Swift Tricks

Some of my favourite swift tricks

129. Data conversion

Data extension for conversion

extension Data {
  // Unarchive data into an object and return as type `Any`.
  public func convert() -> Any? {
     return NSKeyedUnarchiver.unarchiveObject(with: self)
  }
  // Converts an object into Data using NSKeyedArchiver
  public static func toData(object: Any) -> Data {
     return NSKeyedArchiver.archivedData(withRootObject: object)
  }
}

128. Using packages to test things quick

Problem:

Playground is nice but hit and miss sometimes
Online swift compilers are iffy, and debug log is gnarly
Swift code in the terminal is awesome, but terminal isnt grat for typing code

Solution:

Create a ScratchPad swift package
Drag it into xcode
Use unit-test to run xode

127. Change string with a range:

let input = "Hello, world"
let range = NSMakeRange(4, 8)
// To make that into a Swift Range instance you just need this single line of code:
let swiftRange = Range(range, in: input)
print(swiftRange.lowerBounds) // 0
print(swiftRange.upperBounds) // 10
input.replaceSubstring(range, "****")
print(input) // he****ld

126. Comparing two arrays where the item has a custom equality method

struct Item {
	let id: String
	let date: Int
}
extension Item {
    func isEqual(other: Item) -> Bool {
		return self.id == other.id
	}
}
typealias Items = [Item]

extension Array where Element == Item {
 	func isEqual(others: Items) -> Bool {
	    let intersection = self.filter { item in others.contains { $0.isEqual(other: item) } }
       return intersection.count == others.count && intersection.count == self.count // its important to assert count on both arrays
	}
}
let x: Items = [
	.init(id: "a", date: 0),
	.init(id: "b", date: 1),
	.init(id: "c", date: 2)
]
let y: Items = [
	.init(id: "a", date: 0),
	.init(id: "b", date: 1),
	.init(id: "c", date: 2)
]
let z: Items = [
	.init(id: "a", date: 7),
	.init(id: "d", date: 5),
	.init(id: "f", date: 2)
]
print(x.isEqual(others: y)) // true
print(x.isEqual(others: z)) // false
print(y.isEqual(others: z)) // false

125. Overriding super type method

Subclassing works even tho the Util method only knows about the base type

class A {
	func merge(item: A) {
		insert()
	}
	func insert() {
		Swift.print("A.insert")
	}
}
class B: A {
	override func insert() {
		Swift.print("B.insert")
        super.insert()
	}
}
class Util {
	static func merge(item: A) {
		item.merge(item: item)
	}
}
let item: A = B()
Util.merge(item: item)
// prints B.insert then A.insert

124. Assert that an array intersects another

let a = [3, 4]
let b = [2, 1, 3]
let intersection = a.filter { item in b.contains { $0 == item } }
print(intersection.count == a.count) // false -> its missing 4

123. Find the first VC in a VC hierarchy

Put this in a UIVC Extension. Usage: let topAlertController: UIAlertController? = topMostVC?.firstMatch()

/**
 * Traverses the entire VC hierarchy downwards and returns the first match
 * - Parameter type: Class type to match
 */
public func firstMatch<T: UIViewController>(type: T.Type? = nil) -> T? {
  self.children.first {
     $0.firstMatch(type: type) != nil
  } as? T
}

122. Add a comment to infoplist

Because infoplist is complicated, and there is a lot of knowledge attached to choices of which key/val that are stored in infoplist

<!-- A Boolean value indicating whether the app may open the original document from a file provider, rather than a copy of the document.  -->

121. Random range:

Int.random(in: 8...44) // random int between 8 and 44
(8..<44).randomElement() ?? 8 // random int between 8 and 44
String(Int.random(in: (1000..<9999))) // 4 digit code like 4413, 9999 etc

120. Struct vs Class

If it’s basically a bag of data, use a struct
If it has a lifecycle, use a class

119. Switch on tuples:

Great for testing groups of cases

let state = (a: true, b: false, c: "123")
switch state {
case (true, _, _): print("a is true")
case (_, _, "123"): print("c has 123 text")
case (_, _, _): print("Did not find a match")
}

118: Golden path:

When coding with conditionals, the left-hand margin of the code should be the “golden” or “happy” path. That is, don’t nest if statements. Multiple return statements are OK. The guard statement is built for this.

func computeFFT(context: Context?, inputData: InputData?) throws -> Frequencies {
  guard let context = context else {
    throw FFTError.noContext
  }
  guard let inputData = inputData else {
    throw FFTError.noInputData
  }
  // Use context and input to compute the frequencies
  return frequencies
}

117: Shorthand syntax for unwrapping optionals

For Swift 5.7 and up

if let textContainer {
  // do many things with textContainer
}

116: for-where Loops

When the entirety of a for loop’s body would be a single if block testing a condition of the element, the test is placed in the where clause of the for statement instead.

// instead of:
for item in collection {
  if item.hasProperty {
    // ...
  }
}
// do this:
for item in collection where item.hasProperty {
  // ...
}
// for-where Loops
// When the entirety of a for loop’s body would be a single if block testing a condition of the element, the test is placed in the where clause of the for statement instead
for item in collection where item.hasProperty {
  // ...
}
for item in collection {
  if item.hasProperty {
    // ...
  }
}

115: String from enum case:

Also works even if a case is assigned a string

enum CarType {
case ford, volvo, fiat
}
String(describing: CarType.ford) // ford

114: Autoclousure:

func printTest1(_ result: () -> Void) {
    print("Before")
    result()
    print("After")
}
printTest1({ print("Hello") })
// With auto-closure:
func printTest2(_ result: @autoclosure () -> Void) {
    print("Before")
    result()
    print("After")
}

printTest2(print("Hello"))

113: Using where in guards

Using where is the same as using comma, but can be more human readable.

Also a reminder to use where in other places. like for-loops. Which is easy to forget etc

currentRequest?.getValue { [weak self] result in
guard let user = result.okValue where result.errorValue == nil else {
  self?.showRequestError(result.errorValue)
  self?.isPerformingSignUp = false
  return
}
self?.finishSignUp(user)
}

112. Add property wrapper to user default

@propertyWrapper
 struct UserDefault<T: Codable> {
     let key: String
     let defaultValue: T
     init(_ key: String, defaultValue: T) {
         self.key = key
         self.defaultValue = defaultValue
     }
     var wrappedValue: T {
         get {
             if let data = UserDefaults.standard.object(forKey: key) as? Data,
                 let user = try? JSONDecoder().decode(T.self, from: data) {
                 return user
             }
             return  defaultValue
         } set {
             if let encoded = try? JSONEncoder().encode(newValue) {
                 UserDefaults.standard.set(encoded, forKey: key)
             }
         }
     }
 }
enum GlobalSettings {
    @UserDefault("user", defaultValue: User(name:"",pass:"")) static var user: User
}
// Example User model confirm Codable
struct User:Codable {
    let name:String
    let pass:String
}
// How to use it
// Set value
 GlobalSettings.user = User(name: "Ahmed", pass: "Ahmed")
// GetValue
print(GlobalSettings.user) // Ahmed

111. Use defer in init instad of didSet

Invoke didSet when property’s value is set inside init context. Apple’s docs specify that: “Property observers are only called when the property’s value is set outside of initialization context.” Defer can change situation:

class AA {
    var propertyAA: String! {
        didSet {
            print("Function: \(#function)")
        }
    }
    init(propertyAA: String) {
        self.propertyAA = propertyAA
    }
}
class BB {
    var propertyBB: String! {
        didSet {
            print("Function: \(#function)")
        }
    }
    init(propertyBB: String) {
        defer {
            self.propertyBB = propertyBB
        }
    }
}
let aa = AA(propertyAA: "aa")
let bb = BB(propertyBB: "bb")

110. Curried calls that throw

This is an effort to reduce methods in an API.
Here we attach the network call in a closure block.
Usually we would duplicate the database api calls for network.
Like: insertAndSync, deleteAndSync, deleteAllAndSync and 10 more etc
Instead we attach the network call in a parameter to the database API
Bonus: We can read the error from the POV of the caller if network produce one etc
Bonus: The database API stays the same. If we don’t add the complete param, everything is unchanged ```swift typealias Complete = () throws -> Void let defaultComplete: Complete = {}

class Database { static var values: [String: String] = [:] static func insert(uuid: String, value: String, _ complete: Complete = {}) throws { print(“Insert: (uuid) value: (value)”) values[uuid] = value try complete() } static func delete(uuid: String, _ complete: Complete = {}) throws { print(“Delete: (uuid)”) if values[uuid] == nil { throw NSError.init(domain: “Err, delete - value at uuid: (uuid) does not exists”, code: 0) } values.removeValue(forKey: uuid) try complete() } } class Network { static func sync() throws { Swift.print(“sync”) if Bool.random() { throw NSError.init(domain: “Err, sync - unable to sync”, code: 0) } } } // insert do { try Database.insert(uuid: “1234”, value: “abc”, Network.sync) } catch { Swift.print(error.localizedDescription) } // delete do { try Database.delete(uuid: “1234”, Network.sync) } catch { Swift.print(error.localizedDescription) } // delete do { try Database.delete(uuid: “1234”, Network.sync) } catch { Swift.print(error.localizedDescription) } // Prints: // Insert: 1234 value: abc // sync // Delete: 1234 // sync // The operation couldn’t be completed. (Err, sync - unable to sync error 0.) // Delete: 1234 // The operation couldn’t be completed. (Err, delete - value at uuid: 1234 does not exists error 0.)

### 109. Wonders of OOP (Object oriented programming)
Neat trick to hock into subclass functionality
```swift
class A {
    func update() {
        insert() // Calls first B.insert not A.insert
    }
    func insert() {
        print("A.insert()")
    }
}
class B: A {
    override func insert() {
        print("B.insert()")
        super.insert()
    }
}
B().update() // Call B.insert() then A.insert() is called after

108. Overriding extension methods that has (parameter or return) with protocol types

We prefix the protocol with @objc because we need to return this protocol type in “objc-override” calls
We do this so that we can group related code in extensions. Rather than have classes with too much code

@objc protocol TextKind {
   var text: String { get set }
}
class A {}
extension A {
   @objc func getText() -> TextKind? {
      print("A")
      return nil
   }
}
class B: A {}
extension B {
  override getText() {
     print("B")
     return nil
  }
}
_ = A().getText() // A
_ = B().getText() // B

107. Weakify closure variable

Usually we can use [weak self] in closurs, but not if its being attached to an event variable. Here is a workaround:

Service.onRemoteEvent = { data in
   guard let self = Optional(self) else { return } // Weakify
   update(self) // Use self safely here
}

106. Attaching a subtype to a protocol conformance

Setting the protocol type to CBManager directly wont compile. But using T with a type will

protocol StateUpdatable {
   associatedtype T: CBManager
   var manager: T { get }
}
class Central: StateUpdatable {
   var manager: CBCentralManager = ... // CBCentralManager extends CBManager
}
class peripheral: StateUpdatable {
   var manager: CBPeripheralManager = ... // CBPeripheralManager extends CBManager
}

105. Initiating an instance from an abstract class type

let baseType: NSTextField.Type = isSecure ? NSSecureTextField.self : NSTextField.self
let tf: NSTextField = baseType.init(frame: .init(origin: .zero, size: .init(width: 200, height: 24)))

104. Mouse position in an NSView for macOS

extension NSView {
   /**
    * Mouse point
    * - Note: window.mouseLocationOutsideOfEventStream can also work as relativeToWin point
    */
   var mousePoint: CGPoint {
      let relativeToWin = self.window?.convertPoint(fromScreen: NSEvent.mouseLocation) ?? .zero
      return self.convert(relativeToWin, from: nil)
   }
}

103. Differentiating on typealias tuple

A simple concept to diff on tuples. Useful for making mixed search queries etc.

typealias A = (type: String, id: String)
typealias B = (type: String, label: String)
let x: Any = (type: "", label: "")
if x is A {
    print("A")
} else if x is B {
    print("B")
}
// Prints "B"

102. Overriding rawValue enum case

Great for supporting localization efforts etc.

enum Test: CaseIterable {
   case a,b,c
}
extension Test {
   init?(rawValue: String) {

   }
   var rawValue: String {
      switch self {
      case .a: return "A"
      case .b: return "B"
      case .c: return "C"
      }
   }
}
Test.allCases.forEach {
   print($0.rawValue) // "A", "B", "C"
}

101. Reduce into:

Reduce trickery: (https://stackoverflow.com/a/43429063/5389500)

[0, 1, 1, 0].reduce(into: "") { $0 += $1 } // "0110"
...

100. Traversing view hierarchy

Traverses the entire UIView hierarchy downwards and collects views that are of specific type

public func descendants<T>(type: T.Type? = nil) -> [T] {
   self.subviews.flatMap { $0.subviews.isEmpty ? [$0 as? T].compactMap { $0 } : $0.descendants(type: type) }
}

99. Remove first item in an array

extension Array {
   /**
    * Remove first item that match some criteria
    * - Note: fileprivate is used because private won't work because we are in the Array scope
    * ## Examples:
    * uuids.removeFirst(closure: { $0 == uuid })
    */
   @discardableResult fileprivate mutating func removeFirst(closure: (Element) -> Bool) -> Element? {
      guard let i: Int = self.firstIndex (where: { closure($0) }) else { return nil }
      return self.remove(at: i)
   }
}

98. Assert internet:

/**
 * Checks to see if internet is reachable
 * ## Example:
 * Self.checkNetwork { Swift.print("Net: \($0)") }
 * - Fixme: Add result? to print error etc? or just throw error?
 * - Fixme: Add semaphore with timeout as well
 */
static func checkNetwork(completionHandler: @escaping (_ internet: Bool) -> Void) {
   DispatchQueue.main.async {
      let url: URL = .init(string: "https://www.apple.com/")!
      let request: URLRequest = .init(url: url)
      let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: request) {data, response, error in
         if error != nil {
            Swift.print("Error:  \(String(describing: error))")
            completionHandler(false)
         } else if let httpResponse = response as? HTTPURLResponse {
            if httpResponse.statusCode == 200 { completionHandler(true) }
            else { print("Status-code: \(httpResponse.statusCode)") }
         }
      }
      task.resume()
   }
}

97. Comparing class types

class A: X {}
class B: X {}
class X {}

let b: X = B()
print(type(of: b.self))

let types: [X.Type] = [A.self, B.self]
print(types[1]) // B
print(type(of: b)) // B
print(type(of: b) == types[1]) // true

96. Instantinating from an array of class types

class BaseType {
   required init(frame: CGRect) {}
}
class A: BaseType {}
class B: BaseType {}
class C: BaseType {}
let types: [BaseType.Type] = [A.self, B.self, C.self]
types.forEach {
   let instance = $0.init(frame: .zero)
}

95. Calling apple async methods:

If your asynchronous work needs to be waited for, you don’t have much of a choice but to mark your current code as also being async so that you can use await as normal. However, sometimes this can result in a bit of an “async infection” – you mark one function as being async, which means its caller needs to be async too, as does its caller, and so on, until you’ve turned one error into 50.

In this situation, you can create a dedicated Task to solve the problem. We’ll be covering this API in more detail later on, but here’s how it would look in your code:

func doAsyncWork() async {
  print("Doing async work")
}
func doRegularWork() {
  Task {
      await doAsyncWork()
  }
}
doRegularWork() // Tasks like this one are created and run immediately. We aren’t waiting for the task to complete, so we shouldn’t use await when creating it.

94. Converting one dictionary type to another

let dict: [String, Any] = [:]
let newDict: [String: String] = dict.compactMapValues { $0 as? String }

93. Closure that throws

Sometimes it’s useful to be able to throw through a closure:

func someMethod() throws -> String { "works" }
var closure: () throws -> Void {}
closure {
   print(try someMethod())
}
try closure() // works

92. Remove first where

extension Array {
   /**
    * Remove first item that match some criteria
    */
   @discardableResult mutating func removeFirst(closure: (Element) -> Bool) -> Element? {
      guard let i: Int = self.firstIndex (where: { closure($0) }) else { return nil }
      return self.remove(at: i)
   }
}

91. Customizable singleton

Normal usage in production code: SomeClass.shared // instance
Test usage: SomeClass.sharedInstance(isTestMode: true) // test instance ```swift public static let shared: SomeClass = .sharedInstance() // with default customization private static var _shared: SomeClass? // One source of truth /**
- Note: Use this directly if this singleton needs to be customized (Call it only once in the beginning of the code, use regular .shared in subsequent calls etc)
- Important: ⚠️️ Reference this in the code before .shared is referenced or it wont work */ public static func sharedInstance(isTestMode: Bool = false) -> SomeClass { guard let shared = _shared else { // if nil -> first run let shared = SomeClass(isTestMode: isTestMode) // Temp variable _shared = shared // Set permanent variable return shared } return shared // Instance already exist, return instance } ```

90. Handy way to generate uuid’s

In terminal we can do: uuidgen output: 1745B9C9-A369-4FD7-1EDF-B3AE2C268047

let uuid = UUID().uuidString // 2C432AEC-14A9-4F83-9ABB-60C6A7D948E7

89. Manipulating values in a Dictionary

Manipulate key and value

let newDict = Dictionary(uniqueKeysWithValues: oldDict.map { key, value in (key.uppercased(), value.lowercased()) })

88. Debugging main / background thread

Great when working with network-IO and UI, since UI must happen on main thread and network usually on background.

print("Thread.isMainThread: \(Thread.isMainThread)") // true / false

87. Weak self in a method

Weak self can be used in methods, not just closures

func myInstanceMethod() {
    weak var _self = self
    func nestedFunction(result : Bool) {
        _self?.anotherInstanceMethod()
    }
    functionExpectingClosure(nestedFunction)
}

86. Intersection of two arrays

We can also use Set to achieve intersection between arrays see stackoverflow

func intersection(a: [String], b: [String]) -> [String] {
   a.filter { character in
      b.contains(where: { character == $0 })
   }
}

85. Use deinit to clean up or cancel callbacks

class Test {
    deinit {
        print("deinit")
        // cancel callbacks etc
    }
}
var test: Test? = Test()
test = nil // prints deinit

84. Compare equality between two instance of type Any

/**
 * A hack to compare any
 */
fileprivate extension Equatable {
   /**
    * Equate two values of unknown type.
    * ## Examples
    * let bool: Any = Bool.random()
    * AnyHashable.equate(bool, bool) // true
    */
   static func equate(_ any0: Any?, _ any1: Any?) -> Bool {
      if any0 == nil && any1 == nil { return true }
      guard
         let equatable0 = any0 as? Self,
         let equatable1 = any1 as? Self
      else { return false }

      return equatable0 == equatable1
   }
}

83. Forced unwrap with context

istead of unwrapping and getting no useful info if the value is nil, use fatalError instead.

let someValue: Int? = 0
let value = someValue ?? { fatalError("Integer missing") }()

82. Simpler error for Result

Sometimes you just want to read the error instead of switching

extension Result {
   public func error<T>() -> T? where T: Error {
      guard case .failure(let error) = self else { return nil }
      return error as? T
   }
}

enum DataReceivedError: Error { case offline, denied }
typealias OnDataReceived = (Result<String, DataReceivedError>) -> Void
var onDataReceived: OnDataReceived = { result in
   guard value = try? result.get() else { print("Err: \(result.error?.localizedDescription)") }
   print("content: \(value)")
}
onDataReceived(.success("some content"), nil) // success
onDataReceived(.failure(.offline)) // failure

81. Handy UIAlertController shortcuts:

Simplifies calling UIAllertController

// Extension:
extension UIAlertController {
    static func alertOnError(_ error: Swift.Error, handler: ((UIAlertAction?) -> Void)? = nil) -> UIAlertController {
        let alert = UIAlertController(title: "Error", message: error.localizedDescription, preferredStyle: UIAlertController.Style.alert)
        alert.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "OK", style: UIAlertAction.Style.default, handler: handler))
        return alert
    }
    static func alertOnErrorWithMessage(_ message: String, handler: ((UIAlertAction?) -> Void)? = nil) -> UIAlertController {
        let alert = UIAlertController(title: "Error", message: message, preferredStyle: UIAlertController.Style.alert)
        alert.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "OK", style: UIAlertAction.Style.default, handler:handler))
        return alert
    }
    static func alertWithMessage(_ message: String, handler: ((UIAlertAction?) -> Void)? = nil) -> UIAlertController {
        let alert = UIAlertController(title: "Alert", message:message, preferredStyle: UIAlertController.Style.alert)
        alert.addAction(UIAlertAction(title: "OK", style: UIAlertAction.Style.default, handler:handler))
        return alert
    }
}
// Usage:
let err = NSError(domain: "err", code: 0)
let closure = { (_ action: UIAlertAction?) in print(action) }
UIAlertController.alertOnError(err, closure).present()
UIAlertController.alertOnErrorWithMessage("Uh oh", closure).present()
UIAlertController.alertWithMessage("Open the bay doors?", closure).present()

80. Overriding computed variable in an extension

It’s nice to be able to put non stored variables in extensions

class A {}
extension A {
   @objc var data: String { "a" }
}
class B: A {}
extension B {
   override var data: String { "b" }
}
print(A().data) // a
print(B().data) // b

79. guard continue in a for loop

for item in items {
   guard item.uuid == uuid else { continue } // skip this loop iteration
   print("found matching uuid: \(item.uuid)")
   guard item.data.count > 0 { continue } // skip items that doesn't have data
   print("data.count: \(data.count)")
}

78. guard continue

We mostly use guard return. But there is also guard continue.

let str = "abc"
guard str == "abc" else { print("str is not abc"); continue }

77. Disabling some code for swift lint

Instead of disabling swift lint rules to avoid excessive xCode warnings you can disable small parts of the code:

// swiftlint:disable pattern_matching_keywords
case .detail(let acc, let mode): gotTo(view: view, account: acc, mode: mode)
// swiftlint:enable pattern_matching_keywords

76. Traversing descendants

/**
 * Traverses the entire UIView hierarchy downwards and collects views that are of specific PARAM: type
 */
public func descendants<T>(type: T.Type? = nil) -> [T] {
   self.subviews.flatMap { $0.subviews.isEmpty ? [$0 as? T].compactMap { $0 } : $0.descendants(type: type) }
}

75. Guard that throws

Nice way to provide info regarding why a function didn’t return the expected result etc

func someFunc(toggle: Boolean) -> String throws  {
   guard toggle else { throw NSError(domain: "err", code: 0) }
   return "someString"
}
try ? someFunc(toggle: true) // "someString"
try ? someFunc(toggle: false) // nil

74. Array and Identifiable:

public extension Array where Element: Identifiable {
    func find(_ id: Element.ID) -> Element? {
        self.first { $0.id == id }
    }
    func findIndex(_ id: Element.ID) -> Int? {
        self.firstIndex { $0.id == id }
    }
    mutating func remove(_ id: Element.ID) {
        self.removeAll { $0.id == id }
    }
}

73. Switch on instance type:

Nice way to switch on types etc.

class A {}
class B {}

let val: Any = B()
switch val {
  case is A:
    print("A")
  case is B:
    print("B")
  default:
    print("nothing")
}
// B

72. Struct and dictionary conversion:

extension Encodable {
   public var dict: [String: Any]? {
      guard let data = try? JSONEncoder().encode(self) else { return nil }
      return (try? JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: .allowFragments)).flatMap { $0 as? [String: Any] }
   }
   public init(dict: [String: Any]) throws {
      self = try JSONDecoder().decode(Self.self, from: JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: dict))
   }
}
struct Job: Codable { let number: Int, name: String, client: String }
let job: Job = .init(number: 1234, name: "Awards Ceremony", client: "ACME Productions")
let dict: [String: Any] = job.dict ?? [:]
let clone = try? Job(dict: dict)
print("\(job == clone ? "✅" : "🚫")") // ✅

71. Setting a value with a key

class MyObject: NSObject{
    @objc public var myString : String = "Not working"
}
func test(){
    let value = "It works!"
    let member = "myString"
    let myObject = MyObject()
    myObject.setValue(value, forKey: member)
    print("New value: \(myObject.myString)")
}

70. Loop through struct with reflection

/**
* Creates dictionary of struct
* - Parameter instance: instance of struct
* - Returns: Dictionary with key value
*/
static func dict<T>(instance: T) -> [String: Any] {
   let mirror = Mirror(reflecting: instance)
   let keysWithValues = mirror.children.compactMap { (label: String?, value: Any) -> (String, Any)? in
      guard let label = label else { return nil }
      return (label, value)
   }
   return Dictionary(uniqueKeysWithValues: keysWithValues)
}

69. Loop through struct / class properties:

extension Encodable {
    var dictionary: [String: Any]? {
        guard let data = try? JSONEncoder().encode(self) else { return nil }
        return (try? JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: .allowFragments)).flatMap { $0 as? [String: Any] }
    }
}
struct Test: Encodable {
    let title: String = "this is title"
    let value: Int = 3
}
let test = Test()
test.dictionary?.forEach { (key, value) in print("key: \(key) value: \(value)") }
// key: value value: 3
// key: title value: this is title

68. Sort with a more elaborate closure:

let closure: (_ a: Account, _ b: Account) -> Bool = { a, b in
   if let a = a as? LoginItem, let b = b as? LoginItem {
      return a.type < b.type
   } else {
      return a.date < b.date
   }
}
return accounts.sorted(by: closure)

67. Find spm .build files

These folders are hidden, and adds size to projects. Find them with terminal. Then delete them

find . -name ".build"

66. Check equality between Arrays

This works when order of the array doesn’t matter ⚠️️ this might not work 😅

func isEqual(a: [String], b: [String]) -> Bool {
   guard a.count == b.count else { return false } // Check if count is the same
   return !a.contains { item in // Does it have a case where item isn't found in the other array
      !b.contains { otherItem in // Does it have a case where item isn't found in the other array
         item != otherItem
      }
   }
}
print(isEqual(a: ["1","2","3"], b: ["1","2","4"])) // false
print(isEqual(a: ["1","2","3"], b: ["1","2","3"])) // true

65: Operate on an array of class types

This can be useful for registering cell classes for instance

protocol Kind: AnyObject {}
class A: Kind {}
class B: Kind {}
extension Array where Element == Kind.Type {
   func read() {
      self.forEach { Swift.print("$0: \($0)") }
   }
}
[A.self, B.self].read() // A, B

64: Make a struct mutable

struct X {
   let a: String, b: Bool, c: Int
   init(a: String, b: Bool, c: Int) {
      self.a = a
      self.b = b
      self.c = c
   }
}
extension X {
   init(x: X, a: String? = nil, b: Bool? = nil, c: Int? = nil) { // the x contains the default values
      self.a = a ?? x.a
      self.b = b ?? x.b
      self.c = c ?? x.c
   }
}
let x1: X = .init(a: "test", b: true, c: 4)
Swift.print("x1:  \(x1)") // X(a: "test", b: true, c: 4)
let x2: X = .init(x: x1, a: "lol")
Swift.print("x2:  \(x2)") // X(a: "lol", b: true, c: 4)
let x3: X = .init(x: x2, b: false)
Swift.print("x3:  \(x3)") // X(a: "lol", b: false, c: 4)

63: Insert after match

extension Collection {
   /**
    * ## Examples:
    * let arr = ["a", "g", "r"]
    * let idx = arr.insertionIndex(of: "m", using: <)
    * rowData.insert("m", at: idx) // ["a", "g", "m", "r"]
    */
   func insertionIndex(of element: Self.Iterator.Element, using areInIncreasingOrder: (Self.Iterator.Element, Self.Iterator.Element) -> Bool) -> Index {
      firstIndex { !areInIncreasingOrder($0, element) } ?? endIndex
   }
}

62: Remove duplicates from the array, preserving the items order

extension Array where Element: Hashable {
    func filterDuplicates() -> Array<Element> {
        var set = Set<Element>()
        var filteredArray = Array<Element>()
        for item in self {
            if set.insert(item).inserted {
                filteredArray.append(item)
            }
        }
        return filteredArray
    }
}

61: Getting indices of filtered array

extension Array where Element: Equatable {
   /**
    * items.indexes(of: "A") // [0, 2, 4]
    * items.indexes(of: "B") // [1]
    */
    func indexes(of element: Element) -> [Int] {
        return self.enumerated().filter({ element == $0.element }).map({ $0.offset })
    }
}

60: Performance testing:

/**
 * - Note: Set a NSDate to measure the time like this: var startTime:NSDate = NSDate();abs(startTime!.timeIntervalSinceNow)
 * - Note: Or even easier: let d = CACurrentMediaTime(); /*Do heavy computing*/let d1 = CACurrentMediaTime()-d; print(d1)//0.452 sec
 * ## Examples:
 * testPerformance("Adding styles took: "){CSSFileParser.cssString(url)}//Adding styles took 2.4secs
 * - Parameter startTime: performance test start time
 */
func testPerformance(_ context: String = "", _ startTime: Date = Date(), _ closure:@escaping ()->Void) {
    closure()/*Executes the closure*/
    Swift.print(context + " \(abs(startTime.timeIntervalSinceNow))" + " Secs")/*Prints performance test end time*/
}
/**
 * Allows you to test performance and also return a value
 * ## Examples:
 * let result:String = testPerformance{readData()}//0.028 Secs
 */
func testPerformance<T>(_ context: String = "", _ startTime:Date = Date(), _ closure:@escaping ()->T) -> T {
    defer {/*execute just before code execution leaves the current block of code*/
        Swift.print(context + " \(abs(startTime.timeIntervalSinceNow))" + " Secs")/*Prints performance test end time*/
    }
    return closure()/*Executes the closure*/
}

59: Fitting a size to a ratio:

/**
 * Fits inside a frame (Scales to ratio)
 * - Fixme: ⚠️ Add zoom method: Always fills a frame, ️do this laster
 * - Note: Basically used to get a new size that fits inside size, and has the correct ratio
 * ## Examples:
 * fit(size: CGSize(width: 200, height: 200), ratio: 0.5) // CGSize(100, 200)
 */
static func fit(_ size: CGSize, ratio: CGFloat) -> CGSize{
    let w: CGFloat = size.width
    let h: CGFloat = size.height
    if (w / h) > ratio { // w is wider than ratio allows
        return CGSize(height: h * ratio, height: h)
    } else if (w / h) < ratio { // h is taller than ratio allows
        return CGSize(width: w, height: w * ratio)
    } else {
        return CGSize(width: w, height: h)
    }
}

58 For loops:

10++ different to for loop types:

for i in 0..4 {} 👈 regular forward looping
for (i, obj) in arr.enumerated() { print(i); print(obj) } 👈 access to i and obj
for obj in arr {} 👈 iterate over objects (no access to original array)
for i in (0..<4).reversed() {} 👈 backward looping
var i = 0; while(i < 4) { print(i); i += 1 } 👈 If you want to manipulate i while looping
for i in stride(from: 0, to: 10, skip: 2) {} 👈 Skips every other
arr.forEach{$0} 👈 Easiest for-loop but only if you don’t need to exit early
for i in arr.indices {print(i)} 👈 Access to i
for _ in 0..<arr.count 👈 If you just wan’t to loop something and not use any value
arr.reversed.forEach{$0} 👈 reversed forEach, more functional 🤖 .map also works
(0..<4).indices.map { i in return UIButton.init(frame: .zero) } 👈 makes 4 buttons 🤖
for (i, str):(Int, String) in strings.enumerated() { print(("\(i) and \(str)")) } 👈 special for loop
arr.enumerated().forEach { (_ i: Int,_ str: Data) in print(("\(i) and \(str)")) } 👈 👌

57 EitherOr

By adding more .random calls you decrease the chance of being false.
1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 etc

let eitherOr: Bool = !(Bool.random() && Bool.random()) // 1 in 4 is false

56 Autolayout across different subviews

Nice to know: If you ever want to use autolayout but need things to be above other elements etc. Autolayout works across subviews 👌

55 Better clamping:

/**
 * Clamp
 * ## Examples:
 * CGFloat.clamp(val: 44, min: 33, max: 38) // 38
 */
static func clamp(val: CGFloat, min: CGFloat, max: CGFloat) -> CGFloat {
   if val <= min { // under
      return min
   } else if val >= max { // over
      return max
   } else { // between
      return val
   }
}

54 Clamp a value between min and max

let value: CGFloat = 700
let lower: CGFloat = 200
let upper: CGFloat = 400
let clampedValue = max(lower, min(upper, value)) // 400

53 Reduce to total amount

let totalW: CGFloat = TabType.allCases.reduce(CGFloat(0)) {
   $0 + itemWidth(text: $1.rawValue)
}

52 Capitalize first letter:

extension String {
   /**
    * ## Examples:
    * let test = "the rain in Spain"
    * print(test.capFirst()) // "The rain in Spain"
    */
   var capFirst: String {
      prefix(1).capitalized + dropFirst()
   }
}

51 Fixed numbers:

let duration = String(format: "%.01f", 3.32323242) // 3.3

50 Simple diffing in swift:

let arrayA: [String] = ["a", "b", "c"]
let arrayB: [String] = ["c", "a", "d", "f", "g"]
// Find items in b that is not in a
let diff: [String] = arrayB.filter { item in
   !arrayA.contains { item == $0 }
}
Swift.print("diff:  \(diff)") // ["d", "f", "g"]

49: Init an enum

enum Apperance : String {
   case Dark, Light
}
extension Apperance {
   init() {
      let type = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "AppleInterfaceStyle") ?? "Light"
      self = Apperance(rawValue: type)!
   }
   var inDarkMode: Bool {
      let currentStyle = Apperance()
      if case .Dark = currentStyle {
         return true
      } else if case .Light = currentStyle {
         return false
      } else {
         fatalError("Not supported")
      }
   }
}

48: Generic typealias

// Warning: ⚠️️ Generics does not work when overriding functions in extensions
typealias Parser<A> = (String) -> [(A, String)]
func parse<A>(stringToParse: String, parser: Parser)

46: Instead of opening playground. Use terminal to run some swift code

All you do is open terminal. And write swift. copy paste any code and hit enter to run it.
```
while i < 4 {
 print("🎉")
 i += 1
}
```

45: Mark methods as deprecated and get warning:

Document API changes with @available keyword.

Great way to rename code without breaking backward compatibility, but at the same time motivating users to use the new api name, just make a typealias with the bellow code above it

@available(*, deprecated, renamed: "newMethodName") // You can also point to new class : "UIAlertController.createAlert"
func foo() {
...
}
// Each time foo() is called, a deprecation warning will appear:
// foo is deprecated, renamed `newMethodName`
// name things: allItems(SecClass:) if the type of the param is the only change etc

There is also:

@available(*, deprecated, message: "This closure will be removed in future version. Please use `handler`.")

44. Measure time consumed by a closure

/**
 * Measures how long a closure takes to complete
 * ## Examples:
 * timeElapsed { sleep(2.2) } // 2.20000
 */
func timeElapsed(_ closure: () -> Void) -> Double {
    let start = DispatchTime.now()
    closure()
    let end = DispatchTime.now()
    let diff = end.uptimeNanoseconds - start.uptimeNanoseconds
    return Double(diff) / 1_000_000_000
}

43. Do many things simultaneously and call onComplete when things are done

For more complex scenarios see: https://github.com/eonist/parallelloops

/**
 * - Abstract: process data in parallel on a background thread and calls a onComplete when it's complete
 * ## Examples:
 * processData { Swift.print("✅") } // Output: start, 1, 2, 0, 3, ✅
 */
func processData(onComplete: @escaping () -> Void) {
   Swift.print("start")
   DispatchQueue.global().async {
      DispatchQueue.concurrentPerform(iterations: 4) { index in
         Swift.print("\(index)")
         sleep((1..<3).randomElement()!) // Wait for n secs
      }
      onComplete()
   }
}

42. Map ranges:

Creates an array of random numbers

func randInt() -> Int { return Int(arc4random()) }
let randomArray = (1...4).map { _ in randInt() } // 3,1,2,2

41. Use an online swift playground for quick tests:

http://online.swiftplayground.run

import Foundation
print("Hello World")
print((1...40).contains(1)) // true
print((1...40).contains(40)) // true

There is also terminal which can test swift code by typing swift and hitting enter

40. Flattening nested loops:

let width = 4
let height = 4
// nested loop
for y in (0..<height) {
   for x in (0..<width) {
      let index: Int = y * width + x
      print("index: \(index)")
   }
}
// flattening:
var x = 0
var y = 0
while x < width && y < height {
   let index: Int = y * width + x
   print("i: \(index)")
   x += 1
   if x == width { y += 1; x = 0 }
}

39. Accounting for iPhoneX notch

override func viewDidAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
     super.viewDidAppear(animated)
     view.frame = UIScreen.main.bounds.inset(by: view.safeAreaInsets)
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
     super.viewDidLoad()
     self.view = View(frame: .zero)
}

38. Store constant in array types

Great way to store values in array types, or add custom methods to array types

Allows you to get rid of clunky looking Array where Element = SomeThing

typealias ColorMapItem = UIColor
typealias ColorMap = [ColorMapItem]
extension ColorMap { // Array where Element == ColorMapItem
 static let rainbow = [.blue, .red, .yellow]
}
let rainbowColors: ColorMaps = .rainbow

37. Structure colors:

import UIKit
/**
 * ## Examples:
 * Color.Text.header // white
 * Color.UI.Background.secondary // lightGray
 */
struct Color {
   struct Text {
      static let header: UIColor = .white
      static let button: UIColor = .systemBlue
      static let description: UIColor = .lightGray
      static let paragraph: UIColor = .gray
      static let title: UIColor = .white
   }
   struct UI {
      struct Foreground {
         static let primary: UIColor = .darkGray
         static let secondary: UIColor = .gray
      }
      struct Background {
         static let primary: UIColor = .gray
         static let secondary: UIColor = .lightGray
      }
   }
}

36. Call the method in the alternating bool assert

Imagine [r,g,b] are computational heavy methods
The assert has to execute every method to assert

By not pre-calling the methods before the group assert, you save cpu processing power

func r: Bool { print("r"); return true }
func g: Bool { print("g"); return false }
func b: Bool { print("b"); return true }
let valid: Bool = r && g && b
print(valid) // r,g false (skips calling b)

35. Using try with for loops

do {
   try (1...40).forEach { qrVersion in
      guard let qrVer = QRVer(rawValue: qrVersion - 1) else { throw NSError(domain: "unable to create qr-ver", code: 0) }
      guard let data: Data = QRStringData.randomData(config: (qrVer, .byte, .l)) else { throw NSError(domain: "unable to make data", code: 0) }
      guard let qrImage: Image = try? QRWriter.image(data: data, ecLevel: .l, moduleMultiplier: 16) else { throw NSError(domain: "unable to create UIImage", code: 0) }
      guard let ciImg: CIImage = qrImage.ciImage ?? qrImage.ciImage else { throw NSError(domain: "err ciimg", code: 0) }
      let symbolVersion: Int? = try? ciImg.symbolVersion()
      guard qrVersion == symbolVersion else { throw NSError(domain: "version: \(qrVersion) failed", code: 0) }
   }
   Swift.print("All symbol versions checked out")
   onComplete(true)
} catch {
   Swift.print("error:  \(error)")
   onComplete(false)
}

34. let variables in functions

The bellow is possible because index is guaranteed to be set and is much more readable than using a closure to do the same thing.

func doSomething() {
   let index: Int
   if versionNumber <= 9 { index = 0 }
   else if versionNumber <= 26 { index = 1 }
   else { index = 2 }
}

33. Queue up things with DispatchGroup:

You can nest closures, but nesting is often a “code-smell”, using DispatchGroup and .wait can be a nice alternative.

typealias COMPLETION = () -> ()
func functionOne(completion: @escaping COMPLETION) {
    print("1")
    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2.1) { completion() }
}
func functionTwo(completion: @escaping COMPLETION) {
    print("2")
    DispatchQueue.global(qos: .background).asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 1) { completion() }
}
func functionThree(completion: @escaping COMPLETION) {
    print("3")
    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.6) { completion() }
}
DispatchQueue.global().async {
    let dispatchGroup = DispatchGroup()
    dispatchGroup.enter()
    functionOne { dispatchGroup.leave() }
    dispatchGroup.wait() //Add reasonable timeout
    dispatchGroup.enter()
    functionTwo { dispatchGroup.leave() }
    dispatchGroup.wait()
    dispatchGroup.enter()
    functionThree { dispatchGroup.leave() }
    dispatchGroup.wait()
    dispatchGroup.notify(queue: .main) {
        Swift.print("all done") // All tasks are completed
    }
} // this will print: 1, 2, 3, all done

32. “Switch” with additional guard clauses:

enum Flavours: String {
    case vanilla, chocolate, strawberry
}
func makeIceCream(flavour: Flavours, caneType: String? = nil) {
    if case .vanilla = flavour, let caneType = caneType {
        print("Vanilla with \(caneType)")
    } else if case .strawberry = flavour {
        print("Strawberry")
    } else if case .chocolate = flavour {
        print("Chocolate")
    } else {
        print("No 🍦 for you")
    }
}
makeIceCream(flavour: .vanilla, caneType: "Cane") // Vanilla with Cane
makeIceCream(flavour: .strawberry) // Strawberry
makeIceCream(flavour: .vanilla) // No 🍦 for you

31: Simulate network behaviour

Sleep for a random amount of time between 1 and 7 seconds. (Great for simulating async network calls etc)

sleep((1..<7).randomElement() ?? 1)

30. Recursive flatMap

/**
 * Multidimensional-flat-map...because flatMap only works on "2d arrays". This is for "3d array's"
 * - Note: A 3d array is an array structure that can have nested arrays within nested arrays infinite addendum
 * - Note: Alternate names for this method as suggest by @defrenz and @timvermeulen on slack swift-lang #random: `recursiveFlatten` or `recursiveJoined`
 * ## Examples:
 * let arr:[Any] = [[[1],[2,3]],[[4,5],[6]]] 👈 3d array (3 depths deep)
 * let x2:[Int] = arr.recursiveFlatmap()
 * Swift.print(x2)//[1,2,3,4,5,6]
 */
func recursiveFlatmap<T>() -> [T] {
    var results = [T]()
    for element in self {
        if let sublist = element as? [Self.Iterator.Element] { // Array
            results += sublist.recursiveFlatmap()
        } else if let element = element as? T { // Item
            results.append(element)
        }
    }
    return results
}

29. Access name of int enum:

This does not work on some native enums, often due to the fact that they are Objc enums, In such cases make an extension that has a switch that returns the name.

public enum TestEnum : Int {
   case one = 0, two, three
}
Swift.print("\(String(describing: TestEnum.three))") // three
// or another example:
public enum FocalType: Int, CaseIterable { case ultraWide, wide, tele }
print(FocalType.allCases.map { "\($0): \($0.rawValue)" }.joined(separator: ", "))
// ultraWide : 0, wide : 1, tele : 2

28. Long numbers:

//Bad
let valA: Int = 100000000 * 2
//Good:
let valB: Int = 100_000_000 * 2

27. Prefer contains over first

// Good
arr.first(where: { $0 == match }) != nil
// Better:
arr.contains(where: { $0 == match })
// Best
arr.contains { $0 == match }

26. Visual colors in xCode

A nice way to have visual representation of colors in code:

enum Colors {
	static let teal: UIColor = #colorLiteral(red: 0, green: 0.8039215686, blue: 0.8039215686, alpha: 1)
	static let lightTeal: UIColor = #colorLiteral(red: 0.6, green: 1, blue: 0.3921568627, alpha: 1)
	static let darkTeal: UIColor = #colorLiteral(red: 0, green: 0.6, blue: 0.6, alpha: 1)
}
// Colors.teal

25. Optional chaining

Swift.print(Optional("✅") ?? "🚫") // 🚫
Swift.print(Optional(nil) ?? "🚫") // ✅

It’s like providing a default value if the optional is nil. You can do. it’s equivalent to doing Optional("") != nil ? Optional("") : ""

24. Make rounded graphics look great

Use NSScreen.main.backingScaleFactor for macOS and UIScreen.main.scale for iOS
This ensures that rounded graphics looks sharp

self.caLayer?.rasterizationScale = 2.0 * Screen.mainScreenScale
self.caLayer?.shouldRasterize = true

23. Make methods off-limit

https://www.mokacoding.com/blog/swift-unavailable-how-to/

This is a great way to avoid having to repeat this method in every subclass that uses :UIView

@available(*, unavailable)
public required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
   fatalError("init?(coder:) is not supported")
}

22. Avoid xCode warning when returned value is not used:

@discardableResult
func add(a: Int, b: Int) -> Int {
    return a + b
}

21. Store reuse identifiers in a cell extension

There is also a small library that simplifies the registry and reuse syntax: https://github.com/eonist/ReusableCell

class SomeTableViewCell: UITableViewCell{}
extension SomeTableViewCell {
   static let cellReuseIdentifier: String = "\(SomeTableViewCell.self)"
}

20. Flattening 3d array:

See also tip nr.40: Flattening nested loops:

struct Subscription { let type: String }
struct Account { let subscriptions: [Subscription] }
struct User { let accounts: [Account] }
let users: [User] = [
   User(accounts: [Account(subscriptions: [Subscription(type: "a")])]),
   User(accounts: [Account(subscriptions: [Subscription(type: "b")]),Account(subscriptions: [Subscription(type: "c")])]),
   User(accounts: [Account(subscriptions: [Subscription(type: "d"), Subscription(type: "e"), Subscription(type: "f")])])
]
// Not preferred:
let result1 = users.map { user in
   return user.accounts.map { account in
      return account.subscriptions.map { subscription in
         return subscription.type
      }
   }
}.flatMap{ $0 }.flatMap { $0 }
Swift.print("result1:  \(result1)")//["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f"]
// Preferred
let result2 = users.flatMap { $0.accounts }.flatMap { $0.subscriptions }.flatMap{ $0.type }
Swift.print("result2:  \(result2)")//["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f"]

19. Dot-syntax inference and array iteration with Enums

/**
 * TIPS: Access all colors via: Constants.Colors.allCases
 * ## Examples: Constants.Colors.allCases[1]//UIColor.yellow
 * ## Examples: Constants.Colors.red//UIColor.red
 * - Important: ⚠️️ the key must be unique and the the value must be unique
 */
class Constants{
   enum Colors: String, CaseIterable {
      case blue = "FB1B4D", yellow = "1DE3E6", red = "22FFA0", green = "FED845"
      var uiColor: UIColor {
         return UIColor.init(hex: self.rawValue)
      }
   }
}

18. Combinational types instead of generics

The setCardConstraints method requires conformance to UIView and ConstraintKind

// Generics
func setCardConstraints<T: UIView>(card: T) where T: ConstraintKind { // 👈 Looks messy
   card.applyConstraint{ view in
      // do stuff
   }
}
// Combination type:
public typealias UIViewConstraintKind = UIView & ConstraintKind
func setCardConstraints(card: UIViewConstraintKind) { // 👈 Looks much cleaner
   card.applyConstraint{ view in
      // do stuff
   }
}

17. Delay something

DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 4) {
   // Do something after 4 seconds have passed
}

// Alternatively:
DispatchQueue.global(qos: .background).async { // asyncAfter also works here, instead of sleep
    sleep(4)
    print("Active after 4 sec, and doesn't block main")
    DispatchQueue.main.async {
        // Do stuff in the main thread here
    }
}

// Alternatively:
let second: Double = 1000000
usleep(useconds_t(0.002 * second)) // will sleep for 2 milliseconds (.002 seconds)

// Alternatively:
/**
 * Supports fractional time
 * ## Examples:
 * sleep(sec: 2.2) // sleeps for 2.2 seconds
 */
public func sleep(sec: Double){
    usleep(useconds_t(sec * 1000000)) // wait for n secs
}

// Pausing in a loop:

let array = [1, 2, 3]
DispatchQueue.global(qos: .background).async {
    array.forEach { i in
        sleep(1)
        DispatchQueue.main.async {
            Swift.print("i: \(i)") // increments every second and prints: 1,2,3
        }
    }
}

16. Enums in a closure to describe events

class MyViewController {
    enum Error: Swift.Error {
        case invalidUsername
        case invalidPassword
    }
    enum Event {
        case loginSuccess
        case showErrorMessage(Error) // - showErrorMessage: We errored, we need to show an error message
    }
    typealias EventAction = (Event) -> Void
    var eventHandler: EventAction?
    func login(name: String, password: String) {
         guard "test" == user.password else {
            eventHandler(.showErrorMessage(.invalidUsername))
            return
         }
         guard "Monica" == user.name else {
            eventHandler(.showErrorMessage(.invalidUsername))
            return
         }
         eventHandler(.loginSuccess)
    }
}
func handler(event: Event) {
   switch event {
   case .loginSuccess:
      print("user logged in")
   case .showErrorMessage(let error):
      print("user did not log in, reason: \(error.description)")
   }
}
let controller = MyViewController()
controller.eventHandler = handler
controller.login(name: "John", password: "abc123")

15. Rethrows:

The rethrows keyword indicates to the compiler that the outer function is a throwing function only if the closure passed in throws an error that is propagated to the current scope. Basically with rethrows, we can use throw inside the closure. When the error handlers are called within the function we use throws.

typealias MagicalOperation = () throws -> MagicalResult
func doSomethingMagical(magicalOperation: MagicalOperation) rethrows -> MagicalResult {
  return try magicalOperation()
}

14 Use custom closures with the native sortedBy method:

enum CardType {
   case heart, spades, diamond, clover
}
enum CardValue{
  case two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, prince, queen, king, ace
}
typealias Card = (type: CardType, value: CardValue)
typealias Sorter = ((_ element1: Card, _ element2: Card) -> Bool)
//  arrayTest
func arrayTest(){
  let someCards: [Card] = [(.spades, .eight), (.heart, .seven), (.heart, .king), (.diamond, .ace), (.heart, .two)]
  let findHearts: [Card] = someCards.filter { return $0.type == .heart }
  Swift.print("unsorted.🔵")
  findHearts.forEach { (card: Card) in
      Swift.print("card.type:  \(card.type) card.value:  \(card.value)")
  }
  Swift.print("unsorted.🔴")
  let sorter: Sorter = { (element1, element2) -> Bool in
      return element1.value.hashValue < element2.value.hashValue
  }
  let sortedHearts = findHearts.sorted { sorter($0, $1) } // sort the cards
  Swift.print("sorted.🔵")
  sortedHearts.forEach { Swift.print("$0.type:  \($0.type) $0.value:  \($0.value)") } // print the cards
  Swift.print("sorted.🔴")
}

13 Manipulate an object in a closure

@discardableResult // 👈 Avoids XCode compiler warnings if result is not used
func with<T>(_ item: T, update: (inout T) throws -> Void) rethrows -> T {
    var item = item
    try update(&item)
    return item
}
//EXAMPLE 1:
let rectangle: CGRect = with(.init(x: 0, y: 0, width: 100, height: 100)) {
  $0 = $0.offsetBy(dx: 20, dy: 20)
  $0 = $0.insetBy(dx: 10, dy: 10)
}
Swift.print(rectangle) // X:30.0, y:30.0, width:80.0, height:80.0
//EXAMPLE 2:
let color = with(UIColor.init(red: 50, green: 100, blue: 0, alpha: 0.9)) { ( col:inout UIColor) -> Void in
  col = col.withAlphaComponent(0.2)
}
Swift.print(color.cgColor.alpha) // 0.2

https://github.com/eonist/with

12. Result (for async callback returns)

⚠️️ write result example with the try catch inline trick, and remove the bellow etc

⚠️️ improve this: ⚠️️

enum Result<Value> {
    case success(Value)
    case failure(Swift.Error)
}

func start(_ completionHandler: @escaping (Result<Any>) -> Void) -> FBSDKGraphRequestConnection{
    return start() { (_, response, error) in
        switch (response, error) {
        case (.some(let result), .none):
            completionHandler(Result(value: result))

        case (.none, .some(let error)):
            completionHandler(Result(error: error))

        case (.none, .none), (.some, .some):
            preconditionFailure("Unexpected State")
        }
    }
}

switch result {
case .success (let value as [ String : Any ]) where value["email"] is String:
    let email = value["email"] as! String
    print("email: \(email)")
default:
    self.present(error: Error(.facebookOther))
}

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51235876/swift-pattern-matching-switch-downcasting-and-optional-binding-in-a-single-s

11. Code injection via Protocol extension

protocol FruitKind {
   func eat() // Class must implement doSomething
}
extension FruitKind {
   func eat() { print("Tastes like fruit") } // default implementation
}
protocol AppleKind: FruitKind {} // inherit base protocol
extension AppleKind {
   func eat() { print("Tastes like 🍎") }// override default implementation
}
protocol PearKind: FruitKind {} // inherit base protocol
extension PearKind {
   func eat() { print("Tastes like 🍐") }// override default implementation
}
class Fruit: FruitKind {} // Make a class
extension Fruit: AppleKind {} // 👈 you sort of attach custom apple functionality
let fruit = Fruit() // create an instance of Class
fruit.eat() //  Tastes like 🍎 (calls the AppleKind.eat instead of Fruit.eat and prints)
class AnotherFruit: FruitKind {}
extension AnotherFruit: PearKind {}  // 👈 you sort of attach custom pear functionality
let anotherFruit = AnotherFruit()
anotherFruit.eat() // Tastes like 🍐 (calls the AppleKind.eat instead of Fruit.eat and prints)

10. Nifty array trick:

let result:[String] = Array(repeating: "🎉", count: 3)
print(result) // 🎉🎉🎉

/**
 * ## Examples: Margin.bottom.rawValue//32
 * Margin.allCases[1].rawValue//32
 * - Note: values must be unique
 */
enum Margin: CGFloat, CaseIterable{
   case top = 24, bottom = 32, horizontal = 12
}

9. Closure Generics

typealias UIViewConstraintKind = UIView & ConstraintKind // This works almost like someValue:T .... where T:ConstraintKind
typealias ReturnType = (anchor: AnchorConstraint, size: SizeConstraint) // This just makes the method that returns this simpler
typealias ConstraintKindClosure = (_ view: UIViewConstraintKind) -> ReturnType
/**
 * NOTE: We use the "combination-type": `UIViewConstraintKind` since closures can't do regular generics like t:UIView where Self:ConstraintKind
 */
func activateConstraintKind(closure: ConstraintKindClosure) {
   let constraints:ReturnType = closure(self) // the constraints is returned from the closure
   //...do something with the constraints
}

8. Accessing raw and hashValue of enum

enum CellType: String {
    case primary, secondary, tierary
}
let possibleCellType = CellType(rawValue: "tierary")
possibleCellType // tierary
possibleCellType?.hashValue // 2

7. String enum’s

No need to hard code the string, as long as the enum type is string 👌, the name is auto converted to string when you call rawValue

enum CellType: String {
   case primary, secondary, tierary
}
print("\(CellType.primary.rawValue)") // primary
print("\(CellType.tierary.rawValue)") // tierary

6. Override static variable

class var id : String { return "\(HorCell.self)" } // In a class
override class var id : String { return "\(PrimaryCell.self)" } // In a sub-class of the class

5. Action as argument

In the case bellow we use an argument to assign the target. It could be possible to pass a ref to the buttonTouched method as well. Example of that comming soon.

func createBtn(action: String) -> UIButton {
    let btn: UIButton = .init(type: .system)
    btn.addTarget(self, action: Selector(action), for: .touchUpInside)
    return btn
}
@objc func buttonTouched(_ sender: UIButton) {
    Swift.print("buttonTouched")
}
let btn = createButton(action: "buttonTouched:") // 👈 The : character is important

4. Simplify similar code with a closure

let closure = { (text: String, bgColor: UIColor, y: CGFloat, action: String) in
   let btn: UIButton = .init(type: .system)
   btn.backgroundColor = bgColor
   btn.setTitle(text, for: .normal)
   btn.titleLabel?.font =  .systemFont(ofSize: 12)
   btn.frame = .init(x:00, y:y, width:100, height:50)
   btn.addTarget(self, action: Selector(action), for: .touchUpInside)
   self.addSubview(btn)
}
// btn1
closure(
   "Forward",
   .gray,
   250,
   "onForwardButtonClick"
)
// btn2
closure(
   "Back",
   .lightGray,
   250,
   "onbackButtonClick"
)

3. Asserting if an array index exist:

let arr = [1, 2, 3]
if let fourthItem = (3 < arr.count ?  arr[3] : nil ) {
     Swift.print("fourthItem:  \(fourthItem)")
} else if let thirdItem = (2 < arr.count ?  arr[2] : nil) {
     Swift.print("thirdItem:  \(thirdItem)")
}
// Output: thirdItem: 3

2. Simple Caching:

/**
 * Also works for external server data
 * ## Examples: if let data = myBigData { print(data) }
 */
private var _myBigData : Data? = nil
var myBigData : Data? {
    set {
        self._myBigData = newValue
    } get {
        if _myBigData == nil {
            // ... get a reference to file on disk, f ...
            if let d = try? Data(contentsOf:f) {
                self._myBigData = d
                // ... erase the file ...
            }
        }
        return self._myBigData
    }
}

1. Sometimes using switch can be overkill:

enum State {
    case a, b, c
}
let state: State = .b
if [.a, .b].contains(state) {
    Swift.print("either a or b")
}else if case .a = state {
    Swift.print("must be c")
}

Swift tricks