When SwiftUI was first released, one of the great features that piqued my interest was the instant preview function. This feature empowers developers to preview the user interface of any view within Xcode, entirely bypassing the need for a simulator. Prior to Xcode 15, the preview feature was exclusive to the SwiftUI framework. However, with the most recent release of Xcode, Apple expanded the utility of this feature to UIKit as well. In this tutorial, let’s see how you can make use of this preview feature when developing UIKit apps. Using #Preview to Preview View Controllers To preview a UIKi ..read more

In any user interface, focus plays a crucial role in determining which element receives the next input. SwiftUI provides a powerful set of tools and view modifiers that allow you to control and manage focus in your apps. By using these modifiers, you can indicate which views are eligible to receive focus, detect which view currently has focus, and even programmatically control the focus state. In this tutorial, we will explore the ins and outs of SwiftUI’s focus management API, empowering you to create engaging and interactive user experiences. Specifically, we will dive deep into the usage of ..read more

I recently received a question from a friend regarding barcode generation using Swift. The CoreImage framework provides convenient built-in APIs for creating various types of barcodes, including QR codes. In this tutorial, we’ll explore how you can leverage SwiftUI and these powerful APIs to develop your very own barcode generator. Let’s first take a look at the final result. It’s a very elementary barcode generation app with simple UIs. When you enter text into the designated field, the app instantly generates the corresponding barcode using the Code 128 format, which is used for alphanumeric ..read more

In iOS 17, Apple introduced a new framework called SwiftData to replace the Core Data framework. Earlier, we have written an introductory tutorial about SwiftData and showed you how to pair SwiftData with SwiftUI. While there are numerous learning resources available for using SwiftData with SwiftUI, some readers have mentioned that finding comprehensive guides for integrating SwiftData into UIKit apps can be challenging. In this tutorial, we will delve into the process of leveraging the capabilities of SwiftData within the UIKit framework. A Quick Introduction about SwiftData To start off, le ..read more

With the release of Xcode 15, Apple introduced an exciting feature called String Catalogs. This feature aims to streamline the localization process for your app, making it easier to manage all your strings in one central location. By leveraging String Catalogs, you can ensure that your app is fully localized before it reaches your users. This new feature offers both convenience and confidence in the localization process. In earlier versions of Xcode, you have to go through a string internationalization process that requires to modify the existing texts with the String(localized:) macro before ..read more

In the earlier tutorial, I have walked you through the basics of SwiftData, a new framework introduced in iOS 17 as a replacement for Core Data. If you have followed that tutorial, you should now be familiar with using SwiftData to save and manage data in a database. The built-in @Model macro and the @Query macro greatly simplify the process of defining data model and retrieving records from the database, making it extremely easy for developers to handle persistent data. The Preview feature in SwiftUI is highly valuable as it allows developers to instantly visualize the app’s user interface wi ..read more

The Toolbar API has been available for a considerable period, having been introduced with the release of iOS 14. It was a valuable addition to the SwiftUI framework, enabling developers to incorporate menu items in the navigation and bottom bars. In iOS 16, Apple unveiled additional modifiers to further enhance the customization of toolbars and provide developers with greater control over their appearance. In this tutorial, let me show you how to work with toolbars and manage its customizations. Using the Toolbar Modifier to Populate Navigation Bar Items Whether you need to populate items in n ..read more

When it comes to designing visually appealing and intuitive user interfaces in iOS development, SF Symbols are an invaluable asset. It offers a comprehensive library of over 5,000 customizable icons, designed specifically for iOS and macOS applications. The latest iOS 17 update brings SF Symbols 5, which introduces a fantastic collection of expressive animations. SwiftUI offers developers the ability to leverage these animations using the new symbolEffect modifier. This feature empowers developers to create diverse and captivating animations within their apps. By incorporating symbolEffect int ..read more

As you know, Apple is set to release the official version of iOS 17 and Xcode 15 later this month. To ensure you stay up-to-date with these new releases, we have made significant updates to our Mastering SwiftUI book and its accompanying app projects. The content of the book has been revised to align with Xcode 15 and iOS 17, including updated screenshots and source code. We have also expanded the book by adding over 10 new chapters. These new chapters provide comprehensive coverage of the latest SwiftUI APIs, such as SwiftData and TipKit, offering you the most up-to-date knowledge ..read more

It’s always important to make your app as intuitive as possible. However, for some features, it may be helpful to provide extra information to teach users how to use them effectively. That’s where TipKit comes in. Introduced in iOS 17, TipKit is a framework for displaying tips in your app, allowing developers to offer additional guidance and ensuring users to make the most of your app’s features. In this tutorial, we will explore the TipKit framework and see how to create tips for a demo app using SwiftUI. Using the TipKit Framework To use the TipKit framework, you have to ..read more