vibetunnel/ios/docs/modern-swift.md

Modern Swift Development

Write idiomatic SwiftUI code following Apple's latest architectural recommendations and best practices.

Core Philosophy

• SwiftUI is the default UI paradigm for Apple platforms - embrace its declarative nature
• Avoid legacy UIKit patterns and unnecessary abstractions
• Focus on simplicity, clarity, and native data flow
• Let SwiftUI handle the complexity - don't fight the framework

Architecture Guidelines

1. Embrace Native State Management

Use SwiftUI's built-in property wrappers appropriately:

• @State - Local, ephemeral view state
• @Binding - Two-way data flow between views
• @Observable - Shared state (iOS 17+)
• @ObservableObject - Legacy shared state (pre-iOS 17)
• @Environment - Dependency injection for app-wide concerns

2. State Ownership Principles

• Views own their local state unless sharing is required
• State flows down, actions flow up
• Keep state as close to where it's used as possible
• Extract shared state only when multiple views need it

3. Modern Async Patterns

• Use async/await as the default for asynchronous operations
• Leverage .task modifier for lifecycle-aware async work
• Avoid Combine unless absolutely necessary
• Handle errors gracefully with try/catch

4. View Composition

• Build UI with small, focused views
• Extract reusable components naturally
• Use view modifiers to encapsulate common styling
• Prefer composition over inheritance

5. Code Organization

• Organize by feature, not by type (avoid Views/, Models/, ViewModels/ folders)
• Keep related code together in the same file when appropriate
• Use extensions to organize large files
• Follow Swift naming conventions consistently

Implementation Patterns

Simple State Example

struct CounterView: View {
    @State private var count = 0
    
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            Text("Count: \(count)")
            Button("Increment") { 
                count += 1 
            }
        }
    }
}

Shared State with @Observable

@Observable
class UserSession {
    var isAuthenticated = false
    var currentUser: User?
    
    func signIn(user: User) {
        currentUser = user
        isAuthenticated = true
    }
}

struct MyApp: App {
    @State private var session = UserSession()
    
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
                .environment(session)
        }
    }
}

Async Data Loading

struct ProfileView: View {
    @State private var profile: Profile?
    @State private var isLoading = false
    @State private var error: Error?
    
    var body: some View {
        Group {
            if isLoading {
                ProgressView()
            } else if let profile {
                ProfileContent(profile: profile)
            } else if let error {
                ErrorView(error: error)
            }
        }
        .task {
            await loadProfile()
        }
    }
    
    private func loadProfile() async {
        isLoading = true
        defer { isLoading = false }
        
        do {
            profile = try await ProfileService.fetch()
        } catch {
            self.error = error
        }
    }
}

Best Practices

DO:

• Write self-contained views when possible
• Use property wrappers as intended by Apple
• Test logic in isolation, preview UI visually
• Handle loading and error states explicitly
• Keep views focused on presentation
• Use Swift's type system for safety

DON'T:

• Create ViewModels for every view
• Move state out of views unnecessarily
• Add abstraction layers without clear benefit
• Use Combine for simple async operations
• Fight SwiftUI's update mechanism
• Overcomplicate simple features

Testing Strategy

• Unit test business logic and data transformations
• Use SwiftUI Previews for visual testing
• Test @Observable classes independently
• Keep tests simple and focused
• Don't sacrifice code clarity for testability

Modern Swift Features

• Use Swift Concurrency (async/await, actors)
• Leverage Swift 6 data race safety when available
• Utilize property wrappers effectively
• Embrace value types where appropriate
• Use protocols for abstraction, not just for testing

Summary

Write SwiftUI code that looks and feels like SwiftUI. The framework has matured significantly - trust its patterns and tools. Focus on solving user problems rather than implementing architectural patterns from other platforms.