronousEvaluateJavaScript)

- (NSString *)stringByEvaluatingJavaScriptFromString:(NSString *)script
{
    __block NSString *resultString = nil;
    __block BOOL finished = NO;

    [self evaluateJavaScript:script completionHandler:^(id result, NSError *error) {
        if (error == nil) {
            if (result != nil) {
                resultString = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@", result];
            }
        } else {
            NSLog(@"evaluateJavaScript error : %@", error.localizedDescription);
        }
        finished = YES;
    }];

    while (!finished)
    {
        [[NSRunLoop currentRunLoop] runMode:NSDefaultRunLoopMode beforeDate:[NSDate distantFuture]];
    }

    return resultString;
}
@end

Example code:

NSString *userAgent = [_webView stringByEvaluatingJavaScriptFromString:@"navigator.userAgent"];

NSLog(@"userAgent: %@", userAgent);

This solution also works if the javascript's code raise NSError:

- (NSString *)stringByEvaluatingJavaScriptFromString:(NSString *)script {
    __block NSString *resultString = nil;
    __block BOOL finished = NO;

    [self evaluateJavaScript:script completionHandler:^(id result, NSError *error) {
        if (error == nil) {
            if (result != nil) {
                resultString = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@", result];
            }
        } else {
            NSLog(@"evaluateJavaScript error : %@", error.localizedDescription);
        }
        finished = YES;
    }];

    while (!finished)
    {
        [[NSRunLoop currentRunLoop] runMode:NSDefaultRunLoopMode beforeDate:[NSDate distantFuture]];
    }

    return resultString;
}

I just stumbled about the same problem and wrote a little Swift (3.0) WKWebView extension for it, thought I might share it:

extension WKWebView {
    func evaluate(script: String, completion: (result: AnyObject?, error: NSError?) -> Void) {
        var finished = false

        evaluateJavaScript(script) { (result, error) in
            if error == nil {
                if result != nil {
                    completion(result: result, error: nil)
                }
            } else {
                completion(result: nil, error: error)
            }
            finished = true
        }

        while !finished {
            RunLoop.current().run(mode: .defaultRunLoopMode, before: Date.distantFuture)
        }
    }
}