About Swift — The Swift Programming Language (Swift 5) 30/04/2019, 7+35 PM

About Swift
Swift is a fantastic way to write software, whether itʼs for phones, desktops, servers, or
anything else that runs code. Itʼs a safe, fast, and interactive programming language
that combines the best in modern language thinking with wisdom from the wider Apple
engineering culture and the diverse contributions from its open-source community.
The compiler is optimized for performance and the language is optimized for
development, without compromising on either.

Swift is friendly to new programmers. Itʼs an industrial-quality programming language

thatʼs as expressive and enjoyable as a scripting language. Writing Swift code in a
playground lets you experiment with code and see the results immediately, without the
overhead of building and running an app.

Swift defines away large classes of common programming errors by adopting modern
programming patterns:

Variables are always initialized before use.

Array indices are checked for out-of-bounds errors.
Integers are checked for overflow.
Optionals ensure that nil values are handled explicitly.
Memory is managed automatically.
Error handling allows controlled recovery from unexpected failures.

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Swift code is compiled and optimized to get the most out of modern hardware. The
syntax and standard library have been designed based on the guiding principle that the
obvious way to write your code should also perform the best. Its combination of safety
and speed make Swift an excellent choice for everything from “Hello, world!” to an
entire operating system.

Swift combines powerful type inference and pattern matching with a modern,
lightweight syntax, allowing complex ideas to be expressed in a clear and concise
manner. As a result, code is not just easier to write, but easier to read and maintain as
well.

Swift has been years in the making, and it continues to evolve with new features and
capabilities. Our goals for Swift are ambitious. We canʼt wait to see what you create
with it.

Version Compatibility

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Version Compatibility
This book describes Swift 5, the default version of Swift thatʼs included in Xcode 10.2.
You can use Xcode 10.2 to build targets that are written in either Swift 5, Swift 4.2, or
Swift 4.

When you use Xcode 10.2 to build Swift 4 and Swift 4.2 code, most Swift 5 functionality
is available. That said, the following changes are available only to Swift 5 code:

The try? expression doesnʼt introduce an extra level of optionality to expressions

that already return optionals.
Large integer literal initialization expressions are inferred to be of the correct
integer type. For example, UInt64(0xffff_ffff_ffff_ffff) evaluates to the
correct value rather than overflowing.

A target written in Swift 5 can depend on a target thatʼs written in Swift 4.2 or Swift 4,
and vice versa. This means, if you have a large project thatʼs divided into multiple
frameworks, you can migrate your code from Swift 4 to Swift 5 one framework at a
time.

About Swift A Swift Tour

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ON THIS PAGE

A Swift Tour
Tradition suggests that the first program in a new language should print the words
“Hello, world!” on the screen. In Swift, this can be done in a single line:

1 print("Hello, world!")
2 // Prints "Hello, world!"

If you have written code in C or Objective-C, this syntax looks familiar to you—in Swift,
this line of code is a complete program. You donʼt need to import a separate library for
functionality like input/output or string handling. Code written at global scope is used
as the entry point for the program, so you donʼt need a main() function. You also donʼt
need to write semicolons at the end of every statement.

This tour gives you enough information to start writing code in Swift by showing you
how to accomplish a variety of programming tasks. Donʼt worry if you donʼt understand
something—everything introduced in this tour is explained in detail in the rest of this
book.

NOTE

For the best experience, open this chapter as a playground in Xcode. Playgrounds allow
you to edit the code listings and see the result immediately.

Download Playground

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Simple Values
Use let to make a constant and var to make a variable. The value of a constant
doesnʼt need to be known at compile time, but you must assign it a value exactly once.
This means you can use constants to name a value that you determine once but use in
many places.

1 var myVariable = 42
2 myVariable = 50
3 let myConstant = 42

A constant or variable must have the same type as the value you want to assign to it.
However, you donʼt always have to write the type explicitly. Providing a value when you
create a constant or variable lets the compiler infer its type. In the example above, the
compiler infers that myVariable is an integer because its initial value is an integer.

If the initial value doesnʼt provide enough information (or if there is no initial value),
specify the type by writing it after the variable, separated by a colon.

1 let implicitInteger = 70
2 let implicitDouble = 70.0
3 let explicitDouble: Double = 70

EXPERIMENT

Create a constant with an explicit type of Float and a value of 4.

Values are never implicitly converted to another type. If you need to convert a value to
a different type, explicitly make an instance of the desired type.

1 let label = "The width is "

2 let width = 94
3 let widthLabel = label + String(width)

EXPERIMENT

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Try removing the conversion to String from the last line. What error do you get?

Thereʼs an even simpler way to include values in strings: Write the value in parentheses,
and write a backslash (\) before the parentheses. For example:

1 let apples = 3
2 let oranges = 5
3 let appleSummary = "I have \(apples) apples."
4 let fruitSummary = "I have \(apples + oranges) pieces of
fruit."

EXPERIMENT

Use \() to include a floating-point calculation in a string and to include someoneʼs name in
a greeting.

Use three double quotation marks (""") for strings that take up multiple lines.
Indentation at the start of each quoted line is removed, as long as it matches the
indentation of the closing quotation marks. For example:

1 let quotation = """

2 I said "I have \(apples) apples."
3 And then I said "I have \(apples + oranges) pieces of fruit."
4 """

Create arrays and dictionaries using brackets ([]), and access their elements by writing
the index or key in brackets. A comma is allowed after the last element.

1 var shoppingList = ["catfish", "water", "tulips"]

2 shoppingList[1] = "bottle of water"
3
4 var occupations = [
5 "Malcolm": "Captain",
6 "Kaylee": "Mechanic",
7 ]
8 occupations["Jayne"] = "Public Relations"

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Arrays automatically grow as you add elements.

1 shoppingList.append("blue paint")
2 print(shoppingList)

To create an empty array or dictionary, use the initializer syntax.

1 let emptyArray = [String]()

2 let emptyDictionary = [String: Float]()

If type information can be inferred, you can write an empty array as [] and an empty
dictionary as [:]—for example, when you set a new value for a variable or pass an
argument to a function.

1 shoppingList = []
2 occupations = [:]

Control Flow
Use if and switch to make conditionals, and use for-in, while, and repeat-while to
make loops. Parentheses around the condition or loop variable are optional. Braces
around the body are required.

1 let individualScores = [75, 43, 103, 87, 12]

2 var teamScore = 0
3 for score in individualScores {
4 if score > 50 {
5 teamScore += 3
6 } else {
7 teamScore += 1
8 }
9 }
10 print(teamScore)
11 // Prints "11"

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In an if statement, the conditional must be a Boolean expression—this means that

code such as if score { ... } is an error, not an implicit comparison to zero.

You can use if and let together to work with values that might be missing. These
values are represented as optionals. An optional value either contains a value or
contains nil to indicate that a value is missing. Write a question mark (?) after the type
of a value to mark the value as optional.

1 var optionalString: String? = "Hello"

2 print(optionalString == nil)
3 // Prints "false"
4
5 var optionalName: String? = "John Appleseed"
6 var greeting = "Hello!"
7 if let name = optionalName {
8 greeting = "Hello, \(name)"
9 }

EXPERIMENT

Change optionalName to nil. What greeting do you get? Add an else clause that sets a
different greeting if optionalName is nil.

If the optional value is nil, the conditional is false and the code in braces is skipped.
Otherwise, the optional value is unwrapped and assigned to the constant after let,
which makes the unwrapped value available inside the block of code.

Another way to handle optional values is to provide a default value using the ??
operator. If the optional value is missing, the default value is used instead.

1 let nickName: String? = nil

2 let fullName: String = "John Appleseed"
3 let informalGreeting = "Hi \(nickName ?? fullName)"

Switches support any kind of data and a wide variety of comparison operations—they
arenʼt limited to integers and tests for equality.

1 let vegetable = "red pepper"

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2 switch vegetable {
3 case "celery":
4 print("Add some raisins and make ants on a log.")
5 case "cucumber", "watercress":
6 print("That would make a good tea sandwich.")
7 case let x where x.hasSuffix("pepper"):
8 print("Is it a spicy \(x)?")
9 default:
10 print("Everything tastes good in soup.")
11 }
12 // Prints "Is it a spicy red pepper?"

EXPERIMENT

Try removing the default case. What error do you get?

Notice how let can be used in a pattern to assign the value that matched the pattern
to a constant.

After executing the code inside the switch case that matched, the program exits from
the switch statement. Execution doesnʼt continue to the next case, so there is no need
to explicitly break out of the switch at the end of each caseʼs code.

You use for-in to iterate over items in a dictionary by providing a pair of names to use
for each key-value pair. Dictionaries are an unordered collection, so their keys and
values are iterated over in an arbitrary order.

1 let interestingNumbers = [
2 "Prime": [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13],
3 "Fibonacci": [1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8],
4 "Square": [1, 4, 9, 16, 25],
5 ]
6 var largest = 0
7 for (kind, numbers) in interestingNumbers {
8 for number in numbers {
9 if number > largest {
10 largest = number
11 }

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12 }
13 }
14 print(largest)
15 // Prints "25"

EXPERIMENT

Add another variable to keep track of which kind of number was the largest, as well as
what that largest number was.

Use while to repeat a block of code until a condition changes. The condition of a loop
can be at the end instead, ensuring that the loop is run at least once.

1 var n = 2
2 while n < 100 {
3 n *= 2
4 }
5 print(n)
6 // Prints "128"
7
8 var m = 2
9 repeat {
10 m *= 2
11 } while m < 100
12 print(m)
13 // Prints "128"

You can keep an index in a loop by using ..< to make a range of indexes.

1 var total = 0
2 for i in 0..<4 {
3 total += i
4 }
5 print(total)
6 // Prints "6"

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Use ..< to make a range that omits its upper value, and use ... to make a range that
includes both values.

Functions and Closures

Use func to declare a function. Call a function by following its name with a list of
arguments in parentheses. Use -> to separate the parameter names and types from
the functionʼs return type.

1 func greet(person: String, day: String) -> String {

2 return "Hello \(person), today is \(day)."
3 }
4 greet(person: "Bob", day: "Tuesday")

EXPERIMENT

Remove the day parameter. Add a parameter to include todayʼs lunch special in the
greeting.

By default, functions use their parameter names as labels for their arguments. Write a
custom argument label before the parameter name, or write _ to use no argument
label.

1 func greet(_ person: String, on day: String) -> String {

2 return "Hello \(person), today is \(day)."
3 }
4 greet("John", on: "Wednesday")

Use a tuple to make a compound value—for example, to return multiple values from a
function. The elements of a tuple can be referred to either by name or by number.

1 func calculateStatistics(scores: [Int]) -> (min: Int, max: Int,

sum: Int) {
2 var min = scores[0]
3 var max = scores[0]
4 var sum = 0

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5
6 for score in scores {
7 if score > max {
8 max = score
9 } else if score < min {
10 min = score
11 }
12 sum += score
13 }
14
15 return (min, max, sum)
16 }
17 let statistics = calculateStatistics(scores: [5, 3, 100, 3, 9])
18 print(statistics.sum)
19 // Prints "120"
20 print(statistics.2)
21 // Prints "120"

Functions can be nested. Nested functions have access to variables that were declared
in the outer function. You can use nested functions to organize the code in a function
that is long or complex.

1 func returnFifteen() -> Int {

2 var y = 10
3 func add() {
4 y += 5
5 }
6 add()
7 return y
8 }
9 returnFifteen()

Functions are a first-class type. This means that a function can return another function
as its value.

1 func makeIncrementer() -> ((Int) -> Int) {

2 func addOne(number: Int) -> Int {

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3 return 1 + number
4 }
5 return addOne
6 }
7 var increment = makeIncrementer()
8 increment(7)

A function can take another function as one of its arguments.

1 func hasAnyMatches(list: [Int], condition: (Int) -> Bool) ->

Bool {
2 for item in list {
3 if condition(item) {
4 return true
5 }
6 }
7 return false
8 }
9 func lessThanTen(number: Int) -> Bool {
10 return number < 10
11 }
12 var numbers = [20, 19, 7, 12]
13 hasAnyMatches(list: numbers, condition: lessThanTen)

Functions are actually a special case of closures: blocks of code that can be called
later. The code in a closure has access to things like variables and functions that were
available in the scope where the closure was created, even if the closure is in a
different scope when it is executed—you saw an example of this already with nested
functions. You can write a closure without a name by surrounding code with braces
({}). Use in to separate the arguments and return type from the body.

1 numbers.map({ (number: Int) -> Int in

2 let result = 3 * number
3 return result
4 })

EXPERIMENT

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Rewrite the closure to return zero for all odd numbers.

You have several options for writing closures more concisely. When a closureʼs type is
already known, such as the callback for a delegate, you can omit the type of its
parameters, its return type, or both. Single statement closures implicitly return the
value of their only statement.

1 let mappedNumbers = numbers.map({ number in 3 * number })

2 print(mappedNumbers)
3 // Prints "[60, 57, 21, 36]"

You can refer to parameters by number instead of by name—this approach is especially

useful in very short closures. A closure passed as the last argument to a function can
appear immediately after the parentheses. When a closure is the only argument to a
function, you can omit the parentheses entirely.

1 let sortedNumbers = numbers.sorted { $0 > $1 }

2 print(sortedNumbers)
3 // Prints "[20, 19, 12, 7]"

Objects and Classes

Use class followed by the classʼs name to create a class. A property declaration in a
class is written the same way as a constant or variable declaration, except that it is in
the context of a class. Likewise, method and function declarations are written the same
way.

1 class Shape {
2 var numberOfSides = 0
3 func simpleDescription() -> String {
4 return "A shape with \(numberOfSides) sides."
5 }
6 }

EXPERIMENT

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Add a constant property with let, and add another method that takes an argument.

Create an instance of a class by putting parentheses after the class name. Use dot
syntax to access the properties and methods of the instance.

1 var shape = Shape()

2 shape.numberOfSides = 7
3 var shapeDescription = shape.simpleDescription()

This version of the Shape class is missing something important: an initializer to set up
the class when an instance is created. Use init to create one.

1 class NamedShape {
2 var numberOfSides: Int = 0
3 var name: String
4
5 init(name: String) {
6 self.name = name
7 }
8
9 func simpleDescription() -> String {
10 return "A shape with \(numberOfSides) sides."
11 }
12 }

Notice how self is used to distinguish the name property from the name argument to
the initializer. The arguments to the initializer are passed like a function call when you
create an instance of the class. Every property needs a value assigned—either in its
declaration (as with numberOfSides) or in the initializer (as with name).

Use deinit to create a deinitializer if you need to perform some cleanup before the
object is deallocated.

Subclasses include their superclass name after their class name, separated by a colon.
There is no requirement for classes to subclass any standard root class, so you can
include or omit a superclass as needed.

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Methods on a subclass that override the superclassʼs implementation are marked with
override—overriding a method by accident, without override, is detected by the
compiler as an error. The compiler also detects methods with override that donʼt
actually override any method in the superclass.

1 class Square: NamedShape {

2 var sideLength: Double
3
4 init(sideLength: Double, name: String) {
5 self.sideLength = sideLength
6 super.init(name: name)
7 numberOfSides = 4
8 }
9
10 func area() -> Double {
11 return sideLength * sideLength
12 }
13
14 override func simpleDescription() -> String {
15 return "A square with sides of length \(sideLength)."
16 }
17 }
18 let test = Square(sideLength: 5.2, name: "my test square")
19 test.area()
20 test.simpleDescription()

EXPERIMENT

Make another subclass of NamedShape called Circle that takes a radius and a name as
arguments to its initializer. Implement an area() and a simpleDescription() method on
the Circle class.

In addition to simple properties that are stored, properties can have a getter and a
setter.

1 class EquilateralTriangle: NamedShape {

2 var sideLength: Double = 0.0

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3
4 init(sideLength: Double, name: String) {
5 self.sideLength = sideLength
6 super.init(name: name)
7 numberOfSides = 3
8 }
9
10 var perimeter: Double {
11 get {
12 return 3.0 * sideLength
13 }
14 set {
15 sideLength = newValue / 3.0
16 }
17 }
18
19 override func simpleDescription() -> String {
20 return "An equilateral triangle with sides of length \
(sideLength)."
21 }
22 }
23 var triangle = EquilateralTriangle(sideLength: 3.1, name: "a
triangle")
24 print(triangle.perimeter)
25 // Prints "9.3"
26 triangle.perimeter = 9.9
27 print(triangle.sideLength)
28 // Prints "3.3000000000000003"

In the setter for perimeter, the new value has the implicit name newValue. You can
provide an explicit name in parentheses after set.

Notice that the initializer for the EquilateralTriangle class has three different steps:

^. Setting the value of properties that the subclass declares.

_. Calling the superclassʼs initializer.
`. Changing the value of properties defined by the superclass. Any additional setup

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work that uses methods, getters, or setters can also be done at this point.

If you donʼt need to compute the property but still need to provide code that is run
before and after setting a new value, use willSet and didSet. The code you provide is
run any time the value changes outside of an initializer. For example, the class below
ensures that the side length of its triangle is always the same as the side length of its
square.

1 class TriangleAndSquare {
2 var triangle: EquilateralTriangle {
3 willSet {
4 square.sideLength = newValue.sideLength
5 }
6 }
7 var square: Square {
8 willSet {
9 triangle.sideLength = newValue.sideLength
10 }
11 }
12 init(size: Double, name: String) {
13 square = Square(sideLength: size, name: name)
14 triangle = EquilateralTriangle(sideLength: size, name:
name)
15 }
16 }
17 var triangleAndSquare = TriangleAndSquare(size: 10, name:
"another test shape")
18 print(triangleAndSquare.square.sideLength)
19 // Prints "10.0"
20 print(triangleAndSquare.triangle.sideLength)
21 // Prints "10.0"
22 triangleAndSquare.square = Square(sideLength: 50, name: "larger
square")
23 print(triangleAndSquare.triangle.sideLength)
24 // Prints "50.0"

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When working with optional values, you can write ? before operations like methods,
properties, and subscripting. If the value before the ? is nil, everything after the ? is
ignored and the value of the whole expression is nil. Otherwise, the optional value is
unwrapped, and everything after the ? acts on the unwrapped value. In both cases, the
value of the whole expression is an optional value.

1 let optionalSquare: Square? = Square(sideLength: 2.5, name:

"optional square")
2 let sideLength = optionalSquare?.sideLength

Enumerations and Structures

Use enum to create an enumeration. Like classes and all other named types,
enumerations can have methods associated with them.

1 enum Rank: Int {

2 case ace = 1
3 case two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
4 case jack, queen, king
5
6 func simpleDescription() -> String {
7 switch self {
8 case .ace:
9 return "ace"
10 case .jack:
11 return "jack"
12 case .queen:
13 return "queen"
14 case .king:
15 return "king"
16 default:
17 return String(self.rawValue)
18 }
19 }
20 }

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21 let ace = Rank.ace

22 let aceRawValue = ace.rawValue

EXPERIMENT

Write a function that compares two Rank values by comparing their raw values.

By default, Swift assigns the raw values starting at zero and incrementing by one each
time, but you can change this behavior by explicitly specifying values. In the example
above, Ace is explicitly given a raw value of 1, and the rest of the raw values are
assigned in order. You can also use strings or floating-point numbers as the raw type of
an enumeration. Use the rawValue property to access the raw value of an enumeration
case.

Use the init?(rawValue:) initializer to make an instance of an enumeration from a raw

value. It returns either the enumeration case matching the raw value or nil if there is
no matching Rank.

1 if let convertedRank = Rank(rawValue: 3) {

2 let threeDescription = convertedRank.simpleDescription()
3 }

The case values of an enumeration are actual values, not just another way of writing
their raw values. In fact, in cases where there isnʼt a meaningful raw value, you donʼt
have to provide one.

1 enum Suit {
2 case spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs
3
4 func simpleDescription() -> String {
5 switch self {
6 case .spades:
7 return "spades"
8 case .hearts:
9 return "hearts"
10 case .diamonds:
11 return "diamonds"

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12 case .clubs:
13 return "clubs"
14 }
15 }
16 }
17 let hearts = Suit.hearts
18 let heartsDescription = hearts.simpleDescription()

EXPERIMENT

Add a color() method to Suit that returns “black” for spades and clubs, and returns “red”
for hearts and diamonds.

Notice the two ways that the hearts case of the enumeration is referred to above:
When assigning a value to the hearts constant, the enumeration case Suit.hearts is
referred to by its full name because the constant doesnʼt have an explicit type
specified. Inside the switch, the enumeration case is referred to by the abbreviated
form .hearts because the value of self is already known to be a suit. You can use the
abbreviated form anytime the valueʼs type is already known.

If an enumeration has raw values, those values are determined as part of the
declaration, which means every instance of a particular enumeration case always has
the same raw value. Another choice for enumeration cases is to have values associated
with the case—these values are determined when you make the instance, and they can
be different for each instance of an enumeration case. You can think of the associated
values as behaving like stored properties of the enumeration case instance. For
example, consider the case of requesting the sunrise and sunset times from a server.
The server either responds with the requested information, or it responds with a
description of what went wrong.

1 enum ServerResponse {
2 case result(String, String)
3 case failure(String)
4 }
5
6 let success = ServerResponse.result("6:00 am", "8:09 pm")
7 let failure = ServerResponse.failure("Out of cheese.")

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8
9 switch success {
10 case let .result(sunrise, sunset):
11 print("Sunrise is at \(sunrise) and sunset is at \
(sunset).")
12 case let .failure(message):
13 print("Failure... \(message)")
14 }
15 // Prints "Sunrise is at 6:00 am and sunset is at 8:09 pm."

EXPERIMENT

Add a third case to ServerResponse and to the switch.

Notice how the sunrise and sunset times are extracted from the ServerResponse value
as part of matching the value against the switch cases.

Use struct to create a structure. Structures support many of the same behaviors as
classes, including methods and initializers. One of the most important differences
between structures and classes is that structures are always copied when they are
passed around in your code, but classes are passed by reference.

1 struct Card {
2 var rank: Rank
3 var suit: Suit
4 func simpleDescription() -> String {
5 return "The \(rank.simpleDescription()) of \
(suit.simpleDescription())"
6 }
7 }
8 let threeOfSpades = Card(rank: .three, suit: .spades)
9 let threeOfSpadesDescription =
threeOfSpades.simpleDescription()

EXPERIMENT

Write a function that returns an array containing a full deck of cards, with one card of each
combination of rank and suit.

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Protocols and Extensions

Use protocol to declare a protocol.

1 protocol ExampleProtocol {
2 var simpleDescription: String { get }
3 mutating func adjust()
4 }

Classes, enumerations, and structs can all adopt protocols.

1 class SimpleClass: ExampleProtocol {

2 var simpleDescription: String = "A very simple class."
3 var anotherProperty: Int = 69105
4 func adjust() {
5 simpleDescription += " Now 100% adjusted."
6 }
7 }
8 var a = SimpleClass()
9 a.adjust()
10 let aDescription = a.simpleDescription
11
12 struct SimpleStructure: ExampleProtocol {
13 var simpleDescription: String = "A simple structure"
14 mutating func adjust() {
15 simpleDescription += " (adjusted)"
16 }
17 }
18 var b = SimpleStructure()
19 b.adjust()
20 let bDescription = b.simpleDescription

EXPERIMENT

Add another requirement to ExampleProtocol. What changes do you need to make to

SimpleClass and SimpleStructure so that they still conform to the protocol?

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Notice the use of the mutating keyword in the declaration of SimpleStructure to mark
a method that modifies the structure. The declaration of SimpleClass doesnʼt need
any of its methods marked as mutating because methods on a class can always modify
the class.

Use extension to add functionality to an existing type, such as new methods and
computed properties. You can use an extension to add protocol conformance to a type
that is declared elsewhere, or even to a type that you imported from a library or
framework.

1 extension Int: ExampleProtocol {

2 var simpleDescription: String {
3 return "The number \(self)"
4 }
5 mutating func adjust() {
6 self += 42
7 }
8 }
9 print(7.simpleDescription)
10 // Prints "The number 7"

EXPERIMENT

Write an extension for the Double type that adds an absoluteValue property.

You can use a protocol name just like any other named type—for example, to create a
collection of objects that have different types but that all conform to a single protocol.
When you work with values whose type is a protocol type, methods outside the
protocol definition are not available.

1 let protocolValue: ExampleProtocol = a

2 print(protocolValue.simpleDescription)
3 // Prints "A very simple class. Now 100% adjusted."
4 // print(protocolValue.anotherProperty) // Uncomment to see
the error

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Even though the variable protocolValue has a runtime type of SimpleClass, the
compiler treats it as the given type of ExampleProtocol. This means that you canʼt
accidentally access methods or properties that the class implements in addition to its
protocol conformance.

Error Handling
You represent errors using any type that adopts the Error protocol.

1 enum PrinterError: Error {

2 case outOfPaper
3 case noToner
4 case onFire
5 }

Use throw to throw an error and throws to mark a function that can throw an error. If
you throw an error in a function, the function returns immediately and the code that
called the function handles the error.

1 func send(job: Int, toPrinter printerName: String) throws ->

String {
2 if printerName == "Never Has Toner" {
3 throw PrinterError.noToner
4 }
5 return "Job sent"
6 }

There are several ways to handle errors. One way is to use do-catch. Inside the do
block, you mark code that can throw an error by writing try in front of it. Inside the
catch block, the error is automatically given the name error unless you give it a
different name.

1 do {
2 let printerResponse = try send(job: 1040, toPrinter: "Bi
Sheng")

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3 print(printerResponse)
4 } catch {
5 print(error)
6 }
7 // Prints "Job sent"

EXPERIMENT

Change the printer name to "Never Has Toner", so that the send(job:toPrinter:)
function throws an error.

You can provide multiple catch blocks that handle specific errors. You write a pattern
after catch just as you do after case in a switch.

1 do {
2 let printerResponse = try send(job: 1440, toPrinter:
"Gutenberg")
3 print(printerResponse)
4 } catch PrinterError.onFire {
5 print("I'll just put this over here, with the rest of the
fire.")
6 } catch let printerError as PrinterError {
7 print("Printer error: \(printerError).")
8 } catch {
9 print(error)
10 }
11 // Prints "Job sent"

EXPERIMENT

Add code to throw an error inside the do block. What kind of error do you need to throw so
that the error is handled by the first catch block? What about the second and third blocks?

Another way to handle errors is to use try? to convert the result to an optional. If the
function throws an error, the specific error is discarded and the result is nil.
Otherwise, the result is an optional containing the value that the function returned.

1 let printerSuccess = try? send(job: 1884, toPrinter:

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"Mergenthaler")
2 let printerFailure = try? send(job: 1885, toPrinter: "Never Has
Toner")

Use defer to write a block of code that is executed after all other code in the function,
just before the function returns. The code is executed regardless of whether the
function throws an error. You can use defer to write setup and cleanup code next to
each other, even though they need to be executed at different times.

1 var fridgeIsOpen = false

2 let fridgeContent = ["milk", "eggs", "leftovers"]
3
4 func fridgeContains(_ food: String) -> Bool {
5 fridgeIsOpen = true
6 defer {
7 fridgeIsOpen = false
8 }
9
10 let result = fridgeContent.contains(food)
11 return result
12 }
13 fridgeContains("banana")
14 print(fridgeIsOpen)
15 // Prints "false"

Generics
Write a name inside angle brackets to make a generic function or type.

1 func makeArray<Item>(repeating item: Item, numberOfTimes: Int)

-> [Item] {
2 var result = [Item]()
3 for _ in 0..<numberOfTimes {
4 result.append(item)
5 }

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6 return result
7 }
8 makeArray(repeating: "knock", numberOfTimes: 4)

You can make generic forms of functions and methods, as well as classes,
enumerations, and structures.

1 // Reimplement the Swift standard library's optional type

2 enum OptionalValue<Wrapped> {
3 case none
4 case some(Wrapped)
5 }
6 var possibleInteger: OptionalValue<Int> = .none
7 possibleInteger = .some(100)

Use where right before the body to specify a list of requirements—for example, to
require the type to implement a protocol, to require two types to be the same, or to
require a class to have a particular superclass.

1 func anyCommonElements<T: Sequence, U: Sequence>(_ lhs: T, _

rhs: U) -> Bool
2 where T.Element: Equatable, T.Element == U.Element
3 {
4 for lhsItem in lhs {
5 for rhsItem in rhs {
6 if lhsItem == rhsItem {
7 return true
8 }
9 }
10 }
11 return false
12 }
13 anyCommonElements([1, 2, 3], [3])

EXPERIMENT

Modify the anyCommonElements(_:_:) function to make a function that returns an array of

the elements that any two sequences have in common.

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Writing <T: Equatable> is the same as writing <T> ... where T: Equatable.

Version Compatibility The Basics

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ON THIS PAGE

The Basics
Swift is a new programming language for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS app
development. Nonetheless, many parts of Swift will be familiar from your experience of
developing in C and Objective-C.

Swift provides its own versions of all fundamental C and Objective-C types, including
Int for integers, Double and Float for floating-point values, Bool for Boolean values,
and String for textual data. Swift also provides powerful versions of the three primary
collection types, Array, Set, and Dictionary, as described in Collection Types.

Like C, Swift uses variables to store and refer to values by an identifying name. Swift
also makes extensive use of variables whose values canʼt be changed. These are
known as constants, and are much more powerful than constants in C. Constants are
used throughout Swift to make code safer and clearer in intent when you work with
values that donʼt need to change.

In addition to familiar types, Swift introduces advanced types not found in Objective-C,
such as tuples. Tuples enable you to create and pass around groupings of values. You
can use a tuple to return multiple values from a function as a single compound value.

Swift also introduces optional types, which handle the absence of a value. Optionals
say either “there is a value, and it equals x” or “there isnʼt a value at all”. Using optionals
is similar to using nil with pointers in Objective-C, but they work for any type, not just
classes. Not only are optionals safer and more expressive than nil pointers in
Objective-C, theyʼre at the heart of many of Swiftʼs most powerful features.

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Swift is a type-safe language, which means the language helps you to be clear about
the types of values your code can work with. If part of your code requires a String,
type safety prevents you from passing it an Int by mistake. Likewise, type safety
prevents you from accidentally passing an optional String to a piece of code that
requires a non-optional String. Type safety helps you catch and fix errors as early as
possible in the development process.

Constants and Variables

Constants and variables associate a name (such as maximumNumberOfLoginAttempts or
welcomeMessage) with a value of a particular type (such as the number 10 or the string
"Hello"). The value of a constant canʼt be changed once itʼs set, whereas a variable
can be set to a different value in the future.

Declaring Constants and Variables

Constants and variables must be declared before theyʼre used. You declare constants
with the let keyword and variables with the var keyword. Hereʼs an example of how
constants and variables can be used to track the number of login attempts a user has
made:

1 let maximumNumberOfLoginAttempts = 10
2 var currentLoginAttempt = 0

This code can be read as:

“Declare a new constant called maximumNumberOfLoginAttempts, and give it a value of

10. Then, declare a new variable called currentLoginAttempt, and give it an initial
value of 0.”

In this example, the maximum number of allowed login attempts is declared as a

constant, because the maximum value never changes. The current login attempt
counter is declared as a variable, because this value must be incremented after each
failed login attempt.

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You can declare multiple constants or multiple variables on a single line, separated by
commas:

var x = 0.0, y = 0.0, z = 0.0

NOTE

If a stored value in your code wonʼt change, always declare it as a constant with the let
keyword. Use variables only for storing values that need to be able to change.

Type Annotations
You can provide a type annotation when you declare a constant or variable, to be clear
about the kind of values the constant or variable can store. Write a type annotation by
placing a colon after the constant or variable name, followed by a space, followed by
the name of the type to use.

This example provides a type annotation for a variable called welcomeMessage, to

indicate that the variable can store String values:

var welcomeMessage: String

The colon in the declaration means “…of type…,” so the code above can be read as:

“Declare a variable called welcomeMessage that is of type String.”

The phrase “of type String” means “can store any String value.” Think of it as
meaning “the type of thing” (or “the kind of thing”) that can be stored.

The welcomeMessage variable can now be set to any string value without error:

welcomeMessage = "Hello"

You can define multiple related variables of the same type on a single line, separated by
commas, with a single type annotation after the final variable name:

var red, green, blue: Double

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NOTE

Itʼs rare that you need to write type annotations in practice. If you provide an initial value for
a constant or variable at the point that itʼs defined, Swift can almost always infer the type
to be used for that constant or variable, as described in Type Safety and Type Inference. In
the welcomeMessage example above, no initial value is provided, and so the type of the
welcomeMessage variable is specified with a type annotation rather than being inferred from
an initial value.

Naming Constants and Variables

Constant and variable names can contain almost any character, including Unicode
characters:

1 let π = 3.14159
2 let = " "
3 let = "dogcow"

Constant and variable names canʼt contain whitespace characters, mathematical

symbols, arrows, private-use Unicode scalar values, or line- and box-drawing
characters. Nor can they begin with a number, although numbers may be included
elsewhere within the name.

Once youʼve declared a constant or variable of a certain type, you canʼt declare it again
with the same name, or change it to store values of a different type. Nor can you
change a constant into a variable or a variable into a constant.

NOTE

If you need to give a constant or variable the same name as a reserved Swift keyword,
surround the keyword with backticks (`) when using it as a name. However, avoid using
keywords as names unless you have absolutely no choice.

You can change the value of an existing variable to another value of a compatible type.
In this example, the value of friendlyWelcome is changed from "Hello!" to
"Bonjour!":

1 var friendlyWelcome = "Hello!"

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2 friendlyWelcome = "Bonjour!"
3 // friendlyWelcome is now "Bonjour!"

Unlike a variable, the value of a constant canʼt be changed after itʼs set. Attempting to
do so is reported as an error when your code is compiled:

1 let languageName = "Swift"

2 languageName = "Swift++"
3 // This is a compile-time error: languageName cannot be
changed.

Printing Constants and Variables

You can print the current value of a constant or variable with the
print(_:separator:terminator:) function:

1 print(friendlyWelcome)
2 // Prints "Bonjour!"

The print(_:separator:terminator:) function is a global function that prints one or

more values to an appropriate output. In Xcode, for example, the
print(_:separator:terminator:) function prints its output in Xcodeʼs “console”
pane. The separator and terminator parameter have default values, so you can omit
them when you call this function. By default, the function terminates the line it prints by
adding a line break. To print a value without a line break after it, pass an empty string as
the terminator—for example, print(someValue, terminator: ""). For information
about parameters with default values, see Default Parameter Values.

Swift uses string interpolation to include the name of a constant or variable as a

placeholder in a longer string, and to prompt Swift to replace it with the current value of
that constant or variable. Wrap the name in parentheses and escape it with a backslash
before the opening parenthesis:

1 print("The current value of friendlyWelcome is \

(friendlyWelcome)")
2 // Prints "The current value of friendlyWelcome is Bonjour!"

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NOTE

All options you can use with string interpolation are described in String Interpolation.

Comments
Use comments to include nonexecutable text in your code, as a note or reminder to
yourself. Comments are ignored by the Swift compiler when your code is compiled.

Comments in Swift are very similar to comments in C. Single-line comments begin with
two forward-slashes (//):

// This is a comment.

Multiline comments start with a forward-slash followed by an asterisk (/*) and end with
an asterisk followed by a forward-slash (*/):

1 /* This is also a comment

2 but is written over multiple lines. */

Unlike multiline comments in C, multiline comments in Swift can be nested inside other
multiline comments. You write nested comments by starting a multiline comment block
and then starting a second multiline comment within the first block. The second block
is then closed, followed by the first block:

1 /* This is the start of the first multiline comment.

2 /* This is the second, nested multiline comment. */
3 This is the end of the first multiline comment. */

Nested multiline comments enable you to comment out large blocks of code quickly
and easily, even if the code already contains multiline comments.

Semicolons

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Unlike many other languages, Swift doesnʼt require you to write a semicolon (;) after
each statement in your code, although you can do so if you wish. However, semicolons
are required if you want to write multiple separate statements on a single line:

1 let cat = " "; print(cat)

2 // Prints " "

Integers
Integers are whole numbers with no fractional component, such as 42 and -23. Integers
are either signed (positive, zero, or negative) or unsigned (positive or zero).

Swift provides signed and unsigned integers in 8, 16, 32, and 64 bit forms. These
integers follow a naming convention similar to C, in that an 8-bit unsigned integer is of
type UInt8, and a 32-bit signed integer is of type Int32. Like all types in Swift, these
integer types have capitalized names.

Integer Bounds
You can access the minimum and maximum values of each integer type with its min
and max properties:

1 let minValue = UInt8.min // minValue is equal to 0, and is of

type UInt8
2 let maxValue = UInt8.max // maxValue is equal to 255, and is
of type UInt8

The values of these properties are of the appropriate-sized number type (such as
UInt8 in the example above) and can therefore be used in expressions alongside other
values of the same type.

Int

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In most cases, you donʼt need to pick a specific size of integer to use in your code.
Swift provides an additional integer type, Int, which has the same size as the current
platformʼs native word size:

On a 32-bit platform, Int is the same size as Int32.

On a 64-bit platform, Int is the same size as Int64.

Unless you need to work with a specific size of integer, always use Int for integer
values in your code. This aids code consistency and interoperability. Even on 32-bit
platforms, Int can store any value between -2,147,483,648 and 2,147,483,647, and
is large enough for many integer ranges.

UInt
Swift also provides an unsigned integer type, UInt, which has the same size as the
current platformʼs native word size:

On a 32-bit platform, UInt is the same size as UInt32.

On a 64-bit platform, UInt is the same size as UInt64.

NOTE

Use UInt only when you specifically need an unsigned integer type with the same size as
the platformʼs native word size. If this isnʼt the case, Int is preferred, even when the values
to be stored are known to be nonnegative. A consistent use of Int for integer values aids
code interoperability, avoids the need to convert between different number types, and
matches integer type inference, as described in Type Safety and Type Inference.

Floating-Point Numbers
Floating-point numbers are numbers with a fractional component, such as 3.14159,
0.1, and -273.15.

Floating-point types can represent a much wider range of values than integer types,
and can store numbers that are much larger or smaller than can be stored in an Int.
Swift provides two signed floating-point number types:

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Double represents a 64-bit floating-point number.

Float represents a 32-bit floating-point number.

NOTE

Double has a precision of at least 15 decimal digits, whereas the precision of Float can be
as little as 6 decimal digits. The appropriate floating-point type to use depends on the
nature and range of values you need to work with in your code. In situations where either
type would be appropriate, Double is preferred.

Type Safety and Type Inference

Swift is a type-safe language. A type safe language encourages you to be clear about
the types of values your code can work with. If part of your code requires a String, you
canʼt pass it an Int by mistake.

Because Swift is type safe, it performs type checks when compiling your code and
flags any mismatched types as errors. This enables you to catch and fix errors as early
as possible in the development process.

Type-checking helps you avoid errors when youʼre working with different types of
values. However, this doesnʼt mean that you have to specify the type of every constant
and variable that you declare. If you donʼt specify the type of value you need, Swift
uses type inference to work out the appropriate type. Type inference enables a
compiler to deduce the type of a particular expression automatically when it compiles
your code, simply by examining the values you provide.

Because of type inference, Swift requires far fewer type declarations than languages
such as C or Objective-C. Constants and variables are still explicitly typed, but much of
the work of specifying their type is done for you.

Type inference is particularly useful when you declare a constant or variable with an
initial value. This is often done by assigning a literal value (or literal) to the constant or
variable at the point that you declare it. (A literal value is a value that appears directly in
your source code, such as 42 and 3.14159 in the examples below.)

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For example, if you assign a literal value of 42 to a new constant without saying what
type it is, Swift infers that you want the constant to be an Int, because you have
initialized it with a number that looks like an integer:

1 let meaningOfLife = 42
2 // meaningOfLife is inferred to be of type Int

Likewise, if you donʼt specify a type for a floating-point literal, Swift infers that you want
to create a Double:

1 let pi = 3.14159
2 // pi is inferred to be of type Double

Swift always chooses Double (rather than Float) when inferring the type of floating-
point numbers.

If you combine integer and floating-point literals in an expression, a type of Double will
be inferred from the context:

1 let anotherPi = 3 + 0.14159

2 // anotherPi is also inferred to be of type Double

The literal value of 3 has no explicit type in and of itself, and so an appropriate output
type of Double is inferred from the presence of a floating-point literal as part of the
addition.

Numeric Literals
Integer literals can be written as:

A decimal number, with no prefix

A binary number, with a 0b prefix
An octal number, with a 0o prefix
A hexadecimal number, with a 0x prefix

All of these integer literals have a decimal value of 17:

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1 let decimalInteger = 17
2 let binaryInteger = 0b10001 // 17 in binary notation
3 let octalInteger = 0o21 // 17 in octal notation
4 let hexadecimalInteger = 0x11 // 17 in hexadecimal notation

Floating-point literals can be decimal (with no prefix), or hexadecimal (with a 0x prefix).

They must always have a number (or hexadecimal number) on both sides of the
decimal point. Decimal floats can also have an optional exponent, indicated by an
uppercase or lowercase e; hexadecimal floats must have an exponent, indicated by an
uppercase or lowercase p.

For decimal numbers with an exponent of exp, the base number is multiplied by 10exp:

1.25e2 means 1.25 x 102, or 125.0.

1.25e-2 means 1.25 x 10-2, or 0.0125.

For hexadecimal numbers with an exponent of exp, the base number is multiplied by
2exp:

0xFp2 means 15 x 22, or 60.0.

0xFp-2 means 15 x 2-2, or 3.75.

All of these floating-point literals have a decimal value of 12.1875:

1 let decimalDouble = 12.1875

2 let exponentDouble = 1.21875e1
3 let hexadecimalDouble = 0xC.3p0

Numeric literals can contain extra formatting to make them easier to read. Both
integers and floats can be padded with extra zeros and can contain underscores to
help with readability. Neither type of formatting affects the underlying value of the
literal:

1 let paddedDouble = 000123.456

2 let oneMillion = 1_000_000
3 let justOverOneMillion = 1_000_000.000_000_1

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Numeric Type Conversion

Use the Int type for all general-purpose integer constants and variables in your code,
even if theyʼre known to be nonnegative. Using the default integer type in everyday
situations means that integer constants and variables are immediately interoperable in
your code and will match the inferred type for integer literal values.

Use other integer types only when theyʼre specifically needed for the task at hand,
because of explicitly sized data from an external source, or for performance, memory
usage, or other necessary optimization. Using explicitly sized types in these situations
helps to catch any accidental value overflows and implicitly documents the nature of
the data being used.

Integer Conversion
The range of numbers that can be stored in an integer constant or variable is different
for each numeric type. An Int8 constant or variable can store numbers between -128
and 127, whereas a UInt8 constant or variable can store numbers between 0 and 255.
A number that wonʼt fit into a constant or variable of a sized integer type is reported as
an error when your code is compiled:

1 let cannotBeNegative: UInt8 = -1

2 // UInt8 cannot store negative numbers, and so this will report
an error
3 let tooBig: Int8 = Int8.max + 1
4 // Int8 cannot store a number larger than its maximum value,
5 // and so this will also report an error

Because each numeric type can store a different range of values, you must opt in to
numeric type conversion on a case-by-case basis. This opt-in approach prevents
hidden conversion errors and helps make type conversion intentions explicit in your
code.

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To convert one specific number type to another, you initialize a new number of the
desired type with the existing value. In the example below, the constant twoThousand is
of type UInt16, whereas the constant one is of type UInt8. They canʼt be added
together directly, because theyʼre not of the same type. Instead, this example calls
UInt16(one) to create a new UInt16 initialized with the value of one, and uses this
value in place of the original:

1 let twoThousand: UInt16 = 2_000

2 let one: UInt8 = 1
3 let twoThousandAndOne = twoThousand + UInt16(one)

Because both sides of the addition are now of type UInt16, the addition is allowed. The
output constant (twoThousandAndOne) is inferred to be of type UInt16, because itʼs the
sum of two UInt16 values.

SomeType(ofInitialValue) is the default way to call the initializer of a Swift type and
pass in an initial value. Behind the scenes, UInt16 has an initializer that accepts a UInt8
value, and so this initializer is used to make a new UInt16 from an existing UInt8. You
canʼt pass in any type here, however—it has to be a type for which UInt16 provides an
initializer. Extending existing types to provide initializers that accept new types
(including your own type definitions) is covered in Extensions.

Integer and Floating-Point Conversion

Conversions between integer and floating-point numeric types must be made explicit:

1 let three = 3
2 let pointOneFourOneFiveNine = 0.14159
3 let pi = Double(three) + pointOneFourOneFiveNine
4 // pi equals 3.14159, and is inferred to be of type Double

Here, the value of the constant three is used to create a new value of type Double, so
that both sides of the addition are of the same type. Without this conversion in place,
the addition would not be allowed.

Floating-point to integer conversion must also be made explicit. An integer type can be
initialized with a Double or Float value:

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1 let integerPi = Int(pi)

2 // integerPi equals 3, and is inferred to be of type Int

Floating-point values are always truncated when used to initialize a new integer value in
this way. This means that 4.75 becomes 4, and -3.9 becomes -3.

NOTE

The rules for combining numeric constants and variables are different from the rules for
numeric literals. The literal value 3 can be added directly to the literal value 0.14159,
because number literals donʼt have an explicit type in and of themselves. Their type is
inferred only at the point that theyʼre evaluated by the compiler.

Type Aliases
Type aliases define an alternative name for an existing type. You define type aliases
with the typealias keyword.

Type aliases are useful when you want to refer to an existing type by a name that is
contextually more appropriate, such as when working with data of a specific size from
an external source:

typealias AudioSample = UInt16

Once you define a type alias, you can use the alias anywhere you might use the original
name:

1 var maxAmplitudeFound = AudioSample.min

2 // maxAmplitudeFound is now 0

Here, AudioSample is defined as an alias for UInt16. Because itʼs an alias, the call to
AudioSample.min actually calls UInt16.min, which provides an initial value of 0 for the
maxAmplitudeFound variable.

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Booleans
Swift has a basic Boolean type, called Bool. Boolean values are referred to as logical,
because they can only ever be true or false. Swift provides two Boolean constant
values, true and false:

1 let orangesAreOrange = true

2 let turnipsAreDelicious = false

The types of orangesAreOrange and turnipsAreDelicious have been inferred as Bool

from the fact that they were initialized with Boolean literal values. As with Int and
Double above, you donʼt need to declare constants or variables as Bool if you set them
to true or false as soon as you create them. Type inference helps make Swift code
more concise and readable when it initializes constants or variables with other values
whose type is already known.

Boolean values are particularly useful when you work with conditional statements such
as the if statement:

1 if turnipsAreDelicious {
2 print("Mmm, tasty turnips!")
3 } else {
4 print("Eww, turnips are horrible.")
5 }
6 // Prints "Eww, turnips are horrible."

Conditional statements such as the if statement are covered in more detail in Control
Flow.

Swiftʼs type safety prevents non-Boolean values from being substituted for Bool. The
following example reports a compile-time error:

1 let i = 1
2 if i {
3 // this example will not compile, and will report an error

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4 }

However, the alternative example below is valid:

1 let i = 1
2 if i == 1 {
3 // this example will compile successfully
4 }

The result of the i == 1 comparison is of type Bool, and so this second example
passes the type-check. Comparisons like i == 1 are discussed in Basic Operators.

As with other examples of type safety in Swift, this approach avoids accidental errors
and ensures that the intention of a particular section of code is always clear.

Tuples
Tuples group multiple values into a single compound value. The values within a tuple
can be of any type and donʼt have to be of the same type as each other.

In this example, (404, "Not Found") is a tuple that describes an HTTP status code. An
HTTP status code is a special value returned by a web server whenever you request a
web page. A status code of 404 Not Found is returned if you request a webpage that
doesnʼt exist.

1 let http404Error = (404, "Not Found")

2 // http404Error is of type (Int, String), and equals (404, "Not
Found")

The (404, "Not Found") tuple groups together an Int and a String to give the HTTP
status code two separate values: a number and a human-readable description. It can
be described as “a tuple of type (Int, String)”.

You can create tuples from any permutation of types, and they can contain as many
different types as you like. Thereʼs nothing stopping you from having a tuple of type
(Int, Int, Int), or (String, Bool), or indeed any other permutation you require.

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You can decompose a tupleʼs contents into separate constants or variables, which you
then access as usual:

1 let (statusCode, statusMessage) = http404Error

2 print("The status code is \(statusCode)")
3 // Prints "The status code is 404"
4 print("The status message is \(statusMessage)")
5 // Prints "The status message is Not Found"

If you only need some of the tupleʼs values, ignore parts of the tuple with an
underscore (_) when you decompose the tuple:

1 let (justTheStatusCode, _) = http404Error

2 print("The status code is \(justTheStatusCode)")
3 // Prints "The status code is 404"

Alternatively, access the individual element values in a tuple using index numbers
starting at zero:

1 print("The status code is \(http404Error.0)")

2 // Prints "The status code is 404"
3 print("The status message is \(http404Error.1)")
4 // Prints "The status message is Not Found"

You can name the individual elements in a tuple when the tuple is defined:

let http200Status = (statusCode: 200, description: "OK")

If you name the elements in a tuple, you can use the element names to access the
values of those elements:

1 print("The status code is \(http200Status.statusCode)")

2 // Prints "The status code is 200"
3 print("The status message is \(http200Status.description)")
4 // Prints "The status message is OK"

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Tuples are particularly useful as the return values of functions. A function that tries to
retrieve a web page might return the (Int, String) tuple type to describe the
success or failure of the page retrieval. By returning a tuple with two distinct values,
each of a different type, the function provides more useful information about its
outcome than if it could only return a single value of a single type. For more
information, see Functions with Multiple Return Values.

NOTE

Tuples are useful for temporary groups of related values. Theyʼre not suited to the creation
of complex data structures. If your data structure is likely to persist beyond a temporary
scope, model it as a class or structure, rather than as a tuple. For more information, see
Structures and Classes.

Optionals
You use optionals in situations where a value may be absent. An optional represents
two possibilities: Either there is a value, and you can unwrap the optional to access that
value, or there isnʼt a value at all.

NOTE

The concept of optionals doesnʼt exist in C or Objective-C. The nearest thing in Objective-
C is the ability to return nil from a method that would otherwise return an object, with nil
meaning “the absence of a valid object.” However, this only works for objects—it doesnʼt
work for structures, basic C types, or enumeration values. For these types, Objective-C
methods typically return a special value (such as NSNotFound) to indicate the absence of a
value. This approach assumes that the methodʼs caller knows thereʼs a special value to test
against and remembers to check for it. Swiftʼs optionals let you indicate the absence of a
value for any type at all, without the need for special constants.

Hereʼs an example of how optionals can be used to cope with the absence of a value.
Swiftʼs Int type has an initializer which tries to convert a String value into an Int
value. However, not every string can be converted into an integer. The string "123" can
be converted into the numeric value 123, but the string "hello, world" doesnʼt have
an obvious numeric value to convert to.

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The example below uses the initializer to try to convert a String into an Int:

1 let possibleNumber = "123"

2 let convertedNumber = Int(possibleNumber)
3 // convertedNumber is inferred to be of type "Int?", or
"optional Int"

Because the initializer might fail, it returns an optional Int, rather than an Int. An
optional Int is written as Int?, not Int. The question mark indicates that the value it
contains is optional, meaning that it might contain some Int value, or it might contain
no value at all. (It canʼt contain anything else, such as a Bool value or a String value.
Itʼs either an Int, or itʼs nothing at all.)

nil
You set an optional variable to a valueless state by assigning it the special value nil:

1 var serverResponseCode: Int? = 404

2 // serverResponseCode contains an actual Int value of 404
3 serverResponseCode = nil
4 // serverResponseCode now contains no value

NOTE

You canʼt use nil with non-optional constants and variables. If a constant or variable in
your code needs to work with the absence of a value under certain conditions, always
declare it as an optional value of the appropriate type.

If you define an optional variable without providing a default value, the variable is
automatically set to nil for you:

1 var surveyAnswer: String?

2 // surveyAnswer is automatically set to nil

NOTE

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Swiftʼs nil isnʼt the same as nil in Objective-C. In Objective-C, nil is a pointer to a
nonexistent object. In Swift, nil isnʼt a pointer—itʼs the absence of a value of a certain
type. Optionals of any type can be set to nil, not just object types.

If Statements and Forced Unwrapping

You can use an if statement to find out whether an optional contains a value by
comparing the optional against nil. You perform this comparison with the “equal to”
operator (==) or the “not equal to” operator (!=).

If an optional has a value, itʼs considered to be “not equal to” nil:

1 if convertedNumber != nil {
2 print("convertedNumber contains some integer value.")
3 }
4 // Prints "convertedNumber contains some integer value."

Once youʼre sure that the optional does contain a value, you can access its underlying
value by adding an exclamation mark (!) to the end of the optionalʼs name. The
exclamation mark effectively says, “I know that this optional definitely has a value;
please use it.” This is known as forced unwrapping of the optionalʼs value:

1 if convertedNumber != nil {
2 print("convertedNumber has an integer value of \
(convertedNumber!).")
3 }
4 // Prints "convertedNumber has an integer value of 123."

For more about the if statement, see Control Flow.

NOTE

Trying to use ! to access a nonexistent optional value triggers a runtime error. Always
make sure that an optional contains a non-nil value before using ! to force-unwrap its
value.

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Optional Binding
You use optional binding to find out whether an optional contains a value, and if so, to
make that value available as a temporary constant or variable. Optional binding can be
used with if and while statements to check for a value inside an optional, and to
extract that value into a constant or variable, as part of a single action. if and while
statements are described in more detail in Control Flow.

Write an optional binding for an if statement as follows:

if let constantName = someOptional {

statements
}

You can rewrite the possibleNumber example from the Optionals section to use
optional binding rather than forced unwrapping:

1 if let actualNumber = Int(possibleNumber) {

2 print("The string \"\(possibleNumber)\" has an integer
value of \(actualNumber)")
3 } else {
4 print("The string \"\(possibleNumber)\" could not be
converted to an integer")
5 }
6 // Prints "The string "123" has an integer value of 123"

This code can be read as:

“If the optional Int returned by Int(possibleNumber) contains a value, set a new
constant called actualNumber to the value contained in the optional.”

If the conversion is successful, the actualNumber constant becomes available for use
within the first branch of the if statement. It has already been initialized with the value
contained within the optional, and so thereʼs no need to use the ! suffix to access its
value. In this example, actualNumber is simply used to print the result of the
conversion.

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You can use both constants and variables with optional binding. If you wanted to
manipulate the value of actualNumber within the first branch of the if statement, you
could write if var actualNumber instead, and the value contained within the optional
would be made available as a variable rather than a constant.

You can include as many optional bindings and Boolean conditions in a single if
statement as you need to, separated by commas. If any of the values in the optional
bindings are nil or any Boolean condition evaluates to false, the whole if statementʼs
condition is considered to be false. The following if statements are equivalent:

1 if let firstNumber = Int("4"), let secondNumber = Int("42"),

firstNumber < secondNumber && secondNumber < 100 {
2 print("\(firstNumber) < \(secondNumber) < 100")
3 }
4 // Prints "4 < 42 < 100"
5
6 if let firstNumber = Int("4") {
7 if let secondNumber = Int("42") {
8 if firstNumber < secondNumber && secondNumber < 100 {
9 print("\(firstNumber) < \(secondNumber) < 100")
10 }
11 }
12 }
13 // Prints "4 < 42 < 100"

NOTE

Constants and variables created with optional binding in an if statement are available only
within the body of the if statement. In contrast, the constants and variables created with a
guard statement are available in the lines of code that follow the guard statement, as
described in Early Exit.

Implicitly Unwrapped Optionals

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As described above, optionals indicate that a constant or variable is allowed to have

“no value”. Optionals can be checked with an if statement to see if a value exists, and
can be conditionally unwrapped with optional binding to access the optionalʼs value if it
does exist.

Sometimes itʼs clear from a programʼs structure that an optional will always have a
value, after that value is first set. In these cases, itʼs useful to remove the need to check
and unwrap the optionalʼs value every time itʼs accessed, because it can be safely
assumed to have a value all of the time.

These kinds of optionals are defined as implicitly unwrapped optionals. You write an
implicitly unwrapped optional by placing an exclamation mark (String!) rather than a
question mark (String?) after the type that you want to make optional.

Implicitly unwrapped optionals are useful when an optionalʼs value is confirmed to exist
immediately after the optional is first defined and can definitely be assumed to exist at
every point thereafter. The primary use of implicitly unwrapped optionals in Swift is
during class initialization, as described in Unowned References and Implicitly
Unwrapped Optional Properties.

An implicitly unwrapped optional is a normal optional behind the scenes, but can also
be used like a non-optional value, without the need to unwrap the optional value each
time itʼs accessed. The following example shows the difference in behavior between an
optional string and an implicitly unwrapped optional string when accessing their
wrapped value as an explicit String:

1 let possibleString: String? = "An optional string."

2 let forcedString: String = possibleString! // requires an
exclamation mark
3
4 let assumedString: String! = "An implicitly unwrapped optional
string."
5 let implicitString: String = assumedString // no need for an
exclamation mark

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You can think of an implicitly unwrapped optional as giving permission for the optional
to be unwrapped automatically whenever itʼs used. Rather than placing an exclamation
mark after the optionalʼs name each time you use it, you place an exclamation mark
after the optionalʼs type when you declare it.

NOTE

If an implicitly unwrapped optional is nil and you try to access its wrapped value, youʼll
trigger a runtime error. The result is exactly the same as if you place an exclamation mark
after a normal optional that doesnʼt contain a value.

You can still treat an implicitly unwrapped optional like a normal optional, to check if it
contains a value:

1 if assumedString != nil {
2 print(assumedString!)
3 }
4 // Prints "An implicitly unwrapped optional string."

You can also use an implicitly unwrapped optional with optional binding, to check and
unwrap its value in a single statement:

1 if let definiteString = assumedString {

2 print(definiteString)
3 }
4 // Prints "An implicitly unwrapped optional string."

NOTE

Donʼt use an implicitly unwrapped optional when thereʼs a possibility of a variable

becoming nil at a later point. Always use a normal optional type if you need to check for a
nil value during the lifetime of a variable.

Error Handling

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You use error handling to respond to error conditions your program may encounter
during execution.

In contrast to optionals, which can use the presence or absence of a value to

communicate success or failure of a function, error handling allows you to determine
the underlying cause of failure, and, if necessary, propagate the error to another part of
your program.

When a function encounters an error condition, it throws an error. That functionʼs caller
can then catch the error and respond appropriately.

1 func canThrowAnError() throws {

2 // this function may or may not throw an error
3 }

A function indicates that it can throw an error by including the throws keyword in its
declaration. When you call a function that can throw an error, you prepend the try
keyword to the expression.

Swift automatically propagates errors out of their current scope until theyʼre handled
by a catch clause.

1 do {
2 try canThrowAnError()
3 // no error was thrown
4 } catch {
5 // an error was thrown
6 }

A do statement creates a new containing scope, which allows errors to be propagated

to one or more catch clauses.

Hereʼs an example of how error handling can be used to respond to different error
conditions:

1 func makeASandwich() throws {

2 // ...
3 }

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4
5 do {
6 try makeASandwich()
7 eatASandwich()
8 } catch SandwichError.outOfCleanDishes {
9 washDishes()
10 } catch SandwichError.missingIngredients(let ingredients) {
11 buyGroceries(ingredients)
12 }

In this example, the makeASandwich() function will throw an error if no clean dishes are
available or if any ingredients are missing. Because makeASandwich() can throw an
error, the function call is wrapped in a try expression. By wrapping the function call in a
do statement, any errors that are thrown will be propagated to the provided catch
clauses.

If no error is thrown, the eatASandwich() function is called. If an error is thrown and it

matches the SandwichError.outOfCleanDishes case, then the washDishes() function
will be called. If an error is thrown and it matches the
SandwichError.missingIngredients case, then the buyGroceries(_:) function is
called with the associated [String] value captured by the catch pattern.

Throwing, catching, and propagating errors is covered in greater detail in Error

Handling.

Assertions and Preconditions

Assertions and preconditions are checks that happen at runtime. You use them to
make sure an essential condition is satisfied before executing any further code. If the
Boolean condition in the assertion or precondition evaluates to true, code execution
continues as usual. If the condition evaluates to false, the current state of the program
is invalid; code execution ends, and your app is terminated.

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You use assertions and preconditions to express the assumptions you make and the
expectations you have while coding, so you can include them as part of your code.
Assertions help you find mistakes and incorrect assumptions during development, and
preconditions help you detect issues in production.

In addition to verifying your expectations at runtime, assertions and preconditions also

become a useful form of documentation within the code. Unlike the error conditions
discussed in Error Handling above, assertions and preconditions arenʼt used for
recoverable or expected errors. Because a failed assertion or precondition indicates an
invalid program state, thereʼs no way to catch a failed assertion.

Using assertions and preconditions isnʼt a substitute for designing your code in such a
way that invalid conditions are unlikely to arise. However, using them to enforce valid
data and state causes your app to terminate more predictably if an invalid state occurs,
and helps make the problem easier to debug. Stopping execution as soon as an invalid
state is detected also helps limit the damage caused by that invalid state.

The difference between assertions and preconditions is in when theyʼre checked:

Assertions are checked only in debug builds, but preconditions are checked in both
debug and production builds. In production builds, the condition inside an assertion
isnʼt evaluated. This means you can use as many assertions as you want during your
development process, without impacting performance in production.

Debugging with Assertions

You write an assertion by calling the assert(_:_:file:line:) function from the Swift
standard library. You pass this function an expression that evaluates to true or false
and a message to display if the result of the condition is false. For example:

1 let age = -3
2 assert(age >= 0, "A person's age can't be less than zero.")
3 // This assertion fails because -3 is not >= 0.

In this example, code execution continues if age >= 0 evaluates to true, that is, if the
value of age is nonnegative. If the value of age is negative, as in the code above, then
age >= 0 evaluates to false, and the assertion fails, terminating the application.

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You can omit the assertion message—for example, when it would just repeat the
condition as prose.

assert(age >= 0)

If the code already checks the condition, you use the

assertionFailure(_:file:line:) function to indicate that an assertion has failed. For
example:

1 if age > 10 {
2 print("You can ride the roller-coaster or the ferris
wheel.")
3 } else if age >= 0 {
4 print("You can ride the ferris wheel.")
5 } else {
6 assertionFailure("A person's age can't be less than zero.")
7 }

Enforcing Preconditions
Use a precondition whenever a condition has the potential to be false, but must
definitely be true for your code to continue execution. For example, use a precondition
to check that a subscript is not out of bounds, or to check that a function has been
passed a valid value.

You write a precondition by calling the precondition(_:_:file:line:) function. You

pass this function an expression that evaluates to true or false and a message to
display if the result of the condition is false. For example:

1 // In the implementation of a subscript...

2 precondition(index > 0, "Index must be greater than zero.")

You can also call the preconditionFailure(_:file:line:) function to indicate that a

failure has occurred—for example, if the default case of a switch was taken, but all valid
input data should have been handled by one of the switchʼs other cases.

NOTE

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If you compile in unchecked mode (-Ounchecked), preconditions arenʼt checked. The

compiler assumes that preconditions are always true, and it optimizes your code
accordingly. However, the fatalError(_:file:line:) function always halts execution,
regardless of optimization settings.

You can use the fatalError(_:file:line:) function during prototyping and early
development to create stubs for functionality that hasnʼt been implemented yet, by writing
fatalError("Unimplemented") as the stub implementation. Because fatal errors are never
optimized out, unlike assertions or preconditions, you can be sure that execution always
halts if it encounters a stub implementation.

A Swift Tour Basic Operators

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ON THIS PAGE

Basic Operators
An operator is a special symbol or phrase that you use to check, change, or combine
values. For example, the addition operator (+) adds two numbers, as in let i = 1 + 2,
and the logical AND operator (&&) combines two Boolean values, as in
if enteredDoorCode && passedRetinaScan.

Swift supports most standard C operators and improves several capabilities to

eliminate common coding errors. The assignment operator (=) doesnʼt return a value,
to prevent it from being mistakenly used when the equal to operator (==) is intended.
Arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /, % and so forth) detect and disallow value overflow, to
avoid unexpected results when working with numbers that become larger or smaller
than the allowed value range of the type that stores them. You can opt in to value
overflow behavior by using Swiftʼs overflow operators, as described in Overflow
Operators.

Swift also provides range operators that arenʼt found in C, such as a..<b and a...b, as
a shortcut for expressing a range of values.

This chapter describes the common operators in Swift. Advanced Operators covers
Swiftʼs advanced operators, and describes how to define your own custom operators
and implement the standard operators for your own custom types.

Terminology
Operators are unary, binary, or ternary:

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Unary operators operate on a single target (such as -a). Unary prefix operators
appear immediately before their target (such as !b), and unary postfix operators
appear immediately after their target (such as c!).
Binary operators operate on two targets (such as 2 + 3) and are infix because
they appear in between their two targets.
Ternary operators operate on three targets. Like C, Swift has only one ternary
operator, the ternary conditional operator (a ? b : c).

The values that operators affect are operands. In the expression 1 + 2, the + symbol is
a binary operator and its two operands are the values 1 and 2.

Assignment Operator
The assignment operator (a = b) initializes or updates the value of a with the value of
b:

1 let b = 10
2 var a = 5
3 a = b
4 // a is now equal to 10

If the right side of the assignment is a tuple with multiple values, its elements can be
decomposed into multiple constants or variables at once:

1 let (x, y) = (1, 2)

2 // x is equal to 1, and y is equal to 2

Unlike the assignment operator in C and Objective-C, the assignment operator in Swift
does not itself return a value. The following statement is not valid:

1 if x = y {
2 // This is not valid, because x = y does not return a
value.
3 }

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This feature prevents the assignment operator (=) from being used by accident when
the equal to operator (==) is actually intended. By making if x = y invalid, Swift helps
you to avoid these kinds of errors in your code.

Arithmetic Operators
Swift supports the four standard arithmetic operators for all number types:

Addition (+)
Subtraction (-)
Multiplication (*)
Division (/)

1 1 + 2 // equals 3
2 5 - 3 // equals 2
3 2 * 3 // equals 6
4 10.0 / 2.5 // equals 4.0

Unlike the arithmetic operators in C and Objective-C, the Swift arithmetic operators
donʼt allow values to overflow by default. You can opt in to value overflow behavior by
using Swiftʼs overflow operators (such as a &+ b). See Overflow Operators.

The addition operator is also supported for String concatenation:

"hello, " + "world" // equals "hello, world"

Remainder Operator
The remainder operator (a % b) works out how many multiples of b will fit inside a and
returns the value that is left over (known as the remainder).

NOTE

The remainder operator (%) is also known as a modulo operator in other languages.
However, its behavior in Swift for negative numbers means that, strictly speaking, itʼs a
remainder rather than a modulo operation.

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Hereʼs how the remainder operator works. To calculate 9 % 4, you first work out how
many 4s will fit inside 9:

You can fit two 4s inside 9, and the remainder is 1 (shown in orange).

In Swift, this would be written as:

9 % 4 // equals 1

To determine the answer for a % b, the % operator calculates the following equation
and returns remainder as its output:

a = (b x some multiplier) + remainder

where some multiplier is the largest number of multiples of b that will fit inside a.

Inserting 9 and 4 into this equation yields:

9 = (4 x 2) + 1

The same method is applied when calculating the remainder for a negative value of a:

-9 % 4 // equals -1

Inserting -9 and 4 into the equation yields:

-9 = (4 x -2) + -1

giving a remainder value of -1.

The sign of b is ignored for negative values of b. This means that a % b and a % -b
always give the same answer.

Unary Minus Operator

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The sign of a numeric value can be toggled using a prefixed -, known as the unary
minus operator:

1 let three = 3
2 let minusThree = -three // minusThree equals -3
3 let plusThree = -minusThree // plusThree equals 3, or "minus
minus three"

The unary minus operator (-) is prepended directly before the value it operates on,
without any white space.

Unary Plus Operator

The unary plus operator (+) simply returns the value it operates on, without any
change:

1 let minusSix = -6
2 let alsoMinusSix = +minusSix // alsoMinusSix equals -6

Although the unary plus operator doesnʼt actually do anything, you can use it to provide
symmetry in your code for positive numbers when also using the unary minus operator
for negative numbers.

Compound Assignment Operators

Like C, Swift provides compound assignment operators that combine assignment (=)
with another operation. One example is the addition assignment operator (+=):

1 var a = 1
2 a += 2
3 // a is now equal to 3

The expression a += 2 is shorthand for a = a + 2. Effectively, the addition and the

assignment are combined into one operator that performs both tasks at the same time.

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NOTE

The compound assignment operators donʼt return a value. For example, you canʼt write
let b = a += 2.

For information about the operators provided by the Swift standard library, see
Operator Declarations.

Comparison Operators
Swift supports all standard C comparison operators:

Equal to (a == b)
Not equal to (a != b)
Greater than (a > b)
Less than (a < b)
Greater than or equal to (a >= b)
Less than or equal to (a <= b)

NOTE

Swift also provides two identity operators (=== and !==), which you use to test whether two
object references both refer to the same object instance. For more information, see
Identity Operators.

Each of the comparison operators returns a Bool value to indicate whether or not the
statement is true:

1 1 == 1 // true because 1 is equal to 1

2 2 != 1 // true because 2 is not equal to 1
3 2 > 1 // true because 2 is greater than 1
4 1 < 2 // true because 1 is less than 2
5 1 >= 1 // true because 1 is greater than or equal to 1
6 2 <= 1 // false because 2 is not less than or equal to 1

Comparison operators are often used in conditional statements, such as the if

statement:

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1 let name = "world"

2 if name == "world" {
3 print("hello, world")
4 } else {
5 print("I'm sorry \(name), but I don't recognize you")
6 }
7 // Prints "hello, world", because name is indeed equal to
"world".

For more about the if statement, see Control Flow.

You can compare two tuples if they have the same type and the same number of
values. Tuples are compared from left to right, one value at a time, until the comparison
finds two values that arenʼt equal. Those two values are compared, and the result of
that comparison determines the overall result of the tuple comparison. If all the
elements are equal, then the tuples themselves are equal. For example:

1 (1, "zebra") < (2, "apple") // true because 1 is less than 2;

"zebra" and "apple" are not compared
2 (3, "apple") < (3, "bird") // true because 3 is equal to 3,
and "apple" is less than "bird"
3 (4, "dog") == (4, "dog") // true because 4 is equal to 4,
and "dog" is equal to "dog"

In the example above, you can see the left-to-right comparison behavior on the first
line. Because 1 is less than 2, (1, "zebra") is considered less than (2, "apple"),
regardless of any other values in the tuples. It doesnʼt matter that "zebra" isnʼt less
than "apple", because the comparison is already determined by the tuplesʼ first
elements. However, when the tuplesʼ first elements are the same, their second
elements are compared—this is what happens on the second and third line.

Tuples can be compared with a given operator only if the operator can be applied to
each value in the respective tuples. For example, as demonstrated in the code below,
you can compare two tuples of type (String, Int) because both String and Int
values can be compared using the < operator. In contrast, two tuples of type
(String, Bool) canʼt be compared with the < operator because the < operator canʼt
be applied to Bool values.

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1 ("blue", -1) < ("purple", 1) // OK, evaluates to true

2 ("blue", false) < ("purple", true) // Error because < can't
compare Boolean values

NOTE

The Swift standard library includes tuple comparison operators for tuples with fewer than
seven elements. To compare tuples with seven or more elements, you must implement the
comparison operators yourself.

Ternary Conditional Operator

The ternary conditional operator is a special operator with three parts, which takes the
form question ? answer1 : answer2. Itʼs a shortcut for evaluating one of two
expressions based on whether question is true or false. If question is true, it evaluates
answer1 and returns its value; otherwise, it evaluates answer2 and returns its value.

The ternary conditional operator is shorthand for the code below:

1 if question {
2 answer1
3 } else {
4 answer2
5 }

Hereʼs an example, which calculates the height for a table row. The row height should
be 50 points taller than the content height if the row has a header, and 20 points taller
if the row doesnʼt have a header:

1 let contentHeight = 40
2 let hasHeader = true
3 let rowHeight = contentHeight + (hasHeader ? 50 : 20)
4 // rowHeight is equal to 90

The example above is shorthand for the code below:

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1 let contentHeight = 40
2 let hasHeader = true
3 let rowHeight: Int
4 if hasHeader {
5 rowHeight = contentHeight + 50
6 } else {
7 rowHeight = contentHeight + 20
8 }
9 // rowHeight is equal to 90

The first exampleʼs use of the ternary conditional operator means that rowHeight can
be set to the correct value on a single line of code, which is more concise than the
code used in the second example.

The ternary conditional operator provides an efficient shorthand for deciding which of
two expressions to consider. Use the ternary conditional operator with care, however.
Its conciseness can lead to hard-to-read code if overused. Avoid combining multiple
instances of the ternary conditional operator into one compound statement.

Nil-Coalescing Operator
The nil-coalescing operator (a ?? b) unwraps an optional a if it contains a value, or
returns a default value b if a is nil. The expression a is always of an optional type. The
expression b must match the type that is stored inside a.

The nil-coalescing operator is shorthand for the code below:

a != nil ? a! : b

The code above uses the ternary conditional operator and forced unwrapping (a!) to
access the value wrapped inside a when a is not nil, and to return b otherwise. The nil-
coalescing operator provides a more elegant way to encapsulate this conditional
checking and unwrapping in a concise and readable form.

NOTE

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If the value of a is non-nil, the value of b is not evaluated. This is known as short-circuit
evaluation.

The example below uses the nil-coalescing operator to choose between a default color
name and an optional user-defined color name:

1 let defaultColorName = "red"

2 var userDefinedColorName: String? // defaults to nil
3
4 var colorNameToUse = userDefinedColorName ?? defaultColorName
5 // userDefinedColorName is nil, so colorNameToUse is set to the
default of "red"

The userDefinedColorName variable is defined as an optional String, with a default

value of nil. Because userDefinedColorName is of an optional type, you can use the
nil-coalescing operator to consider its value. In the example above, the operator is
used to determine an initial value for a String variable called colorNameToUse. Because
userDefinedColorName is nil, the expression
userDefinedColorName ?? defaultColorName returns the value of defaultColorName,
or "red".

If you assign a non-nil value to userDefinedColorName and perform the nil-coalescing

operator check again, the value wrapped inside userDefinedColorName is used instead
of the default:

1 userDefinedColorName = "green"
2 colorNameToUse = userDefinedColorName ?? defaultColorName
3 // userDefinedColorName is not nil, so colorNameToUse is set to
"green"

Range Operators
Swift includes several range operators, which are shortcuts for expressing a range of
values.

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Closed Range Operator

The closed range operator (a...b) defines a range that runs from a to b, and includes
the values a and b. The value of a must not be greater than b.

The closed range operator is useful when iterating over a range in which you want all of
the values to be used, such as with a for-in loop:

1 for index in 1...5 {

2 print("\(index) times 5 is \(index * 5)")
3 }
4 // 1 times 5 is 5
5 // 2 times 5 is 10
6 // 3 times 5 is 15
7 // 4 times 5 is 20
8 // 5 times 5 is 25

For more about for-in loops, see Control Flow.

Half-Open Range Operator

The half-open range operator (a..<b) defines a range that runs from a to b, but
doesnʼt include b. Itʼs said to be half-open because it contains its first value, but not its
final value. As with the closed range operator, the value of a must not be greater than b.
If the value of a is equal to b, then the resulting range will be empty.

Half-open ranges are particularly useful when you work with zero-based lists such as
arrays, where itʼs useful to count up to (but not including) the length of the list:

1 let names = ["Anna", "Alex", "Brian", "Jack"]

2 let count = names.count
3 for i in 0..<count {
4 print("Person \(i + 1) is called \(names[i])")
5 }
6 // Person 1 is called Anna
7 // Person 2 is called Alex
8 // Person 3 is called Brian

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9 // Person 4 is called Jack

Note that the array contains four items, but 0..<count only counts as far as 3 (the
index of the last item in the array), because itʼs a half-open range. For more about
arrays, see Arrays.

One-Sided Ranges
The closed range operator has an alternative form for ranges that continue as far as
possible in one direction—for example, a range that includes all the elements of an
array from index 2 to the end of the array. In these cases, you can omit the value from
one side of the range operator. This kind of range is called a one-sided range because
the operator has a value on only one side. For example:

1 for name in names[2...] {

2 print(name)
3 }
4 // Brian
5 // Jack
6
7 for name in names[...2] {
8 print(name)
9 }
10 // Anna
11 // Alex
12 // Brian

The half-open range operator also has a one-sided form thatʼs written with only its final
value. Just like when you include a value on both sides, the final value isnʼt part of the
range. For example:

1 for name in names[..<2] {

2 print(name)
3 }
4 // Anna
5 // Alex

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One-sided ranges can be used in other contexts, not just in subscripts. You canʼt
iterate over a one-sided range that omits a first value, because it isnʼt clear where
iteration should begin. You can iterate over a one-sided range that omits its final value;
however, because the range continues indefinitely, make sure you add an explicit end
condition for the loop. You can also check whether a one-sided range contains a
particular value, as shown in the code below.

1 let range = ...5

2 range.contains(7) // false
3 range.contains(4) // true
4 range.contains(-1) // true

Logical Operators
Logical operators modify or combine the Boolean logic values true and false. Swift
supports the three standard logical operators found in C-based languages:

Logical NOT (!a)

Logical AND (a && b)
Logical OR (a || b)

Logical NOT Operator

The logical NOT operator (!a) inverts a Boolean value so that true becomes false, and
false becomes true.

The logical NOT operator is a prefix operator, and appears immediately before the value
it operates on, without any white space. It can be read as “not a”, as seen in the
following example:

1 let allowedEntry = false

2 if !allowedEntry {
3 print("ACCESS DENIED")
4 }
5 // Prints "ACCESS DENIED"

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The phrase if !allowedEntry can be read as “if not allowed entry.” The subsequent
line is only executed if “not allowed entry” is true; that is, if allowedEntry is false.

As in this example, careful choice of Boolean constant and variable names can help to
keep code readable and concise, while avoiding double negatives or confusing logic
statements.

Logical AND Operator

The logical AND operator (a && b) creates logical expressions where both values must
be true for the overall expression to also be true.

If either value is false, the overall expression will also be false. In fact, if the first value
is false, the second value wonʼt even be evaluated, because it canʼt possibly make the
overall expression equate to true. This is known as short-circuit evaluation.

This example considers two Bool values and only allows access if both values are true:

1 let enteredDoorCode = true

2 let passedRetinaScan = false
3 if enteredDoorCode && passedRetinaScan {
4 print("Welcome!")
5 } else {
6 print("ACCESS DENIED")
7 }
8 // Prints "ACCESS DENIED"

Logical OR Operator
The logical OR operator (a || b) is an infix operator made from two adjacent pipe
characters. You use it to create logical expressions in which only one of the two values
has to be true for the overall expression to be true.

Like the Logical AND operator above, the Logical OR operator uses short-circuit
evaluation to consider its expressions. If the left side of a Logical OR expression is true,
the right side is not evaluated, because it canʼt change the outcome of the overall
expression.

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In the example below, the first Bool value (hasDoorKey) is false, but the second value
(knowsOverridePassword) is true. Because one value is true, the overall expression
also evaluates to true, and access is allowed:

1 let hasDoorKey = false

2 let knowsOverridePassword = true
3 if hasDoorKey || knowsOverridePassword {
4 print("Welcome!")
5 } else {
6 print("ACCESS DENIED")
7 }
8 // Prints "Welcome!"

Combining Logical Operators

You can combine multiple logical operators to create longer compound expressions:

1 if enteredDoorCode && passedRetinaScan || hasDoorKey ||

knowsOverridePassword {
2 print("Welcome!")
3 } else {
4 print("ACCESS DENIED")
5 }
6 // Prints "Welcome!"

This example uses multiple && and || operators to create a longer compound
expression. However, the && and || operators still operate on only two values, so this is
actually three smaller expressions chained together. The example can be read as:

If weʼve entered the correct door code and passed the retina scan, or if we have a valid
door key, or if we know the emergency override password, then allow access.

Based on the values of enteredDoorCode, passedRetinaScan, and hasDoorKey, the first

two subexpressions are false. However, the emergency override password is known,
so the overall compound expression still evaluates to true.

NOTE

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The Swift logical operators && and || are left-associative, meaning that compound
expressions with multiple logical operators evaluate the leftmost subexpression first.

Explicit Parentheses
Itʼs sometimes useful to include parentheses when theyʼre not strictly needed, to make
the intention of a complex expression easier to read. In the door access example
above, itʼs useful to add parentheses around the first part of the compound expression
to make its intent explicit:

1 if (enteredDoorCode && passedRetinaScan) || hasDoorKey ||

knowsOverridePassword {
2 print("Welcome!")
3 } else {
4 print("ACCESS DENIED")
5 }
6 // Prints "Welcome!"

The parentheses make it clear that the first two values are considered as part of a
separate possible state in the overall logic. The output of the compound expression
doesnʼt change, but the overall intention is clearer to the reader. Readability is always
preferred over brevity; use parentheses where they help to make your intentions clear.

The Basics Strings and Characters

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ON THIS PAGE

Strings and Characters

A string is a series of characters, such as "hello, world" or "albatross". Swift
strings are represented by the String type. The contents of a String can be accessed
in various ways, including as a collection of Character values.

Swiftʼs String and Character types provide a fast, Unicode-compliant way to work
with text in your code. The syntax for string creation and manipulation is lightweight
and readable, with a string literal syntax that is similar to C. String concatenation is as
simple as combining two strings with the + operator, and string mutability is managed
by choosing between a constant or a variable, just like any other value in Swift. You can
also use strings to insert constants, variables, literals, and expressions into longer
strings, in a process known as string interpolation. This makes it easy to create custom
string values for display, storage, and printing.

Despite this simplicity of syntax, Swiftʼs String type is a fast, modern string
implementation. Every string is composed of encoding-independent Unicode
characters, and provides support for accessing those characters in various Unicode
representations.

NOTE

Swiftʼs String type is bridged with Foundationʼs NSString class. Foundation also extends
String to expose methods defined by NSString. This means, if you import Foundation, you
can access those NSString methods on String without casting.

For more information about using String with Foundation and Cocoa, see Bridging
Between String and NSString.

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String Literals
You can include predefined String values within your code as string literals. A string
literal is a sequence of characters surrounded by double quotation marks (").

Use a string literal as an initial value for a constant or variable:

let someString = "Some string literal value"

Note that Swift infers a type of String for the someString constant because itʼs
initialized with a string literal value.

Multiline String Literals

If you need a string that spans several lines, use a multiline string literal—a sequence of
characters surrounded by three double quotation marks:

1 let quotation = """

2 The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. "Where shall I begin,
3 please your Majesty?" he asked.
4
5 "Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on
6 till you come to the end; then stop."
7 """

A multiline string literal includes all of the lines between its opening and closing
quotation marks. The string begins on the first line after the opening quotation marks
(""") and ends on the line before the closing quotation marks, which means that
neither of the strings below start or end with a line break:

1 let singleLineString = "These are the same."

2 let multilineString = """
3 These are the same.
4 """

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When your source code includes a line break inside of a multiline string literal, that line
break also appears in the stringʼs value. If you want to use line breaks to make your
source code easier to read, but you donʼt want the line breaks to be part of the stringʼs
value, write a backslash (\) at the end of those lines:

1 let softWrappedQuotation = """

2 The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. "Where shall I begin,
\
3 please your Majesty?" he asked.
4
5 "Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on \
6 till you come to the end; then stop."
7 """

To make a multiline string literal that begins or ends with a line feed, write a blank line
as the first or last line. For example:

1 let lineBreaks = """

2
3 This string starts with a line break.
4 It also ends with a line break.
5
6 """

A multiline string can be indented to match the surrounding code. The whitespace
before the closing quotation marks (""") tells Swift what whitespace to ignore before
all of the other lines. However, if you write whitespace at the beginning of a line in
addition to whatʼs before the closing quotation marks, that whitespace is included.

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In the example above, even though the entire multiline string literal is indented, the first
and last lines in the string donʼt begin with any whitespace. The middle line has more
indentation than the closing quotation marks, so it starts with that extra four-space
indentation.

Special Characters in String Literals

String literals can include the following special characters:

The escaped special characters \0 (null character), \\ (backslash), \t (horizontal

tab), \n (line feed), \r (carriage return), \" (double quotation mark) and \' (single
quotation mark)
An arbitrary Unicode scalar value, written as \u{n}, where n is a 1–8 digit
hexadecimal number (Unicode is discussed in Unicode below)

The code below shows four examples of these special characters. The wiseWords
constant contains two escaped double quotation marks. The dollarSign, blackHeart,
and sparklingHeart constants demonstrate the Unicode scalar format:

1 let wiseWords = "\"Imagination is more important than

knowledge\" - Einstein"
2 // "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
3 let dollarSign = "\u{24}" // $, Unicode scalar U+0024
4 let blackHeart = "\u{2665}" // ♥, Unicode scalar U+2665
5 let sparklingHeart = "\u{1F496}" // , Unicode scalar U+1F496

Because multiline string literals use three double quotation marks instead of just one,
you can include a double quotation mark (") inside of a multiline string literal without
escaping it. To include the text """ in a multiline string, escape at least one of the
quotation marks. For example:

1 let threeDoubleQuotationMarks = """

2 Escaping the first quotation mark \"""
3 Escaping all three quotation marks \"\"\"
4 """

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Extended String Delimiters

You can place a string literal within extended delimiters to include special characters in
a string without invoking their effect. You place your string within quotation marks (")
and surround that with number signs (#). For example, printing the string literal
#"Line 1\nLine 2"# prints the line feed escape sequence (\n) rather than printing the
string across two lines.

If you need the special effects of a character in a string literal, match the number of
number signs within the string following the escape character (\). For example, if your
string is #"Line 1\nLine 2"# and you want to break the line, you can use
#"Line 1\#nLine 2"# instead. Similarly, ###"Line1\###nLine2"### also breaks the
line.

String literals created using extended delimiters can also be multiline string literals. You
can use extended delimiters to include the text """ in a multiline string, overriding the
default behavior that ends the literal. For example:

1 let threeMoreDoubleQuotationMarks = #"""

2 Here are three more double quotes: """
3 """#

Initializing an Empty String

To create an empty String value as the starting point for building a longer string, either
assign an empty string literal to a variable, or initialize a new String instance with
initializer syntax:

1 var emptyString = "" // empty string literal

2 var anotherEmptyString = String() // initializer syntax
3 // these two strings are both empty, and are equivalent to each
other

Find out whether a String value is empty by checking its Boolean isEmpty property:

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1 if emptyString.isEmpty {
2 print("Nothing to see here")
3 }
4 // Prints "Nothing to see here"

String Mutability
You indicate whether a particular String can be modified (or mutated) by assigning it
to a variable (in which case it can be modified), or to a constant (in which case it canʼt
be modified):

1 var variableString = "Horse"

2 variableString += " and carriage"
3 // variableString is now "Horse and carriage"
4
5 let constantString = "Highlander"
6 constantString += " and another Highlander"
7 // this reports a compile-time error - a constant string cannot
be modified

NOTE

This approach is different from string mutation in Objective-C and Cocoa, where you
choose between two classes (NSString and NSMutableString) to indicate whether a string
can be mutated.

Strings Are Value Types

Swiftʼs String type is a value type. If you create a new String value, that String value
is copied when itʼs passed to a function or method, or when itʼs assigned to a constant
or variable. In each case, a new copy of the existing String value is created, and the
new copy is passed or assigned, not the original version. Value types are described in
Structures and Enumerations Are Value Types.

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Swiftʼs copy-by-default String behavior ensures that when a function or method

passes you a String value, itʼs clear that you own that exact String value, regardless
of where it came from. You can be confident that the string you are passed wonʼt be
modified unless you modify it yourself.

Behind the scenes, Swiftʼs compiler optimizes string usage so that actual copying takes
place only when absolutely necessary. This means you always get great performance
when working with strings as value types.

Working with Characters

You can access the individual Character values for a String by iterating over the string
with a for-in loop:

1 for character in "Dog! " {

2 print(character)
3 }
4 // D
5 // o
6 // g
7 // !
8 //

The for-in loop is described in For-In Loops.

Alternatively, you can create a stand-alone Character constant or variable from a

single-character string literal by providing a Character type annotation:

let exclamationMark: Character = "!"

String values can be constructed by passing an array of Character values as an

argument to its initializer:

1 let catCharacters: [Character] = ["C", "a", "t", "!", " "]

2 let catString = String(catCharacters)
3 print(catString)

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4 // Prints "Cat! "

Concatenating Strings and Characters

String values can be added together (or concatenated) with the addition operator (+)
to create a new String value:

1 let string1 = "hello"

2 let string2 = " there"
3 var welcome = string1 + string2
4 // welcome now equals "hello there"

You can also append a String value to an existing String variable with the addition
assignment operator (+=):

1 var instruction = "look over"

2 instruction += string2
3 // instruction now equals "look over there"

You can append a Character value to a String variable with the String typeʼs
append() method:

1 let exclamationMark: Character = "!"

2 welcome.append(exclamationMark)
3 // welcome now equals "hello there!"

NOTE

You canʼt append a String or Character to an existing Character variable, because a

Character value must contain a single character only.

If youʼre using multiline string literals to build up the lines of a longer string, you want
every line in the string to end with a line break, including the last line. For example:

1 let badStart = """

2 one

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3 two
4 """
5 let end = """
6 three
7 """
8 print(badStart + end)
9 // Prints two lines:
10 // one
11 // twothree
12
13 let goodStart = """
14 one
15 two
16
17 """
18 print(goodStart + end)
19 // Prints three lines:
20 // one
21 // two
22 // three

In the code above, concatenating badStart with end produces a two-line string, which
isnʼt the desired result. Because the last line of badStart doesnʼt end with a line break,
that line gets combined with the first line of end. In contrast, both lines of goodStart
end with a line break, so when itʼs combined with end the result has three lines, as
expected.

String Interpolation
String interpolation is a way to construct a new String value from a mix of constants,
variables, literals, and expressions by including their values inside a string literal. You
can use string interpolation in both single-line and multiline string literals. Each item
that you insert into the string literal is wrapped in a pair of parentheses, prefixed by a
backslash (\):

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1 let multiplier = 3
2 let message = "\(multiplier) times 2.5 is \(Double(multiplier)
* 2.5)"
3 // message is "3 times 2.5 is 7.5"

In the example above, the value of multiplier is inserted into a string literal as
\(multiplier). This placeholder is replaced with the actual value of multiplier when
the string interpolation is evaluated to create an actual string.

The value of multiplier is also part of a larger expression later in the string. This
expression calculates the value of Double(multiplier) * 2.5 and inserts the result
(7.5) into the string. In this case, the expression is written as
\(Double(multiplier) * 2.5) when itʼs included inside the string literal.

You can use extended string delimiters to create strings containing characters that
would otherwise be treated as a string interpolation. For example:

1 print(#"Write an interpolated string in Swift using \

(multiplier)."#)
2 // Prints "Write an interpolated string in Swift using \
(multiplier)."

To use string interpolation inside a string that uses extended delimiters, match the
number of number signs before the backslash to the number of number signs at the
beginning and end of the string. For example:

1 print(#"6 times 7 is \#(6 * 7)."#)

2 // Prints "6 times 7 is 42."

NOTE

The expressions you write inside parentheses within an interpolated string canʼt contain an
unescaped backslash (\), a carriage return, or a line feed. However, they can contain other
string literals.

Unicode
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Unicode is an international standard for encoding, representing, and processing text in

different writing systems. It enables you to represent almost any character from any
language in a standardized form, and to read and write those characters to and from an
external source such as a text file or web page. Swiftʼs String and Character types are
fully Unicode-compliant, as described in this section.

Unicode Scalar Values

Behind the scenes, Swiftʼs native String type is built from Unicode scalar values. A
Unicode scalar value is a unique 21-bit number for a character or modifier, such as
U+0061 for LATIN SMALL LETTER A ("a"), or U+1F425 for FRONT-FACING BABY CHICK
(" ").

Note that not all 21-bit Unicode scalar values are assigned to a character—some
scalars are reserved for future assignment or for use in UTF-16 encoding. Scalar values
that have been assigned to a character typically also have a name, such as
LATIN SMALL LETTER A and FRONT-FACING BABY CHICK in the examples above.

Extended Grapheme Clusters

Every instance of Swiftʼs Character type represents a single extended grapheme
cluster. An extended grapheme cluster is a sequence of one or more Unicode scalars
that (when combined) produce a single human-readable character.

Hereʼs an example. The letter é can be represented as the single Unicode scalar é
(LATIN SMALL LETTER E WITH ACUTE, or U+00E9). However, the same letter can also be
represented as a pair of scalars—a standard letter e (LATIN SMALL LETTER E, or
U+0065), followed by the COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT scalar (U+0301). The
COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT scalar is graphically applied to the scalar that precedes it,
turning an e into an é when itʼs rendered by a Unicode-aware text-rendering system.

In both cases, the letter é is represented as a single Swift Character value that
represents an extended grapheme cluster. In the first case, the cluster contains a
single scalar; in the second case, itʼs a cluster of two scalars:

1 let eAcute: Character = "\u{E9}" // é

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2 let combinedEAcute: Character = "\u{65}\u{301}" // e

followed bý
3 // eAcute is é, combinedEAcute is é

Extended grapheme clusters are a flexible way to represent many complex script
characters as a single Character value. For example, Hangul syllables from the Korean
alphabet can be represented as either a precomposed or decomposed sequence. Both
of these representations qualify as a single Character value in Swift:

1 let precomposed: Character = "\u{D55C}" // 한

2 let decomposed: Character = "\u{1112}\u{1161}\u{11AB}" // ,
,
3 // precomposed is 한, decomposed is 한

Extended grapheme clusters enable scalars for enclosing marks (such as

COMBINING ENCLOSING CIRCLE, or U+20DD) to enclose other Unicode scalars as part of
a single Character value:

1 let enclosedEAcute: Character = "\u{E9}\u{20DD}"

2 // enclosedEAcute is é ⃝

Unicode scalars for regional indicator symbols can be combined in pairs to make a
single Character value, such as this combination of
REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER U (U+1F1FA) and
REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER S (U+1F1F8):

1 let regionalIndicatorForUS: Character = "\u{1F1FA}\u{1F1F8}"

2 // regionalIndicatorForUS is

Counting Characters
To retrieve a count of the Character values in a string, use the count property of the
string:

1 let unusualMenagerie = "Koala , Snail , Penguin ,

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Dromedary "
2 print("unusualMenagerie has \(unusualMenagerie.count)
characters")
3 // Prints "unusualMenagerie has 40 characters"

Note that Swiftʼs use of extended grapheme clusters for Character values means that
string concatenation and modification may not always affect a stringʼs character count.

For example, if you initialize a new string with the four-character word cafe, and then
append a COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT (U+0301) to the end of the string, the resulting
string will still have a character count of 4, with a fourth character of é, not e:

1 var word = "cafe"

2 print("the number of characters in \(word) is \(word.count)")
3 // Prints "the number of characters in cafe is 4"
4
5 word += "\u{301}" // COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT, U+0301
6
7 print("the number of characters in \(word) is \(word.count)")
8 // Prints "the number of characters in café is 4"

NOTE

Extended grapheme clusters can be composed of multiple Unicode scalars. This means
that different characters—and different representations of the same character—can
require different amounts of memory to store. Because of this, characters in Swift donʼt
each take up the same amount of memory within a stringʼs representation. As a result, the
number of characters in a string canʼt be calculated without iterating through the string to
determine its extended grapheme cluster boundaries. If you are working with particularly
long string values, be aware that the count property must iterate over the Unicode scalars
in the entire string in order to determine the characters for that string.

The count of the characters returned by the count property isnʼt always the same as the
length property of an NSString that contains the same characters. The length of an
NSString is based on the number of 16-bit code units within the stringʼs UTF-16
representation and not the number of Unicode extended grapheme clusters within the
string.

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Accessing and Modifying a String

You access and modify a string through its methods and properties, or by using
subscript syntax.

String Indices
Each String value has an associated index type, String.Index, which corresponds to
the position of each Character in the string.

As mentioned above, different characters can require different amounts of memory to

store, so in order to determine which Character is at a particular position, you must
iterate over each Unicode scalar from the start or end of that String. For this reason,
Swift strings canʼt be indexed by integer values.

Use the startIndex property to access the position of the first Character of a String.
The endIndex property is the position after the last character in a String. As a result,
the endIndex property isnʼt a valid argument to a stringʼs subscript. If a String is
empty, startIndex and endIndex are equal.

You access the indices before and after a given index using the index(before:) and
index(after:) methods of String. To access an index farther away from the given
index, you can use the index(_:offsetBy:) method instead of calling one of these
methods multiple times.

You can use subscript syntax to access the Character at a particular String index.

1 let greeting = "Guten Tag!"

2 greeting[greeting.startIndex]
3 // G
4 greeting[greeting.index(before: greeting.endIndex)]
5 // !
6 greeting[greeting.index(after: greeting.startIndex)]
7 // u
8 let index = greeting.index(greeting.startIndex, offsetBy: 7)
9 greeting[index]

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10 // a

Attempting to access an index outside of a stringʼs range or a Character at an index

outside of a stringʼs range will trigger a runtime error.

1 greeting[greeting.endIndex] // Error
2 greeting.index(after: greeting.endIndex) // Error

Use the indices property to access all of the indices of individual characters in a
string.

1 for index in greeting.indices {

2 print("\(greeting[index]) ", terminator: "")
3 }
4 // Prints "G u t e n T a g ! "

NOTE

You can use the startIndex and endIndex properties and the index(before:),
index(after:), and index(_:offsetBy:) methods on any type that conforms to the
Collection protocol. This includes String, as shown here, as well as collection types such
as Array, Dictionary, and Set.

Inserting and Removing

To insert a single character into a string at a specified index, use the insert(_:at:)
method, and to insert the contents of another string at a specified index, use the
insert(contentsOf:at:) method.

1 var welcome = "hello"

2 welcome.insert("!", at: welcome.endIndex)
3 // welcome now equals "hello!"
4
5 welcome.insert(contentsOf: " there", at: welcome.index(before:
welcome.endIndex))
6 // welcome now equals "hello there!"

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To remove a single character from a string at a specified index, use the remove(at:)
method, and to remove a substring at a specified range, use the removeSubrange(_:)
method:

1 welcome.remove(at: welcome.index(before: welcome.endIndex))

2 // welcome now equals "hello there"
3
4 let range = welcome.index(welcome.endIndex, offsetBy: -6)..
<welcome.endIndex
5 welcome.removeSubrange(range)
6 // welcome now equals "hello"

NOTE

You can use the insert(_:at:), insert(contentsOf:at:), remove(at:), and

removeSubrange(_:) methods on any type that conforms to the
RangeReplaceableCollection protocol. This includes String, as shown here, as well as
collection types such as Array, Dictionary, and Set.

Substrings
When you get a substring from a string—for example, using a subscript or a method
like prefix(_:)—the result is an instance of Substring, not another string. Substrings
in Swift have most of the same methods as strings, which means you can work with
substrings the same way you work with strings. However, unlike strings, you use
substrings for only a short amount of time while performing actions on a string. When
youʼre ready to store the result for a longer time, you convert the substring to an
instance of String. For example:

1 let greeting = "Hello, world!"

2 let index = greeting.firstIndex(of: ",") ?? greeting.endIndex
3 let beginning = greeting[..<index]
4 // beginning is "Hello"
5
6 // Convert the result to a String for long-term storage.
7 let newString = String(beginning)

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Like strings, each substring has a region of memory where the characters that make up
the substring are stored. The difference between strings and substrings is that, as a
performance optimization, a substring can reuse part of the memory thatʼs used to
store the original string, or part of the memory thatʼs used to store another substring.
(Strings have a similar optimization, but if two strings share memory, they are equal.)
This performance optimization means you donʼt have to pay the performance cost of
copying memory until you modify either the string or substring. As mentioned above,
substrings arenʼt suitable for long-term storage—because they reuse the storage of
the original string, the entire original string must be kept in memory as long as any of its
substrings are being used.

In the example above, greeting is a string, which means it has a region of memory
where the characters that make up the string are stored. Because beginning is a
substring of greeting, it reuses the memory that greeting uses. In contrast,
newString is a string—when itʼs created from the substring, it has its own storage. The
figure below shows these relationships:

NOTE

Both String and Substring conform to the StringProtocol protocol, which means itʼs
often convenient for string-manipulation functions to accept a StringProtocol value. You
can call such functions with either a String or Substring value.

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Comparing Strings
Swift provides three ways to compare textual values: string and character equality,
prefix equality, and suffix equality.

String and Character Equality

String and character equality is checked with the “equal to” operator (==) and the “not
equal to” operator (!=), as described in Comparison Operators:

1 let quotation = "We're a lot alike, you and I."

2 let sameQuotation = "We're a lot alike, you and I."
3 if quotation == sameQuotation {
4 print("These two strings are considered equal")
5 }
6 // Prints "These two strings are considered equal"

Two String values (or two Character values) are considered equal if their extended
grapheme clusters are canonically equivalent. Extended grapheme clusters are
canonically equivalent if they have the same linguistic meaning and appearance, even if
theyʼre composed from different Unicode scalars behind the scenes.

For example, LATIN SMALL LETTER E WITH ACUTE (U+00E9) is canonically equivalent to
LATIN SMALL LETTER E (U+0065) followed by COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT (U+0301). Both
of these extended grapheme clusters are valid ways to represent the character é, and
so theyʼre considered to be canonically equivalent:

1 // "Voulez-vous un café?" using LATIN SMALL LETTER E WITH ACUTE

2 let eAcuteQuestion = "Voulez-vous un caf\u{E9}?"
3
4 // "Voulez-vous un café?" using LATIN SMALL LETTER E and
COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT
5 let combinedEAcuteQuestion = "Voulez-vous un caf\u{65}\u{301}?"
6
7 if eAcuteQuestion == combinedEAcuteQuestion {

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8 print("These two strings are considered equal")

9 }
10 // Prints "These two strings are considered equal"

Conversely, LATIN CAPITAL LETTER A (U+0041, or "A"), as used in English, is not

equivalent to CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER A (U+0410, or "А"), as used in Russian. The
characters are visually similar, but donʼt have the same linguistic meaning:

1 let latinCapitalLetterA: Character = "\u{41}"

2
3 let cyrillicCapitalLetterA: Character = "\u{0410}"
4
5 if latinCapitalLetterA != cyrillicCapitalLetterA {
6 print("These two characters are not equivalent.")
7 }
8 // Prints "These two characters are not equivalent."

NOTE

String and character comparisons in Swift are not locale-sensitive.

Prefix and Suffix Equality

To check whether a string has a particular string prefix or suffix, call the stringʼs
hasPrefix(_:) and hasSuffix(_:) methods, both of which take a single argument of
type String and return a Boolean value.

The examples below consider an array of strings representing the scene locations from
the first two acts of Shakespeareʼs Romeo and Juliet:

1 let romeoAndJuliet = [
2 "Act 1 Scene 1: Verona, A public place",
3 "Act 1 Scene 2: Capulet's mansion",
4 "Act 1 Scene 3: A room in Capulet's mansion",
5 "Act 1 Scene 4: A street outside Capulet's mansion",
6 "Act 1 Scene 5: The Great Hall in Capulet's mansion",
7 "Act 2 Scene 1: Outside Capulet's mansion",

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8 "Act 2 Scene 2: Capulet's orchard",

9 "Act 2 Scene 3: Outside Friar Lawrence's cell",
10 "Act 2 Scene 4: A street in Verona",
11 "Act 2 Scene 5: Capulet's mansion",
12 "Act 2 Scene 6: Friar Lawrence's cell"
13 ]

You can use the hasPrefix(_:) method with the romeoAndJuliet array to count the
number of scenes in Act 1 of the play:

1 var act1SceneCount = 0
2 for scene in romeoAndJuliet {
3 if scene.hasPrefix("Act 1 ") {
4 act1SceneCount += 1
5 }
6 }
7 print("There are \(act1SceneCount) scenes in Act 1")
8 // Prints "There are 5 scenes in Act 1"

Similarly, use the hasSuffix(_:) method to count the number of scenes that take
place in or around Capuletʼs mansion and Friar Lawrenceʼs cell:

1 var mansionCount = 0
2 var cellCount = 0
3 for scene in romeoAndJuliet {
4 if scene.hasSuffix("Capulet's mansion") {
5 mansionCount += 1
6 } else if scene.hasSuffix("Friar Lawrence's cell") {
7 cellCount += 1
8 }
9 }
10 print("\(mansionCount) mansion scenes; \(cellCount) cell
scenes")
11 // Prints "6 mansion scenes; 2 cell scenes"

NOTE

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The hasPrefix(_:) and hasSuffix(_:) methods perform a character-by-character

canonical equivalence comparison between the extended grapheme clusters in each
string, as described in String and Character Equality.

Unicode Representations of Strings

When a Unicode string is written to a text file or some other storage, the Unicode
scalars in that string are encoded in one of several Unicode-defined encoding forms.
Each form encodes the string in small chunks known as code units. These include the
UTF-8 encoding form (which encodes a string as 8-bit code units), the UTF-16
encoding form (which encodes a string as 16-bit code units), and the UTF-32 encoding
form (which encodes a string as 32-bit code units).

Swift provides several different ways to access Unicode representations of strings. You
can iterate over the string with a for-in statement, to access its individual Character
values as Unicode extended grapheme clusters. This process is described in Working
with Characters.

Alternatively, access a String value in one of three other Unicode-compliant

representations:

A collection of UTF-8 code units (accessed with the stringʼs utf8 property)
A collection of UTF-16 code units (accessed with the stringʼs utf16 property)
A collection of 21-bit Unicode scalar values, equivalent to the stringʼs UTF-32
encoding form (accessed with the stringʼs unicodeScalars property)

Each example below shows a different representation of the following string, which is
made up of the characters D, o, g, ‼ (DOUBLE EXCLAMATION MARK, or Unicode scalar
U+203C), and the character (DOG FACE, or Unicode scalar U+1F436):

let dogString = "Dog‼ "

UTF-8 Representation

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You can access a UTF-8 representation of a String by iterating over its utf8 property.
This property is of type String.UTF8View, which is a collection of unsigned 8-bit
(UInt8) values, one for each byte in the stringʼs UTF-8 representation:

1 for codeUnit in dogString.utf8 {

2 print("\(codeUnit) ", terminator: "")
3 }
4 print("")
5 // Prints "68 111 103 226 128 188 240 159 144 182 "

In the example above, the first three decimal codeUnit values (68, 111, 103) represent
the characters D, o, and g, whose UTF-8 representation is the same as their ASCII
representation. The next three decimal codeUnit values (226, 128, 188) are a three-
byte UTF-8 representation of the DOUBLE EXCLAMATION MARK character. The last four
codeUnit values (240, 159, 144, 182) are a four-byte UTF-8 representation of the
DOG FACE character.

UTF-16 Representation
You can access a UTF-16 representation of a String by iterating over its utf16
property. This property is of type String.UTF16View, which is a collection of unsigned
16-bit (UInt16) values, one for each 16-bit code unit in the stringʼs UTF-16
representation:

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1 for codeUnit in dogString.utf16 {

2 print("\(codeUnit) ", terminator: "")
3 }
4 print("")
5 // Prints "68 111 103 8252 55357 56374 "

Again, the first three codeUnit values (68, 111, 103) represent the characters D, o, and
g, whose UTF-16 code units have the same values as in the stringʼs UTF-8
representation (because these Unicode scalars represent ASCII characters).

The fourth codeUnit value (8252) is a decimal equivalent of the hexadecimal value
203C, which represents the Unicode scalar U+203C for the DOUBLE EXCLAMATION MARK
character. This character can be represented as a single code unit in UTF-16.

The fifth and sixth codeUnit values (55357 and 56374) are a UTF-16 surrogate pair
representation of the DOG FACE character. These values are a high-surrogate value of
U+D83D (decimal value 55357) and a low-surrogate value of U+DC36 (decimal value
56374).

Unicode Scalar Representation

You can access a Unicode scalar representation of a String value by iterating over its
unicodeScalars property. This property is of type UnicodeScalarView, which is a
collection of values of type UnicodeScalar.

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Each UnicodeScalar has a value property that returns the scalarʼs 21-bit value,
represented within a UInt32 value:

1 for scalar in dogString.unicodeScalars {

2 print("\(scalar.value) ", terminator: "")
3 }
4 print("")
5 // Prints "68 111 103 8252 128054 "

The value properties for the first three UnicodeScalar values (68, 111, 103) once again
represent the characters D, o, and g.

The fourth codeUnit value (8252) is again a decimal equivalent of the hexadecimal
value 203C, which represents the Unicode scalar U+203C for the
DOUBLE EXCLAMATION MARK character.

The value property of the fifth and final UnicodeScalar, 128054, is a decimal
equivalent of the hexadecimal value 1F436, which represents the Unicode scalar
U+1F436 for the DOG FACE character.

As an alternative to querying their value properties, each UnicodeScalar value can

also be used to construct a new String value, such as with string interpolation:

1 for scalar in dogString.unicodeScalars {

2 print("\(scalar) ")
3 }
4 // D

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5 // o
6 // g
7 // ‼
8 //

Basic Operators Collection Types

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ON THIS PAGE

Collection Types
Swift provides three primary collection types, known as arrays, sets, and dictionaries,
for storing collections of values. Arrays are ordered collections of values. Sets are
unordered collections of unique values. Dictionaries are unordered collections of key-
value associations.

Arrays, sets, and dictionaries in Swift are always clear about the types of values and
keys that they can store. This means that you cannot insert a value of the wrong type
into a collection by mistake. It also means you can be confident about the type of
values you will retrieve from a collection.

NOTE

Swiftʼs array, set, and dictionary types are implemented as generic collections. For more
about generic types and collections, see Generics.

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Mutability of Collections
If you create an array, a set, or a dictionary, and assign it to a variable, the collection
that is created will be mutable. This means that you can change (or mutate) the
collection after itʼs created by adding, removing, or changing items in the collection. If
you assign an array, a set, or a dictionary to a constant, that collection is immutable,
and its size and contents cannot be changed.

NOTE

It is good practice to create immutable collections in all cases where the collection does
not need to change. Doing so makes it easier for you to reason about your code and
enables the Swift compiler to optimize the performance of the collections you create.

Arrays
An array stores values of the same type in an ordered list. The same value can appear
in an array multiple times at different positions.

NOTE

Swiftʼs Array type is bridged to Foundationʼs NSArray class.

For more information about using Array with Foundation and Cocoa, see Bridging Between
Array and NSArray.

Array Type Shorthand Syntax

The type of a Swift array is written in full as Array<Element>, where Element is the type
of values the array is allowed to store. You can also write the type of an array in
shorthand form as [Element]. Although the two forms are functionally identical, the
shorthand form is preferred and is used throughout this guide when referring to the
type of an array.

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Creating an Empty Array

You can create an empty array of a certain type using initializer syntax:

1 var someInts = [Int]()

2 print("someInts is of type [Int] with \(someInts.count)
items.")
3 // Prints "someInts is of type [Int] with 0 items."

Note that the type of the someInts variable is inferred to be [Int] from the type of the
initializer.

Alternatively, if the context already provides type information, such as a function

argument or an already typed variable or constant, you can create an empty array with
an empty array literal, which is written as [] (an empty pair of square brackets):

1 someInts.append(3)
2 // someInts now contains 1 value of type Int
3 someInts = []
4 // someInts is now an empty array, but is still of type [Int]

Creating an Array with a Default Value

Swiftʼs Array type also provides an initializer for creating an array of a certain size with
all of its values set to the same default value. You pass this initializer a default value of
the appropriate type (called repeating): and the number of times that value is
repeated in the new array (called count):

1 var threeDoubles = Array(repeating: 0.0, count: 3)

2 // threeDoubles is of type [Double], and equals [0.0, 0.0, 0.0]

Creating an Array by Adding Two Arrays Together

You can create a new array by adding together two existing arrays with compatible
types with the addition operator (+). The new arrayʼs type is inferred from the type of
the two arrays you add together:

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1 var anotherThreeDoubles = Array(repeating: 2.5, count: 3)

2 // anotherThreeDoubles is of type [Double], and equals [2.5,
2.5, 2.5]
3
4 var sixDoubles = threeDoubles + anotherThreeDoubles
5 // sixDoubles is inferred as [Double], and equals [0.0, 0.0,
0.0, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5]

Creating an Array with an Array Literal

You can also initialize an array with an array literal, which is a shorthand way to write
one or more values as an array collection. An array literal is written as a list of values,
separated by commas, surrounded by a pair of square brackets:

[ value 1 , value 2 , value 3 ]

The example below creates an array called shoppingList to store String values:

1 var shoppingList: [String] = ["Eggs", "Milk"]

2 // shoppingList has been initialized with two initial items

The shoppingList variable is declared as “an array of string values”, written as

[String]. Because this particular array has specified a value type of String, it is
allowed to store String values only. Here, the shoppingList array is initialized with two
String values ("Eggs" and "Milk"), written within an array literal.

NOTE

The shoppingList array is declared as a variable (with the var introducer) and not a
constant (with the let introducer) because more items are added to the shopping list in
the examples below.

In this case, the array literal contains two String values and nothing else. This matches
the type of the shoppingList variableʼs declaration (an array that can only contain
String values), and so the assignment of the array literal is permitted as a way to
initialize shoppingList with two initial items.

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Thanks to Swiftʼs type inference, you donʼt have to write the type of the array if youʼre
initializing it with an array literal containing values of the same type. The initialization of
shoppingList could have been written in a shorter form instead:

var shoppingList = ["Eggs", "Milk"]

Because all values in the array literal are of the same type, Swift can infer that [String]
is the correct type to use for the shoppingList variable.

Accessing and Modifying an Array

You access and modify an array through its methods and properties, or by using
subscript syntax.

To find out the number of items in an array, check its read-only count property:

1 print("The shopping list contains \(shoppingList.count)

items.")
2 // Prints "The shopping list contains 2 items."

Use the Boolean isEmpty property as a shortcut for checking whether the count
property is equal to 0:

1 if shoppingList.isEmpty {
2 print("The shopping list is empty.")
3 } else {
4 print("The shopping list is not empty.")
5 }
6 // Prints "The shopping list is not empty."

You can add a new item to the end of an array by calling the arrayʼs append(_:)
method:

1 shoppingList.append("Flour")
2 // shoppingList now contains 3 items, and someone is making
pancakes

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Alternatively, append an array of one or more compatible items with the addition
assignment operator (+=):

1 shoppingList += ["Baking Powder"]

2 // shoppingList now contains 4 items
3 shoppingList += ["Chocolate Spread", "Cheese", "Butter"]
4 // shoppingList now contains 7 items

Retrieve a value from the array by using subscript syntax, passing the index of the
value you want to retrieve within square brackets immediately after the name of the
array:

1 var firstItem = shoppingList[0]

2 // firstItem is equal to "Eggs"

NOTE

The first item in the array has an index of 0, not 1. Arrays in Swift are always zero-indexed.

You can use subscript syntax to change an existing value at a given index:

1 shoppingList[0] = "Six eggs"

2 // the first item in the list is now equal to "Six eggs" rather
than "Eggs"

When you use subscript syntax, the index you specify needs to be valid. For example,
writing shoppingList[shoppingList.count] = "Salt" to try to append an item to the
end of the array results in a runtime error.

You can also use subscript syntax to change a range of values at once, even if the
replacement set of values has a different length than the range you are replacing. The
following example replaces "Chocolate Spread", "Cheese", and "Butter" with
"Bananas" and "Apples":

1 shoppingList[4...6] = ["Bananas", "Apples"]

2 // shoppingList now contains 6 items

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To insert an item into the array at a specified index, call the arrayʼs insert(_:at:)
method:

1 shoppingList.insert("Maple Syrup", at: 0)

2 // shoppingList now contains 7 items
3 // "Maple Syrup" is now the first item in the list

This call to the insert(_:at:) method inserts a new item with a value of
"Maple Syrup" at the very beginning of the shopping list, indicated by an index of 0.

Similarly, you remove an item from the array with the remove(at:) method. This
method removes the item at the specified index and returns the removed item
(although you can ignore the returned value if you do not need it):

1 let mapleSyrup = shoppingList.remove(at: 0)

2 // the item that was at index 0 has just been removed
3 // shoppingList now contains 6 items, and no Maple Syrup
4 // the mapleSyrup constant is now equal to the removed "Maple
Syrup" string

NOTE

If you try to access or modify a value for an index that is outside of an arrayʼs existing
bounds, you will trigger a runtime error. You can check that an index is valid before using it
by comparing it to the arrayʼs count property. The largest valid index in an array is
count - 1 because arrays are indexed from zero—however, when count is 0 (meaning the
array is empty), there are no valid indexes.

Any gaps in an array are closed when an item is removed, and so the value at index 0 is
once again equal to "Six eggs":

1 firstItem = shoppingList[0]
2 // firstItem is now equal to "Six eggs"

If you want to remove the final item from an array, use the removeLast() method rather
than the remove(at:) method to avoid the need to query the arrayʼs count property.
Like the remove(at:) method, removeLast() returns the removed item:

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1 let apples = shoppingList.removeLast()

2 // the last item in the array has just been removed
3 // shoppingList now contains 5 items, and no apples
4 // the apples constant is now equal to the removed "Apples"
string

Iterating Over an Array

You can iterate over the entire set of values in an array with the for-in loop:

1 for item in shoppingList {

2 print(item)
3 }
4 // Six eggs
5 // Milk
6 // Flour
7 // Baking Powder
8 // Bananas

If you need the integer index of each item as well as its value, use the enumerated()
method to iterate over the array instead. For each item in the array, the enumerated()
method returns a tuple composed of an integer and the item. The integers start at zero
and count up by one for each item; if you enumerate over a whole array, these integers
match the itemsʼ indices. You can decompose the tuple into temporary constants or
variables as part of the iteration:

1 for (index, value) in shoppingList.enumerated() {

2 print("Item \(index + 1): \(value)")
3 }
4 // Item 1: Six eggs
5 // Item 2: Milk
6 // Item 3: Flour
7 // Item 4: Baking Powder
8 // Item 5: Bananas

For more about the for-in loop, see For-In Loops.

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Sets
A set stores distinct values of the same type in a collection with no defined ordering.
You can use a set instead of an array when the order of items is not important, or when
you need to ensure that an item only appears once.

NOTE

Swiftʼs Set type is bridged to Foundationʼs NSSet class.

For more information about using Set with Foundation and Cocoa, see Bridging Between
Set and NSSet.

Hash Values for Set Types

A type must be hashable in order to be stored in a set—that is, the type must provide a
way to compute a hash value for itself. A hash value is an Int value that is the same for
all objects that compare equally, such that if a == b, it follows that
a.hashValue == b.hashValue.

All of Swiftʼs basic types (such as String, Int, Double, and Bool) are hashable by
default, and can be used as set value types or dictionary key types. Enumeration case
values without associated values (as described in Enumeration) are also hashable by
default.

NOTE

You can use your own custom types as set value types or dictionary key types by making
them conform to the Hashable protocol from Swiftʼs standard library. Types that conform
to the Hashable protocol must provide a gettable Int property called hashValue. The value
returned by a typeʼs hashValue property is not required to be the same across different
executions of the same program, or in different programs.

Because the Hashable protocol conforms to Equatable, conforming types must also
provide an implementation of the equals operator (==). The Equatable protocol requires
any conforming implementation of == to be an equivalence relation. That is, an
implementation of == must satisfy the following three conditions, for all values a, b, and c:

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a == a (Reflexivity)
a == b implies b == a (Symmetry)
a == b && b == c implies a == c (Transitivity)

For more information about conforming to protocols, see Protocols.

Set Type Syntax

The type of a Swift set is written as Set<Element>, where Element is the type that the
set is allowed to store. Unlike arrays, sets do not have an equivalent shorthand form.

Creating and Initializing an Empty Set

You can create an empty set of a certain type using initializer syntax:

1 var letters = Set<Character>()

2 print("letters is of type Set<Character> with \(letters.count)
items.")
3 // Prints "letters is of type Set<Character> with 0 items."

NOTE

The type of the letters variable is inferred to be Set<Character>, from the type of the
initializer.

Alternatively, if the context already provides type information, such as a function

argument or an already typed variable or constant, you can create an empty set with an
empty array literal:

1 letters.insert("a")
2 // letters now contains 1 value of type Character
3 letters = []
4 // letters is now an empty set, but is still of type
Set<Character>

Creating a Set with an Array Literal

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You can also initialize a set with an array literal, as a shorthand way to write one or more
values as a set collection.

The example below creates a set called favoriteGenres to store String values:

1 var favoriteGenres: Set<String> = ["Rock", "Classical", "Hip

hop"]
2 // favoriteGenres has been initialized with three initial items

The favoriteGenres variable is declared as “a set of String values”, written as

Set<String>. Because this particular set has specified a value type of String, it is only
allowed to store String values. Here, the favoriteGenres set is initialized with three
String values ("Rock", "Classical", and "Hip hop"), written within an array literal.

NOTE

The favoriteGenres set is declared as a variable (with the var introducer) and not a
constant (with the let introducer) because items are added and removed in the examples
below.

A set type cannot be inferred from an array literal alone, so the type Set must be
explicitly declared. However, because of Swiftʼs type inference, you donʼt have to write
the type of the setʼs elements if youʼre initializing it with an array literal that contains
values of just one type. The initialization of favoriteGenres could have been written in
a shorter form instead:

var favoriteGenres: Set = ["Rock", "Classical", "Hip hop"]

Because all values in the array literal are of the same type, Swift can infer that
Set<String> is the correct type to use for the favoriteGenres variable.

Accessing and Modifying a Set

You access and modify a set through its methods and properties.

To find out the number of items in a set, check its read-only count property:

1 print("I have \(favoriteGenres.count) favorite music genres.")

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2 // Prints "I have 3 favorite music genres."

Use the Boolean isEmpty property as a shortcut for checking whether the count
property is equal to 0:

1 if favoriteGenres.isEmpty {
2 print("As far as music goes, I'm not picky.")
3 } else {
4 print("I have particular music preferences.")
5 }
6 // Prints "I have particular music preferences."

You can add a new item into a set by calling the setʼs insert(_:) method:

1 favoriteGenres.insert("Jazz")
2 // favoriteGenres now contains 4 items

You can remove an item from a set by calling the setʼs remove(_:) method, which
removes the item if itʼs a member of the set, and returns the removed value, or returns
nil if the set did not contain it. Alternatively, all items in a set can be removed with its
removeAll() method.

1 if let removedGenre = favoriteGenres.remove("Rock") {

2 print("\(removedGenre)? I'm over it.")
3 } else {
4 print("I never much cared for that.")
5 }
6 // Prints "Rock? I'm over it."

To check whether a set contains a particular item, use the contains(_:) method.

1 if favoriteGenres.contains("Funk") {
2 print("I get up on the good foot.")
3 } else {
4 print("It's too funky in here.")
5 }
6 // Prints "It's too funky in here."

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Iterating Over a Set

You can iterate over the values in a set with a for-in loop.

1 for genre in favoriteGenres {

2 print("\(genre)")
3 }
4 // Classical
5 // Jazz
6 // Hip hop

For more about the for-in loop, see For-In Loops.

Swiftʼs Set type does not have a defined ordering. To iterate over the values of a set in
a specific order, use the sorted() method, which returns the setʼs elements as an
array sorted using the < operator.

1 for genre in favoriteGenres.sorted() {

2 print("\(genre)")
3 }
4 // Classical
5 // Hip hop
6 // Jazz

Performing Set Operations

You can efficiently perform fundamental set operations, such as combining two sets
together, determining which values two sets have in common, or determining whether
two sets contain all, some, or none of the same values.

Fundamental Set Operations

The illustration below depicts two sets—a and b—with the results of various set
operations represented by the shaded regions.

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Use the intersection(_:) method to create a new set with only the values
common to both sets.
Use the symmetricDifference(_:) method to create a new set with values in
either set, but not both.
Use the union(_:) method to create a new set with all of the values in both sets.
Use the subtracting(_:) method to create a new set with values not in the
specified set.

1 let oddDigits: Set = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]

2 let evenDigits: Set = [0, 2, 4, 6, 8]
3 let singleDigitPrimeNumbers: Set = [2, 3, 5, 7]
4
5 oddDigits.union(evenDigits).sorted()
6 // [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
7 oddDigits.intersection(evenDigits).sorted()
8 // []
9 oddDigits.subtracting(singleDigitPrimeNumbers).sorted()

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10 // [1, 9]
11 oddDigits.symmetricDifference(singleDigitPrimeNumbers).sorted()
12 // [1, 2, 9]

Set Membership and Equality

The illustration below depicts three sets—a, b and c—with overlapping regions
representing elements shared among sets. Set a is a superset of set b, because a
contains all elements in b. Conversely, set b is a subset of set a, because all elements in
b are also contained by a. Set b and set c are disjoint with one another, because they
share no elements in common.

Use the “is equal” operator (==) to determine whether two sets contain all of the
same values.
Use the isSubset(of:) method to determine whether all of the values of a set
are contained in the specified set.
Use the isSuperset(of:) method to determine whether a set contains all of the
values in a specified set.
Use the isStrictSubset(of:) or isStrictSuperset(of:) methods to determine
whether a set is a subset or superset, but not equal to, a specified set.
Use the isDisjoint(with:) method to determine whether two sets have no

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values in common.

1 let houseAnimals: Set = [" ", " "]

2 let farmAnimals: Set = [" ", " ", " ", " ", " "]
3 let cityAnimals: Set = [" ", " "]
4
5 houseAnimals.isSubset(of: farmAnimals)
6 // true
7 farmAnimals.isSuperset(of: houseAnimals)
8 // true
9 farmAnimals.isDisjoint(with: cityAnimals)
10 // true

Dictionaries
A dictionary stores associations between keys of the same type and values of the same
type in a collection with no defined ordering. Each value is associated with a unique
key, which acts as an identifier for that value within the dictionary. Unlike items in an
array, items in a dictionary do not have a specified order. You use a dictionary when you
need to look up values based on their identifier, in much the same way that a real-world
dictionary is used to look up the definition for a particular word.

NOTE

Swiftʼs Dictionary type is bridged to Foundationʼs NSDictionary class.

For more information about using Dictionary with Foundation and Cocoa, see Bridging
Between Dictionary and NSDictionary.

Dictionary Type Shorthand Syntax

The type of a Swift dictionary is written in full as Dictionary<Key, Value>, where Key
is the type of value that can be used as a dictionary key, and Value is the type of value
that the dictionary stores for those keys.

NOTE

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A dictionary Key type must conform to the Hashable protocol, like a setʼs value type.

You can also write the type of a dictionary in shorthand form as [Key: Value].
Although the two forms are functionally identical, the shorthand form is preferred and
is used throughout this guide when referring to the type of a dictionary.

Creating an Empty Dictionary

As with arrays, you can create an empty Dictionary of a certain type by using initializer
syntax:

1 var namesOfIntegers = [Int: String]()

2 // namesOfIntegers is an empty [Int: String] dictionary

This example creates an empty dictionary of type [Int: String] to store human-
readable names of integer values. Its keys are of type Int, and its values are of type
String.

If the context already provides type information, you can create an empty dictionary
with an empty dictionary literal, which is written as [:] (a colon inside a pair of square
brackets):

1 namesOfIntegers[16] = "sixteen"
2 // namesOfIntegers now contains 1 key-value pair
3 namesOfIntegers = [:]
4 // namesOfIntegers is once again an empty dictionary of type
[Int: String]

Creating a Dictionary with a Dictionary Literal

You can also initialize a dictionary with a dictionary literal, which has a similar syntax to
the array literal seen earlier. A dictionary literal is a shorthand way to write one or more
key-value pairs as a Dictionary collection.

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A key-value pair is a combination of a key and a value. In a dictionary literal, the key and
value in each key-value pair are separated by a colon. The key-value pairs are written
as a list, separated by commas, surrounded by a pair of square brackets:

[ key 1 : value 1 , key 2 : value 2 , key 3 : value 3 ]

The example below creates a dictionary to store the names of international airports. In
this dictionary, the keys are three-letter International Air Transport Association codes,
and the values are airport names:

var airports: [String: String] = ["YYZ": "Toronto Pearson",

"DUB": "Dublin"]

The airports dictionary is declared as having a type of [String: String], which

means “a Dictionary whose keys are of type String, and whose values are also of
type String”.

NOTE

The airports dictionary is declared as a variable (with the var introducer), and not a
constant (with the let introducer), because more airports are added to the dictionary in
the examples below.

The airports dictionary is initialized with a dictionary literal containing two key-value
pairs. The first pair has a key of "YYZ" and a value of "Toronto Pearson". The second
pair has a key of "DUB" and a value of "Dublin".

This dictionary literal contains two String: String pairs. This key-value type matches
the type of the airports variable declaration (a dictionary with only String keys, and
only String values), and so the assignment of the dictionary literal is permitted as a
way to initialize the airports dictionary with two initial items.

As with arrays, you donʼt have to write the type of the dictionary if youʼre initializing it
with a dictionary literal whose keys and values have consistent types. The initialization
of airports could have been written in a shorter form instead:

var airports = ["YYZ": "Toronto Pearson", "DUB": "Dublin"]

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Because all keys in the literal are of the same type as each other, and likewise all values
are of the same type as each other, Swift can infer that [String: String] is the
correct type to use for the airports dictionary.

Accessing and Modifying a Dictionary

You access and modify a dictionary through its methods and properties, or by using
subscript syntax.

As with an array, you find out the number of items in a Dictionary by checking its
read-only count property:

1 print("The airports dictionary contains \(airports.count)

items.")
2 // Prints "The airports dictionary contains 2 items."

Use the Boolean isEmpty property as a shortcut for checking whether the count
property is equal to 0:

1 if airports.isEmpty {
2 print("The airports dictionary is empty.")
3 } else {
4 print("The airports dictionary is not empty.")
5 }
6 // Prints "The airports dictionary is not empty."

You can add a new item to a dictionary with subscript syntax. Use a new key of the
appropriate type as the subscript index, and assign a new value of the appropriate
type:

1 airports["LHR"] = "London"
2 // the airports dictionary now contains 3 items

You can also use subscript syntax to change the value associated with a particular key:

1 airports["LHR"] = "London Heathrow"

2 // the value for "LHR" has been changed to "London Heathrow"

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As an alternative to subscripting, use a dictionaryʼs updateValue(_:forKey:) method

to set or update the value for a particular key. Like the subscript examples above, the
updateValue(_:forKey:) method sets a value for a key if none exists, or updates the
value if that key already exists. Unlike a subscript, however, the
updateValue(_:forKey:) method returns the old value after performing an update.
This enables you to check whether or not an update took place.

The updateValue(_:forKey:) method returns an optional value of the dictionaryʼs

value type. For a dictionary that stores String values, for example, the method returns
a value of type String?, or “optional String”. This optional value contains the old value
for that key if one existed before the update, or nil if no value existed:

1 if let oldValue = airports.updateValue("Dublin Airport",

forKey: "DUB") {
2 print("The old value for DUB was \(oldValue).")
3 }
4 // Prints "The old value for DUB was Dublin."

You can also use subscript syntax to retrieve a value from the dictionary for a particular
key. Because it is possible to request a key for which no value exists, a dictionaryʼs
subscript returns an optional value of the dictionaryʼs value type. If the dictionary
contains a value for the requested key, the subscript returns an optional value
containing the existing value for that key. Otherwise, the subscript returns nil:

1 if let airportName = airports["DUB"] {

2 print("The name of the airport is \(airportName).")
3 } else {
4 print("That airport is not in the airports dictionary.")
5 }
6 // Prints "The name of the airport is Dublin Airport."

You can use subscript syntax to remove a key-value pair from a dictionary by assigning
a value of nil for that key:

1 airports["APL"] = "Apple International"

2 // "Apple International" is not the real airport for APL, so
delete it

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3 airports["APL"] = nil
4 // APL has now been removed from the dictionary

Alternatively, remove a key-value pair from a dictionary with the

removeValue(forKey:) method. This method removes the key-value pair if it exists
and returns the removed value, or returns nil if no value existed:

1 if let removedValue = airports.removeValue(forKey: "DUB") {

2 print("The removed airport's name is \(removedValue).")
3 } else {
4 print("The airports dictionary does not contain a value for
DUB.")
5 }
6 // Prints "The removed airport's name is Dublin Airport."

Iterating Over a Dictionary

You can iterate over the key-value pairs in a dictionary with a for-in loop. Each item in
the dictionary is returned as a (key, value) tuple, and you can decompose the tupleʼs
members into temporary constants or variables as part of the iteration:

1 for (airportCode, airportName) in airports {

2 print("\(airportCode): \(airportName)")
3 }
4 // YYZ: Toronto Pearson
5 // LHR: London Heathrow

For more about the for-in loop, see For-In Loops.

You can also retrieve an iterable collection of a dictionaryʼs keys or values by accessing
its keys and values properties:

1 for airportCode in airports.keys {

2 print("Airport code: \(airportCode)")
3 }
4 // Airport code: YYZ
5 // Airport code: LHR

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6
7 for airportName in airports.values {
8 print("Airport name: \(airportName)")
9 }
10 // Airport name: Toronto Pearson
11 // Airport name: London Heathrow

If you need to use a dictionaryʼs keys or values with an API that takes an Array
instance, initialize a new array with the keys or values property:

1 let airportCodes = [String](airports.keys)

2 // airportCodes is ["YYZ", "LHR"]
3
4 let airportNames = [String](airports.values)
5 // airportNames is ["Toronto Pearson", "London Heathrow"]

Swiftʼs Dictionary type does not have a defined ordering. To iterate over the keys or
values of a dictionary in a specific order, use the sorted() method on its keys or
values property.

Strings and Characters Control Flow

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ON THIS PAGE

Control Flow
Swift provides a variety of control flow statements. These include while loops to
perform a task multiple times; if, guard, and switch statements to execute different
branches of code based on certain conditions; and statements such as break and
continue to transfer the flow of execution to another point in your code.

Swift also provides a for-in loop that makes it easy to iterate over arrays, dictionaries,
ranges, strings, and other sequences.

Swiftʼs switch statement is considerably more powerful than its counterpart in many C-
like languages. Cases can match many different patterns, including interval matches,
tuples, and casts to a specific type. Matched values in a switch case can be bound to
temporary constants or variables for use within the caseʼs body, and complex matching
conditions can be expressed with a where clause for each case.

For-In Loops
You use the for-in loop to iterate over a sequence, such as items in an array, ranges of
numbers, or characters in a string.

This example uses a for-in loop to iterate over the items in an array:

1 let names = ["Anna", "Alex", "Brian", "Jack"]

2 for name in names {
3 print("Hello, \(name)!")

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4 }
5 // Hello, Anna!
6 // Hello, Alex!
7 // Hello, Brian!
8 // Hello, Jack!

You can also iterate over a dictionary to access its key-value pairs. Each item in the
dictionary is returned as a (key, value) tuple when the dictionary is iterated, and you
can decompose the (key, value) tupleʼs members as explicitly named constants for
use within the body of the for-in loop. In the code example below, the dictionaryʼs
keys are decomposed into a constant called animalName, and the dictionaryʼs values
are decomposed into a constant called legCount.

1 let numberOfLegs = ["spider": 8, "ant": 6, "cat": 4]

2 for (animalName, legCount) in numberOfLegs {
3 print("\(animalName)s have \(legCount) legs")
4 }
5 // ants have 6 legs
6 // cats have 4 legs
7 // spiders have 8 legs

The contents of a Dictionary are inherently unordered, and iterating over them does
not guarantee the order in which they will be retrieved. In particular, the order you
insert items into a Dictionary doesnʼt define the order they are iterated. For more
about arrays and dictionaries, see Collection Types.

You can also use for-in loops with numeric ranges. This example prints the first few
entries in a five-times table:

1 for index in 1...5 {

2 print("\(index) times 5 is \(index * 5)")
3 }
4 // 1 times 5 is 5
5 // 2 times 5 is 10
6 // 3 times 5 is 15
7 // 4 times 5 is 20
8 // 5 times 5 is 25

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The sequence being iterated over is a range of numbers from 1 to 5, inclusive, as

indicated by the use of the closed range operator (...). The value of index is set to the
first number in the range (1), and the statements inside the loop are executed. In this
case, the loop contains only one statement, which prints an entry from the five-times
table for the current value of index. After the statement is executed, the value of index
is updated to contain the second value in the range (2), and the
print(_:separator:terminator:) function is called again. This process continues
until the end of the range is reached.

In the example above, index is a constant whose value is automatically set at the start
of each iteration of the loop. As such, index does not have to be declared before it is
used. It is implicitly declared simply by its inclusion in the loop declaration, without the
need for a let declaration keyword.

If you donʼt need each value from a sequence, you can ignore the values by using an
underscore in place of a variable name.

1 let base = 3
2 let power = 10
3 var answer = 1
4 for _ in 1...power {
5 answer *= base
6 }
7 print("\(base) to the power of \(power) is \(answer)")
8 // Prints "3 to the power of 10 is 59049"

The example above calculates the value of one number to the power of another (in this
case, 3 to the power of 10). It multiplies a starting value of 1 (that is, 3 to the power of 0)
by 3, ten times, using a closed range that starts with 1 and ends with 10. For this
calculation, the individual counter values each time through the loop are unnecessary
—the code simply executes the loop the correct number of times. The underscore
character (_) used in place of a loop variable causes the individual values to be ignored
and does not provide access to the current value during each iteration of the loop.

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In some situations, you might not want to use closed ranges, which include both
endpoints. Consider drawing the tick marks for every minute on a watch face. You want
to draw 60 tick marks, starting with the 0 minute. Use the half-open range operator
(..<) to include the lower bound but not the upper bound. For more about ranges, see
Range Operators.

1 let minutes = 60
2 for tickMark in 0..<minutes {
3 // render the tick mark each minute (60 times)
4 }

Some users might want fewer tick marks in their UI. They could prefer one mark every 5
minutes instead. Use the stride(from:to:by:) function to skip the unwanted marks.

1 let minuteInterval = 5
2 for tickMark in stride(from: 0, to: minutes, by:
minuteInterval) {
3 // render the tick mark every 5 minutes (0, 5, 10, 15 ...
45, 50, 55)
4 }

Closed ranges are also available, by using stride(from:through:by:) instead:

1 let hours = 12
2 let hourInterval = 3
3 for tickMark in stride(from: 3, through: hours, by:
hourInterval) {
4 // render the tick mark every 3 hours (3, 6, 9, 12)
5 }

While Loops
A while loop performs a set of statements until a condition becomes false. These
kinds of loops are best used when the number of iterations is not known before the first
iteration begins. Swift provides two kinds of while loops:

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while evaluates its condition at the start of each pass through the loop.
repeat-while evaluates its condition at the end of each pass through the loop.

While
A while loop starts by evaluating a single condition. If the condition is true, a set of
statements is repeated until the condition becomes false.

Hereʼs the general form of a while loop:

while condition {
statements
}

This example plays a simple game of Snakes and Ladders (also known as Chutes and
Ladders):

The rules of the game are as follows:

The board has 25 squares, and the aim is to land on or beyond square 25.
The playerʼs starting square is “square zero”, which is just off the bottom-left
corner of the board.
Each turn, you roll a six-sided dice and move by that number of squares, following

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the horizontal path indicated by the dotted arrow above.

If your turn ends at the bottom of a ladder, you move up that ladder.
If your turn ends at the head of a snake, you move down that snake.

The game board is represented by an array of Int values. Its size is based on a
constant called finalSquare, which is used to initialize the array and also to check for a
win condition later in the example. Because the players start off the board, on “square
zero”, the board is initialized with 26 zero Int values, not 25.

1 let finalSquare = 25
2 var board = [Int](repeating: 0, count: finalSquare + 1)

Some squares are then set to have more specific values for the snakes and ladders.
Squares with a ladder base have a positive number to move you up the board, whereas
squares with a snake head have a negative number to move you back down the board.

1 board[03] = +08; board[06] = +11; board[09] = +09; board[10] =

+02
2 board[14] = -10; board[19] = -11; board[22] = -02; board[24] =
-08

Square 3 contains the bottom of a ladder that moves you up to square 11. To represent
this, board[03] is equal to +08, which is equivalent to an integer value of 8 (the
difference between 3 and 11). To align the values and statements, the unary plus
operator (+i) is explicitly used with the unary minus operator (-i) and numbers lower
than 10 are padded with zeros. (Neither stylistic technique is strictly necessary, but
they lead to neater code.)

1 var square = 0
2 var diceRoll = 0
3 while square < finalSquare {
4 // roll the dice
5 diceRoll += 1
6 if diceRoll == 7 { diceRoll = 1 }
7 // move by the rolled amount
8 square += diceRoll
9 if square < board.count {

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10 // if we're still on the board, move up or down for a

snake or a ladder
11 square += board[square]
12 }
13 }
14 print("Game over!")

The example above uses a very simple approach to dice rolling. Instead of generating a
random number, it starts with a diceRoll value of 0. Each time through the while loop,
diceRoll is incremented by one and is then checked to see whether it has become too
large. Whenever this return value equals 7, the dice roll has become too large and is
reset to a value of 1. The result is a sequence of diceRoll values that is always 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 1, 2 and so on.

After rolling the dice, the player moves forward by diceRoll squares. Itʼs possible that
the dice roll may have moved the player beyond square 25, in which case the game is
over. To cope with this scenario, the code checks that square is less than the board
arrayʼs count property. If square is valid, the value stored in board[square] is added to
the current square value to move the player up or down any ladders or snakes.

NOTE

If this check is not performed, board[square] might try to access a value outside the
bounds of the board array, which would trigger a runtime error.

The current while loop execution then ends, and the loopʼs condition is checked to see
if the loop should be executed again. If the player has moved on or beyond square
number 25, the loopʼs condition evaluates to false and the game ends.

A while loop is appropriate in this case, because the length of the game is not clear at
the start of the while loop. Instead, the loop is executed until a particular condition is
satisfied.

Repeat-While

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The other variation of the while loop, known as the repeat-while loop, performs a
single pass through the loop block first, before considering the loopʼs condition. It then
continues to repeat the loop until the condition is false.

NOTE

The repeat-while loop in Swift is analogous to a do-while loop in other languages.

Hereʼs the general form of a repeat-while loop:

repeat {
statements
} while condition

Hereʼs the Snakes and Ladders example again, written as a repeat-while loop rather
than a while loop. The values of finalSquare, board, square, and diceRoll are
initialized in exactly the same way as with a while loop.

1 let finalSquare = 25
2 var board = [Int](repeating: 0, count: finalSquare + 1)
3 board[03] = +08; board[06] = +11; board[09] = +09; board[10] =
+02
4 board[14] = -10; board[19] = -11; board[22] = -02; board[24] =
-08
5 var square = 0
6 var diceRoll = 0

In this version of the game, the first action in the loop is to check for a ladder or a
snake. No ladder on the board takes the player straight to square 25, and so it isnʼt
possible to win the game by moving up a ladder. Therefore, itʼs safe to check for a
snake or a ladder as the first action in the loop.

At the start of the game, the player is on “square zero”. board[0] always equals 0 and
has no effect.

1 repeat {
2 // move up or down for a snake or ladder

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3 square += board[square]
4 // roll the dice
5 diceRoll += 1
6 if diceRoll == 7 { diceRoll = 1 }
7 // move by the rolled amount
8 square += diceRoll
9 } while square < finalSquare
10 print("Game over!")

After the code checks for snakes and ladders, the dice is rolled and the player is moved
forward by diceRoll squares. The current loop execution then ends.

The loopʼs condition (while square < finalSquare) is the same as before, but this
time itʼs not evaluated until the end of the first run through the loop. The structure of
the repeat-while loop is better suited to this game than the while loop in the previous
example. In the repeat-while loop above, square += board[square] is always
executed immediately after the loopʼs while condition confirms that square is still on
the board. This behavior removes the need for the array bounds check seen in the
while loop version of the game described earlier.

Conditional Statements
It is often useful to execute different pieces of code based on certain conditions. You
might want to run an extra piece of code when an error occurs, or to display a message
when a value becomes too high or too low. To do this, you make parts of your code
conditional.

Swift provides two ways to add conditional branches to your code: the if statement
and the switch statement. Typically, you use the if statement to evaluate simple
conditions with only a few possible outcomes. The switch statement is better suited to
more complex conditions with multiple possible permutations and is useful in situations
where pattern matching can help select an appropriate code branch to execute.

If

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In its simplest form, the if statement has a single if condition. It executes a set of
statements only if that condition is true.

1 var temperatureInFahrenheit = 30
2 if temperatureInFahrenheit <= 32 {
3 print("It's very cold. Consider wearing a scarf.")
4 }
5 // Prints "It's very cold. Consider wearing a scarf."

The example above checks whether the temperature is less than or equal to 32
degrees Fahrenheit (the freezing point of water). If it is, a message is printed.
Otherwise, no message is printed, and code execution continues after the if
statementʼs closing brace.

The if statement can provide an alternative set of statements, known as an else

clause, for situations when the if condition is false. These statements are indicated
by the else keyword.

1 temperatureInFahrenheit = 40
2 if temperatureInFahrenheit <= 32 {
3 print("It's very cold. Consider wearing a scarf.")
4 } else {
5 print("It's not that cold. Wear a t-shirt.")
6 }
7 // Prints "It's not that cold. Wear a t-shirt."

One of these two branches is always executed. Because the temperature has
increased to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it is no longer cold enough to advise wearing a
scarf and so the else branch is triggered instead.

You can chain multiple if statements together to consider additional clauses.

1 temperatureInFahrenheit = 90
2 if temperatureInFahrenheit <= 32 {
3 print("It's very cold. Consider wearing a scarf.")
4 } else if temperatureInFahrenheit >= 86 {
5 print("It's really warm. Don't forget to wear sunscreen.")

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6 } else {
7 print("It's not that cold. Wear a t-shirt.")
8 }
9 // Prints "It's really warm. Don't forget to wear sunscreen."

Here, an additional if statement was added to respond to particularly warm

temperatures. The final else clause remains, and it prints a response for any
temperatures that are neither too warm nor too cold.

The final else clause is optional, however, and can be excluded if the set of conditions
does not need to be complete.

1 temperatureInFahrenheit = 72
2 if temperatureInFahrenheit <= 32 {
3 print("It's very cold. Consider wearing a scarf.")
4 } else if temperatureInFahrenheit >= 86 {
5 print("It's really warm. Don't forget to wear sunscreen.")
6 }

Because the temperature is neither too cold nor too warm to trigger the if or else if
conditions, no message is printed.

Switch
A switch statement considers a value and compares it against several possible
matching patterns. It then executes an appropriate block of code, based on the first
pattern that matches successfully. A switch statement provides an alternative to the if
statement for responding to multiple potential states.

In its simplest form, a switch statement compares a value against one or more values
of the same type.

switch some value to consider {

case value 1 :
respond to value 1
case value 2 ,

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value 3 :
respond to value 2 or 3
default:
otherwise, do something else
}

Every switch statement consists of multiple possible cases, each of which begins with
the case keyword. In addition to comparing against specific values, Swift provides
several ways for each case to specify more complex matching patterns. These options
are described later in this chapter.

Like the body of an if statement, each case is a separate branch of code execution.
The switch statement determines which branch should be selected. This procedure is
known as switching on the value that is being considered.

Every switch statement must be exhaustive. That is, every possible value of the type
being considered must be matched by one of the switch cases. If itʼs not appropriate
to provide a case for every possible value, you can define a default case to cover any
values that are not addressed explicitly. This default case is indicated by the default
keyword, and must always appear last.

This example uses a switch statement to consider a single lowercase character called
someCharacter:

1 let someCharacter: Character = "z"

2 switch someCharacter {
3 case "a":
4 print("The first letter of the alphabet")
5 case "z":
6 print("The last letter of the alphabet")
7 default:
8 print("Some other character")
9 }
10 // Prints "The last letter of the alphabet"

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The switch statementʼs first case matches the first letter of the English alphabet, a,
and its second case matches the last letter, z. Because the switch must have a case
for every possible character, not just every alphabetic character, this switch statement
uses a default case to match all characters other than a and z. This provision ensures
that the switch statement is exhaustive.

No Implicit Fallthrough

In contrast with switch statements in C and Objective-C, switch statements in Swift do

not fall through the bottom of each case and into the next one by default. Instead, the
entire switch statement finishes its execution as soon as the first matching switch
case is completed, without requiring an explicit break statement. This makes the
switch statement safer and easier to use than the one in C and avoids executing more
than one switch case by mistake.

NOTE

Although break is not required in Swift, you can use a break statement to match and
ignore a particular case or to break out of a matched case before that case has completed
its execution. For details, see Break in a Switch Statement.

The body of each case must contain at least one executable statement. It is not valid to
write the following code, because the first case is empty:

1 let anotherCharacter: Character = "a"

2 switch anotherCharacter {
3 case "a": // Invalid, the case has an empty body
4 case "A":
5 print("The letter A")
6 default:
7 print("Not the letter A")
8 }
9 // This will report a compile-time error.

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Unlike a switch statement in C, this switch statement does not match both "a" and
"A". Rather, it reports a compile-time error that case "a": does not contain any
executable statements. This approach avoids accidental fallthrough from one case to
another and makes for safer code that is clearer in its intent.

To make a switch with a single case that matches both "a" and "A", combine the two
values into a compound case, separating the values with commas.

1 let anotherCharacter: Character = "a"

2 switch anotherCharacter {
3 case "a", "A":
4 print("The letter A")
5 default:
6 print("Not the letter A")
7 }
8 // Prints "The letter A"

For readability, a compound case can also be written over multiple lines. For more
information about compound cases, see Compound Cases.

NOTE

To explicitly fall through at the end of a particular switch case, use the fallthrough
keyword, as described in Fallthrough.

Interval Matching

Values in switch cases can be checked for their inclusion in an interval. This example
uses number intervals to provide a natural-language count for numbers of any size:

1 let approximateCount = 62
2 let countedThings = "moons orbiting Saturn"
3 let naturalCount: String
4 switch approximateCount {
5 case 0:
6 naturalCount = "no"
7 case 1..<5:

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8 naturalCount = "a few"

9 case 5..<12:
10 naturalCount = "several"
11 case 12..<100:
12 naturalCount = "dozens of"
13 case 100..<1000:
14 naturalCount = "hundreds of"
15 default:
16 naturalCount = "many"
17 }
18 print("There are \(naturalCount) \(countedThings).")
19 // Prints "There are dozens of moons orbiting Saturn."

In the above example, approximateCount is evaluated in a switch statement. Each

case compares that value to a number or interval. Because the value of
approximateCount falls between 12 and 100, naturalCount is assigned the value
"dozens of", and execution is transferred out of the switch statement.

Tuples

You can use tuples to test multiple values in the same switch statement. Each element
of the tuple can be tested against a different value or interval of values. Alternatively,
use the underscore character (_), also known as the wildcard pattern, to match any
possible value.

The example below takes an (x, y) point, expressed as a simple tuple of type
(Int, Int), and categorizes it on the graph that follows the example.

1 let somePoint = (1, 1)

2 switch somePoint {
3 case (0, 0):
4 print("\(somePoint) is at the origin")
5 case (_, 0):
6 print("\(somePoint) is on the x-axis")
7 case (0, _):
8 print("\(somePoint) is on the y-axis")

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9 case (-2...2, -2...2):

10 print("\(somePoint) is inside the box")
11 default:
12 print("\(somePoint) is outside of the box")
13 }
14 // Prints "(1, 1) is inside the box"

The switch statement determines whether the point is at the origin (0, 0), on the red x-
axis, on the orange y-axis, inside the blue 4-by-4 box centered on the origin, or outside
of the box.

Unlike C, Swift allows multiple switch cases to consider the same value or values. In
fact, the point (0, 0) could match all four of the cases in this example. However, if
multiple matches are possible, the first matching case is always used. The point (0, 0)
would match case (0, 0) first, and so all other matching cases would be ignored.

Value Bindings

A switch case can name the value or values it matches to temporary constants or
variables, for use in the body of the case. This behavior is known as value binding,
because the values are bound to temporary constants or variables within the caseʼs
body.

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The example below takes an (x, y) point, expressed as a tuple of type (Int, Int), and
categorizes it on the graph that follows:

1 let anotherPoint = (2, 0)

2 switch anotherPoint {
3 case (let x, 0):
4 print("on the x-axis with an x value of \(x)")
5 case (0, let y):
6 print("on the y-axis with a y value of \(y)")
7 case let (x, y):
8 print("somewhere else at (\(x), \(y))")
9 }
10 // Prints "on the x-axis with an x value of 2"

The switch statement determines whether the point is on the red x-axis, on the orange
y-axis, or elsewhere (on neither axis).

The three switch cases declare placeholder constants x and y, which temporarily take
on one or both tuple values from anotherPoint. The first case, case (let x, 0),
matches any point with a y value of 0 and assigns the pointʼs x value to the temporary
constant x. Similarly, the second case, case (0, let y), matches any point with an x
value of 0 and assigns the pointʼs y value to the temporary constant y.

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After the temporary constants are declared, they can be used within the caseʼs code
block. Here, they are used to print the categorization of the point.

This switch statement does not have a default case. The final case,
case let (x, y), declares a tuple of two placeholder constants that can match any
value. Because anotherPoint is always a tuple of two values, this case matches all
possible remaining values, and a default case is not needed to make the switch
statement exhaustive.

Where

A switch case can use a where clause to check for additional conditions.

The example below categorizes an (x, y) point on the following graph:

1 let yetAnotherPoint = (1, -1)

2 switch yetAnotherPoint {
3 case let (x, y) where x == y:
4 print("(\(x), \(y)) is on the line x == y")
5 case let (x, y) where x == -y:
6 print("(\(x), \(y)) is on the line x == -y")
7 case let (x, y):
8 print("(\(x), \(y)) is just some arbitrary point")
9 }
10 // Prints "(1, -1) is on the line x == -y"

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The switch statement determines whether the point is on the green diagonal line
where x == y, on the purple diagonal line where x == -y, or neither.

The three switch cases declare placeholder constants x and y, which temporarily take
on the two tuple values from yetAnotherPoint. These constants are used as part of a
where clause, to create a dynamic filter. The switch case matches the current value of
point only if the where clauseʼs condition evaluates to true for that value.

As in the previous example, the final case matches all possible remaining values, and
so a default case is not needed to make the switch statement exhaustive.

Compound Cases

Multiple switch cases that share the same body can be combined by writing several
patterns after case, with a comma between each of the patterns. If any of the patterns
match, then the case is considered to match. The patterns can be written over multiple
lines if the list is long. For example:

1 let someCharacter: Character = "e"

2 switch someCharacter {
3 case "a", "e", "i", "o", "u":
4 print("\(someCharacter) is a vowel")
5 case "b", "c", "d", "f", "g", "h", "j", "k", "l", "m",

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6 "n", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "v", "w", "x", "y", "z":
7 print("\(someCharacter) is a consonant")
8 default:
9 print("\(someCharacter) is not a vowel or a consonant")
10 }
11 // Prints "e is a vowel"

The switch statementʼs first case matches all five lowercase vowels in the English
language. Similarly, its second case matches all lowercase English consonants. Finally,
the default case matches any other character.

Compound cases can also include value bindings. All of the patterns of a compound
case have to include the same set of value bindings, and each binding has to get a
value of the same type from all of the patterns in the compound case. This ensures
that, no matter which part of the compound case matched, the code in the body of the
case can always access a value for the bindings and that the value always has the
same type.

1 let stillAnotherPoint = (9, 0)

2 switch stillAnotherPoint {
3 case (let distance, 0), (0, let distance):
4 print("On an axis, \(distance) from the origin")
5 default:
6 print("Not on an axis")
7 }
8 // Prints "On an axis, 9 from the origin"

The case above has two patterns: (let distance, 0) matches points on the x-axis
and (0, let distance) matches points on the y-axis. Both patterns include a binding
for distance and distance is an integer in both patterns—which means that the code
in the body of the case can always access a value for distance.

Control Transfer Statements

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Control transfer statements change the order in which your code is executed, by
transferring control from one piece of code to another. Swift has five control transfer
statements:

continue
break
fallthrough
return
throw

The continue, break, and fallthrough statements are described below. The return
statement is described in Functions, and the throw statement is described in
Propagating Errors Using Throwing Functions.

Continue
The continue statement tells a loop to stop what it is doing and start again at the
beginning of the next iteration through the loop. It says “I am done with the current loop
iteration” without leaving the loop altogether.

The following example removes all vowels and spaces from a lowercase string to create
a cryptic puzzle phrase:

1 let puzzleInput = "great minds think alike"

2 var puzzleOutput = ""
3 let charactersToRemove: [Character] = ["a", "e", "i", "o", "u",
" "]
4 for character in puzzleInput {
5 if charactersToRemove.contains(character) {
6 continue
7 }
8 puzzleOutput.append(character)
9 }
10 print(puzzleOutput)
11 // Prints "grtmndsthnklk"

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The code above calls the continue keyword whenever it matches a vowel or a space,
causing the current iteration of the loop to end immediately and to jump straight to the
start of the next iteration.

Break
The break statement ends execution of an entire control flow statement immediately.
The break statement can be used inside a switch or loop statement when you want to
terminate the execution of the switch or loop statement earlier than would otherwise
be the case.

Break in a Loop Statement

When used inside a loop statement, break ends the loopʼs execution immediately and
transfers control to the code after the loopʼs closing brace (}). No further code from
the current iteration of the loop is executed, and no further iterations of the loop are
started.

Break in a Switch Statement

When used inside a switch statement, break causes the switch statement to end its
execution immediately and to transfer control to the code after the switch statementʼs
closing brace (}).

This behavior can be used to match and ignore one or more cases in a switch
statement. Because Swiftʼs switch statement is exhaustive and does not allow empty
cases, it is sometimes necessary to deliberately match and ignore a case in order to
make your intentions explicit. You do this by writing the break statement as the entire
body of the case you want to ignore. When that case is matched by the switch
statement, the break statement inside the case ends the switch statementʼs execution
immediately.

NOTE

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A switch case that contains only a comment is reported as a compile-time error.

Comments are not statements and do not cause a switch case to be ignored. Always use a
break statement to ignore a switch case.

The following example switches on a Character value and determines whether it

represents a number symbol in one of four languages. For brevity, multiple values are
covered in a single switch case.

1 let numberSymbol: Character = " " // Chinese symbol for the

number 3
2 var possibleIntegerValue: Int?
3 switch numberSymbol {
4 case "1", "١", " ", "๑":
5 possibleIntegerValue = 1
6 case "2", "٢", " ", "๒":
7 possibleIntegerValue = 2
8 case "3", "٣", " ", "๓":
9 possibleIntegerValue = 3
10 case "4", "٤", " ", "๔":
11 possibleIntegerValue = 4
12 default:
13 break
14 }
15 if let integerValue = possibleIntegerValue {
16 print("The integer value of \(numberSymbol) is \
(integerValue).")
17 } else {
18 print("An integer value could not be found for \
(numberSymbol).")
19 }
20 // Prints "The integer value of is 3."

This example checks numberSymbol to determine whether it is a Latin, Arabic, Chinese,

or Thai symbol for the numbers 1 to 4. If a match is found, one of the switch
statementʼs cases sets an optional Int? variable called possibleIntegerValue to an
appropriate integer value.

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After the switch statement completes its execution, the example uses optional binding
to determine whether a value was found. The possibleIntegerValue variable has an
implicit initial value of nil by virtue of being an optional type, and so the optional
binding will succeed only if possibleIntegerValue was set to an actual value by one of
the switch statementʼs first four cases.

Because itʼs not practical to list every possible Character value in the example above, a
default case handles any characters that are not matched. This default case does
not need to perform any action, and so it is written with a single break statement as its
body. As soon as the default case is matched, the break statement ends the switch
statementʼs execution, and code execution continues from the if let statement.

Fallthrough
In Swift, switch statements donʼt fall through the bottom of each case and into the
next one. That is, the entire switch statement completes its execution as soon as the
first matching case is completed. By contrast, C requires you to insert an explicit break
statement at the end of every switch case to prevent fallthrough. Avoiding default
fallthrough means that Swift switch statements are much more concise and
predictable than their counterparts in C, and thus they avoid executing multiple switch
cases by mistake.

If you need C-style fallthrough behavior, you can opt in to this behavior on a case-by-
case basis with the fallthrough keyword. The example below uses fallthrough to
create a textual description of a number.

1 let integerToDescribe = 5
2 var description = "The number \(integerToDescribe) is"
3 switch integerToDescribe {
4 case 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19:
5 description += " a prime number, and also"
6 fallthrough
7 default:
8 description += " an integer."
9 }
10 print(description)
11 // Prints "The number 5 is a prime number, and also an

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integer."

This example declares a new String variable called description and assigns it an
initial value. The function then considers the value of integerToDescribe using a
switch statement. If the value of integerToDescribe is one of the prime numbers in
the list, the function appends text to the end of description, to note that the number
is prime. It then uses the fallthrough keyword to “fall into” the default case as well.
The default case adds some extra text to the end of the description, and the switch
statement is complete.

Unless the value of integerToDescribe is in the list of known prime numbers, it is not
matched by the first switch case at all. Because there are no other specific cases,
integerToDescribe is matched by the default case.

After the switch statement has finished executing, the numberʼs description is printed
using the print(_:separator:terminator:) function. In this example, the number 5 is
correctly identified as a prime number.

NOTE

The fallthrough keyword does not check the case conditions for the switch case that it
causes execution to fall into. The fallthrough keyword simply causes code execution to
move directly to the statements inside the next case (or default case) block, as in Cʼs
standard switch statement behavior.

Labeled Statements
In Swift, you can nest loops and conditional statements inside other loops and
conditional statements to create complex control flow structures. However, loops and
conditional statements can both use the break statement to end their execution
prematurely. Therefore, it is sometimes useful to be explicit about which loop or
conditional statement you want a break statement to terminate. Similarly, if you have
multiple nested loops, it can be useful to be explicit about which loop the continue
statement should affect.

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To achieve these aims, you can mark a loop statement or conditional statement with a
statement label. With a conditional statement, you can use a statement label with the
break statement to end the execution of the labeled statement. With a loop statement,
you can use a statement label with the break or continue statement to end or continue
the execution of the labeled statement.

A labeled statement is indicated by placing a label on the same line as the statementʼs
introducer keyword, followed by a colon. Hereʼs an example of this syntax for a while
loop, although the principle is the same for all loops and switch statements:

label name : while condition {

statements
}

The following example uses the break and continue statements with a labeled while
loop for an adapted version of the Snakes and Ladders game that you saw earlier in this
chapter. This time around, the game has an extra rule:

To win, you must land exactly on square 25.

If a particular dice roll would take you beyond square 25, you must roll again until you
roll the exact number needed to land on square 25.

The game board is the same as before.

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The values of finalSquare, board, square, and diceRoll are initialized in the same
way as before:

1 let finalSquare = 25
2 var board = [Int](repeating: 0, count: finalSquare + 1)
3 board[03] = +08; board[06] = +11; board[09] = +09; board[10] =
+02
4 board[14] = -10; board[19] = -11; board[22] = -02; board[24] =
-08
5 var square = 0
6 var diceRoll = 0

This version of the game uses a while loop and a switch statement to implement the
gameʼs logic. The while loop has a statement label called gameLoop to indicate that it is
the main game loop for the Snakes and Ladders game.

The while loopʼs condition is while square != finalSquare, to reflect that you must
land exactly on square 25.

1 gameLoop: while square != finalSquare {

2 diceRoll += 1
3 if diceRoll == 7 { diceRoll = 1 }
4 switch square + diceRoll {
5 case finalSquare:

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6 // diceRoll will move us to the final square, so the

game is over
7 break gameLoop
8 case let newSquare where newSquare > finalSquare:
9 // diceRoll will move us beyond the final square, so
roll again
10 continue gameLoop
11 default:
12 // this is a valid move, so find out its effect
13 square += diceRoll
14 square += board[square]
15 }
16 }
17 print("Game over!")

The dice is rolled at the start of each loop. Rather than moving the player immediately,
the loop uses a switch statement to consider the result of the move and to determine
whether the move is allowed:

If the dice roll will move the player onto the final square, the game is over. The
break gameLoop statement transfers control to the first line of code outside of the
while loop, which ends the game.
If the dice roll will move the player beyond the final square, the move is invalid and
the player needs to roll again. The continue gameLoop statement ends the
current while loop iteration and begins the next iteration of the loop.
In all other cases, the dice roll is a valid move. The player moves forward by
diceRoll squares, and the game logic checks for any snakes and ladders. The
loop then ends, and control returns to the while condition to decide whether
another turn is required.

NOTE

If the break statement above did not use the gameLoop label, it would break out of the
switch statement, not the while statement. Using the gameLoop label makes it clear which
control statement should be terminated.

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It is not strictly necessary to use the gameLoop label when calling continue gameLoop to
jump to the next iteration of the loop. There is only one loop in the game, and therefore no
ambiguity as to which loop the continue statement will affect. However, there is no harm in
using the gameLoop label with the continue statement. Doing so is consistent with the
labelʼs use alongside the break statement and helps make the gameʼs logic clearer to read
and understand.

Early Exit
A guard statement, like an if statement, executes statements depending on the
Boolean value of an expression. You use a guard statement to require that a condition
must be true in order for the code after the guard statement to be executed. Unlike an
if statement, a guard statement always has an else clause—the code inside the else
clause is executed if the condition is not true.

1 func greet(person: [String: String]) {

2 guard let name = person["name"] else {
3 return
4 }
5
6 print("Hello \(name)!")
7
8 guard let location = person["location"] else {
9 print("I hope the weather is nice near you.")
10 return
11 }
12
13 print("I hope the weather is nice in \(location).")
14 }
15
16 greet(person: ["name": "John"])
17 // Prints "Hello John!"
18 // Prints "I hope the weather is nice near you."
19 greet(person: ["name": "Jane", "location": "Cupertino"])
20 // Prints "Hello Jane!"

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21 // Prints "I hope the weather is nice in Cupertino."

If the guard statementʼs condition is met, code execution continues after the guard
statementʼs closing brace. Any variables or constants that were assigned values using
an optional binding as part of the condition are available for the rest of the code block
that the guard statement appears in.

If that condition is not met, the code inside the else branch is executed. That branch
must transfer control to exit the code block in which the guard statement appears. It
can do this with a control transfer statement such as return, break, continue, or
throw, or it can call a function or method that doesnʼt return, such as
fatalError(_:file:line:).

Using a guard statement for requirements improves the readability of your code,
compared to doing the same check with an if statement. It lets you write the code
thatʼs typically executed without wrapping it in an else block, and it lets you keep the
code that handles a violated requirement next to the requirement.

Checking API Availability

Swift has built-in support for checking API availability, which ensures that you donʼt
accidentally use APIs that are unavailable on a given deployment target.

The compiler uses availability information in the SDK to verify that all of the APIs used in
your code are available on the deployment target specified by your project. Swift
reports an error at compile time if you try to use an API that isnʼt available.

You use an availability condition in an if or guard statement to conditionally execute a

block of code, depending on whether the APIs you want to use are available at runtime.
The compiler uses the information from the availability condition when it verifies that
the APIs in that block of code are available.

1 if #available(iOS 10, macOS 10.12, *) {

2 // Use iOS 10 APIs on iOS, and use macOS 10.12 APIs on
macOS
3 } else {

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4 // Fall back to earlier iOS and macOS APIs

5 }

The availability condition above specifies that in iOS, the body of the if statement
executes only in iOS 10 and later; in macOS, only in macOS 10.12 and later. The last
argument, *, is required and specifies that on any other platform, the body of the if
executes on the minimum deployment target specified by your target.

In its general form, the availability condition takes a list of platform names and versions.
You use platform names such as iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS—for the full list, see
Declaration Attributes. In addition to specifying major version numbers like iOS 8 or
macOS 10.10, you can specify minor versions numbers like iOS 11.2.6 and macOS
10.13.3.

if #available( platform name version , ... , *) {

statements to execute if the APIs are available
} else {

fallback statements to execute if the APIs are unavailable

}

Collection Types Functions

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ON THIS PAGE

Functions
Functions are self-contained chunks of code that perform a specific task. You give a
function a name that identifies what it does, and this name is used to “call” the function
to perform its task when needed.

Swiftʼs unified function syntax is flexible enough to express anything from a simple C-
style function with no parameter names to a complex Objective-C-style method with
names and argument labels for each parameter. Parameters can provide default values
to simplify function calls and can be passed as in-out parameters, which modify a
passed variable once the function has completed its execution.

Every function in Swift has a type, consisting of the functionʼs parameter types and
return type. You can use this type like any other type in Swift, which makes it easy to
pass functions as parameters to other functions, and to return functions from
functions. Functions can also be written within other functions to encapsulate useful
functionality within a nested function scope.

Defining and Calling Functions

When you define a function, you can optionally define one or more named, typed
values that the function takes as input, known as parameters. You can also optionally
define a type of value that the function will pass back as output when it is done, known
as its return type.

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Every function has a function name, which describes the task that the function
performs. To use a function, you “call” that function with its name and pass it input
values (known as arguments) that match the types of the functionʼs parameters. A
functionʼs arguments must always be provided in the same order as the functionʼs
parameter list.

The function in the example below is called greet(person:), because thatʼs what it
does—it takes a personʼs name as input and returns a greeting for that person. To
accomplish this, you define one input parameter—a String value called person—and a
return type of String, which will contain a greeting for that person:

1 func greet(person: String) -> String {

2 let greeting = "Hello, " + person + "!"
3 return greeting
4 }

All of this information is rolled up into the functionʼs definition, which is prefixed with
the func keyword. You indicate the functionʼs return type with the return arrow -> (a
hyphen followed by a right angle bracket), which is followed by the name of the type to
return.

The definition describes what the function does, what it expects to receive, and what it
returns when it is done. The definition makes it easy for the function to be called
unambiguously from elsewhere in your code:

1 print(greet(person: "Anna"))
2 // Prints "Hello, Anna!"
3 print(greet(person: "Brian"))
4 // Prints "Hello, Brian!"

You call the greet(person:) function by passing it a String value after the person
argument label, such as greet(person: "Anna"). Because the function returns a
String value, greet(person:) can be wrapped in a call to the
print(_:separator:terminator:) function to print that string and see its return value,
as shown above.

NOTE

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The print(_:separator:terminator:) function doesnʼt have a label for its first argument,
and its other arguments are optional because they have a default value. These variations
on function syntax are discussed below in Function Argument Labels and Parameter
Names and Default Parameter Values.

The body of the greet(person:) function starts by defining a new String constant
called greeting and setting it to a simple greeting message. This greeting is then
passed back out of the function using the return keyword. In the line of code that says
return greeting, the function finishes its execution and returns the current value of
greeting.

You can call the greet(person:) function multiple times with different input values.
The example above shows what happens if it is called with an input value of "Anna",
and an input value of "Brian". The function returns a tailored greeting in each case.

To make the body of this function shorter, you can combine the message creation and
the return statement into one line:

1 func greetAgain(person: String) -> String {

2 return "Hello again, " + person + "!"
3 }
4 print(greetAgain(person: "Anna"))
5 // Prints "Hello again, Anna!"

Function Parameters and Return Values

Function parameters and return values are extremely flexible in Swift. You can define
anything from a simple utility function with a single unnamed parameter to a complex
function with expressive parameter names and different parameter options.

Functions Without Parameters

Functions are not required to define input parameters. Hereʼs a function with no input
parameters, which always returns the same String message whenever it is called:

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1 func sayHelloWorld() -> String {

2 return "hello, world"
3 }
4 print(sayHelloWorld())
5 // Prints "hello, world"

The function definition still needs parentheses after the functionʼs name, even though it
does not take any parameters. The function name is also followed by an empty pair of
parentheses when the function is called.

Functions With Multiple Parameters

Functions can have multiple input parameters, which are written within the functionʼs
parentheses, separated by commas.

This function takes a personʼs name and whether they have already been greeted as
input, and returns an appropriate greeting for that person:

1 func greet(person: String, alreadyGreeted: Bool) -> String {

2 if alreadyGreeted {
3 return greetAgain(person: person)
4 } else {
5 return greet(person: person)
6 }
7 }
8 print(greet(person: "Tim", alreadyGreeted: true))
9 // Prints "Hello again, Tim!"

You call the greet(person:alreadyGreeted:) function by passing it both a String

argument value labeled person and a Bool argument value labeled alreadyGreeted in
parentheses, separated by commas. Note that this function is distinct from the
greet(person:) function shown in an earlier section. Although both functions have
names that begin with greet, the greet(person:alreadyGreeted:) function takes two
arguments but the greet(person:) function takes only one.

Functions Without Return Values

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Functions are not required to define a return type. Hereʼs a version of the
greet(person:) function, which prints its own String value rather than returning it:

1 func greet(person: String) {

2 print("Hello, \(person)!")
3 }
4 greet(person: "Dave")
5 // Prints "Hello, Dave!"

Because it does not need to return a value, the functionʼs definition does not include
the return arrow (->) or a return type.

NOTE

Strictly speaking, this version of the greet(person:) function does still return a value,
even though no return value is defined. Functions without a defined return type return a
special value of type Void. This is simply an empty tuple, which is written as ().

The return value of a function can be ignored when it is called:

1 func printAndCount(string: String) -> Int {

2 print(string)
3 return string.count
4 }
5 func printWithoutCounting(string: String) {
6 let _ = printAndCount(string: string)
7 }
8 printAndCount(string: "hello, world")
9 // prints "hello, world" and returns a value of 12
10 printWithoutCounting(string: "hello, world")
11 // prints "hello, world" but does not return a value

The first function, printAndCount(string:), prints a string, and then returns its
character count as an Int. The second function, printWithoutCounting(string:),
calls the first function, but ignores its return value. When the second function is called,
the message is still printed by the first function, but the returned value is not used.

NOTE

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Return values can be ignored, but a function that says it will return a value must always do
so. A function with a defined return type cannot allow control to fall out of the bottom of
the function without returning a value, and attempting to do so will result in a compile-time
error.

Functions with Multiple Return Values

You can use a tuple type as the return type for a function to return multiple values as
part of one compound return value.

The example below defines a function called minMax(array:), which finds the smallest
and largest numbers in an array of Int values:

1 func minMax(array: [Int]) -> (min: Int, max: Int) {

2 var currentMin = array[0]
3 var currentMax = array[0]
4 for value in array[1..<array.count] {
5 if value < currentMin {
6 currentMin = value
7 } else if value > currentMax {
8 currentMax = value
9 }
10 }
11 return (currentMin, currentMax)
12 }

The minMax(array:) function returns a tuple containing two Int values. These values
are labeled min and max so that they can be accessed by name when querying the
functionʼs return value.

The body of the minMax(array:) function starts by setting two working variables called
currentMin and currentMax to the value of the first integer in the array. The function
then iterates over the remaining values in the array and checks each value to see if it is
smaller or larger than the values of currentMin and currentMax respectively. Finally,
the overall minimum and maximum values are returned as a tuple of two Int values.

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Because the tupleʼs member values are named as part of the functionʼs return type,
they can be accessed with dot syntax to retrieve the minimum and maximum found
values:

1 let bounds = minMax(array: [8, -6, 2, 109, 3, 71])

2 print("min is \(bounds.min) and max is \(bounds.max)")
3 // Prints "min is -6 and max is 109"

Note that the tupleʼs members do not need to be named at the point that the tuple is
returned from the function, because their names are already specified as part of the
functionʼs return type.

Optional Tuple Return Types

If the tuple type to be returned from a function has the potential to have “no value” for
the entire tuple, you can use an optional tuple return type to reflect the fact that the
entire tuple can be nil. You write an optional tuple return type by placing a question
mark after the tuple typeʼs closing parenthesis, such as (Int, Int)? or
(String, Int, Bool)?.

NOTE

An optional tuple type such as (Int, Int)? is different from a tuple that contains optional
types such as (Int?, Int?). With an optional tuple type, the entire tuple is optional, not
just each individual value within the tuple.

The minMax(array:) function above returns a tuple containing two Int values.
However, the function does not perform any safety checks on the array it is passed. If
the array argument contains an empty array, the minMax(array:) function, as defined
above, will trigger a runtime error when attempting to access array[0].

To handle an empty array safely, write the minMax(array:) function with an optional
tuple return type and return a value of nil when the array is empty:

1 func minMax(array: [Int]) -> (min: Int, max: Int)? {

2 if array.isEmpty { return nil }
3 var currentMin = array[0]

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4 var currentMax = array[0]

5 for value in array[1..<array.count] {
6 if value < currentMin {
7 currentMin = value
8 } else if value > currentMax {
9 currentMax = value
10 }
11 }
12 return (currentMin, currentMax)
13 }

You can use optional binding to check whether this version of the minMax(array:)
function returns an actual tuple value or nil:

1 if let bounds = minMax(array: [8, -6, 2, 109, 3, 71]) {

2 print("min is \(bounds.min) and max is \(bounds.max)")
3 }
4 // Prints "min is -6 and max is 109"

Function Argument Labels and Parameter

Names
Each function parameter has both an argument label and a parameter name. The
argument label is used when calling the function; each argument is written in the
function call with its argument label before it. The parameter name is used in the
implementation of the function. By default, parameters use their parameter name as
their argument label.

1 func someFunction(firstParameterName: Int, secondParameterName:

Int) {
2 // In the function body, firstParameterName and
secondParameterName
3 // refer to the argument values for the first and second
parameters.
4 }

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5 someFunction(firstParameterName: 1, secondParameterName: 2)

All parameters must have unique names. Although itʼs possible for multiple parameters
to have the same argument label, unique argument labels help make your code more
readable.

Specifying Argument Labels

You write an argument label before the parameter name, separated by a space:

1 func someFunction(argumentLabel parameterName: Int) {

2 // In the function body, parameterName refers to the
argument value
3 // for that parameter.
4 }

Hereʼs a variation of the greet(person:) function that takes a personʼs name and
hometown and returns a greeting:

1 func greet(person: String, from hometown: String) -> String {

2 return "Hello \(person)! Glad you could visit from \
(hometown)."
3 }
4 print(greet(person: "Bill", from: "Cupertino"))
5 // Prints "Hello Bill! Glad you could visit from Cupertino."

The use of argument labels can allow a function to be called in an expressive,

sentence-like manner, while still providing a function body that is readable and clear in
intent.

Omitting Argument Labels

If you donʼt want an argument label for a parameter, write an underscore (_) instead of
an explicit argument label for that parameter.

1 func someFunction(_ firstParameterName: Int,

secondParameterName: Int) {

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2 // In the function body, firstParameterName and

secondParameterName
3 // refer to the argument values for the first and second
parameters.
4 }
5 someFunction(1, secondParameterName: 2)

If a parameter has an argument label, the argument must be labeled when you call the
function.

Default Parameter Values

You can define a default value for any parameter in a function by assigning a value to
the parameter after that parameterʼs type. If a default value is defined, you can omit
that parameter when calling the function.

1 func someFunction(parameterWithoutDefault: Int,

parameterWithDefault: Int = 12) {
2 // If you omit the second argument when calling this
function, then
3 // the value of parameterWithDefault is 12 inside the
function body.
4 }
5 someFunction(parameterWithoutDefault: 3, parameterWithDefault:
6) // parameterWithDefault is 6
6 someFunction(parameterWithoutDefault: 4) //
parameterWithDefault is 12

Place parameters that donʼt have default values at the beginning of a functionʼs
parameter list, before the parameters that have default values. Parameters that donʼt
have default values are usually more important to the functionʼs meaning—writing them
first makes it easier to recognize that the same function is being called, regardless of
whether any default parameters are omitted.

Variadic Parameters

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A variadic parameter accepts zero or more values of a specified type. You use a
variadic parameter to specify that the parameter can be passed a varying number of
input values when the function is called. Write variadic parameters by inserting three
period characters (...) after the parameterʼs type name.

The values passed to a variadic parameter are made available within the functionʼs
body as an array of the appropriate type. For example, a variadic parameter with a
name of numbers and a type of Double... is made available within the functionʼs body
as a constant array called numbers of type [Double].

The example below calculates the arithmetic mean (also known as the average) for a
list of numbers of any length:

1 func arithmeticMean(_ numbers: Double...) -> Double {

2 var total: Double = 0
3 for number in numbers {
4 total += number
5 }
6 return total / Double(numbers.count)
7 }
8 arithmeticMean(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
9 // returns 3.0, which is the arithmetic mean of these five
numbers
10 arithmeticMean(3, 8.25, 18.75)
11 // returns 10.0, which is the arithmetic mean of these three
numbers

NOTE

A function may have at most one variadic parameter.

In-Out Parameters

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Function parameters are constants by default. Trying to change the value of a function
parameter from within the body of that function results in a compile-time error. This
means that you canʼt change the value of a parameter by mistake. If you want a
function to modify a parameterʼs value, and you want those changes to persist after the
function call has ended, define that parameter as an in-out parameter instead.

You write an in-out parameter by placing the inout keyword right before a parameterʼs
type. An in-out parameter has a value that is passed in to the function, is modified by
the function, and is passed back out of the function to replace the original value. For a
detailed discussion of the behavior of in-out parameters and associated compiler
optimizations, see In-Out Parameters.

You can only pass a variable as the argument for an in-out parameter. You cannot pass
a constant or a literal value as the argument, because constants and literals cannot be
modified. You place an ampersand (&) directly before a variableʼs name when you pass
it as an argument to an in-out parameter, to indicate that it can be modified by the
function.

NOTE

In-out parameters cannot have default values, and variadic parameters cannot be marked
as inout.

Hereʼs an example of a function called swapTwoInts(_:_:), which has two in-out

integer parameters called a and b:

1 func swapTwoInts(_ a: inout Int, _ b: inout Int) {

2 let temporaryA = a
3 a = b
4 b = temporaryA
5 }

The swapTwoInts(_:_:) function simply swaps the value of b into a, and the value of a
into b. The function performs this swap by storing the value of a in a temporary
constant called temporaryA, assigning the value of b to a, and then assigning
temporaryA to b.

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You can call the swapTwoInts(_:_:) function with two variables of type Int to swap
their values. Note that the names of someInt and anotherInt are prefixed with an
ampersand when they are passed to the swapTwoInts(_:_:) function:

1 var someInt = 3
2 var anotherInt = 107
3 swapTwoInts(&someInt, &anotherInt)
4 print("someInt is now \(someInt), and anotherInt is now \
(anotherInt)")
5 // Prints "someInt is now 107, and anotherInt is now 3"

The example above shows that the original values of someInt and anotherInt are
modified by the swapTwoInts(_:_:) function, even though they were originally defined
outside of the function.

NOTE

In-out parameters are not the same as returning a value from a function. The swapTwoInts
example above does not define a return type or return a value, but it still modifies the
values of someInt and anotherInt. In-out parameters are an alternative way for a function
to have an effect outside of the scope of its function body.

Function Types
Every function has a specific function type, made up of the parameter types and the
return type of the function.

For example:

1 func addTwoInts(_ a: Int, _ b: Int) -> Int {

2 return a + b
3 }
4 func multiplyTwoInts(_ a: Int, _ b: Int) -> Int {
5 return a * b
6 }

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This example defines two simple mathematical functions called addTwoInts and
multiplyTwoInts. These functions each take two Int values, and return an Int value,
which is the result of performing an appropriate mathematical operation.

The type of both of these functions is (Int, Int) -> Int. This can be read as:

“A function that has two parameters, both of type Int, and that returns a value of type
Int.”

Hereʼs another example, for a function with no parameters or return value:

1 func printHelloWorld() {
2 print("hello, world")
3 }

The type of this function is () -> Void, or “a function that has no parameters, and
returns Void.”

Using Function Types

You use function types just like any other types in Swift. For example, you can define a
constant or variable to be of a function type and assign an appropriate function to that
variable:

var mathFunction: (Int, Int) -> Int = addTwoInts

This can be read as:

“Define a variable called mathFunction, which has a type of ‘a function that takes two
Int values, and returns an Int value.ʼ Set this new variable to refer to the function
called addTwoInts.”

The addTwoInts(_:_:) function has the same type as the mathFunction variable, and
so this assignment is allowed by Swiftʼs type-checker.

You can now call the assigned function with the name mathFunction:

1 print("Result: \(mathFunction(2, 3))")

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2 // Prints "Result: 5"

A different function with the same matching type can be assigned to the same variable,
in the same way as for nonfunction types:

1 mathFunction = multiplyTwoInts
2 print("Result: \(mathFunction(2, 3))")
3 // Prints "Result: 6"

As with any other type, you can leave it to Swift to infer the function type when you
assign a function to a constant or variable:

1 let anotherMathFunction = addTwoInts

2 // anotherMathFunction is inferred to be of type (Int, Int) ->
Int

Function Types as Parameter Types

You can use a function type such as (Int, Int) -> Int as a parameter type for
another function. This enables you to leave some aspects of a functionʼs
implementation for the functionʼs caller to provide when the function is called.

Hereʼs an example to print the results of the math functions from above:

1 func printMathResult(_ mathFunction: (Int, Int) -> Int, _ a:

Int, _ b: Int) {
2 print("Result: \(mathFunction(a, b))")
3 }
4 printMathResult(addTwoInts, 3, 5)
5 // Prints "Result: 8"

This example defines a function called printMathResult(_:_:_:), which has three

parameters. The first parameter is called mathFunction, and is of type
(Int, Int) -> Int. You can pass any function of that type as the argument for this
first parameter. The second and third parameters are called a and b, and are both of
type Int. These are used as the two input values for the provided math function.

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When printMathResult(_:_:_:) is called, it is passed the addTwoInts(_:_:) function,

and the integer values 3 and 5. It calls the provided function with the values 3 and 5,
and prints the result of 8.

The role of printMathResult(_:_:_:) is to print the result of a call to a math function

of an appropriate type. It doesnʼt matter what that functionʼs implementation actually
does—it matters only that the function is of the correct type. This enables
printMathResult(_:_:_:) to hand off some of its functionality to the caller of the
function in a type-safe way.

Function Types as Return Types

You can use a function type as the return type of another function. You do this by
writing a complete function type immediately after the return arrow (->) of the
returning function.

The next example defines two simple functions called stepForward(_:) and
stepBackward(_:). The stepForward(_:) function returns a value one more than its
input value, and the stepBackward(_:) function returns a value one less than its input
value. Both functions have a type of (Int) -> Int:

1 func stepForward(_ input: Int) -> Int {

2 return input + 1
3 }
4 func stepBackward(_ input: Int) -> Int {
5 return input - 1
6 }

Hereʼs a function called chooseStepFunction(backward:), whose return type is

(Int) -> Int. The chooseStepFunction(backward:) function returns the
stepForward(_:) function or the stepBackward(_:) function based on a Boolean
parameter called backward:

1 func chooseStepFunction(backward: Bool) -> (Int) -> Int {

2 return backward ? stepBackward : stepForward
3 }

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You can now use chooseStepFunction(backward:) to obtain a function that will step in
one direction or the other:

1 var currentValue = 3
2 let moveNearerToZero = chooseStepFunction(backward:
currentValue > 0)
3 // moveNearerToZero now refers to the stepBackward() function

The example above determines whether a positive or negative step is needed to move
a variable called currentValue progressively closer to zero. currentValue has an initial
value of 3, which means that currentValue > 0 returns true, causing
chooseStepFunction(backward:) to return the stepBackward(_:) function. A
reference to the returned function is stored in a constant called moveNearerToZero.

Now that moveNearerToZero refers to the correct function, it can be used to count to
zero:

1 print("Counting to zero:")
2 // Counting to zero:
3 while currentValue != 0 {
4 print("\(currentValue)... ")
5 currentValue = moveNearerToZero(currentValue)
6 }
7 print("zero!")
8 // 3...
9 // 2...
10 // 1...
11 // zero!

Nested Functions
All of the functions you have encountered so far in this chapter have been examples of
global functions, which are defined at a global scope. You can also define functions
inside the bodies of other functions, known as nested functions.

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Nested functions are hidden from the outside world by default, but can still be called
and used by their enclosing function. An enclosing function can also return one of its
nested functions to allow the nested function to be used in another scope.

You can rewrite the chooseStepFunction(backward:) example above to use and

return nested functions:

1 func chooseStepFunction(backward: Bool) -> (Int) -> Int {

2 func stepForward(input: Int) -> Int { return input + 1 }
3 func stepBackward(input: Int) -> Int { return input - 1 }
4 return backward ? stepBackward : stepForward
5 }
6 var currentValue = -4
7 let moveNearerToZero = chooseStepFunction(backward:
currentValue > 0)
8 // moveNearerToZero now refers to the nested stepForward()
function
9 while currentValue != 0 {
10 print("\(currentValue)... ")
11 currentValue = moveNearerToZero(currentValue)
12 }
13 print("zero!")
14 // -4...
15 // -3...
16 // -2...
17 // -1...
18 // zero!

Control Flow Closures

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ON THIS PAGE

Closures
Closures are self-contained blocks of functionality that can be passed around and
used in your code. Closures in Swift are similar to blocks in C and Objective-C and to
lambdas in other programming languages.

Closures can capture and store references to any constants and variables from the
context in which they are defined. This is known as closing over those constants and
variables. Swift handles all of the memory management of capturing for you.

NOTE

Donʼt worry if you are not familiar with the concept of capturing. It is explained in detail
below in Capturing Values.

Global and nested functions, as introduced in Functions, are actually special cases of
closures. Closures take one of three forms:

Global functions are closures that have a name and do not capture any values.
Nested functions are closures that have a name and can capture values from
their enclosing function.
Closure expressions are unnamed closures written in a lightweight syntax that
can capture values from their surrounding context.

Swiftʼs closure expressions have a clean, clear style, with optimizations that encourage
brief, clutter-free syntax in common scenarios. These optimizations include:

Inferring parameter and return value types from context

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Implicit returns from single-expression closures

Shorthand argument names
Trailing closure syntax

Closure Expressions
Nested functions, as introduced in Nested Functions, are a convenient means of
naming and defining self-contained blocks of code as part of a larger function.
However, it is sometimes useful to write shorter versions of function-like constructs
without a full declaration and name. This is particularly true when you work with
functions or methods that take functions as one or more of their arguments.

Closure expressions are a way to write inline closures in a brief, focused syntax.
Closure expressions provide several syntax optimizations for writing closures in a
shortened form without loss of clarity or intent. The closure expression examples below
illustrate these optimizations by refining a single example of the sorted(by:) method
over several iterations, each of which expresses the same functionality in a more
succinct way.

The Sorted Method

Swiftʼs standard library provides a method called sorted(by:), which sorts an array of
values of a known type, based on the output of a sorting closure that you provide.
Once it completes the sorting process, the sorted(by:) method returns a new array of
the same type and size as the old one, with its elements in the correct sorted order.
The original array is not modified by the sorted(by:) method.

The closure expression examples below use the sorted(by:) method to sort an array
of String values in reverse alphabetical order. Hereʼs the initial array to be sorted:

let names = ["Chris", "Alex", "Ewa", "Barry", "Daniella"]

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The sorted(by:) method accepts a closure that takes two arguments of the same
type as the arrayʼs contents, and returns a Bool value to say whether the first value
should appear before or after the second value once the values are sorted. The sorting
closure needs to return true if the first value should appear before the second value,
and false otherwise.

This example is sorting an array of String values, and so the sorting closure needs to
be a function of type (String, String) -> Bool.

One way to provide the sorting closure is to write a normal function of the correct type,
and to pass it in as an argument to the sorted(by:) method:

1 func backward(_ s1: String, _ s2: String) -> Bool {

2 return s1 > s2
3 }
4 var reversedNames = names.sorted(by: backward)
5 // reversedNames is equal to ["Ewa", "Daniella", "Chris",
"Barry", "Alex"]

If the first string (s1) is greater than the second string (s2), the backward(_:_:)
function will return true, indicating that s1 should appear before s2 in the sorted array.
For characters in strings, “greater than” means “appears later in the alphabet than”.
This means that the letter "B" is “greater than” the letter "A", and the string "Tom" is
greater than the string "Tim". This gives a reverse alphabetical sort, with "Barry"
being placed before "Alex", and so on.

However, this is a rather long-winded way to write what is essentially a single-

expression function (a > b). In this example, it would be preferable to write the sorting
closure inline, using closure expression syntax.

Closure Expression Syntax

Closure expression syntax has the following general form:

{ ( parameters ) -> return type in

statements
}

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The parameters in closure expression syntax can be in-out parameters, but they canʼt
have a default value. Variadic parameters can be used if you name the variadic
parameter. Tuples can also be used as parameter types and return types.

The example below shows a closure expression version of the backward(_:_:)

function from above:

1 reversedNames = names.sorted(by: { (s1: String, s2: String) ->

Bool in
2 return s1 > s2
3 })

Note that the declaration of parameters and return type for this inline closure is
identical to the declaration from the backward(_:_:) function. In both cases, it is
written as (s1: String, s2: String) -> Bool. However, for the inline closure
expression, the parameters and return type are written inside the curly braces, not
outside of them.

The start of the closureʼs body is introduced by the in keyword. This keyword indicates
that the definition of the closureʼs parameters and return type has finished, and the
body of the closure is about to begin.

Because the body of the closure is so short, it can even be written on a single line:

reversedNames = names.sorted(by: { (s1: String, s2: String) ->

Bool in return s1 > s2 } )

This illustrates that the overall call to the sorted(by:) method has remained the same.
A pair of parentheses still wrap the entire argument for the method. However, that
argument is now an inline closure.

Inferring Type From Context

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Because the sorting closure is passed as an argument to a method, Swift can infer the
types of its parameters and the type of the value it returns. The sorted(by:) method is
being called on an array of strings, so its argument must be a function of type
(String, String) -> Bool. This means that the (String, String) and Bool types
do not need to be written as part of the closure expressionʼs definition. Because all of
the types can be inferred, the return arrow (->) and the parentheses around the names
of the parameters can also be omitted:

reversedNames = names.sorted(by: { s1, s2 in return s1 > s2 } )

It is always possible to infer the parameter types and return type when passing a
closure to a function or method as an inline closure expression. As a result, you never
need to write an inline closure in its fullest form when the closure is used as a function
or method argument.

Nonetheless, you can still make the types explicit if you wish, and doing so is
encouraged if it avoids ambiguity for readers of your code. In the case of the
sorted(by:) method, the purpose of the closure is clear from the fact that sorting is
taking place, and it is safe for a reader to assume that the closure is likely to be working
with String values, because it is assisting with the sorting of an array of strings.

Implicit Returns from Single-Expression Closures

Single-expression closures can implicitly return the result of their single expression by
omitting the return keyword from their declaration, as in this version of the previous
example:

reversedNames = names.sorted(by: { s1, s2 in s1 > s2 } )

Here, the function type of the sorted(by:) methodʼs argument makes it clear that a
Bool value must be returned by the closure. Because the closureʼs body contains a
single expression (s1 > s2) that returns a Bool value, there is no ambiguity, and the
return keyword can be omitted.

Shorthand Argument Names

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Swift automatically provides shorthand argument names to inline closures, which can
be used to refer to the values of the closureʼs arguments by the names $0, $1, $2, and
so on.

If you use these shorthand argument names within your closure expression, you can
omit the closureʼs argument list from its definition, and the number and type of the
shorthand argument names will be inferred from the expected function type. The in
keyword can also be omitted, because the closure expression is made up entirely of its
body:

reversedNames = names.sorted(by: { $0 > $1 } )

Here, $0 and $1 refer to the closureʼs first and second String arguments.

Operator Methods
Thereʼs actually an even shorter way to write the closure expression above. Swiftʼs
String type defines its string-specific implementation of the greater-than operator (>)
as a method that has two parameters of type String, and returns a value of type Bool.
This exactly matches the method type needed by the sorted(by:) method. Therefore,
you can simply pass in the greater-than operator, and Swift will infer that you want to
use its string-specific implementation:

reversedNames = names.sorted(by: >)

For more about operator method, see Operator Methods.

Trailing Closures
If you need to pass a closure expression to a function as the functionʼs final argument
and the closure expression is long, it can be useful to write it as a trailing closure
instead. A trailing closure is written after the function callʼs parentheses, even though it
is still an argument to the function. When you use the trailing closure syntax, you donʼt
write the argument label for the closure as part of the function call.

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1 func someFunctionThatTakesAClosure(closure: () -> Void) {

2 // function body goes here
3 }
4
5 // Here's how you call this function without using a trailing
closure:
6
7 someFunctionThatTakesAClosure(closure: {
8 // closure's body goes here
9 })
10
11 // Here's how you call this function with a trailing closure
instead:
12
13 someFunctionThatTakesAClosure() {
14 // trailing closure's body goes here
15 }

The string-sorting closure from the Closure Expression Syntax section above can be
written outside of the sorted(by:) methodʼs parentheses as a trailing closure:

reversedNames = names.sorted() { $0 > $1 }

If a closure expression is provided as the function or methodʼs only argument and you
provide that expression as a trailing closure, you do not need to write a pair of
parentheses () after the function or methodʼs name when you call the function:

reversedNames = names.sorted { $0 > $1 }

Trailing closures are most useful when the closure is sufficiently long that it is not
possible to write it inline on a single line. As an example, Swiftʼs Array type has a
map(_:) method which takes a closure expression as its single argument. The closure
is called once for each item in the array, and returns an alternative mapped value
(possibly of some other type) for that item. The nature of the mapping and the type of
the returned value is left up to the closure to specify.

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After applying the provided closure to each array element, the map(_:) method returns
a new array containing all of the new mapped values, in the same order as their
corresponding values in the original array.

Hereʼs how you can use the map(_:) method with a trailing closure to convert an array
of Int values into an array of String values. The array [16, 58, 510] is used to create
the new array ["OneSix", "FiveEight", "FiveOneZero"]:

1 let digitNames = [
2 0: "Zero", 1: "One", 2: "Two", 3: "Three", 4: "Four",
3 5: "Five", 6: "Six", 7: "Seven", 8: "Eight", 9: "Nine"
4 ]
5 let numbers = [16, 58, 510]

The code above creates a dictionary of mappings between the integer digits and
English-language versions of their names. It also defines an array of integers, ready to
be converted into strings.

You can now use the numbers array to create an array of String values, by passing a
closure expression to the arrayʼs map(_:) method as a trailing closure:

1 let strings = numbers.map { (number) -> String in

2 var number = number
3 var output = ""
4 repeat {
5 output = digitNames[number % 10]! + output
6 number /= 10
7 } while number > 0
8 return output
9 }
10 // strings is inferred to be of type [String]
11 // its value is ["OneSix", "FiveEight", "FiveOneZero"]

The map(_:) method calls the closure expression once for each item in the array. You
do not need to specify the type of the closureʼs input parameter, number, because the
type can be inferred from the values in the array to be mapped.

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In this example, the variable number is initialized with the value of the closureʼs number
parameter, so that the value can be modified within the closure body. (The parameters
to functions and closures are always constants.) The closure expression also specifies
a return type of String, to indicate the type that will be stored in the mapped output
array.

The closure expression builds a string called output each time it is called. It calculates
the last digit of number by using the remainder operator (number % 10), and uses this
digit to look up an appropriate string in the digitNames dictionary. The closure can be
used to create a string representation of any integer greater than zero.

NOTE

The call to the digitNames dictionaryʼs subscript is followed by an exclamation mark (!),
because dictionary subscripts return an optional value to indicate that the dictionary
lookup can fail if the key does not exist. In the example above, it is guaranteed that
number % 10 will always be a valid subscript key for the digitNames dictionary, and so an
exclamation mark is used to force-unwrap the String value stored in the subscriptʼs
optional return value.

The string retrieved from the digitNames dictionary is added to the front of output,
effectively building a string version of the number in reverse. (The expression
number % 10 gives a value of 6 for 16, 8 for 58, and 0 for 510.)

The number variable is then divided by 10. Because it is an integer, it is rounded down
during the division, so 16 becomes 1, 58 becomes 5, and 510 becomes 51.

The process is repeated until number is equal to 0, at which point the output string is
returned by the closure, and is added to the output array by the map(_:) method.

The use of trailing closure syntax in the example above neatly encapsulates the
closureʼs functionality immediately after the function that closure supports, without
needing to wrap the entire closure within the map(_:) methodʼs outer parentheses.

Capturing Values

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A closure can capture constants and variables from the surrounding context in which it
is defined. The closure can then refer to and modify the values of those constants and
variables from within its body, even if the original scope that defined the constants and
variables no longer exists.

In Swift, the simplest form of a closure that can capture values is a nested function,
written within the body of another function. A nested function can capture any of its
outer functionʼs arguments and can also capture any constants and variables defined
within the outer function.

Hereʼs an example of a function called makeIncrementer, which contains a nested

function called incrementer. The nested incrementer() function captures two values,
runningTotal and amount, from its surrounding context. After capturing these values,
incrementer is returned by makeIncrementer as a closure that increments
runningTotal by amount each time it is called.

1 func makeIncrementer(forIncrement amount: Int) -> () -> Int {

2 var runningTotal = 0
3 func incrementer() -> Int {
4 runningTotal += amount
5 return runningTotal
6 }
7 return incrementer
8 }

The return type of makeIncrementer is () -> Int. This means that it returns a
function, rather than a simple value. The function it returns has no parameters, and
returns an Int value each time it is called. To learn how functions can return other
functions, see Function Types as Return Types.

The makeIncrementer(forIncrement:) function defines an integer variable called

runningTotal, to store the current running total of the incrementer that will be
returned. This variable is initialized with a value of 0.

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The makeIncrementer(forIncrement:) function has a single Int parameter with an

argument label of forIncrement, and a parameter name of amount. The argument value
passed to this parameter specifies how much runningTotal should be incremented by
each time the returned incrementer function is called. The makeIncrementer function
defines a nested function called incrementer, which performs the actual incrementing.
This function simply adds amount to runningTotal, and returns the result.

When considered in isolation, the nested incrementer() function might seem unusual:

1 func incrementer() -> Int {

2 runningTotal += amount
3 return runningTotal
4 }

The incrementer() function doesnʼt have any parameters, and yet it refers to
runningTotal and amount from within its function body. It does this by capturing a
reference to runningTotal and amount from the surrounding function and using them
within its own function body. Capturing by reference ensures that runningTotal and
amount do not disappear when the call to makeIncrementer ends, and also ensures
that runningTotal is available the next time the incrementer function is called.

NOTE

As an optimization, Swift may instead capture and store a copy of a value if that value is
not mutated by a closure, and if the value is not mutated after the closure is created.

Swift also handles all memory management involved in disposing of variables when they
are no longer needed.

Hereʼs an example of makeIncrementer in action:

let incrementByTen = makeIncrementer(forIncrement: 10)

This example sets a constant called incrementByTen to refer to an incrementer

function that adds 10 to its runningTotal variable each time it is called. Calling the
function multiple times shows this behavior in action:

1 incrementByTen()

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2 // returns a value of 10
3 incrementByTen()
4 // returns a value of 20
5 incrementByTen()
6 // returns a value of 30

If you create a second incrementer, it will have its own stored reference to a new,
separate runningTotal variable:

1 let incrementBySeven = makeIncrementer(forIncrement: 7)

2 incrementBySeven()
3 // returns a value of 7

Calling the original incrementer (incrementByTen) again continues to increment its own
runningTotal variable, and does not affect the variable captured by
incrementBySeven:

1 incrementByTen()
2 // returns a value of 40

NOTE

If you assign a closure to a property of a class instance, and the closure captures that
instance by referring to the instance or its members, you will create a strong reference
cycle between the closure and the instance. Swift uses capture lists to break these strong
reference cycles. For more information, see Strong Reference Cycles for Closures.

Closures Are Reference Types

In the example above, incrementBySeven and incrementByTen are constants, but the
closures these constants refer to are still able to increment the runningTotal variables
that they have captured. This is because functions and closures are reference types.

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Whenever you assign a function or a closure to a constant or a variable, you are

actually setting that constant or variable to be a reference to the function or closure. In
the example above, it is the choice of closure that incrementByTen refers to that is
constant, and not the contents of the closure itself.

This also means that if you assign a closure to two different constants or variables,
both of those constants or variables refer to the same closure.

1 let alsoIncrementByTen = incrementByTen

2 alsoIncrementByTen()
3 // returns a value of 50
4
5 incrementByTen()
6 // returns a value of 60

The example above shows that calling alsoIncrementByTen is the same as calling
incrementByTen. Because both of them refer to the same closure, they both increment
and return the same running total.

Escaping Closures
A closure is said to escape a function when the closure is passed as an argument to
the function, but is called after the function returns. When you declare a function that
takes a closure as one of its parameters, you can write @escaping before the
parameterʼs type to indicate that the closure is allowed to escape.

One way that a closure can escape is by being stored in a variable that is defined
outside the function. As an example, many functions that start an asynchronous
operation take a closure argument as a completion handler. The function returns after it
starts the operation, but the closure isnʼt called until the operation is completed—the
closure needs to escape, to be called later. For example:

1 var completionHandlers: [() -> Void] = []

2 func someFunctionWithEscapingClosure(completionHandler:
@escaping () -> Void) {
3 completionHandlers.append(completionHandler)

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4 }

The someFunctionWithEscapingClosure(_:) function takes a closure as its argument

and adds it to an array thatʼs declared outside the function. If you didnʼt mark the
parameter of this function with @escaping, you would get a compile-time error.

Marking a closure with @escaping means you have to refer to self explicitly within the
closure. For example, in the code below, the closure passed to
someFunctionWithEscapingClosure(_:) is an escaping closure, which means it needs
to refer to self explicitly. In contrast, the closure passed to
someFunctionWithNonescapingClosure(_:) is a nonescaping closure, which means it
can refer to self implicitly.

1 func someFunctionWithNonescapingClosure(closure: () -> Void) {

2 closure()
3 }
4
5 class SomeClass {
6 var x = 10
7 func doSomething() {
8 someFunctionWithEscapingClosure { self.x = 100 }
9 someFunctionWithNonescapingClosure { x = 200 }
10 }
11 }
12
13 let instance = SomeClass()
14 instance.doSomething()
15 print(instance.x)
16 // Prints "200"
17
18 completionHandlers.first?()
19 print(instance.x)
20 // Prints "100"

Autoclosures
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An autoclosure is a closure that is automatically created to wrap an expression thatʼs

being passed as an argument to a function. It doesnʼt take any arguments, and when
itʼs called, it returns the value of the expression thatʼs wrapped inside of it. This
syntactic convenience lets you omit braces around a functionʼs parameter by writing a
normal expression instead of an explicit closure.

Itʼs common to call functions that take autoclosures, but itʼs not common to implement
that kind of function. For example, the assert(condition:message:file:line:)
function takes an autoclosure for its condition and message parameters; its condition
parameter is evaluated only in debug builds and its message parameter is evaluated
only if condition is false.

An autoclosure lets you delay evaluation, because the code inside isnʼt run until you call
the closure. Delaying evaluation is useful for code that has side effects or is
computationally expensive, because it lets you control when that code is evaluated.
The code below shows how a closure delays evaluation.

1 var customersInLine = ["Chris", "Alex", "Ewa", "Barry",

"Daniella"]
2 print(customersInLine.count)
3 // Prints "5"
4
5 let customerProvider = { customersInLine.remove(at: 0) }
6 print(customersInLine.count)
7 // Prints "5"
8
9 print("Now serving \(customerProvider())!")
10 // Prints "Now serving Chris!"
11 print(customersInLine.count)
12 // Prints "4"

Even though the first element of the customersInLine array is removed by the code
inside the closure, the array element isnʼt removed until the closure is actually called. If
the closure is never called, the expression inside the closure is never evaluated, which
means the array element is never removed. Note that the type of customerProvider is
not String but () -> String—a function with no parameters that returns a string.

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You get the same behavior of delayed evaluation when you pass a closure as an
argument to a function.

1 // customersInLine is ["Alex", "Ewa", "Barry", "Daniella"]

2 func serve(customer customerProvider: () -> String) {
3 print("Now serving \(customerProvider())!")
4 }
5 serve(customer: { customersInLine.remove(at: 0) } )
6 // Prints "Now serving Alex!"

The serve(customer:) function in the listing above takes an explicit closure that
returns a customerʼs name. The version of serve(customer:) below performs the
same operation but, instead of taking an explicit closure, it takes an autoclosure by
marking its parameterʼs type with the @autoclosure attribute. Now you can call the
function as if it took a String argument instead of a closure. The argument is
automatically converted to a closure, because the customerProvider parameterʼs type
is marked with the @autoclosure attribute.

1 // customersInLine is ["Ewa", "Barry", "Daniella"]

2 func serve(customer customerProvider: @autoclosure () ->
String) {
3 print("Now serving \(customerProvider())!")
4 }
5 serve(customer: customersInLine.remove(at: 0))
6 // Prints "Now serving Ewa!"

NOTE

Overusing autoclosures can make your code hard to understand. The context and function
name should make it clear that evaluation is being deferred.

If you want an autoclosure that is allowed to escape, use both the @autoclosure and
@escaping attributes. The @escaping attribute is described above in Escaping
Closures.

1 // customersInLine is ["Barry", "Daniella"]

2 var customerProviders: [() -> String] = []

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3 func collectCustomerProviders(_ customerProvider: @autoclosure

@escaping () -> String) {
4 customerProviders.append(customerProvider)
5 }
6 collectCustomerProviders(customersInLine.remove(at: 0))
7 collectCustomerProviders(customersInLine.remove(at: 0))
8
9 print("Collected \(customerProviders.count) closures.")
10 // Prints "Collected 2 closures."
11 for customerProvider in customerProviders {
12 print("Now serving \(customerProvider())!")
13 }
14 // Prints "Now serving Barry!"
15 // Prints "Now serving Daniella!"

In the code above, instead of calling the closure passed to it as its customerProvider
argument, the collectCustomerProviders(_:) function appends the closure to the
customerProviders array. The array is declared outside the scope of the function,
which means the closures in the array can be executed after the function returns. As a
result, the value of the customerProvider argument must be allowed to escape the
functionʼs scope.

Functions Enumeration

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ON THIS PAGE

Enumeration
An enumeration defines a common type for a group of related values and enables you
to work with those values in a type-safe way within your code.

If you are familiar with C, you will know that C enumerations assign related names to a
set of integer values. Enumerations in Swift are much more flexible, and donʼt have to
provide a value for each case of the enumeration. If a value (known as a raw value) is
provided for each enumeration case, the value can be a string, a character, or a value
of any integer or floating-point type.

Alternatively, enumeration cases can specify associated values of any type to be stored
along with each different case value, much as unions or variants do in other languages.
You can define a common set of related cases as part of one enumeration, each of
which has a different set of values of appropriate types associated with it.

Enumerations in Swift are first-class types in their own right. They adopt many features
traditionally supported only by classes, such as computed properties to provide
additional information about the enumerationʼs current value, and instance methods to
provide functionality related to the values the enumeration represents. Enumerations
can also define initializers to provide an initial case value; can be extended to expand
their functionality beyond their original implementation; and can conform to protocols
to provide standard functionality.

For more about these capabilities, see Properties, Methods, Initialization, Extensions,
and Protocols.

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Enumeration Syntax
You introduce enumerations with the enum keyword and place their entire definition
within a pair of braces:

1 enum SomeEnumeration {
2 // enumeration definition goes here
3 }

Hereʼs an example for the four main points of a compass:

1 enum CompassPoint {
2 case north
3 case south
4 case east
5 case west
6 }

The values defined in an enumeration (such as north, south, east, and west) are its
enumeration cases. You use the case keyword to introduce new enumeration cases.

NOTE

Swift enumeration cases donʼt have an integer value set by default, unlike languages like C
and Objective-C. In the CompassPoint example above, north, south, east and west donʼt
implicitly equal 0, 1, 2 and 3. Instead, the different enumeration cases are values in their
own right, with an explicitly defined type of CompassPoint.

Multiple cases can appear on a single line, separated by commas:

1 enum Planet {
2 case mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus,
neptune
3 }

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Each enumeration definition defines a new type. Like other types in Swift, their names
(such as CompassPoint and Planet) start with a capital letter. Give enumeration types
singular rather than plural names, so that they read as self-evident:

var directionToHead = CompassPoint.west

The type of directionToHead is inferred when itʼs initialized with one of the possible
values of CompassPoint. Once directionToHead is declared as a CompassPoint, you
can set it to a different CompassPoint value using a shorter dot syntax:

directionToHead = .east

The type of directionToHead is already known, and so you can drop the type when
setting its value. This makes for highly readable code when working with explicitly
typed enumeration values.

Matching Enumeration Values with a Switch

Statement
You can match individual enumeration values with a switch statement:

1 directionToHead = .south
2 switch directionToHead {
3 case .north:
4 print("Lots of planets have a north")
5 case .south:
6 print("Watch out for penguins")
7 case .east:
8 print("Where the sun rises")
9 case .west:
10 print("Where the skies are blue")
11 }
12 // Prints "Watch out for penguins"

You can read this code as:

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“Consider the value of directionToHead. In the case where it equals .north, print
"Lots of planets have a north". In the case where it equals .south, print
"Watch out for penguins".”

…and so on.

As described in Control Flow, a switch statement must be exhaustive when

considering an enumerationʼs cases. If the case for .west is omitted, this code doesnʼt
compile, because it doesnʼt consider the complete list of CompassPoint cases.
Requiring exhaustiveness ensures that enumeration cases arenʼt accidentally omitted.

When it isnʼt appropriate to provide a case for every enumeration case, you can provide
a default case to cover any cases that arenʼt addressed explicitly:

1 let somePlanet = Planet.earth

2 switch somePlanet {
3 case .earth:
4 print("Mostly harmless")
5 default:
6 print("Not a safe place for humans")
7 }
8 // Prints "Mostly harmless"

Iterating over Enumeration Cases

For some enumerations, itʼs useful to have a collection of all of that enumerationʼs
cases. You enable this by writing : CaseIterable after the enumerationʼs name. Swift
exposes a collection of all the cases as an allCases property of the enumeration type.
Hereʼs an example:

1 enum Beverage: CaseIterable {

2 case coffee, tea, juice
3 }
4 let numberOfChoices = Beverage.allCases.count
5 print("\(numberOfChoices) beverages available")
6 // Prints "3 beverages available"

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In the example above, you write Beverage.allCases to access a collection that

contains all of the cases of the Beverage enumeration. You can use allCases like any
other collection—the collectionʼs elements are instances of the enumeration type, so in
this case theyʼre Beverage values. The example above counts how many cases there
are, and the example below uses a for loop to iterate over all the cases.

1 for beverage in Beverage.allCases {

2 print(beverage)
3 }
4 // coffee
5 // tea
6 // juice

The syntax used in the examples above marks the enumeration as conforming to the
CaseIterable protocol. For information about protocols, see Protocols.

Associated Values
The examples in the previous section show how the cases of an enumeration are a
defined (and typed) value in their own right. You can set a constant or variable to
Planet.earth, and check for this value later. However, itʼs sometimes useful to be able
to store values of other types alongside these case values. This additional information
is called an associated value, and it varies each time you use that case as a value in
your code.

You can define Swift enumerations to store associated values of any given type, and
the value types can be different for each case of the enumeration if needed.
Enumerations similar to these are known as discriminated unions, tagged unions, or
variants in other programming languages.

For example, suppose an inventory tracking system needs to track products by two
different types of barcode. Some products are labeled with 1D barcodes in UPC format,
which uses the numbers 0 to 9. Each barcode has a number system digit, followed by
five manufacturer code digits and five product code digits. These are followed by a
check digit to verify that the code has been scanned correctly:

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Other products are labeled with 2D barcodes in QR code format, which can use any
ISO 8859-1 character and can encode a string up to 2,953 characters long:

Itʼs convenient for an inventory tracking system to store UPC barcodes as a tuple of
four integers, and QR code barcodes as a string of any length.

In Swift, an enumeration to define product barcodes of either type might look like this:

1 enum Barcode {
2 case upc(Int, Int, Int, Int)
3 case qrCode(String)
4 }

This can be read as:

“Define an enumeration type called Barcode, which can take either a value of upc with
an associated value of type (Int, Int, Int, Int), or a value of qrCode with an associated
value of type String.”

This definition doesnʼt provide any actual Int or String values—it just defines the type
of associated values that Barcode constants and variables can store when they are
equal to Barcode.upc or Barcode.qrCode.

You can then create new barcodes using either type:

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var productBarcode = Barcode.upc(8, 85909, 51226, 3)

This example creates a new variable called productBarcode and assigns it a value of
Barcode.upc with an associated tuple value of (8, 85909, 51226, 3).

You can assign the same product a different type of barcode:

productBarcode = .qrCode("ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP")

At this point, the original Barcode.upc and its integer values are replaced by the new
Barcode.qrCode and its string value. Constants and variables of type Barcode can store
either a .upc or a .qrCode (together with their associated values), but they can store
only one of them at any given time.

You can check the different barcode types using a switch statement, similar to the
example in Matching Enumeration Values with a Switch Statement. This time, however,
the associated values are extracted as part of the switch statement. You extract each
associated value as a constant (with the let prefix) or a variable (with the var prefix)
for use within the switch caseʼs body:

1 switch productBarcode {
2 case .upc(let numberSystem, let manufacturer, let product, let
check):
3 print("UPC: \(numberSystem), \(manufacturer), \(product), \
(check).")
4 case .qrCode(let productCode):
5 print("QR code: \(productCode).")
6 }
7 // Prints "QR code: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP."

If all of the associated values for an enumeration case are extracted as constants, or if
all are extracted as variables, you can place a single var or let annotation before the
case name, for brevity:

1 switch productBarcode {
2 case let .upc(numberSystem, manufacturer, product, check):
3 print("UPC : \(numberSystem), \(manufacturer), \(product),

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\(check).")
4 case let .qrCode(productCode):
5 print("QR code: \(productCode).")
6 }
7 // Prints "QR code: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP."

Raw Values
The barcode example in Associated Values shows how cases of an enumeration can
declare that they store associated values of different types. As an alternative to
associated values, enumeration cases can come prepopulated with default values
(called raw values), which are all of the same type.

Hereʼs an example that stores raw ASCII values alongside named enumeration cases:

1 enum ASCIIControlCharacter: Character {

2 case tab = "\t"
3 case lineFeed = "\n"
4 case carriageReturn = "\r"
5 }

Here, the raw values for an enumeration called ASCIIControlCharacter are defined to
be of type Character, and are set to some of the more common ASCII control
characters. Character values are described in Strings and Characters.

Raw values can be strings, characters, or any of the integer or floating-point number
types. Each raw value must be unique within its enumeration declaration.

NOTE

Raw values are not the same as associated values. Raw values are set to prepopulated
values when you first define the enumeration in your code, like the three ASCII codes
above. The raw value for a particular enumeration case is always the same. Associated
values are set when you create a new constant or variable based on one of the
enumerationʼs cases, and can be different each time you do so.

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Implicitly Assigned Raw Values

When youʼre working with enumerations that store integer or string raw values, you
donʼt have to explicitly assign a raw value for each case. When you donʼt, Swift
automatically assigns the values for you.

For example, when integers are used for raw values, the implicit value for each case is
one more than the previous case. If the first case doesnʼt have a value set, its value is 0.

The enumeration below is a refinement of the earlier Planet enumeration, with integer
raw values to represent each planetʼs order from the sun:

1 enum Planet: Int {

2 case mercury = 1, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn,
uranus, neptune
3 }

In the example above, Planet.mercury has an explicit raw value of 1, Planet.venus

has an implicit raw value of 2, and so on.

When strings are used for raw values, the implicit value for each case is the text of that
caseʼs name.

The enumeration below is a refinement of the earlier CompassPoint enumeration, with

string raw values to represent each directionʼs name:

1 enum CompassPoint: String {

2 case north, south, east, west
3 }

In the example above, CompassPoint.south has an implicit raw value of "south", and
so on.

You access the raw value of an enumeration case with its rawValue property:

1 let earthsOrder = Planet.earth.rawValue

2 // earthsOrder is 3
3

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4 let sunsetDirection = CompassPoint.west.rawValue

5 // sunsetDirection is "west"

Initializing from a Raw Value

If you define an enumeration with a raw-value type, the enumeration automatically
receives an initializer that takes a value of the raw valueʼs type (as a parameter called
rawValue) and returns either an enumeration case or nil. You can use this initializer to
try to create a new instance of the enumeration.

This example identifies Uranus from its raw value of 7:

1 let possiblePlanet = Planet(rawValue: 7)

2 // possiblePlanet is of type Planet? and equals Planet.uranus

Not all possible Int values will find a matching planet, however. Because of this, the
raw value initializer always returns an optional enumeration case. In the example above,
possiblePlanet is of type Planet?, or “optional Planet.”

NOTE

The raw value initializer is a failable initializer, because not every raw value will return an
enumeration case. For more information, see Failable Initializers.

If you try to find a planet with a position of 11, the optional Planet value returned by the
raw value initializer will be nil:

1 let positionToFind = 11
2 if let somePlanet = Planet(rawValue: positionToFind) {
3 switch somePlanet {
4 case .earth:
5 print("Mostly harmless")
6 default:
7 print("Not a safe place for humans")
8 }
9 } else {
10 print("There isn't a planet at position \(positionToFind)")

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11 }
12 // Prints "There isn't a planet at position 11"

This example uses optional binding to try to access a planet with a raw value of 11. The
statement if let somePlanet = Planet(rawValue: 11) creates an optional Planet,
and sets somePlanet to the value of that optional Planet if it can be retrieved. In this
case, it isnʼt possible to retrieve a planet with a position of 11, and so the else branch is
executed instead.

Recursive Enumerations
A recursive enumeration is an enumeration that has another instance of the
enumeration as the associated value for one or more of the enumeration cases. You
indicate that an enumeration case is recursive by writing indirect before it, which tells
the compiler to insert the necessary layer of indirection.

For example, here is an enumeration that stores simple arithmetic expressions:

1 enum ArithmeticExpression {
2 case number(Int)
3 indirect case addition(ArithmeticExpression,
ArithmeticExpression)
4 indirect case multiplication(ArithmeticExpression,
ArithmeticExpression)
5 }

You can also write indirect before the beginning of the enumeration to enable
indirection for all of the enumerationʼs cases that have an associated value:

1 indirect enum ArithmeticExpression {

2 case number(Int)
3 case addition(ArithmeticExpression, ArithmeticExpression)
4 case multiplication(ArithmeticExpression,
ArithmeticExpression)
5 }

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This enumeration can store three kinds of arithmetic expressions: a plain number, the
addition of two expressions, and the multiplication of two expressions. The addition
and multiplication cases have associated values that are also arithmetic expressions
—these associated values make it possible to nest expressions. For example, the
expression (5 + 4) * 2 has a number on the right-hand side of the multiplication and
another expression on the left-hand side of the multiplication. Because the data is
nested, the enumeration used to store the data also needs to support nesting—this
means the enumeration needs to be recursive. The code below shows the
ArithmeticExpression recursive enumeration being created for (5 + 4) * 2:

1 let five = ArithmeticExpression.number(5)

2 let four = ArithmeticExpression.number(4)
3 let sum = ArithmeticExpression.addition(five, four)
4 let product = ArithmeticExpression.multiplication(sum,
ArithmeticExpression.number(2))

A recursive function is a straightforward way to work with data that has a recursive
structure. For example, hereʼs a function that evaluates an arithmetic expression:

1 func evaluate(_ expression: ArithmeticExpression) -> Int {

2 switch expression {
3 case let .number(value):
4 return value
5 case let .addition(left, right):
6 return evaluate(left) + evaluate(right)
7 case let .multiplication(left, right):
8 return evaluate(left) * evaluate(right)
9 }
10 }
11
12 print(evaluate(product))
13 // Prints "18"

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This function evaluates a plain number by simply returning the associated value. It
evaluates an addition or multiplication by evaluating the expression on the left-hand
side, evaluating the expression on the right-hand side, and then adding them or
multiplying them.

Closures Structures and Classes

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ON THIS PAGE

Structures and Classes

Structures and classes are general-purpose, flexible constructs that become the
building blocks of your programʼs code. You define properties and methods to add
functionality to your structures and classes using the same syntax you use to define
constants, variables, and functions.

Unlike other programming languages, Swift doesnʼt require you to create separate
interface and implementation files for custom structures and classes. In Swift, you
define a structure or class in a single file, and the external interface to that class or
structure is automatically made available for other code to use.

NOTE

An instance of a class is traditionally known as an object. However, Swift structures and

classes are much closer in functionality than in other languages, and much of this chapter
describes functionality that applies to instances of either a class or a structure type.
Because of this, the more general term instance is used.

Comparing Structures and Classes

Structures and classes in Swift have many things in common. Both can:

Define properties to store values

Define methods to provide functionality
Define subscripts to provide access to their values using subscript syntax

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Define initializers to set up their initial state

Be extended to expand their functionality beyond a default implementation
Conform to protocols to provide standard functionality of a certain kind

For more information, see Properties, Methods, Subscripts, Initialization, Extensions,

and Protocols.

Classes have additional capabilities that structures donʼt have:

Inheritance enables one class to inherit the characteristics of another.

Type casting enables you to check and interpret the type of a class instance at
runtime.
Deinitializers enable an instance of a class to free up any resources it has
assigned.
Reference counting allows more than one reference to a class instance.

For more information, see Inheritance, Type Casting, Deinitialization, and Automatic
Reference Counting.

The additional capabilities that classes support come at the cost of increased
complexity. As a general guideline, prefer structures because theyʼre easier to reason
about, and use classes when theyʼre appropriate or necessary. In practice, this means
most of the custom data types you define will be structures and enumerations. For a
more detailed comparison, see Choosing Between Structures and Classes.

Definition Syntax
Structures and classes have a similar definition syntax. You introduce structures with
the struct keyword and classes with the class keyword. Both place their entire
definition within a pair of braces:

1 struct SomeStructure {
2 // structure definition goes here
3 }
4 class SomeClass {
5 // class definition goes here
6 }

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NOTE

Whenever you define a new structure or class, you define a new Swift type. Give types
UpperCamelCase names (such as SomeStructure and SomeClass here) to match the
capitalization of standard Swift types (such as String, Int, and Bool). Give properties and
methods lowerCamelCase names (such as frameRate and incrementCount) to differentiate
them from type names.

Hereʼs an example of a structure definition and a class definition:

1 struct Resolution {
2 var width = 0
3 var height = 0
4 }
5 class VideoMode {
6 var resolution = Resolution()
7 var interlaced = false
8 var frameRate = 0.0
9 var name: String?
10 }

The example above defines a new structure called Resolution, to describe a pixel-
based display resolution. This structure has two stored properties called width and
height. Stored properties are constants or variables that are bundled up and stored as
part of the structure or class. These two properties are inferred to be of type Int by
setting them to an initial integer value of 0.

The example above also defines a new class called VideoMode, to describe a specific
video mode for video display. This class has four variable stored properties. The first,
resolution, is initialized with a new Resolution structure instance, which infers a
property type of Resolution. For the other three properties, new VideoMode instances
will be initialized with an interlaced setting of false (meaning “noninterlaced video”),
a playback frame rate of 0.0, and an optional String value called name. The name
property is automatically given a default value of nil, or “no name value”, because itʼs of
an optional type.

Structure and Class Instances

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The Resolution structure definition and the VideoMode class definition only describe
what a Resolution or VideoMode will look like. They themselves donʼt describe a
specific resolution or video mode. To do that, you need to create an instance of the
structure or class.

The syntax for creating instances is very similar for both structures and classes:

1 let someResolution = Resolution()

2 let someVideoMode = VideoMode()

Structures and classes both use initializer syntax for new instances. The simplest form
of initializer syntax uses the type name of the class or structure followed by empty
parentheses, such as Resolution() or VideoMode(). This creates a new instance of
the class or structure, with any properties initialized to their default values. Class and
structure initialization is described in more detail in Initialization.

Accessing Properties
You can access the properties of an instance using dot syntax. In dot syntax, you write
the property name immediately after the instance name, separated by a period (.),
without any spaces:

1 print("The width of someResolution is \(someResolution.width)")

2 // Prints "The width of someResolution is 0"

In this example, someResolution.width refers to the width property of

someResolution, and returns its default initial value of 0.

You can drill down into subproperties, such as the width property in the resolution
property of a VideoMode:

1 print("The width of someVideoMode is \

(someVideoMode.resolution.width)")
2 // Prints "The width of someVideoMode is 0"

You can also use dot syntax to assign a new value to a variable property:

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1 someVideoMode.resolution.width = 1280
2 print("The width of someVideoMode is now \
(someVideoMode.resolution.width)")
3 // Prints "The width of someVideoMode is now 1280"

Memberwise Initializers for Structure Types

All structures have an automatically generated memberwise initializer, which you can
use to initialize the member properties of new structure instances. Initial values for the
properties of the new instance can be passed to the memberwise initializer by name:

let vga = Resolution(width: 640, height: 480)

Unlike structures, class instances donʼt receive a default memberwise initializer.

Initializers are described in more detail in Initialization.

Structures and Enumerations Are Value Types

A value type is a type whose value is copied when itʼs assigned to a variable or
constant, or when itʼs passed to a function.

Youʼve actually been using value types extensively throughout the previous chapters. In
fact, all of the basic types in Swift—integers, floating-point numbers, Booleans, strings,
arrays and dictionaries—are value types, and are implemented as structures behind the
scenes.

All structures and enumerations are value types in Swift. This means that any structure
and enumeration instances you create—and any value types they have as properties—
are always copied when they are passed around in your code.

NOTE

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Collections defined by the standard library like arrays, dictionaries, and strings use an
optimization to reduce the performance cost of copying. Instead of making a copy
immediately, these collections share the memory where the elements are stored between
the original instance and any copies. If one of the copies of the collection is modified, the
elements are copied just before the modification. The behavior you see in your code is
always as if a copy took place immediately.

Consider this example, which uses the Resolution structure from the previous
example:

1 let hd = Resolution(width: 1920, height: 1080)

2 var cinema = hd

This example declares a constant called hd and sets it to a Resolution instance

initialized with the width and height of full HD video (1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels
high).

It then declares a variable called cinema and sets it to the current value of hd. Because
Resolution is a structure, a copy of the existing instance is made, and this new copy is
assigned to cinema. Even though hd and cinema now have the same width and height,
they are two completely different instances behind the scenes.

Next, the width property of cinema is amended to be the width of the slightly wider 2K
standard used for digital cinema projection (2048 pixels wide and 1080 pixels high):

cinema.width = 2048

Checking the width property of cinema shows that it has indeed changed to be 2048:

1 print("cinema is now \(cinema.width) pixels wide")

2 // Prints "cinema is now 2048 pixels wide"

However, the width property of the original hd instance still has the old value of 1920:

1 print("hd is still \(hd.width) pixels wide")

2 // Prints "hd is still 1920 pixels wide"

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When cinema was given the current value of hd, the values stored in hd were copied
into the new cinema instance. The end result was two completely separate instances
that contained the same numeric values. However, because they are separate
instances, setting the width of cinema to 2048 doesnʼt affect the width stored in hd, as
shown in the figure below:

The same behavior applies to enumerations:

1 enum CompassPoint {
2 case north, south, east, west
3 mutating func turnNorth() {
4 self = .north
5 }
6 }
7 var currentDirection = CompassPoint.west
8 let rememberedDirection = currentDirection
9 currentDirection.turnNorth()
10
11 print("The current direction is \(currentDirection)")
12 print("The remembered direction is \(rememberedDirection)")
13 // Prints "The current direction is north"
14 // Prints "The remembered direction is west"

When rememberedDirection is assigned the value of currentDirection, itʼs actually

set to a copy of that value. Changing the value of currentDirection thereafter doesnʼt
affect the copy of the original value that was stored in rememberedDirection.

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Classes Are Reference Types

Unlike value types, reference types are not copied when they are assigned to a variable
or constant, or when they are passed to a function. Rather than a copy, a reference to
the same existing instance is used.

Hereʼs an example, using the VideoMode class defined above:

1 let tenEighty = VideoMode()

2 tenEighty.resolution = hd
3 tenEighty.interlaced = true
4 tenEighty.name = "1080i"
5 tenEighty.frameRate = 25.0

This example declares a new constant called tenEighty and sets it to refer to a new
instance of the VideoMode class. The video mode is assigned a copy of the HD
resolution of 1920 by 1080 from before. Itʼs set to be interlaced, its name is set to
"1080i", and its frame rate is set to 25.0 frames per second.

Next, tenEighty is assigned to a new constant, called alsoTenEighty, and the frame
rate of alsoTenEighty is modified:

1 let alsoTenEighty = tenEighty

2 alsoTenEighty.frameRate = 30.0

Because classes are reference types, tenEighty and alsoTenEighty actually both
refer to the same VideoMode instance. Effectively, they are just two different names for
the same single instance, as shown in the figure below:

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Checking the frameRate property of tenEighty shows that it correctly reports the new
frame rate of 30.0 from the underlying VideoMode instance:

1 print("The frameRate property of tenEighty is now \

(tenEighty.frameRate)")
2 // Prints "The frameRate property of tenEighty is now 30.0"

This example also shows how reference types can be harder to reason about. If
tenEighty and alsoTenEighty were far apart in your programʼs code, it could be
difficult to find all the ways that the video mode is changed. Wherever you use
tenEighty, you also have to think about the code that uses alsoTenEighty, and vice
versa. In contrast, value types are easier to reason about because all of the code that
interacts with the same value is close together in your source files.

Note that tenEighty and alsoTenEighty are declared as constants, rather than
variables. However, you can still change tenEighty.frameRate and
alsoTenEighty.frameRate because the values of the tenEighty and alsoTenEighty
constants themselves donʼt actually change. tenEighty and alsoTenEighty
themselves donʼt “store” the VideoMode instance—instead, they both refer to a
VideoMode instance behind the scenes. Itʼs the frameRate property of the underlying
VideoMode that is changed, not the values of the constant references to that
VideoMode.

Identity Operators
Because classes are reference types, itʼs possible for multiple constants and variables
to refer to the same single instance of a class behind the scenes. (The same isnʼt true
for structures and enumerations, because they are always copied when they are
assigned to a constant or variable, or passed to a function.)

It can sometimes be useful to find out whether two constants or variables refer to
exactly the same instance of a class. To enable this, Swift provides two identity
operators:

Identical to (===)
Not identical to (!==)

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Use these operators to check whether two constants or variables refer to the same
single instance:

1 if tenEighty === alsoTenEighty {

2 print("tenEighty and alsoTenEighty refer to the same
VideoMode instance.")
3 }
4 // Prints "tenEighty and alsoTenEighty refer to the same
VideoMode instance."

Note that identical to (represented by three equals signs, or ===) doesnʼt mean the
same thing as equal to (represented by two equals signs, or ==). Identical to means that
two constants or variables of class type refer to exactly the same class instance. Equal
to means that two instances are considered equal or equivalent in value, for some
appropriate meaning of equal, as defined by the typeʼs designer.

When you define your own custom structures and classes, itʼs your responsibility to
decide what qualifies as two instances being equal. The process of defining your own
implementations of the == and != operators is described in Equivalence Operators.

Pointers
If you have experience with C, C++, or Objective-C, you may know that these
languages use pointers to refer to addresses in memory. A Swift constant or variable
that refers to an instance of some reference type is similar to a pointer in C, but isnʼt a
direct pointer to an address in memory, and doesnʼt require you to write an asterisk (*)
to indicate that you are creating a reference. Instead, these references are defined like
any other constant or variable in Swift. The standard library provides pointer and buffer
types that you can use if you need to interact with pointers directly—see Manual
Memory Management.

Enumeration Properties

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ON THIS PAGE

Properties
Properties associate values with a particular class, structure, or enumeration. Stored
properties store constant and variable values as part of an instance, whereas
computed properties calculate (rather than store) a value. Computed properties are
provided by classes, structures, and enumerations. Stored properties are provided only
by classes and structures.

Stored and computed properties are usually associated with instances of a particular
type. However, properties can also be associated with the type itself. Such properties
are known as type properties.

In addition, you can define property observers to monitor changes in a propertyʼs value,
which you can respond to with custom actions. Property observers can be added to
stored properties you define yourself, and also to properties that a subclass inherits
from its superclass.

Stored Properties
In its simplest form, a stored property is a constant or variable that is stored as part of
an instance of a particular class or structure. Stored properties can be either variable
stored properties (introduced by the var keyword) or constant stored properties
(introduced by the let keyword).

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You can provide a default value for a stored property as part of its definition, as
described in Default Property Values. You can also set and modify the initial value for a
stored property during initialization. This is true even for constant stored properties, as
described in Assigning Constant Properties During Initialization.

The example below defines a structure called FixedLengthRange, which describes a

range of integers whose range length cannot be changed after it is created:

1 struct FixedLengthRange {
2 var firstValue: Int
3 let length: Int
4 }
5 var rangeOfThreeItems = FixedLengthRange(firstValue: 0, length:
3)
6 // the range represents integer values 0, 1, and 2
7 rangeOfThreeItems.firstValue = 6
8 // the range now represents integer values 6, 7, and 8

Instances of FixedLengthRange have a variable stored property called firstValue and

a constant stored property called length. In the example above, length is initialized
when the new range is created and cannot be changed thereafter, because it is a
constant property.

Stored Properties of Constant Structure Instances

If you create an instance of a structure and assign that instance to a constant, you
cannot modify the instanceʼs properties, even if they were declared as variable
properties:

1 let rangeOfFourItems = FixedLengthRange(firstValue: 0, length:

4)
2 // this range represents integer values 0, 1, 2, and 3
3 rangeOfFourItems.firstValue = 6
4 // this will report an error, even though firstValue is a
variable property

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Because rangeOfFourItems is declared as a constant (with the let keyword), it is not

possible to change its firstValue property, even though firstValue is a variable
property.

This behavior is due to structures being value types. When an instance of a value type
is marked as a constant, so are all of its properties.

The same is not true for classes, which are reference types. If you assign an instance of
a reference type to a constant, you can still change that instanceʼs variable properties.

Lazy Stored Properties

A lazy stored property is a property whose initial value is not calculated until the first
time it is used. You indicate a lazy stored property by writing the lazy modifier before
its declaration.

NOTE

You must always declare a lazy property as a variable (with the var keyword), because its
initial value might not be retrieved until after instance initialization completes. Constant
properties must always have a value before initialization completes, and therefore cannot
be declared as lazy.

Lazy properties are useful when the initial value for a property is dependent on outside
factors whose values are not known until after an instanceʼs initialization is complete.
Lazy properties are also useful when the initial value for a property requires complex or
computationally expensive setup that should not be performed unless or until it is
needed.

The example below uses a lazy stored property to avoid unnecessary initialization of a
complex class. This example defines two classes called DataImporter and
DataManager, neither of which is shown in full:

1 class DataImporter {
2 /*
3 DataImporter is a class to import data from an external
file.
4 The class is assumed to take a nontrivial amount of time to

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initialize.
5 */
6 var filename = "data.txt"
7 // the DataImporter class would provide data importing
functionality here
8 }
9
10 class DataManager {
11 lazy var importer = DataImporter()
12 var data = [String]()
13 // the DataManager class would provide data management
functionality here
14 }
15
16 let manager = DataManager()
17 manager.data.append("Some data")
18 manager.data.append("Some more data")
19 // the DataImporter instance for the importer property has not
yet been created

The DataManager class has a stored property called data, which is initialized with a
new, empty array of String values. Although the rest of its functionality is not shown,
the purpose of this DataManager class is to manage and provide access to this array of
String data.

Part of the functionality of the DataManager class is the ability to import data from a file.
This functionality is provided by the DataImporter class, which is assumed to take a
nontrivial amount of time to initialize. This might be because a DataImporter instance
needs to open a file and read its contents into memory when the DataImporter
instance is initialized.

It is possible for a DataManager instance to manage its data without ever importing data
from a file, so there is no need to create a new DataImporter instance when the
DataManager itself is created. Instead, it makes more sense to create the DataImporter
instance if and when it is first used.

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Because it is marked with the lazy modifier, the DataImporter instance for the
importer property is only created when the importer property is first accessed, such
as when its filename property is queried:

1 print(manager.importer.filename)
2 // the DataImporter instance for the importer property has now
been created
3 // Prints "data.txt"

NOTE

If a property marked with the lazy modifier is accessed by multiple threads simultaneously
and the property has not yet been initialized, there is no guarantee that the property will be
initialized only once.

Stored Properties and Instance Variables

If you have experience with Objective-C, you may know that it provides two ways to
store values and references as part of a class instance. In addition to properties, you
can use instance variables as a backing store for the values stored in a property.

Swift unifies these concepts into a single property declaration. A Swift property does
not have a corresponding instance variable, and the backing store for a property is not
accessed directly. This approach avoids confusion about how the value is accessed in
different contexts and simplifies the propertyʼs declaration into a single, definitive
statement. All information about the property—including its name, type, and memory
management characteristics—is defined in a single location as part of the typeʼs
definition.

Computed Properties
In addition to stored properties, classes, structures, and enumerations can define
computed properties, which do not actually store a value. Instead, they provide a
getter and an optional setter to retrieve and set other properties and values indirectly.

1 struct Point {

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2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0

3 }
4 struct Size {
5 var width = 0.0, height = 0.0
6 }
7 struct Rect {
8 var origin = Point()
9 var size = Size()
10 var center: Point {
11 get {
12 let centerX = origin.x + (size.width / 2)
13 let centerY = origin.y + (size.height / 2)
14 return Point(x: centerX, y: centerY)
15 }
16 set(newCenter) {
17 origin.x = newCenter.x - (size.width / 2)
18 origin.y = newCenter.y - (size.height / 2)
19 }
20 }
21 }
22 var square = Rect(origin: Point(x: 0.0, y: 0.0),
23 size: Size(width: 10.0, height: 10.0))
24 let initialSquareCenter = square.center
25 square.center = Point(x: 15.0, y: 15.0)
26 print("square.origin is now at (\(square.origin.x), \
(square.origin.y))")
27 // Prints "square.origin is now at (10.0, 10.0)"

This example defines three structures for working with geometric shapes:

Point encapsulates the x- and y-coordinate of a point.

Size encapsulates a width and a height.
Rect defines a rectangle by an origin point and a size.

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The Rect structure also provides a computed property called center. The current
center position of a Rect can always be determined from its origin and size, and so
you donʼt need to store the center point as an explicit Point value. Instead, Rect
defines a custom getter and setter for a computed variable called center, to enable
you to work with the rectangleʼs center as if it were a real stored property.

The example above creates a new Rect variable called square. The square variable is
initialized with an origin point of (0, 0), and a width and height of 10. This square is
represented by the blue square in the diagram below.

The square variableʼs center property is then accessed through dot syntax
(square.center), which causes the getter for center to be called, to retrieve the
current property value. Rather than returning an existing value, the getter actually
calculates and returns a new Point to represent the center of the square. As can be
seen above, the getter correctly returns a center point of (5, 5).

The center property is then set to a new value of (15, 15), which moves the square
up and to the right, to the new position shown by the orange square in the diagram
below. Setting the center property calls the setter for center, which modifies the x and
y values of the stored origin property, and moves the square to its new position.

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Shorthand Setter Declaration

If a computed propertyʼs setter does not define a name for the new value to be set, a
default name of newValue is used. Hereʼs an alternative version of the Rect structure,
which takes advantage of this shorthand notation:

1 struct AlternativeRect {
2 var origin = Point()
3 var size = Size()
4 var center: Point {
5 get {
6 let centerX = origin.x + (size.width / 2)
7 let centerY = origin.y + (size.height / 2)
8 return Point(x: centerX, y: centerY)
9 }
10 set {
11 origin.x = newValue.x - (size.width / 2)
12 origin.y = newValue.y - (size.height / 2)
13 }

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14 }
15 }

Read-Only Computed Properties

A computed property with a getter but no setter is known as a read-only computed
property. A read-only computed property always returns a value, and can be accessed
through dot syntax, but cannot be set to a different value.

NOTE

You must declare computed properties—including read-only computed properties—as

variable properties with the var keyword, because their value is not fixed. The let keyword
is only used for constant properties, to indicate that their values cannot be changed once
they are set as part of instance initialization.

You can simplify the declaration of a read-only computed property by removing the get
keyword and its braces:

1 struct Cuboid {
2 var width = 0.0, height = 0.0, depth = 0.0
3 var volume: Double {
4 return width * height * depth
5 }
6 }
7 let fourByFiveByTwo = Cuboid(width: 4.0, height: 5.0, depth:
2.0)
8 print("the volume of fourByFiveByTwo is \
(fourByFiveByTwo.volume)")
9 // Prints "the volume of fourByFiveByTwo is 40.0"

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This example defines a new structure called Cuboid, which represents a 3D rectangular
box with width, height, and depth properties. This structure also has a read-only
computed property called volume, which calculates and returns the current volume of
the cuboid. It doesnʼt make sense for volume to be settable, because it would be
ambiguous as to which values of width, height, and depth should be used for a
particular volume value. Nonetheless, it is useful for a Cuboid to provide a read-only
computed property to enable external users to discover its current calculated volume.

Property Observers
Property observers observe and respond to changes in a propertyʼs value. Property
observers are called every time a propertyʼs value is set, even if the new value is the
same as the propertyʼs current value.

You can add property observers to any stored properties you define, except for lazy
stored properties. You can also add property observers to any inherited property
(whether stored or computed) by overriding the property within a subclass. You donʼt
need to define property observers for nonoverridden computed properties, because
you can observe and respond to changes to their value in the computed propertyʼs
setter. Property overriding is described in Overriding.

You have the option to define either or both of these observers on a property:

willSet is called just before the value is stored.

didSet is called immediately after the new value is stored.

If you implement a willSet observer, itʼs passed the new property value as a constant
parameter. You can specify a name for this parameter as part of your willSet
implementation. If you donʼt write the parameter name and parentheses within your
implementation, the parameter is made available with a default parameter name of
newValue.

Similarly, if you implement a didSet observer, itʼs passed a constant parameter

containing the old property value. You can name the parameter or use the default
parameter name of oldValue. If you assign a value to a property within its own didSet
observer, the new value that you assign replaces the one that was just set.

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NOTE

The willSet and didSet observers of superclass properties are called when a property is
set in a subclass initializer, after the superclass initializer has been called. They are not
called while a class is setting its own properties, before the superclass initializer has been
called.

For more information about initializer delegation, see Initializer Delegation for Value Types
and Initializer Delegation for Class Types.

Hereʼs an example of willSet and didSet in action. The example below defines a new
class called StepCounter, which tracks the total number of steps that a person takes
while walking. This class might be used with input data from a pedometer or other step
counter to keep track of a personʼs exercise during their daily routine.

1 class StepCounter {
2 var totalSteps: Int = 0 {
3 willSet(newTotalSteps) {
4 print("About to set totalSteps to \
(newTotalSteps)")
5 }
6 didSet {
7 if totalSteps > oldValue {
8 print("Added \(totalSteps - oldValue) steps")
9 }
10 }
11 }
12 }
13 let stepCounter = StepCounter()
14 stepCounter.totalSteps = 200
15 // About to set totalSteps to 200
16 // Added 200 steps
17 stepCounter.totalSteps = 360
18 // About to set totalSteps to 360
19 // Added 160 steps
20 stepCounter.totalSteps = 896
21 // About to set totalSteps to 896
22 // Added 536 steps

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The StepCounter class declares a totalSteps property of type Int. This is a stored
property with willSet and didSet observers.

The willSet and didSet observers for totalSteps are called whenever the property is
assigned a new value. This is true even if the new value is the same as the current
value.

This exampleʼs willSet observer uses a custom parameter name of newTotalSteps for
the upcoming new value. In this example, it simply prints out the value that is about to
be set.

The didSet observer is called after the value of totalSteps is updated. It compares
the new value of totalSteps against the old value. If the total number of steps has
increased, a message is printed to indicate how many new steps have been taken. The
didSet observer does not provide a custom parameter name for the old value, and the
default name of oldValue is used instead.

NOTE

If you pass a property that has observers to a function as an in-out parameter, the willSet
and didSet observers are always called. This is because of the copy-in copy-out memory
model for in-out parameters: The value is always written back to the property at the end of
the function. For a detailed discussion of the behavior of in-out parameters, see In-Out
Parameters.

Global and Local Variables

The capabilities described above for computing and observing properties are also
available to global variables and local variables. Global variables are variables that are
defined outside of any function, method, closure, or type context. Local variables are
variables that are defined within a function, method, or closure context.

The global and local variables you have encountered in previous chapters have all been
stored variables. Stored variables, like stored properties, provide storage for a value of
a certain type and allow that value to be set and retrieved.

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However, you can also define computed variables and define observers for stored
variables, in either a global or local scope. Computed variables calculate their value,
rather than storing it, and they are written in the same way as computed properties.

NOTE

Global constants and variables are always computed lazily, in a similar manner to Lazy
Stored Properties. Unlike lazy stored properties, global constants and variables do not
need to be marked with the lazy modifier.

Local constants and variables are never computed lazily.

Type Properties
Instance properties are properties that belong to an instance of a particular type. Every
time you create a new instance of that type, it has its own set of property values,
separate from any other instance.

You can also define properties that belong to the type itself, not to any one instance of
that type. There will only ever be one copy of these properties, no matter how many
instances of that type you create. These kinds of properties are called type properties.

Type properties are useful for defining values that are universal to all instances of a
particular type, such as a constant property that all instances can use (like a static
constant in C), or a variable property that stores a value that is global to all instances of
that type (like a static variable in C).

Stored type properties can be variables or constants. Computed type properties are
always declared as variable properties, in the same way as computed instance
properties.

NOTE

Unlike stored instance properties, you must always give stored type properties a default
value. This is because the type itself does not have an initializer that can assign a value to
a stored type property at initialization time.

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Stored type properties are lazily initialized on their first access. They are guaranteed to be
initialized only once, even when accessed by multiple threads simultaneously, and they do
not need to be marked with the lazy modifier.

Type Property Syntax

In C and Objective-C, you define static constants and variables associated with a type
as global static variables. In Swift, however, type properties are written as part of the
typeʼs definition, within the typeʼs outer curly braces, and each type property is
explicitly scoped to the type it supports.

You define type properties with the static keyword. For computed type properties for
class types, you can use the class keyword instead to allow subclasses to override the
superclassʼs implementation. The example below shows the syntax for stored and
computed type properties:

1 struct SomeStructure {
2 static var storedTypeProperty = "Some value."
3 static var computedTypeProperty: Int {
4 return 1
5 }
6 }
7 enum SomeEnumeration {
8 static var storedTypeProperty = "Some value."
9 static var computedTypeProperty: Int {
10 return 6
11 }
12 }
13 class SomeClass {
14 static var storedTypeProperty = "Some value."
15 static var computedTypeProperty: Int {
16 return 27
17 }
18 class var overrideableComputedTypeProperty: Int {
19 return 107
20 }

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21 }

NOTE

The computed type property examples above are for read-only computed type properties,
but you can also define read-write computed type properties with the same syntax as for
computed instance properties.

Querying and Setting Type Properties

Type properties are queried and set with dot syntax, just like instance properties.
However, type properties are queried and set on the type, not on an instance of that
type. For example:

1 print(SomeStructure.storedTypeProperty)
2 // Prints "Some value."
3 SomeStructure.storedTypeProperty = "Another value."
4 print(SomeStructure.storedTypeProperty)
5 // Prints "Another value."
6 print(SomeEnumeration.computedTypeProperty)
7 // Prints "6"
8 print(SomeClass.computedTypeProperty)
9 // Prints "27"

The examples that follow use two stored type properties as part of a structure that
models an audio level meter for a number of audio channels. Each channel has an
integer audio level between 0 and 10 inclusive.

The figure below illustrates how two of these audio channels can be combined to
model a stereo audio level meter. When a channelʼs audio level is 0, none of the lights
for that channel are lit. When the audio level is 10, all of the lights for that channel are
lit. In this figure, the left channel has a current level of 9, and the right channel has a
current level of 7:

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The audio channels described above are represented by instances of the

AudioChannel structure:

1 struct AudioChannel {
2 static let thresholdLevel = 10
3 static var maxInputLevelForAllChannels = 0
4 var currentLevel: Int = 0 {
5 didSet {
6 if currentLevel > AudioChannel.thresholdLevel {
7 // cap the new audio level to the threshold
level
8 currentLevel = AudioChannel.thresholdLevel
9 }
10 if currentLevel >
AudioChannel.maxInputLevelForAllChannels {
11 // store this as the new overall maximum input
level
12 AudioChannel.maxInputLevelForAllChannels =
currentLevel
13 }
14 }

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15 }
16 }

The AudioChannel structure defines two stored type properties to support its
functionality. The first, thresholdLevel, defines the maximum threshold value an audio
level can take. This is a constant value of 10 for all AudioChannel instances. If an audio
signal comes in with a higher value than 10, it will be capped to this threshold value (as
described below).

The second type property is a variable stored property called

maxInputLevelForAllChannels. This keeps track of the maximum input value that has
been received by any AudioChannel instance. It starts with an initial value of 0.

The AudioChannel structure also defines a stored instance property called

currentLevel, which represents the channelʼs current audio level on a scale of 0 to 10.

The currentLevel property has a didSet property observer to check the value of
currentLevel whenever it is set. This observer performs two checks:

If the new value of currentLevel is greater than the allowed thresholdLevel, the
property observer caps currentLevel to thresholdLevel.
If the new value of currentLevel (after any capping) is higher than any value
previously received by any AudioChannel instance, the property observer stores
the new currentLevel value in the maxInputLevelForAllChannels type
property.

NOTE

In the first of these two checks, the didSet observer sets currentLevel to a different
value. This does not, however, cause the observer to be called again.

You can use the AudioChannel structure to create two new audio channels called
leftChannel and rightChannel, to represent the audio levels of a stereo sound
system:

1 var leftChannel = AudioChannel()

2 var rightChannel = AudioChannel()

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If you set the currentLevel of the left channel to 7, you can see that the
maxInputLevelForAllChannels type property is updated to equal 7:

1 leftChannel.currentLevel = 7
2 print(leftChannel.currentLevel)
3 // Prints "7"
4 print(AudioChannel.maxInputLevelForAllChannels)
5 // Prints "7"

If you try to set the currentLevel of the right channel to 11, you can see that the right
channelʼs currentLevel property is capped to the maximum value of 10, and the
maxInputLevelForAllChannels type property is updated to equal 10:

1 rightChannel.currentLevel = 11
2 print(rightChannel.currentLevel)
3 // Prints "10"
4 print(AudioChannel.maxInputLevelForAllChannels)
5 // Prints "10"

Structures and Classes Methods

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ON THIS PAGE

Methods
Methods are functions that are associated with a particular type. Classes, structures,
and enumerations can all define instance methods, which encapsulate specific tasks
and functionality for working with an instance of a given type. Classes, structures, and
enumerations can also define type methods, which are associated with the type itself.
Type methods are similar to class methods in Objective-C.

The fact that structures and enumerations can define methods in Swift is a major
difference from C and Objective-C. In Objective-C, classes are the only types that can
define methods. In Swift, you can choose whether to define a class, structure, or
enumeration, and still have the flexibility to define methods on the type you create.

Instance Methods
Instance methods are functions that belong to instances of a particular class,
structure, or enumeration. They support the functionality of those instances, either by
providing ways to access and modify instance properties, or by providing functionality
related to the instanceʼs purpose. Instance methods have exactly the same syntax as
functions, as described in Functions.

You write an instance method within the opening and closing braces of the type it
belongs to. An instance method has implicit access to all other instance methods and
properties of that type. An instance method can be called only on a specific instance of
the type it belongs to. It cannot be called in isolation without an existing instance.

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Hereʼs an example that defines a simple Counter class, which can be used to count the
number of times an action occurs:

1 class Counter {
2 var count = 0
3 func increment() {
4 count += 1
5 }
6 func increment(by amount: Int) {
7 count += amount
8 }
9 func reset() {
10 count = 0
11 }
12 }

The Counter class defines three instance methods:

increment() increments the counter by 1.

increment(by: Int) increments the counter by a specified integer amount.
reset() resets the counter to zero.

The Counter class also declares a variable property, count, to keep track of the current
counter value.

You call instance methods with the same dot syntax as properties:

1 let counter = Counter()

2 // the initial counter value is 0
3 counter.increment()
4 // the counter's value is now 1
5 counter.increment(by: 5)
6 // the counter's value is now 6
7 counter.reset()
8 // the counter's value is now 0

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Function parameters can have both a name (for use within the functionʼs body) and an
argument label (for use when calling the function), as described in Function Argument
Labels and Parameter Names. The same is true for method parameters, because
methods are just functions that are associated with a type.

The self Property

Every instance of a type has an implicit property called self, which is exactly
equivalent to the instance itself. You use the self property to refer to the current
instance within its own instance methods.

The increment() method in the example above could have been written like this:

1 func increment() {
2 self.count += 1
3 }

In practice, you donʼt need to write self in your code very often. If you donʼt explicitly
write self, Swift assumes that you are referring to a property or method of the current
instance whenever you use a known property or method name within a method. This
assumption is demonstrated by the use of count (rather than self.count) inside the
three instance methods for Counter.

The main exception to this rule occurs when a parameter name for an instance method
has the same name as a property of that instance. In this situation, the parameter name
takes precedence, and it becomes necessary to refer to the property in a more
qualified way. You use the self property to distinguish between the parameter name
and the property name.

Here, self disambiguates between a method parameter called x and an instance

property that is also called x:

1 struct Point {
2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0
3 func isToTheRightOf(x: Double) -> Bool {
4 return self.x > x
5 }

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6 }
7 let somePoint = Point(x: 4.0, y: 5.0)
8 if somePoint.isToTheRightOf(x: 1.0) {
9 print("This point is to the right of the line where x ==
1.0")
10 }
11 // Prints "This point is to the right of the line where x ==
1.0"

Without the self prefix, Swift would assume that both uses of x referred to the method
parameter called x.

Modifying Value Types from Within Instance Methods

Structures and enumerations are value types. By default, the properties of a value type
cannot be modified from within its instance methods.

However, if you need to modify the properties of your structure or enumeration within a
particular method, you can opt in to mutating behavior for that method. The method
can then mutate (that is, change) its properties from within the method, and any
changes that it makes are written back to the original structure when the method ends.
The method can also assign a completely new instance to its implicit self property,
and this new instance will replace the existing one when the method ends.

You can opt in to this behavior by placing the mutating keyword before the func
keyword for that method:

1 struct Point {
2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0
3 mutating func moveBy(x deltaX: Double, y deltaY: Double) {
4 x += deltaX
5 y += deltaY
6 }
7 }
8 var somePoint = Point(x: 1.0, y: 1.0)
9 somePoint.moveBy(x: 2.0, y: 3.0)
10 print("The point is now at (\(somePoint.x), \(somePoint.y))")

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11 // Prints "The point is now at (3.0, 4.0)"

The Point structure above defines a mutating moveBy(x:y:) method, which moves a
Point instance by a certain amount. Instead of returning a new point, this method
actually modifies the point on which it is called. The mutating keyword is added to its
definition to enable it to modify its properties.

Note that you cannot call a mutating method on a constant of structure type, because
its properties cannot be changed, even if they are variable properties, as described in
Stored Properties of Constant Structure Instances:

1 let fixedPoint = Point(x: 3.0, y: 3.0)

2 fixedPoint.moveBy(x: 2.0, y: 3.0)
3 // this will report an error

Assigning to self Within a Mutating Method

Mutating methods can assign an entirely new instance to the implicit self property.
The Point example shown above could have been written in the following way instead:

1 struct Point {
2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0
3 mutating func moveBy(x deltaX: Double, y deltaY: Double) {
4 self = Point(x: x + deltaX, y: y + deltaY)
5 }
6 }

This version of the mutating moveBy(x:y:) method creates a new structure whose x
and y values are set to the target location. The end result of calling this alternative
version of the method will be exactly the same as for calling the earlier version.

Mutating methods for enumerations can set the implicit self parameter to be a
different case from the same enumeration:

1 enum TriStateSwitch {
2 case off, low, high
3 mutating func next() {

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4 switch self {
5 case .off:
6 self = .low
7 case .low:
8 self = .high
9 case .high:
10 self = .off
11 }
12 }
13 }
14 var ovenLight = TriStateSwitch.low
15 ovenLight.next()
16 // ovenLight is now equal to .high
17 ovenLight.next()
18 // ovenLight is now equal to .off

This example defines an enumeration for a three-state switch. The switch cycles
between three different power states (off, low and high) every time its next() method
is called.

Type Methods
Instance methods, as described above, are methods that are called on an instance of a
particular type. You can also define methods that are called on the type itself. These
kinds of methods are called type methods. You indicate type methods by writing the
static keyword before the methodʼs func keyword. Classes may also use the class
keyword to allow subclasses to override the superclassʼs implementation of that
method.

NOTE

In Objective-C, you can define type-level methods only for Objective-C classes. In Swift,
you can define type-level methods for all classes, structures, and enumerations. Each type
method is explicitly scoped to the type it supports.

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Type methods are called with dot syntax, like instance methods. However, you call type
methods on the type, not on an instance of that type. Hereʼs how you call a type
method on a class called SomeClass:

1 class SomeClass {
2 class func someTypeMethod() {
3 // type method implementation goes here
4 }
5 }
6 SomeClass.someTypeMethod()

Within the body of a type method, the implicit self property refers to the type itself,
rather than an instance of that type. This means that you can use self to disambiguate
between type properties and type method parameters, just as you do for instance
properties and instance method parameters.

More generally, any unqualified method and property names that you use within the
body of a type method will refer to other type-level methods and properties. A type
method can call another type method with the other methodʼs name, without needing
to prefix it with the type name. Similarly, type methods on structures and enumerations
can access type properties by using the type propertyʼs name without a type name
prefix.

The example below defines a structure called LevelTracker, which tracks a playerʼs
progress through the different levels or stages of a game. It is a single-player game,
but can store information for multiple players on a single device.

All of the gameʼs levels (apart from level one) are locked when the game is first played.
Every time a player finishes a level, that level is unlocked for all players on the device.
The LevelTracker structure uses type properties and methods to keep track of which
levels of the game have been unlocked. It also tracks the current level for an individual
player.

1 struct LevelTracker {
2 static var highestUnlockedLevel = 1
3 var currentLevel = 1
4

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5 static func unlock(_ level: Int) {

6 if level > highestUnlockedLevel { highestUnlockedLevel
= level }
7 }
8
9 static func isUnlocked(_ level: Int) -> Bool {
10 return level <= highestUnlockedLevel
11 }
12
13 @discardableResult
14 mutating func advance(to level: Int) -> Bool {
15 if LevelTracker.isUnlocked(level) {
16 currentLevel = level
17 return true
18 } else {
19 return false
20 }
21 }
22 }

The LevelTracker structure keeps track of the highest level that any player has
unlocked. This value is stored in a type property called highestUnlockedLevel.

LevelTracker also defines two type functions to work with the highestUnlockedLevel
property. The first is a type function called unlock(_:), which updates the value of
highestUnlockedLevel whenever a new level is unlocked. The second is a
convenience type function called isUnlocked(_:), which returns true if a particular
level number is already unlocked. (Note that these type methods can access the
highestUnlockedLevel type property without your needing to write it as
LevelTracker.highestUnlockedLevel.)

In addition to its type property and type methods, LevelTracker tracks an individual
playerʼs progress through the game. It uses an instance property called currentLevel
to track the level that a player is currently playing.

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To help manage the currentLevel property, LevelTracker defines an instance method

called advance(to:). Before updating currentLevel, this method checks whether the
requested new level is already unlocked. The advance(to:) method returns a Boolean
value to indicate whether or not it was actually able to set currentLevel. Because itʼs
not necessarily a mistake for code that calls the advance(to:) method to ignore the
return value, this function is marked with the @discardableResult attribute. For more
information about this attribute, see Attributes.

The LevelTracker structure is used with the Player class, shown below, to track and
update the progress of an individual player:

1 class Player {
2 var tracker = LevelTracker()
3 let playerName: String
4 func complete(level: Int) {
5 LevelTracker.unlock(level + 1)
6 tracker.advance(to: level + 1)
7 }
8 init(name: String) {
9 playerName = name
10 }
11 }

The Player class creates a new instance of LevelTracker to track that playerʼs
progress. It also provides a method called complete(level:), which is called whenever
a player completes a particular level. This method unlocks the next level for all players
and updates the playerʼs progress to move them to the next level. (The Boolean return
value of advance(to:) is ignored, because the level is known to have been unlocked by
the call to LevelTracker.unlock(_:) on the previous line.)

You can create an instance of the Player class for a new player, and see what happens
when the player completes level one:

1 var player = Player(name: "Argyrios")

2 player.complete(level: 1)
3 print("highest unlocked level is now \
(LevelTracker.highestUnlockedLevel)")

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4 // Prints "highest unlocked level is now 2"

If you create a second player, whom you try to move to a level that is not yet unlocked
by any player in the game, the attempt to set the playerʼs current level fails:

1 player = Player(name: "Beto")

2 if player.tracker.advance(to: 6) {
3 print("player is now on level 6")
4 } else {
5 print("level 6 has not yet been unlocked")
6 }
7 // Prints "level 6 has not yet been unlocked"

Properties Subscripts

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ON THIS PAGE

Subscripts
Classes, structures, and enumerations can define subscripts, which are shortcuts for
accessing the member elements of a collection, list, or sequence. You use subscripts
to set and retrieve values by index without needing separate methods for setting and
retrieval. For example, you access elements in an Array instance as someArray[index]
and elements in a Dictionary instance as someDictionary[key].

You can define multiple subscripts for a single type, and the appropriate subscript
overload to use is selected based on the type of index value you pass to the subscript.
Subscripts are not limited to a single dimension, and you can define subscripts with
multiple input parameters to suit your custom typeʼs needs.

Subscript Syntax
Subscripts enable you to query instances of a type by writing one or more values in
square brackets after the instance name. Their syntax is similar to both instance
method syntax and computed property syntax. You write subscript definitions with the
subscript keyword, and specify one or more input parameters and a return type, in the
same way as instance methods. Unlike instance methods, subscripts can be read-write
or read-only. This behavior is communicated by a getter and setter in the same way as
for computed properties:

1 subscript(index: Int) -> Int {

2 get {

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3 // return an appropriate subscript value here

4 }
5 set(newValue) {
6 // perform a suitable setting action here
7 }
8 }

The type of newValue is the same as the return value of the subscript. As with
computed properties, you can choose not to specify the setterʼs (newValue)
parameter. A default parameter called newValue is provided to your setter if you do not
provide one yourself.

As with read-only computed properties, you can simplify the declaration of a read-only
subscript by removing the get keyword and its braces:

1 subscript(index: Int) -> Int {

2 // return an appropriate subscript value here
3 }

Hereʼs an example of a read-only subscript implementation, which defines a

TimesTable structure to represent an n-times-table of integers:

1 struct TimesTable {
2 let multiplier: Int
3 subscript(index: Int) -> Int {
4 return multiplier * index
5 }
6 }
7 let threeTimesTable = TimesTable(multiplier: 3)
8 print("six times three is \(threeTimesTable[6])")
9 // Prints "six times three is 18"

In this example, a new instance of TimesTable is created to represent the three-times-

table. This is indicated by passing a value of 3 to the structureʼs initializer as the
value to use for the instanceʼs multiplier parameter.

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You can query the threeTimesTable instance by calling its subscript, as shown in the
call to threeTimesTable[6]. This requests the sixth entry in the three-times-table,
which returns a value of 18, or 3 times 6.

NOTE

An n-times-table is based on a fixed mathematical rule. It is not appropriate to set

threeTimesTable[someIndex] to a new value, and so the subscript for TimesTable is
defined as a read-only subscript.

Subscript Usage
The exact meaning of “subscript” depends on the context in which it is used.
Subscripts are typically used as a shortcut for accessing the member elements in a
collection, list, or sequence. You are free to implement subscripts in the most
appropriate way for your particular class or structureʼs functionality.

For example, Swiftʼs Dictionary type implements a subscript to set and retrieve the
values stored in a Dictionary instance. You can set a value in a dictionary by providing
a key of the dictionaryʼs key type within subscript brackets, and assigning a value of the
dictionaryʼs value type to the subscript:

1 var numberOfLegs = ["spider": 8, "ant": 6, "cat": 4]

2 numberOfLegs["bird"] = 2

The example above defines a variable called numberOfLegs and initializes it with a
dictionary literal containing three key-value pairs. The type of the numberOfLegs
dictionary is inferred to be [String: Int]. After creating the dictionary, this example
uses subscript assignment to add a String key of "bird" and an Int value of 2 to the
dictionary.

For more information about Dictionary subscripting, see Accessing and Modifying a
Dictionary.

NOTE

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Swiftʼs Dictionary type implements its key-value subscripting as a subscript that takes
and returns an optional type. For the numberOfLegs dictionary above, the key-value
subscript takes and returns a value of type Int?, or “optional int”. The Dictionary type
uses an optional subscript type to model the fact that not every key will have a value, and
to give a way to delete a value for a key by assigning a nil value for that key.

Subscript Options
Subscripts can take any number of input parameters, and these input parameters can
be of any type. Subscripts can also return any type. Subscripts can use variadic
parameters, but they canʼt use in-out parameters or provide default parameter values.

A class or structure can provide as many subscript implementations as it needs, and

the appropriate subscript to be used will be inferred based on the types of the value or
values that are contained within the subscript brackets at the point that the subscript is
used. This definition of multiple subscripts is known as subscript overloading.

While it is most common for a subscript to take a single parameter, you can also define
a subscript with multiple parameters if it is appropriate for your type. The following
example defines a Matrix structure, which represents a two-dimensional matrix of
Double values. The Matrix structureʼs subscript takes two integer parameters:

1 struct Matrix {
2 let rows: Int, columns: Int
3 var grid: [Double]
4 init(rows: Int, columns: Int) {
5 self.rows = rows
6 self.columns = columns
7 grid = Array(repeating: 0.0, count: rows * columns)
8 }
9 func indexIsValid(row: Int, column: Int) -> Bool {
10 return row >= 0 && row < rows && column >= 0 && column
< columns
11 }
12 subscript(row: Int, column: Int) -> Double {
13 get {

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14 assert(indexIsValid(row: row, column: column),

"Index out of range")
15 return grid[(row * columns) + column]
16 }
17 set {
18 assert(indexIsValid(row: row, column: column),
"Index out of range")
19 grid[(row * columns) + column] = newValue
20 }
21 }
22 }

Matrix provides an initializer that takes two parameters called rows and columns, and
creates an array that is large enough to store rows * columns values of type Double.
Each position in the matrix is given an initial value of 0.0. To achieve this, the arrayʼs
size, and an initial cell value of 0.0, are passed to an array initializer that creates and
initializes a new array of the correct size. This initializer is described in more detail in
Creating an Array with a Default Value.

You can construct a new Matrix instance by passing an appropriate row and column
count to its initializer:

var matrix = Matrix(rows: 2, columns: 2)

The example above creates a new Matrix instance with two rows and two columns.
The grid array for this Matrix instance is effectively a flattened version of the matrix,
as read from top left to bottom right:

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Values in the matrix can be set by passing row and column values into the subscript,
separated by a comma:

1 matrix[0, 1] = 1.5
2 matrix[1, 0] = 3.2

These two statements call the subscriptʼs setter to set a value of 1.5 in the top right
position of the matrix (where row is 0 and column is 1), and 3.2 in the bottom left
position (where row is 1 and column is 0):

The Matrix subscriptʼs getter and setter both contain an assertion to check that the
subscriptʼs row and column values are valid. To assist with these assertions, Matrix
includes a convenience method called indexIsValid(row:column:), which checks
whether the requested row and column are inside the bounds of the matrix:

1 func indexIsValid(row: Int, column: Int) -> Bool {

2 return row >= 0 && row < rows && column >= 0 && column <
columns
3 }

An assertion is triggered if you try to access a subscript that is outside of the matrix
bounds:

1 let someValue = matrix[2, 2]

2 // this triggers an assert, because [2, 2] is outside of the
matrix bounds

Methods Inheritance

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ON THIS PAGE

Inheritance
A class can inherit methods, properties, and other characteristics from another class.
When one class inherits from another, the inheriting class is known as a subclass, and
the class it inherits from is known as its superclass. Inheritance is a fundamental
behavior that differentiates classes from other types in Swift.

Classes in Swift can call and access methods, properties, and subscripts belonging to
their superclass and can provide their own overriding versions of those methods,
properties, and subscripts to refine or modify their behavior. Swift helps to ensure your
overrides are correct by checking that the override definition has a matching
superclass definition.

Classes can also add property observers to inherited properties in order to be notified
when the value of a property changes. Property observers can be added to any
property, regardless of whether it was originally defined as a stored or computed
property.

Defining a Base Class

Any class that does not inherit from another class is known as a base class.

NOTE

Swift classes do not inherit from a universal base class. Classes you define without
specifying a superclass automatically become base classes for you to build upon.

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The example below defines a base class called Vehicle. This base class defines a
stored property called currentSpeed, with a default value of 0.0 (inferring a property
type of Double). The currentSpeed propertyʼs value is used by a read-only computed
String property called description to create a description of the vehicle.

The Vehicle base class also defines a method called makeNoise. This method does not
actually do anything for a base Vehicle instance, but will be customized by subclasses
of Vehicle later on:

1 class Vehicle {
2 var currentSpeed = 0.0
3 var description: String {
4 return "traveling at \(currentSpeed) miles per hour"
5 }
6 func makeNoise() {
7 // do nothing - an arbitrary vehicle doesn't
necessarily make a noise
8 }
9 }

You create a new instance of Vehicle with initializer syntax, which is written as a type
name followed by empty parentheses:

let someVehicle = Vehicle()

Having created a new Vehicle instance, you can access its description property to
print a human-readable description of the vehicleʼs current speed:

1 print("Vehicle: \(someVehicle.description)")
2 // Vehicle: traveling at 0.0 miles per hour

The Vehicle class defines common characteristics for an arbitrary vehicle, but is not
much use in itself. To make it more useful, you need to refine it to describe more
specific kinds of vehicles.

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Subclassing
Subclassing is the act of basing a new class on an existing class. The subclass inherits
characteristics from the existing class, which you can then refine. You can also add
new characteristics to the subclass.

To indicate that a subclass has a superclass, write the subclass name before the
superclass name, separated by a colon:

1 class SomeSubclass: SomeSuperclass {

2 // subclass definition goes here
3 }

The following example defines a subclass called Bicycle, with a superclass of Vehicle:

1 class Bicycle: Vehicle {

2 var hasBasket = false
3 }

The new Bicycle class automatically gains all of the characteristics of Vehicle, such
as its currentSpeed and description properties and its makeNoise() method.

In addition to the characteristics it inherits, the Bicycle class defines a new stored
property, hasBasket, with a default value of false (inferring a type of Bool for the
property).

By default, any new Bicycle instance you create will not have a basket. You can set the
hasBasket property to true for a particular Bicycle instance after that instance is
created:

1 let bicycle = Bicycle()

2 bicycle.hasBasket = true

You can also modify the inherited currentSpeed property of a Bicycle instance, and
query the instanceʼs inherited description property:

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1 bicycle.currentSpeed = 15.0
2 print("Bicycle: \(bicycle.description)")
3 // Bicycle: traveling at 15.0 miles per hour

Subclasses can themselves be subclassed. The next example creates a subclass of

Bicycle for a two-seater bicycle known as a “tandem”:

1 class Tandem: Bicycle {

2 var currentNumberOfPassengers = 0
3 }

Tandem inherits all of the properties and methods from Bicycle, which in turn inherits
all of the properties and methods from Vehicle. The Tandem subclass also adds a new
stored property called currentNumberOfPassengers, with a default value of 0.

If you create an instance of Tandem, you can work with any of its new and inherited
properties, and query the read-only description property it inherits from Vehicle:

1 let tandem = Tandem()

2 tandem.hasBasket = true
3 tandem.currentNumberOfPassengers = 2
4 tandem.currentSpeed = 22.0
5 print("Tandem: \(tandem.description)")
6 // Tandem: traveling at 22.0 miles per hour

Overriding
A subclass can provide its own custom implementation of an instance method, type
method, instance property, type property, or subscript that it would otherwise inherit
from a superclass. This is known as overriding.

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To override a characteristic that would otherwise be inherited, you prefix your

overriding definition with the override keyword. Doing so clarifies that you intend to
provide an override and have not provided a matching definition by mistake. Overriding
by accident can cause unexpected behavior, and any overrides without the override
keyword are diagnosed as an error when your code is compiled.

The override keyword also prompts the Swift compiler to check that your overriding
classʼs superclass (or one of its parents) has a declaration that matches the one you
provided for the override. This check ensures that your overriding definition is correct.

Accessing Superclass Methods, Properties, and Subscripts

When you provide a method, property, or subscript override for a subclass, it is
sometimes useful to use the existing superclass implementation as part of your
override. For example, you can refine the behavior of that existing implementation, or
store a modified value in an existing inherited variable.

Where this is appropriate, you access the superclass version of a method, property, or
subscript by using the super prefix:

An overridden method named someMethod() can call the superclass version of

someMethod() by calling super.someMethod() within the overriding method
implementation.
An overridden property called someProperty can access the superclass version
of someProperty as super.someProperty within the overriding getter or setter
implementation.
An overridden subscript for someIndex can access the superclass version of the
same subscript as super[someIndex] from within the overriding subscript
implementation.

Overriding Methods
You can override an inherited instance or type method to provide a tailored or
alternative implementation of the method within your subclass.

The following example defines a new subclass of Vehicle called Train, which
overrides the makeNoise() method that Train inherits from Vehicle:

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1 class Train: Vehicle {

2 override func makeNoise() {
3 print("Choo Choo")
4 }
5 }

If you create a new instance of Train and call its makeNoise() method, you can see
that the Train subclass version of the method is called:

1 let train = Train()

2 train.makeNoise()
3 // Prints "Choo Choo"

Overriding Properties
You can override an inherited instance or type property to provide your own custom
getter and setter for that property, or to add property observers to enable the
overriding property to observe when the underlying property value changes.

Overriding Property Getters and Setters

You can provide a custom getter (and setter, if appropriate) to override any inherited
property, regardless of whether the inherited property is implemented as a stored or
computed property at source. The stored or computed nature of an inherited property
is not known by a subclass—it only knows that the inherited property has a certain
name and type. You must always state both the name and the type of the property you
are overriding, to enable the compiler to check that your override matches a superclass
property with the same name and type.

You can present an inherited read-only property as a read-write property by providing

both a getter and a setter in your subclass property override. You cannot, however,
present an inherited read-write property as a read-only property.

NOTE

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If you provide a setter as part of a property override, you must also provide a getter for
that override. If you donʼt want to modify the inherited propertyʼs value within the
overriding getter, you can simply pass through the inherited value by returning
super.someProperty from the getter, where someProperty is the name of the property you
are overriding.

The following example defines a new class called Car, which is a subclass of Vehicle.
The Car class introduces a new stored property called gear, with a default integer
value of 1. The Car class also overrides the description property it inherits from
Vehicle, to provide a custom description that includes the current gear:

1 class Car: Vehicle {

2 var gear = 1
3 override var description: String {
4 return super.description + " in gear \(gear)"
5 }
6 }

The override of the description property starts by calling super.description, which

returns the Vehicle classʼs description property. The Car classʼs version of
description then adds some extra text onto the end of this description to provide
information about the current gear.

If you create an instance of the Car class and set its gear and currentSpeed properties,
you can see that its description property returns the tailored description defined
within the Car class:

1 let car = Car()

2 car.currentSpeed = 25.0
3 car.gear = 3
4 print("Car: \(car.description)")
5 // Car: traveling at 25.0 miles per hour in gear 3

Overriding Property Observers

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You can use property overriding to add property observers to an inherited property.
This enables you to be notified when the value of an inherited property changes,
regardless of how that property was originally implemented. For more information on
property observers, see Property Observers.

NOTE

You cannot add property observers to inherited constant stored properties or inherited
read-only computed properties. The value of these properties cannot be set, and so it is
not appropriate to provide a willSet or didSet implementation as part of an override.

Note also that you cannot provide both an overriding setter and an overriding property
observer for the same property. If you want to observe changes to a propertyʼs value, and
you are already providing a custom setter for that property, you can simply observe any
value changes from within the custom setter.

The following example defines a new class called AutomaticCar, which is a subclass of
Car. The AutomaticCar class represents a car with an automatic gearbox, which
automatically selects an appropriate gear to use based on the current speed:

1 class AutomaticCar: Car {

2 override var currentSpeed: Double {
3 didSet {
4 gear = Int(currentSpeed / 10.0) + 1
5 }
6 }
7 }

Whenever you set the currentSpeed property of an AutomaticCar instance, the

propertyʼs didSet observer sets the instanceʼs gear property to an appropriate choice
of gear for the new speed. Specifically, the property observer chooses a gear that is
the new currentSpeed value divided by 10, rounded down to the nearest integer, plus
1. A speed of 35.0 produces a gear of 4:

1 let automatic = AutomaticCar()

2 automatic.currentSpeed = 35.0
3 print("AutomaticCar: \(automatic.description)")
4 // AutomaticCar: traveling at 35.0 miles per hour in gear 4

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Preventing Overrides
You can prevent a method, property, or subscript from being overridden by marking it
as final. Do this by writing the final modifier before the method, property, or
subscriptʼs introducer keyword (such as final var, final func, final class func,
and final subscript).

Any attempt to override a final method, property, or subscript in a subclass is reported

as a compile-time error. Methods, properties, or subscripts that you add to a class in
an extension can also be marked as final within the extensionʼs definition.

You can mark an entire class as final by writing the final modifier before the class
keyword in its class definition (final class). Any attempt to subclass a final class is
reported as a compile-time error.

Subscripts Initialization

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ON THIS PAGE

Initialization
Initialization is the process of preparing an instance of a class, structure, or
enumeration for use. This process involves setting an initial value for each stored
property on that instance and performing any other setup or initialization that is
required before the new instance is ready for use.

You implement this initialization process by defining initializers, which are like special
methods that can be called to create a new instance of a particular type. Unlike
Objective-C initializers, Swift initializers do not return a value. Their primary role is to
ensure that new instances of a type are correctly initialized before they are used for the
first time.

Instances of class types can also implement a deinitializer, which performs any custom
cleanup just before an instance of that class is deallocated. For more information about
deinitializers, see Deinitialization.

Setting Initial Values for Stored Properties

Classes and structures must set all of their stored properties to an appropriate initial
value by the time an instance of that class or structure is created. Stored properties
cannot be left in an indeterminate state.

You can set an initial value for a stored property within an initializer, or by assigning a
default property value as part of the propertyʼs definition. These actions are described
in the following sections.

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NOTE

When you assign a default value to a stored property, or set its initial value within an
initializer, the value of that property is set directly, without calling any property observers.

Initializers
Initializers are called to create a new instance of a particular type. In its simplest form,
an initializer is like an instance method with no parameters, written using the init
keyword:

1 init() {
2 // perform some initialization here
3 }

The example below defines a new structure called Fahrenheit to store temperatures
expressed in the Fahrenheit scale. The Fahrenheit structure has one stored property,
temperature, which is of type Double:

1 struct Fahrenheit {
2 var temperature: Double
3 init() {
4 temperature = 32.0
5 }
6 }
7 var f = Fahrenheit()
8 print("The default temperature is \(f.temperature)°
Fahrenheit")
9 // Prints "The default temperature is 32.0° Fahrenheit"

The structure defines a single initializer, init, with no parameters, which initializes the
stored temperature with a value of 32.0 (the freezing point of water in degrees
Fahrenheit).

Default Property Values

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You can set the initial value of a stored property from within an initializer, as shown
above. Alternatively, specify a default property value as part of the propertyʼs
declaration. You specify a default property value by assigning an initial value to the
property when it is defined.

NOTE

If a property always takes the same initial value, provide a default value rather than setting
a value within an initializer. The end result is the same, but the default value ties the
propertyʼs initialization more closely to its declaration. It makes for shorter, clearer
initializers and enables you to infer the type of the property from its default value. The
default value also makes it easier for you to take advantage of default initializers and
initializer inheritance, as described later in this chapter.

You can write the Fahrenheit structure from above in a simpler form by providing a
default value for its temperature property at the point that the property is declared:

1 struct Fahrenheit {
2 var temperature = 32.0
3 }

Customizing Initialization
You can customize the initialization process with input parameters and optional
property types, or by assigning constant properties during initialization, as described in
the following sections.

Initialization Parameters
You can provide initialization parameters as part of an initializerʼs definition, to define
the types and names of values that customize the initialization process. Initialization
parameters have the same capabilities and syntax as function and method parameters.

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The following example defines a structure called Celsius, which stores temperatures
expressed in degrees Celsius. The Celsius structure implements two custom
initializers called init(fromFahrenheit:) and init(fromKelvin:), which initialize a
new instance of the structure with a value from a different temperature scale:

1 struct Celsius {
2 var temperatureInCelsius: Double
3 init(fromFahrenheit fahrenheit: Double) {
4 temperatureInCelsius = (fahrenheit - 32.0) / 1.8
5 }
6 init(fromKelvin kelvin: Double) {
7 temperatureInCelsius = kelvin - 273.15
8 }
9 }
10 let boilingPointOfWater = Celsius(fromFahrenheit: 212.0)
11 // boilingPointOfWater.temperatureInCelsius is 100.0
12 let freezingPointOfWater = Celsius(fromKelvin: 273.15)
13 // freezingPointOfWater.temperatureInCelsius is 0.0

The first initializer has a single initialization parameter with an argument label of
fromFahrenheit and a parameter name of fahrenheit. The second initializer has a
single initialization parameter with an argument label of fromKelvin and a parameter
name of kelvin. Both initializers convert their single argument into the corresponding
Celsius value and store this value in a property called temperatureInCelsius.

Parameter Names and Argument Labels

As with function and method parameters, initialization parameters can have both a
parameter name for use within the initializerʼs body and an argument label for use when
calling the initializer.

However, initializers do not have an identifying function name before their parentheses
in the way that functions and methods do. Therefore, the names and types of an
initializerʼs parameters play a particularly important role in identifying which initializer
should be called. Because of this, Swift provides an automatic argument label for every
parameter in an initializer if you donʼt provide one.

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The following example defines a structure called Color, with three constant properties
called red, green, and blue. These properties store a value between 0.0 and 1.0 to
indicate the amount of red, green, and blue in the color.

Color provides an initializer with three appropriately named parameters of type Double
for its red, green, and blue components. Color also provides a second initializer with a
single white parameter, which is used to provide the same value for all three color
components.

1 struct Color {
2 let red, green, blue: Double
3 init(red: Double, green: Double, blue: Double) {
4 self.red = red
5 self.green = green
6 self.blue = blue
7 }
8 init(white: Double) {
9 red = white
10 green = white
11 blue = white
12 }
13 }

Both initializers can be used to create a new Color instance, by providing named values
for each initializer parameter:

1 let magenta = Color(red: 1.0, green: 0.0, blue: 1.0)

2 let halfGray = Color(white: 0.5)

Note that it is not possible to call these initializers without using argument labels.
Argument labels must always be used in an initializer if they are defined, and omitting
them is a compile-time error:

1 let veryGreen = Color(0.0, 1.0, 0.0)

2 // this reports a compile-time error - argument labels are
required

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Initializer Parameters Without Argument Labels

If you do not want to use an argument label for an initializer parameter, write an
underscore (_) instead of an explicit argument label for that parameter to override the
default behavior.

Hereʼs an expanded version of the Celsius example from Initialization Parameters

above, with an additional initializer to create a new Celsius instance from a Double
value that is already in the Celsius scale:

1 struct Celsius {
2 var temperatureInCelsius: Double
3 init(fromFahrenheit fahrenheit: Double) {
4 temperatureInCelsius = (fahrenheit - 32.0) / 1.8
5 }
6 init(fromKelvin kelvin: Double) {
7 temperatureInCelsius = kelvin - 273.15
8 }
9 init(_ celsius: Double) {
10 temperatureInCelsius = celsius
11 }
12 }
13 let bodyTemperature = Celsius(37.0)
14 // bodyTemperature.temperatureInCelsius is 37.0

The initializer call Celsius(37.0) is clear in its intent without the need for an argument
label. It is therefore appropriate to write this initializer as init(_ celsius: Double) so
that it can be called by providing an unnamed Double value.

Optional Property Types

If your custom type has a stored property that is logically allowed to have “no value”—
perhaps because its value cannot be set during initialization, or because it is allowed to
have “no value” at some later point—declare the property with an optional type.
Properties of optional type are automatically initialized with a value of nil, indicating
that the property is deliberately intended to have “no value yet” during initialization.

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The following example defines a class called SurveyQuestion, with an optional String
property called response:

1 class SurveyQuestion {
2 var text: String
3 var response: String?
4 init(text: String) {
5 self.text = text
6 }
7 func ask() {
8 print(text)
9 }
10 }
11 let cheeseQuestion = SurveyQuestion(text: "Do you like
cheese?")
12 cheeseQuestion.ask()
13 // Prints "Do you like cheese?"
14 cheeseQuestion.response = "Yes, I do like cheese."

The response to a survey question cannot be known until it is asked, and so the
response property is declared with a type of String?, or “optional String”. It is
automatically assigned a default value of nil, meaning “no string yet”, when a new
instance of SurveyQuestion is initialized.

Assigning Constant Properties During Initialization

You can assign a value to a constant property at any point during initialization, as long
as it is set to a definite value by the time initialization finishes. Once a constant property
is assigned a value, it canʼt be further modified.

NOTE

For class instances, a constant property can be modified during initialization only by the
class that introduces it. It cannot be modified by a subclass.

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You can revise the SurveyQuestion example from above to use a constant property
rather than a variable property for the text property of the question, to indicate that
the question does not change once an instance of SurveyQuestion is created. Even
though the text property is now a constant, it can still be set within the classʼs
initializer:

1 class SurveyQuestion {
2 let text: String
3 var response: String?
4 init(text: String) {
5 self.text = text
6 }
7 func ask() {
8 print(text)
9 }
10 }
11 let beetsQuestion = SurveyQuestion(text: "How about beets?")
12 beetsQuestion.ask()
13 // Prints "How about beets?"
14 beetsQuestion.response = "I also like beets. (But not with
cheese.)"

Default Initializers
Swift provides a default initializer for any structure or class that provides default values
for all of its properties and does not provide at least one initializer itself. The default
initializer simply creates a new instance with all of its properties set to their default
values.

This example defines a class called ShoppingListItem, which encapsulates the name,
quantity, and purchase state of an item in a shopping list:

1 class ShoppingListItem {
2 var name: String?
3 var quantity = 1

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4 var purchased = false

5 }
6 var item = ShoppingListItem()

Because all properties of the ShoppingListItem class have default values, and
because it is a base class with no superclass, ShoppingListItem automatically gains a
default initializer implementation that creates a new instance with all of its properties
set to their default values. (The name property is an optional String property, and so it
automatically receives a default value of nil, even though this value is not written in the
code.) The example above uses the default initializer for the ShoppingListItem class to
create a new instance of the class with initializer syntax, written as
ShoppingListItem(), and assigns this new instance to a variable called item.

Memberwise Initializers for Structure Types

Structure types automatically receive a memberwise initializer if they do not define any
of their own custom initializers. Unlike a default initializer, the structure receives a
memberwise initializer even if it has stored properties that do not have default values.

The memberwise initializer is a shorthand way to initialize the member properties of

new structure instances. Initial values for the properties of the new instance can be
passed to the memberwise initializer by name.

The example below defines a structure called Size with two properties called width
and height. Both properties are inferred to be of type Double by assigning a default
value of 0.0.

The Size structure automatically receives an init(width:height:) memberwise

initializer, which you can use to initialize a new Size instance:

1 struct Size {
2 var width = 0.0, height = 0.0
3 }
4 let twoByTwo = Size(width: 2.0, height: 2.0)

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Initializer Delegation for Value Types

Initializers can call other initializers to perform part of an instanceʼs initialization. This
process, known as initializer delegation, avoids duplicating code across multiple
initializers.

The rules for how initializer delegation works, and for what forms of delegation are
allowed, are different for value types and class types. Value types (structures and
enumerations) do not support inheritance, and so their initializer delegation process is
relatively simple, because they can only delegate to another initializer that they provide
themselves. Classes, however, can inherit from other classes, as described in
Inheritance. This means that classes have additional responsibilities for ensuring that
all stored properties they inherit are assigned a suitable value during initialization.
These responsibilities are described in Class Inheritance and Initialization below.

For value types, you use self.init to refer to other initializers from the same value
type when writing your own custom initializers. You can call self.init only from within
an initializer.

Note that if you define a custom initializer for a value type, you will no longer have
access to the default initializer (or the memberwise initializer, if it is a structure) for that
type. This constraint prevents a situation in which additional essential setup provided in
a more complex initializer is accidentally circumvented by someone using one of the
automatic initializers.

NOTE

If you want your custom value type to be initializable with the default initializer and
memberwise initializer, and also with your own custom initializers, write your custom
initializers in an extension rather than as part of the value typeʼs original implementation.
For more information, see Extensions.

The following example defines a custom Rect structure to represent a geometric

rectangle. The example requires two supporting structures called Size and Point, both
of which provide default values of 0.0 for all of their properties:

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1 struct Size {
2 var width = 0.0, height = 0.0
3 }
4 struct Point {
5 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0
6 }

You can initialize the Rect structure below in one of three ways—by using its default
zero-initialized origin and size property values, by providing a specific origin point
and size, or by providing a specific center point and size. These initialization options
are represented by three custom initializers that are part of the Rect structureʼs
definition:

1 struct Rect {
2 var origin = Point()
3 var size = Size()
4 init() {}
5 init(origin: Point, size: Size) {
6 self.origin = origin
7 self.size = size
8 }
9 init(center: Point, size: Size) {
10 let originX = center.x - (size.width / 2)
11 let originY = center.y - (size.height / 2)
12 self.init(origin: Point(x: originX, y: originY), size:
size)
13 }
14 }

The first Rect initializer, init(), is functionally the same as the default initializer that
the structure would have received if it did not have its own custom initializers. This
initializer has an empty body, represented by an empty pair of curly braces {}. Calling
this initializer returns a Rect instance whose origin and size properties are both
initialized with the default values of Point(x: 0.0, y: 0.0) and
Size(width: 0.0, height: 0.0) from their property definitions:

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1 let basicRect = Rect()

2 // basicRect's origin is (0.0, 0.0) and its size is (0.0, 0.0)

The second Rect initializer, init(origin:size:), is functionally the same as the

memberwise initializer that the structure would have received if it did not have its own
custom initializers. This initializer simply assigns the origin and size argument values
to the appropriate stored properties:

1 let originRect = Rect(origin: Point(x: 2.0, y: 2.0),

2 size: Size(width: 5.0, height: 5.0))
3 // originRect's origin is (2.0, 2.0) and its size is (5.0, 5.0)

The third Rect initializer, init(center:size:), is slightly more complex. It starts by

calculating an appropriate origin point based on a center point and a size value. It
then calls (or delegates) to the init(origin:size:) initializer, which stores the new
origin and size values in the appropriate properties:

1 let centerRect = Rect(center: Point(x: 4.0, y: 4.0),

2 size: Size(width: 3.0, height: 3.0))
3 // centerRect's origin is (2.5, 2.5) and its size is (3.0, 3.0)

The init(center:size:) initializer could have assigned the new values of origin and
size to the appropriate properties itself. However, it is more convenient (and clearer in
intent) for the init(center:size:) initializer to take advantage of an existing initializer
that already provides exactly that functionality.

NOTE

For an alternative way to write this example without defining the init() and
init(origin:size:) initializers yourself, see Extensions.

Class Inheritance and Initialization

All of a classʼs stored properties—including any properties the class inherits from its
superclass—must be assigned an initial value during initialization.

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Swift defines two kinds of initializers for class types to help ensure all stored properties
receive an initial value. These are known as designated initializers and convenience
initializers.

Designated Initializers and Convenience Initializers

Designated initializers are the primary initializers for a class. A designated initializer fully
initializes all properties introduced by that class and calls an appropriate superclass
initializer to continue the initialization process up the superclass chain.

Classes tend to have very few designated initializers, and it is quite common for a class
to have only one. Designated initializers are “funnel” points through which initialization
takes place, and through which the initialization process continues up the superclass
chain.

Every class must have at least one designated initializer. In some cases, this
requirement is satisfied by inheriting one or more designated initializers from a
superclass, as described in Automatic Initializer Inheritance below.

Convenience initializers are secondary, supporting initializers for a class. You can
define a convenience initializer to call a designated initializer from the same class as
the convenience initializer with some of the designated initializerʼs parameters set to
default values. You can also define a convenience initializer to create an instance of
that class for a specific use case or input value type.

You do not have to provide convenience initializers if your class does not require them.
Create convenience initializers whenever a shortcut to a common initialization pattern
will save time or make initialization of the class clearer in intent.

Syntax for Designated and Convenience Initializers

Designated initializers for classes are written in the same way as simple initializers for
value types:

init( parameters ) {
statements

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Convenience initializers are written in the same style, but with the convenience
modifier placed before the init keyword, separated by a space:

convenience init( parameters ) {

statements
}

Initializer Delegation for Class Types

To simplify the relationships between designated and convenience initializers, Swift
applies the following three rules for delegation calls between initializers:

Rule 1
A designated initializer must call a designated initializer from its immediate
superclass.

Rule 2
A convenience initializer must call another initializer from the same class.

Rule 3
A convenience initializer must ultimately call a designated initializer.

A simple way to remember this is:

Designated initializers must always delegate up.

Convenience initializers must always delegate across.

These rules are illustrated in the figure below:

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Here, the superclass has a single designated initializer and two convenience initializers.
One convenience initializer calls another convenience initializer, which in turn calls the
single designated initializer. This satisfies rules 2 and 3 from above. The superclass
does not itself have a further superclass, and so rule 1 does not apply.

The subclass in this figure has two designated initializers and one convenience
initializer. The convenience initializer must call one of the two designated initializers,
because it can only call another initializer from the same class. This satisfies rules 2
and 3 from above. Both designated initializers must call the single designated initializer
from the superclass, to satisfy rule 1 from above.

NOTE

These rules donʼt affect how users of your classes create instances of each class. Any
initializer in the diagram above can be used to create a fully-initialized instance of the class
they belong to. The rules only affect how you write the implementation of the classʼs
initializers.

The figure below shows a more complex class hierarchy for four classes. It illustrates
how the designated initializers in this hierarchy act as “funnel” points for class
initialization, simplifying the interrelationships among classes in the chain:

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Two-Phase Initialization
Class initialization in Swift is a two-phase process. In the first phase, each stored
property is assigned an initial value by the class that introduced it. Once the initial state
for every stored property has been determined, the second phase begins, and each
class is given the opportunity to customize its stored properties further before the new
instance is considered ready for use.

The use of a two-phase initialization process makes initialization safe, while still giving
complete flexibility to each class in a class hierarchy. Two-phase initialization prevents
property values from being accessed before they are initialized, and prevents property
values from being set to a different value by another initializer unexpectedly.

NOTE

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Swiftʼs two-phase initialization process is similar to initialization in Objective-C. The main

difference is that during phase 1, Objective-C assigns zero or null values (such as 0 or nil)
to every property. Swiftʼs initialization flow is more flexible in that it lets you set custom
initial values, and can cope with types for which 0 or nil is not a valid default value.

Swiftʼs compiler performs four helpful safety-checks to make sure that two-phase
initialization is completed without error:

Safety check 1
A designated initializer must ensure that all of the properties introduced by its class
are initialized before it delegates up to a superclass initializer.

As mentioned above, the memory for an object is only considered fully initialized once
the initial state of all of its stored properties is known. In order for this rule to be
satisfied, a designated initializer must make sure that all of its own properties are
initialized before it hands off up the chain.

Safety check 2
A designated initializer must delegate up to a superclass initializer before assigning a
value to an inherited property. If it doesnʼt, the new value the designated initializer
assigns will be overwritten by the superclass as part of its own initialization.

Safety check 3
A convenience initializer must delegate to another initializer before assigning a value
to any property (including properties defined by the same class). If it doesnʼt, the
new value the convenience initializer assigns will be overwritten by its own classʼs
designated initializer.

Safety check 4
An initializer cannot call any instance methods, read the values of any instance
properties, or refer to self as a value until after the first phase of initialization is
complete.

The class instance is not fully valid until the first phase ends. Properties can only be
accessed, and methods can only be called, once the class instance is known to be
valid at the end of the first phase.

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Hereʼs how two-phase initialization plays out, based on the four safety checks above:

Phase 1

A designated or convenience initializer is called on a class.

Memory for a new instance of that class is allocated. The memory is not yet
initialized.
A designated initializer for that class confirms that all stored properties
introduced by that class have a value. The memory for these stored properties is
now initialized.
The designated initializer hands off to a superclass initializer to perform the same
task for its own stored properties.
This continues up the class inheritance chain until the top of the chain is reached.
Once the top of the chain is reached, and the final class in the chain has ensured
that all of its stored properties have a value, the instanceʼs memory is considered
to be fully initialized, and phase 1 is complete.

Phase 2

Working back down from the top of the chain, each designated initializer in the
chain has the option to customize the instance further. Initializers are now able to
access self and can modify its properties, call its instance methods, and so on.
Finally, any convenience initializers in the chain have the option to customize the
instance and to work with self.

Hereʼs how phase 1 looks for an initialization call for a hypothetical subclass and
superclass:

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In this example, initialization begins with a call to a convenience initializer on the

subclass. This convenience initializer cannot yet modify any properties. It delegates
across to a designated initializer from the same class.

The designated initializer makes sure that all of the subclassʼs properties have a value,
as per safety check 1. It then calls a designated initializer on its superclass to continue
the initialization up the chain.

The superclassʼs designated initializer makes sure that all of the superclass properties
have a value. There are no further superclasses to initialize, and so no further
delegation is needed.

As soon as all properties of the superclass have an initial value, its memory is
considered fully initialized, and phase 1 is complete.

Hereʼs how phase 2 looks for the same initialization call:

The superclassʼs designated initializer now has an opportunity to customize the

instance further (although it does not have to).

Once the superclassʼs designated initializer is finished, the subclassʼs designated

initializer can perform additional customization (although again, it does not have to).

Finally, once the subclassʼs designated initializer is finished, the convenience initializer
that was originally called can perform additional customization.

Initializer Inheritance and Overriding

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Unlike subclasses in Objective-C, Swift subclasses do not inherit their superclass

initializers by default. Swiftʼs approach prevents a situation in which a simple initializer
from a superclass is inherited by a more specialized subclass and is used to create a
new instance of the subclass that is not fully or correctly initialized.

NOTE

Superclass initializers are inherited in certain circumstances, but only when it is safe and
appropriate to do so. For more information, see Automatic Initializer Inheritance below.

If you want a custom subclass to present one or more of the same initializers as its
superclass, you can provide a custom implementation of those initializers within the
subclass.

When you write a subclass initializer that matches a superclass designated initializer,
you are effectively providing an override of that designated initializer. Therefore, you
must write the override modifier before the subclassʼs initializer definition. This is true
even if you are overriding an automatically provided default initializer, as described in
Default Initializers.

As with an overridden property, method or subscript, the presence of the override

modifier prompts Swift to check that the superclass has a matching designated
initializer to be overridden, and validates that the parameters for your overriding
initializer have been specified as intended.

NOTE

You always write the override modifier when overriding a superclass designated initializer,
even if your subclassʼs implementation of the initializer is a convenience initializer.

Conversely, if you write a subclass initializer that matches a superclass convenience

initializer, that superclass convenience initializer can never be called directly by your
subclass, as per the rules described above in Initializer Delegation for Class Types.
Therefore, your subclass is not (strictly speaking) providing an override of the
superclass initializer. As a result, you do not write the override modifier when
providing a matching implementation of a superclass convenience initializer.

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The example below defines a base class called Vehicle. This base class declares a
stored property called numberOfWheels, with a default Int value of 0. The
numberOfWheels property is used by a computed property called description to
create a String description of the vehicleʼs characteristics:

1 class Vehicle {
2 var numberOfWheels = 0
3 var description: String {
4 return "\(numberOfWheels) wheel(s)"
5 }
6 }

The Vehicle class provides a default value for its only stored property, and does not
provide any custom initializers itself. As a result, it automatically receives a default
initializer, as described in Default Initializers. The default initializer (when available) is
always a designated initializer for a class, and can be used to create a new Vehicle
instance with a numberOfWheels of 0:

1 let vehicle = Vehicle()

2 print("Vehicle: \(vehicle.description)")
3 // Vehicle: 0 wheel(s)

The next example defines a subclass of Vehicle called Bicycle:

1 class Bicycle: Vehicle {

2 override init() {
3 super.init()
4 numberOfWheels = 2
5 }
6 }

The Bicycle subclass defines a custom designated initializer, init(). This designated
initializer matches a designated initializer from the superclass of Bicycle, and so the
Bicycle version of this initializer is marked with the override modifier.

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The init() initializer for Bicycle starts by calling super.init(), which calls the
default initializer for the Bicycle classʼs superclass, Vehicle. This ensures that the
numberOfWheels inherited property is initialized by Vehicle before Bicycle has the
opportunity to modify the property. After calling super.init(), the original value of
numberOfWheels is replaced with a new value of 2.

If you create an instance of Bicycle, you can call its inherited description computed
property to see how its numberOfWheels property has been updated:

1 let bicycle = Bicycle()

2 print("Bicycle: \(bicycle.description)")
3 // Bicycle: 2 wheel(s)

If a subclass initializer performs no customization in phase 2 of the initialization

process, and the superclass has a zero-argument designated initializer, you can omit a
call to super.init() after assigning values to all of the subclassʼs stored properties.

This example defines another subclass of Vehicle, called Hoverboard. In its initializer,
the Hoverboard class sets only its color property. Instead of making an explicit call to
super.init(), this initializer relies on an implicit call to its superclassʼs initializer to
complete the process.

1 class Hoverboard: Vehicle {

2 var color: String
3 init(color: String) {
4 self.color = color
5 // super.init() implicitly called here
6 }
7 override var description: String {
8 return "\(super.description) in a beautiful \(color)"
9 }
10 }

An instance of Hoverboard uses the default number of wheels supplied by the Vehicle
initializer.

1 let hoverboard = Hoverboard(color: "silver")

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2 print("Hoverboard: \(hoverboard.description)")
3 // Hoverboard: 0 wheel(s) in a beautiful silver

NOTE

Subclasses can modify inherited variable properties during initialization, but can not
modify inherited constant properties.

Automatic Initializer Inheritance

As mentioned above, subclasses do not inherit their superclass initializers by default.
However, superclass initializers are automatically inherited if certain conditions are met.
In practice, this means that you do not need to write initializer overrides in many
common scenarios, and can inherit your superclass initializers with minimal effort
whenever it is safe to do so.

Assuming that you provide default values for any new properties you introduce in a
subclass, the following two rules apply:

Rule 1
If your subclass doesnʼt define any designated initializers, it automatically inherits all
of its superclass designated initializers.

Rule 2
If your subclass provides an implementation of all of its superclass designated
initializers—either by inheriting them as per rule 1, or by providing a custom
implementation as part of its definition—then it automatically inherits all of the
superclass convenience initializers.

These rules apply even if your subclass adds further convenience initializers.

NOTE

A subclass can implement a superclass designated initializer as a subclass convenience

initializer as part of satisfying rule 2.

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Designated and Convenience Initializers in Action

The following example shows designated initializers, convenience initializers, and
automatic initializer inheritance in action. This example defines a hierarchy of three
classes called Food, RecipeIngredient, and ShoppingListItem, and demonstrates
how their initializers interact.

The base class in the hierarchy is called Food, which is a simple class to encapsulate
the name of a foodstuff. The Food class introduces a single String property called
name and provides two initializers for creating Food instances:

1 class Food {
2 var name: String
3 init(name: String) {
4 self.name = name
5 }
6 convenience init() {
7 self.init(name: "[Unnamed]")
8 }
9 }

The figure below shows the initializer chain for the Food class:

Classes do not have a default memberwise initializer, and so the Food class provides a
designated initializer that takes a single argument called name. This initializer can be
used to create a new Food instance with a specific name:

1 let namedMeat = Food(name: "Bacon")

2 // namedMeat's name is "Bacon"

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The init(name: String) initializer from the Food class is provided as a designated
initializer, because it ensures that all stored properties of a new Food instance are fully
initialized. The Food class does not have a superclass, and so the init(name: String)
initializer does not need to call super.init() to complete its initialization.

The Food class also provides a convenience initializer, init(), with no arguments. The
init() initializer provides a default placeholder name for a new food by delegating
across to the Food classʼs init(name: String) with a name value of [Unnamed]:

1 let mysteryMeat = Food()

2 // mysteryMeat's name is "[Unnamed]"

The second class in the hierarchy is a subclass of Food called RecipeIngredient. The
RecipeIngredient class models an ingredient in a cooking recipe. It introduces an Int
property called quantity (in addition to the name property it inherits from Food) and
defines two initializers for creating RecipeIngredient instances:

1 class RecipeIngredient: Food {

2 var quantity: Int
3 init(name: String, quantity: Int) {
4 self.quantity = quantity
5 super.init(name: name)
6 }
7 override convenience init(name: String) {
8 self.init(name: name, quantity: 1)
9 }
10 }

The figure below shows the initializer chain for the RecipeIngredient class:

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The RecipeIngredient class has a single designated initializer,

init(name: String, quantity: Int), which can be used to populate all of the
properties of a new RecipeIngredient instance. This initializer starts by assigning the
passed quantity argument to the quantity property, which is the only new property
introduced by RecipeIngredient. After doing so, the initializer delegates up to the
init(name: String) initializer of the Food class. This process satisfies safety check 1
from Two-Phase Initialization above.

RecipeIngredient also defines a convenience initializer, init(name: String), which is

used to create a RecipeIngredient instance by name alone. This convenience
initializer assumes a quantity of 1 for any RecipeIngredient instance that is created
without an explicit quantity. The definition of this convenience initializer makes
RecipeIngredient instances quicker and more convenient to create, and avoids code
duplication when creating several single-quantity RecipeIngredient instances. This
convenience initializer simply delegates across to the classʼs designated initializer,
passing in a quantity value of 1.

The init(name: String) convenience initializer provided by RecipeIngredient takes

the same parameters as the init(name: String) designated initializer from Food.
Because this convenience initializer overrides a designated initializer from its
superclass, it must be marked with the override modifier (as described in Initializer
Inheritance and Overriding).

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Even though RecipeIngredient provides the init(name: String) initializer as a

convenience initializer, RecipeIngredient has nonetheless provided an implementation
of all of its superclassʼs designated initializers. Therefore, RecipeIngredient
automatically inherits all of its superclassʼs convenience initializers too.

In this example, the superclass for RecipeIngredient is Food, which has a single
convenience initializer called init(). This initializer is therefore inherited by
RecipeIngredient. The inherited version of init() functions in exactly the same way
as the Food version, except that it delegates to the RecipeIngredient version of
init(name: String) rather than the Food version.

All three of these initializers can be used to create new RecipeIngredient instances:

1 let oneMysteryItem = RecipeIngredient()

2 let oneBacon = RecipeIngredient(name: "Bacon")
3 let sixEggs = RecipeIngredient(name: "Eggs", quantity: 6)

The third and final class in the hierarchy is a subclass of RecipeIngredient called
ShoppingListItem. The ShoppingListItem class models a recipe ingredient as it
appears in a shopping list.

Every item in the shopping list starts out as “unpurchased”. To represent this fact,
ShoppingListItem introduces a Boolean property called purchased, with a default
value of false. ShoppingListItem also adds a computed description property, which
provides a textual description of a ShoppingListItem instance:

1 class ShoppingListItem: RecipeIngredient {

2 var purchased = false
3 var description: String {
4 var output = "\(quantity) x \(name)"
5 output += purchased ? " ✔" : " ✘"
6 return output
7 }
8 }

NOTE

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ShoppingListItem does not define an initializer to provide an initial value for purchased,
because items in a shopping list (as modeled here) always start out unpurchased.

Because it provides a default value for all of the properties it introduces and does not
define any initializers itself, ShoppingListItem automatically inherits all of the
designated and convenience initializers from its superclass.

The figure below shows the overall initializer chain for all three classes:

You can use all three of the inherited initializers to create a new ShoppingListItem
instance:

1 var breakfastList = [
2 ShoppingListItem(),
3 ShoppingListItem(name: "Bacon"),
4 ShoppingListItem(name: "Eggs", quantity: 6),
5 ]
6 breakfastList[0].name = "Orange juice"

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7 breakfastList[0].purchased = true
8 for item in breakfastList {
9 print(item.description)
10 }
11 // 1 x Orange juice ✔
12 // 1 x Bacon ✘
13 // 6 x Eggs ✘

Here, a new array called breakfastList is created from an array literal containing three
new ShoppingListItem instances. The type of the array is inferred to be
[ShoppingListItem]. After the array is created, the name of the ShoppingListItem at
the start of the array is changed from "[Unnamed]" to "Orange juice" and it is marked
as having been purchased. Printing the description of each item in the array shows that
their default states have been set as expected.

Failable Initializers
It is sometimes useful to define a class, structure, or enumeration for which initialization
can fail. This failure might be triggered by invalid initialization parameter values, the
absence of a required external resource, or some other condition that prevents
initialization from succeeding.

To cope with initialization conditions that can fail, define one or more failable initializers
as part of a class, structure, or enumeration definition. You write a failable initializer by
placing a question mark after the init keyword (init?).

NOTE

You cannot define a failable and a nonfailable initializer with the same parameter types and
names.

A failable initializer creates an optional value of the type it initializes. You write
return nil within a failable initializer to indicate a point at which initialization failure
can be triggered.

NOTE

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Strictly speaking, initializers do not return a value. Rather, their role is to ensure that self is
fully and correctly initialized by the time that initialization ends. Although you write
return nil to trigger an initialization failure, you do not use the return keyword to
indicate initialization success.

For instance, failable initializers are implemented for numeric type conversions. To
ensure conversion between numeric types maintains the value exactly, use the
init(exactly:) initializer. If the type conversion cannot maintain the value, the
initializer fails.

1 let wholeNumber: Double = 12345.0

2 let pi = 3.14159
3
4 if let valueMaintained = Int(exactly: wholeNumber) {
5 print("\(wholeNumber) conversion to Int maintains value of
\(valueMaintained)")
6 }
7 // Prints "12345.0 conversion to Int maintains value of 12345"
8
9 let valueChanged = Int(exactly: pi)
10 // valueChanged is of type Int?, not Int
11
12 if valueChanged == nil {
13 print("\(pi) conversion to Int does not maintain value")
14 }
15 // Prints "3.14159 conversion to Int does not maintain value"

The example below defines a structure called Animal, with a constant String property
called species. The Animal structure also defines a failable initializer with a single
parameter called species. This initializer checks if the species value passed to the
initializer is an empty string. If an empty string is found, an initialization failure is
triggered. Otherwise, the species propertyʼs value is set, and initialization succeeds:

1 struct Animal {
2 let species: String
3 init?(species: String) {
4 if species.isEmpty { return nil }

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5 self.species = species
6 }
7 }

You can use this failable initializer to try to initialize a new Animal instance and to check
if initialization succeeded:

1 let someCreature = Animal(species: "Giraffe")

2 // someCreature is of type Animal?, not Animal
3
4 if let giraffe = someCreature {
5 print("An animal was initialized with a species of \
(giraffe.species)")
6 }
7 // Prints "An animal was initialized with a species of Giraffe"

If you pass an empty string value to the failable initializerʼs species parameter, the
initializer triggers an initialization failure:

1 let anonymousCreature = Animal(species: "")

2 // anonymousCreature is of type Animal?, not Animal
3
4 if anonymousCreature == nil {
5 print("The anonymous creature could not be initialized")
6 }
7 // Prints "The anonymous creature could not be initialized"

NOTE

Checking for an empty string value (such as "" rather than "Giraffe") is not the same as
checking for nil to indicate the absence of an optional String value. In the example
above, an empty string ("") is a valid, non-optional String. However, it is not appropriate
for an animal to have an empty string as the value of its species property. To model this
restriction, the failable initializer triggers an initialization failure if an empty string is found.

Failable Initializers for Enumerations

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You can use a failable initializer to select an appropriate enumeration case based on
one or more parameters. The initializer can then fail if the provided parameters do not
match an appropriate enumeration case.

The example below defines an enumeration called TemperatureUnit, with three

possible states (kelvin, celsius, and fahrenheit). A failable initializer is used to find
an appropriate enumeration case for a Character value representing a temperature
symbol:

1 enum TemperatureUnit {
2 case kelvin, celsius, fahrenheit
3 init?(symbol: Character) {
4 switch symbol {
5 case "K":
6 self = .kelvin
7 case "C":
8 self = .celsius
9 case "F":
10 self = .fahrenheit
11 default:
12 return nil
13 }
14 }
15 }

You can use this failable initializer to choose an appropriate enumeration case for the
three possible states and to cause initialization to fail if the parameter does not match
one of these states:

1 let fahrenheitUnit = TemperatureUnit(symbol: "F")

2 if fahrenheitUnit != nil {
3 print("This is a defined temperature unit, so
initialization succeeded.")
4 }
5 // Prints "This is a defined temperature unit, so
initialization succeeded."
6

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7 let unknownUnit = TemperatureUnit(symbol: "X")

8 if unknownUnit == nil {
9 print("This is not a defined temperature unit, so
initialization failed.")
10 }
11 // Prints "This is not a defined temperature unit, so
initialization failed."

Failable Initializers for Enumerations with Raw Values

Enumerations with raw values automatically receive a failable initializer,
init?(rawValue:), that takes a parameter called rawValue of the appropriate raw-
value type and selects a matching enumeration case if one is found, or triggers an
initialization failure if no matching value exists.

You can rewrite the TemperatureUnit example from above to use raw values of type
Character and to take advantage of the init?(rawValue:) initializer:

1 enum TemperatureUnit: Character {

2 case kelvin = "K", celsius = "C", fahrenheit = "F"
3 }
4
5 let fahrenheitUnit = TemperatureUnit(rawValue: "F")
6 if fahrenheitUnit != nil {
7 print("This is a defined temperature unit, so
initialization succeeded.")
8 }
9 // Prints "This is a defined temperature unit, so
initialization succeeded."
10
11 let unknownUnit = TemperatureUnit(rawValue: "X")
12 if unknownUnit == nil {
13 print("This is not a defined temperature unit, so
initialization failed.")
14 }
15 // Prints "This is not a defined temperature unit, so
initialization failed."

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Propagation of Initialization Failure

A failable initializer of a class, structure, or enumeration can delegate across to another
failable initializer from the same class, structure, or enumeration. Similarly, a subclass
failable initializer can delegate up to a superclass failable initializer.

In either case, if you delegate to another initializer that causes initialization to fail, the
entire initialization process fails immediately, and no further initialization code is
executed.

NOTE

A failable initializer can also delegate to a nonfailable initializer. Use this approach if you
need to add a potential failure state to an existing initialization process that does not
otherwise fail.

The example below defines a subclass of Product called CartItem. The CartItem class
models an item in an online shopping cart. CartItem introduces a stored constant
property called quantity and ensures that this property always has a value of at least
1:

1 class Product {
2 let name: String
3 init?(name: String) {
4 if name.isEmpty { return nil }
5 self.name = name
6 }
7 }
8
9 class CartItem: Product {
10 let quantity: Int
11 init?(name: String, quantity: Int) {
12 if quantity < 1 { return nil }
13 self.quantity = quantity
14 super.init(name: name)
15 }
16 }

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The failable initializer for CartItem starts by validating that it has received a quantity
value of 1 or more. If the quantity is invalid, the entire initialization process fails
immediately and no further initialization code is executed. Likewise, the failable
initializer for Product checks the name value, and the initializer process fails
immediately if name is the empty string.

If you create a CartItem instance with a nonempty name and a quantity of 1 or more,
initialization succeeds:

1 if let twoSocks = CartItem(name: "sock", quantity: 2) {

2 print("Item: \(twoSocks.name), quantity: \
(twoSocks.quantity)")
3 }
4 // Prints "Item: sock, quantity: 2"

If you try to create a CartItem instance with a quantity value of 0, the CartItem
initializer causes initialization to fail:

1 if let zeroShirts = CartItem(name: "shirt", quantity: 0) {

2 print("Item: \(zeroShirts.name), quantity: \
(zeroShirts.quantity)")
3 } else {
4 print("Unable to initialize zero shirts")
5 }
6 // Prints "Unable to initialize zero shirts"

Similarly, if you try to create a CartItem instance with an empty name value, the
superclass Product initializer causes initialization to fail:

1 if let oneUnnamed = CartItem(name: "", quantity: 1) {

2 print("Item: \(oneUnnamed.name), quantity: \
(oneUnnamed.quantity)")
3 } else {
4 print("Unable to initialize one unnamed product")
5 }
6 // Prints "Unable to initialize one unnamed product"

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Overriding a Failable Initializer

You can override a superclass failable initializer in a subclass, just like any other
initializer. Alternatively, you can override a superclass failable initializer with a subclass
nonfailable initializer. This enables you to define a subclass for which initialization
cannot fail, even though initialization of the superclass is allowed to fail.

Note that if you override a failable superclass initializer with a nonfailable subclass
initializer, the only way to delegate up to the superclass initializer is to force-unwrap the
result of the failable superclass initializer.

NOTE

You can override a failable initializer with a nonfailable initializer but not the other way
around.

The example below defines a class called Document. This class models a document that
can be initialized with a name property that is either a nonempty string value or nil, but
cannot be an empty string:

1 class Document {
2 var name: String?
3 // this initializer creates a document with a nil name
value
4 init() {}
5 // this initializer creates a document with a nonempty name
value
6 init?(name: String) {
7 if name.isEmpty { return nil }
8 self.name = name
9 }
10 }

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The next example defines a subclass of Document called

AutomaticallyNamedDocument. The AutomaticallyNamedDocument subclass overrides
both of the designated initializers introduced by Document. These overrides ensure that
an AutomaticallyNamedDocument instance has an initial name value of "[Untitled]" if
the instance is initialized without a name, or if an empty string is passed to the
init(name:) initializer:

1 class AutomaticallyNamedDocument: Document {

2 override init() {
3 super.init()
4 self.name = "[Untitled]"
5 }
6 override init(name: String) {
7 super.init()
8 if name.isEmpty {
9 self.name = "[Untitled]"
10 } else {
11 self.name = name
12 }
13 }
14 }

The AutomaticallyNamedDocument overrides its superclassʼs failable init?(name:)

initializer with a nonfailable init(name:) initializer. Because
AutomaticallyNamedDocument copes with the empty string case in a different way than
its superclass, its initializer does not need to fail, and so it provides a nonfailable version
of the initializer instead.

You can use forced unwrapping in an initializer to call a failable initializer from the
superclass as part of the implementation of a subclassʼs nonfailable initializer. For
example, the UntitledDocument subclass below is always named "[Untitled]", and it
uses the failable init(name:) initializer from its superclass during initialization.

1 class UntitledDocument: Document {

2 override init() {
3 super.init(name: "[Untitled]")!
4 }

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5 }

In this case, if the init(name:) initializer of the superclass were ever called with an
empty string as the name, the forced unwrapping operation would result in a runtime
error. However, because itʼs called with a string constant, you can see that the initializer
wonʼt fail, so no runtime error can occur in this case.

The init! Failable Initializer

You typically define a failable initializer that creates an optional instance of the
appropriate type by placing a question mark after the init keyword (init?).
Alternatively, you can define a failable initializer that creates an implicitly unwrapped
optional instance of the appropriate type. Do this by placing an exclamation mark after
the init keyword (init!) instead of a question mark.

You can delegate from init? to init! and vice versa, and you can override init? with
init! and vice versa. You can also delegate from init to init!, although doing so will
trigger an assertion if the init! initializer causes initialization to fail.

Required Initializers
Write the required modifier before the definition of a class initializer to indicate that
every subclass of the class must implement that initializer:

1 class SomeClass {
2 required init() {
3 // initializer implementation goes here
4 }
5 }

You must also write the required modifier before every subclass implementation of a
required initializer, to indicate that the initializer requirement applies to further
subclasses in the chain. You do not write the override modifier when overriding a
required designated initializer:

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1 class SomeSubclass: SomeClass {

2 required init() {
3 // subclass implementation of the required initializer
goes here
4 }
5 }

NOTE

You do not have to provide an explicit implementation of a required initializer if you can
satisfy the requirement with an inherited initializer.

Setting a Default Property Value with a Closure

or Function
If a stored propertyʼs default value requires some customization or setup, you can use a
closure or global function to provide a customized default value for that property.
Whenever a new instance of the type that the property belongs to is initialized, the
closure or function is called, and its return value is assigned as the propertyʼs default
value.

These kinds of closures or functions typically create a temporary value of the same
type as the property, tailor that value to represent the desired initial state, and then
return that temporary value to be used as the propertyʼs default value.

Hereʼs a skeleton outline of how a closure can be used to provide a default property
value:

1 class SomeClass {
2 let someProperty: SomeType = {
3 // create a default value for someProperty inside this
closure
4 // someValue must be of the same type as SomeType
5 return someValue
6 }()

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7 }

Note that the closureʼs end curly brace is followed by an empty pair of parentheses.
This tells Swift to execute the closure immediately. If you omit these parentheses, you
are trying to assign the closure itself to the property, and not the return value of the
closure.

NOTE

If you use a closure to initialize a property, remember that the rest of the instance has not
yet been initialized at the point that the closure is executed. This means that you cannot
access any other property values from within your closure, even if those properties have
default values. You also cannot use the implicit self property, or call any of the instanceʼs
methods.

The example below defines a structure called Chessboard, which models a board for
the game of chess. Chess is played on an 8 x 8 board, with alternating black and white
squares.

To represent this game board, the Chessboard structure has a single property called
boardColors, which is an array of 64 Bool values. A value of true in the array
represents a black square and a value of false represents a white square. The first
item in the array represents the top left square on the board and the last item in the
array represents the bottom right square on the board.

The boardColors array is initialized with a closure to set up its color values:

1 struct Chessboard {

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2 let boardColors: [Bool] = {

3 var temporaryBoard = [Bool]()
4 var isBlack = false
5 for i in 1...8 {
6 for j in 1...8 {
7 temporaryBoard.append(isBlack)
8 isBlack = !isBlack
9 }
10 isBlack = !isBlack
11 }
12 return temporaryBoard
13 }()
14 func squareIsBlackAt(row: Int, column: Int) -> Bool {
15 return boardColors[(row * 8) + column]
16 }
17 }

Whenever a new Chessboard instance is created, the closure is executed, and the
default value of boardColors is calculated and returned. The closure in the example
above calculates and sets the appropriate color for each square on the board in a
temporary array called temporaryBoard, and returns this temporary array as the
closureʼs return value once its setup is complete. The returned array value is stored in
boardColors and can be queried with the squareIsBlackAt(row:column:) utility
function:

1 let board = Chessboard()

2 print(board.squareIsBlackAt(row: 0, column: 1))
3 // Prints "true"
4 print(board.squareIsBlackAt(row: 7, column: 7))
5 // Prints "false"

Inheritance Deinitialization

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Deinitialization
A deinitializer is called immediately before a class instance is deallocated. You write
deinitializers with the deinit keyword, similar to how initializers are written with the
init keyword. Deinitializers are only available on class types.

How Deinitialization Works

Swift automatically deallocates your instances when they are no longer needed, to free
up resources. Swift handles the memory management of instances through automatic
reference counting (ARC), as described in Automatic Reference Counting. Typically you
donʼt need to perform manual cleanup when your instances are deallocated. However,
when you are working with your own resources, you might need to perform some
additional cleanup yourself. For example, if you create a custom class to open a file and
write some data to it, you might need to close the file before the class instance is
deallocated.

Class definitions can have at most one deinitializer per class. The deinitializer does not
take any parameters and is written without parentheses:

1 deinit {
2 // perform the deinitialization
3 }

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Deinitializers are called automatically, just before instance deallocation takes place. You
are not allowed to call a deinitializer yourself. Superclass deinitializers are inherited by
their subclasses, and the superclass deinitializer is called automatically at the end of a
subclass deinitializer implementation. Superclass deinitializers are always called, even if
a subclass does not provide its own deinitializer.

Because an instance is not deallocated until after its deinitializer is called, a deinitializer
can access all properties of the instance it is called on and can modify its behavior
based on those properties (such as looking up the name of a file that needs to be
closed).

Deinitializers in Action
Hereʼs an example of a deinitializer in action. This example defines two new types, Bank
and Player, for a simple game. The Bank class manages a made-up currency, which
can never have more than 10,000 coins in circulation. There can only ever be one Bank
in the game, and so the Bank is implemented as a class with type properties and
methods to store and manage its current state:

1 class Bank {
2 static var coinsInBank = 10_000
3 static func distribute(coins numberOfCoinsRequested: Int) -
> Int {
4 let numberOfCoinsToVend = min(numberOfCoinsRequested,
coinsInBank)
5 coinsInBank -= numberOfCoinsToVend
6 return numberOfCoinsToVend
7 }
8 static func receive(coins: Int) {
9 coinsInBank += coins
10 }
11 }

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Bank keeps track of the current number of coins it holds with its coinsInBank property.
It also offers two methods—distribute(coins:) and receive(coins:)—to handle the
distribution and collection of coins.

The distribute(coins:) method checks that there are enough coins in the bank
before distributing them. If there are not enough coins, Bank returns a smaller number
than the number that was requested (and returns zero if no coins are left in the bank).
It returns an integer value to indicate the actual number of coins that were provided.

The receive(coins:) method simply adds the received number of coins back into the
bankʼs coin store.

The Player class describes a player in the game. Each player has a certain number of
coins stored in their purse at any time. This is represented by the playerʼs
coinsInPurse property:

1 class Player {
2 var coinsInPurse: Int
3 init(coins: Int) {
4 coinsInPurse = Bank.distribute(coins: coins)
5 }
6 func win(coins: Int) {
7 coinsInPurse += Bank.distribute(coins: coins)
8 }
9 deinit {
10 Bank.receive(coins: coinsInPurse)
11 }
12 }

Each Player instance is initialized with a starting allowance of a specified number of

coins from the bank during initialization, although a Player instance may receive fewer
than that number if not enough coins are available.

The Player class defines a win(coins:) method, which retrieves a certain number of
coins from the bank and adds them to the playerʼs purse. The Player class also
implements a deinitializer, which is called just before a Player instance is deallocated.
Here, the deinitializer simply returns all of the playerʼs coins to the bank:

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1 var playerOne: Player? = Player(coins: 100)

2 print("A new player has joined the game with \
(playerOne!.coinsInPurse) coins")
3 // Prints "A new player has joined the game with 100 coins"
4 print("There are now \(Bank.coinsInBank) coins left in the
bank")
5 // Prints "There are now 9900 coins left in the bank"

A new Player instance is created, with a request for 100 coins if they are available. This
Player instance is stored in an optional Player variable called playerOne. An optional
variable is used here, because players can leave the game at any point. The optional
lets you track whether there is currently a player in the game.

Because playerOne is an optional, it is qualified with an exclamation mark (!) when its
coinsInPurse property is accessed to print its default number of coins, and whenever
its win(coins:) method is called:

1 playerOne!.win(coins: 2_000)
2 print("PlayerOne won 2000 coins & now has \
(playerOne!.coinsInPurse) coins")
3 // Prints "PlayerOne won 2000 coins & now has 2100 coins"
4 print("The bank now only has \(Bank.coinsInBank) coins left")
5 // Prints "The bank now only has 7900 coins left"

Here, the player has won 2,000 coins. The playerʼs purse now contains 2,100 coins,
and the bank has only 7,900 coins left.

1 playerOne = nil
2 print("PlayerOne has left the game")
3 // Prints "PlayerOne has left the game"
4 print("The bank now has \(Bank.coinsInBank) coins")
5 // Prints "The bank now has 10000 coins"

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The player has now left the game. This is indicated by setting the optional playerOne
variable to nil, meaning “no Player instance.” At the point that this happens, the
playerOne variableʼs reference to the Player instance is broken. No other properties or
variables are still referring to the Player instance, and so it is deallocated in order to
free up its memory. Just before this happens, its deinitializer is called automatically, and
its coins are returned to the bank.

Initialization Optional Chaining

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ON THIS PAGE

Optional Chaining
Optional chaining is a process for querying and calling properties, methods, and
subscripts on an optional that might currently be nil. If the optional contains a value,
the property, method, or subscript call succeeds; if the optional is nil, the property,
method, or subscript call returns nil. Multiple queries can be chained together, and
the entire chain fails gracefully if any link in the chain is nil.

NOTE

Optional chaining in Swift is similar to messaging nil in Objective-C, but in a way that
works for any type, and that can be checked for success or failure.

Optional Chaining as an Alternative to Forced

Unwrapping
You specify optional chaining by placing a question mark (?) after the optional value on
which you wish to call a property, method or subscript if the optional is non-nil. This is
very similar to placing an exclamation mark (!) after an optional value to force the
unwrapping of its value. The main difference is that optional chaining fails gracefully
when the optional is nil, whereas forced unwrapping triggers a runtime error when the
optional is nil.

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To reflect the fact that optional chaining can be called on a nil value, the result of an
optional chaining call is always an optional value, even if the property, method, or
subscript you are querying returns a non-optional value. You can use this optional
return value to check whether the optional chaining call was successful (the returned
optional contains a value), or did not succeed due to a nil value in the chain (the
returned optional value is nil).

Specifically, the result of an optional chaining call is of the same type as the expected
return value, but wrapped in an optional. A property that normally returns an Int will
return an Int? when accessed through optional chaining.

The next several code snippets demonstrate how optional chaining differs from forced
unwrapping and enables you to check for success.

First, two classes called Person and Residence are defined:

1 class Person {
2 var residence: Residence?
3 }
4
5 class Residence {
6 var numberOfRooms = 1
7 }

Residence instances have a single Int property called numberOfRooms, with a default
value of 1. Person instances have an optional residence property of type Residence?.

If you create a new Person instance, its residence property is default initialized to nil,
by virtue of being optional. In the code below, john has a residence property value of
nil:

let john = Person()

If you try to access the numberOfRooms property of this personʼs residence, by placing
an exclamation mark after residence to force the unwrapping of its value, you trigger a
runtime error, because there is no residence value to unwrap:

1 let roomCount = john.residence!.numberOfRooms

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2 // this triggers a runtime error

The code above succeeds when john.residence has a non-nil value and will set
roomCount to an Int value containing the appropriate number of rooms. However, this
code always triggers a runtime error when residence is nil, as illustrated above.

Optional chaining provides an alternative way to access the value of numberOfRooms. To

use optional chaining, use a question mark in place of the exclamation mark:

1 if let roomCount = john.residence?.numberOfRooms {

2 print("John's residence has \(roomCount) room(s).")
3 } else {
4 print("Unable to retrieve the number of rooms.")
5 }
6 // Prints "Unable to retrieve the number of rooms."

This tells Swift to “chain” on the optional residence property and to retrieve the value
of numberOfRooms if residence exists.

Because the attempt to access numberOfRooms has the potential to fail, the optional
chaining attempt returns a value of type Int?, or “optional Int”. When residence is
nil, as in the example above, this optional Int will also be nil, to reflect the fact that it
was not possible to access numberOfRooms. The optional Int is accessed through
optional binding to unwrap the integer and assign the non-optional value to the
roomCount variable.

Note that this is true even though numberOfRooms is a non-optional Int. The fact that it
is queried through an optional chain means that the call to numberOfRooms will always
return an Int? instead of an Int.

You can assign a Residence instance to john.residence, so that it no longer has a nil
value:

john.residence = Residence()

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john.residence now contains an actual Residence instance, rather than nil. If you try
to access numberOfRooms with the same optional chaining as before, it will now return
an Int? that contains the default numberOfRooms value of 1:

1 if let roomCount = john.residence?.numberOfRooms {

2 print("John's residence has \(roomCount) room(s).")
3 } else {
4 print("Unable to retrieve the number of rooms.")
5 }
6 // Prints "John's residence has 1 room(s)."

Defining Model Classes for Optional Chaining

You can use optional chaining with calls to properties, methods, and subscripts that are
more than one level deep. This enables you to drill down into subproperties within
complex models of interrelated types, and to check whether it is possible to access
properties, methods, and subscripts on those subproperties.

The code snippets below define four model classes for use in several subsequent
examples, including examples of multilevel optional chaining. These classes expand
upon the Person and Residence model from above by adding a Room and Address
class, with associated properties, methods, and subscripts.

The Person class is defined in the same way as before:

1 class Person {
2 var residence: Residence?
3 }

The Residence class is more complex than before. This time, the Residence class
defines a variable property called rooms, which is initialized with an empty array of type
[Room]:

1 class Residence {
2 var rooms = [Room]()

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3 var numberOfRooms: Int {

4 return rooms.count
5 }
6 subscript(i: Int) -> Room {
7 get {
8 return rooms[i]
9 }
10 set {
11 rooms[i] = newValue
12 }
13 }
14 func printNumberOfRooms() {
15 print("The number of rooms is \(numberOfRooms)")
16 }
17 var address: Address?
18 }

Because this version of Residence stores an array of Room instances, its numberOfRooms
property is implemented as a computed property, not a stored property. The computed
numberOfRooms property simply returns the value of the count property from the rooms
array.

As a shortcut to accessing its rooms array, this version of Residence provides a read-
write subscript that provides access to the room at the requested index in the rooms
array.

This version of Residence also provides a method called printNumberOfRooms, which

simply prints the number of rooms in the residence.

Finally, Residence defines an optional property called address, with a type of Address?.
The Address class type for this property is defined below.

The Room class used for the rooms array is a simple class with one property called name,
and an initializer to set that property to a suitable room name:

1 class Room {
2 let name: String
3 init(name: String) { self.name = name }

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4 }

The final class in this model is called Address. This class has three optional properties
of type String?. The first two properties, buildingName and buildingNumber, are
alternative ways to identify a particular building as part of an address. The third
property, street, is used to name the street for that address:

1 class Address {
2 var buildingName: String?
3 var buildingNumber: String?
4 var street: String?
5 func buildingIdentifier() -> String? {
6 if let buildingNumber = buildingNumber, let street =
street {
7 return "\(buildingNumber) \(street)"
8 } else if buildingName != nil {
9 return buildingName
10 } else {
11 return nil
12 }
13 }
14 }

The Address class also provides a method called buildingIdentifier(), which has a
return type of String?. This method checks the properties of the address and returns
buildingName if it has a value, or buildingNumber concatenated with street if both
have values, or nil otherwise.

Accessing Properties Through Optional

Chaining
As demonstrated in Optional Chaining as an Alternative to Forced Unwrapping, you can
use optional chaining to access a property on an optional value, and to check if that
property access is successful.

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Use the classes defined above to create a new Person instance, and try to access its
numberOfRooms property as before:

1 let john = Person()

2 if let roomCount = john.residence?.numberOfRooms {
3 print("John's residence has \(roomCount) room(s).")
4 } else {
5 print("Unable to retrieve the number of rooms.")
6 }
7 // Prints "Unable to retrieve the number of rooms."

Because john.residence is nil, this optional chaining call fails in the same way as
before.

You can also attempt to set a propertyʼs value through optional chaining:

1 let someAddress = Address()

2 someAddress.buildingNumber = "29"
3 someAddress.street = "Acacia Road"
4 john.residence?.address = someAddress

In this example, the attempt to set the address property of john.residence will fail,
because john.residence is currently nil.

The assignment is part of the optional chaining, which means none of the code on the
right-hand side of the = operator is evaluated. In the previous example, itʼs not easy to
see that someAddress is never evaluated, because accessing a constant doesnʼt have
any side effects. The listing below does the same assignment, but it uses a function to
create the address. The function prints “Function was called” before returning a value,
which lets you see whether the right-hand side of the = operator was evaluated.

1 func createAddress() -> Address {

2 print("Function was called.")
3
4 let someAddress = Address()
5 someAddress.buildingNumber = "29"
6 someAddress.street = "Acacia Road"

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7
8 return someAddress
9 }
10 john.residence?.address = createAddress()

You can tell that the createAddress() function isnʼt called, because nothing is printed.

Calling Methods Through Optional Chaining

You can use optional chaining to call a method on an optional value, and to check
whether that method call is successful. You can do this even if that method does not
define a return value.

The printNumberOfRooms() method on the Residence class prints the current value of
numberOfRooms. Hereʼs how the method looks:

1 func printNumberOfRooms() {
2 print("The number of rooms is \(numberOfRooms)")
3 }

This method does not specify a return type. However, functions and methods with no
return type have an implicit return type of Void, as described in Functions Without
Return Values. This means that they return a value of (), or an empty tuple.

If you call this method on an optional value with optional chaining, the methodʼs return
type will be Void?, not Void, because return values are always of an optional type when
called through optional chaining. This enables you to use an if statement to check
whether it was possible to call the printNumberOfRooms() method, even though the
method does not itself define a return value. Compare the return value from the
printNumberOfRooms call against nil to see if the method call was successful:

1 if john.residence?.printNumberOfRooms() != nil {
2 print("It was possible to print the number of rooms.")
3 } else {
4 print("It was not possible to print the number of rooms.")
5 }

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6 // Prints "It was not possible to print the number of rooms."

The same is true if you attempt to set a property through optional chaining. The
example above in Accessing Properties Through Optional Chaining attempts to set an
address value for john.residence, even though the residence property is nil. Any
attempt to set a property through optional chaining returns a value of type Void?,
which enables you to compare against nil to see if the property was set successfully:

1 if (john.residence?.address = someAddress) != nil {

2 print("It was possible to set the address.")
3 } else {
4 print("It was not possible to set the address.")
5 }
6 // Prints "It was not possible to set the address."

Accessing Subscripts Through Optional

Chaining
You can use optional chaining to try to retrieve and set a value from a subscript on an
optional value, and to check whether that subscript call is successful.

NOTE

When you access a subscript on an optional value through optional chaining, you place the
question mark before the subscriptʼs brackets, not after. The optional chaining question
mark always follows immediately after the part of the expression that is optional.

The example below tries to retrieve the name of the first room in the rooms array of the
john.residence property using the subscript defined on the Residence class. Because
john.residence is currently nil, the subscript call fails:

1 if let firstRoomName = john.residence?[0].name {

2 print("The first room name is \(firstRoomName).")
3 } else {
4 print("Unable to retrieve the first room name.")

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5 }
6 // Prints "Unable to retrieve the first room name."

The optional chaining question mark in this subscript call is placed immediately after
john.residence, before the subscript brackets, because john.residence is the
optional value on which optional chaining is being attempted.

Similarly, you can try to set a new value through a subscript with optional chaining:

john.residence?[0] = Room(name: "Bathroom")

This subscript setting attempt also fails, because residence is currently nil.

If you create and assign an actual Residence instance to john.residence, with one or
more Room instances in its rooms array, you can use the Residence subscript to access
the actual items in the rooms array through optional chaining:

1 let johnsHouse = Residence()

2 johnsHouse.rooms.append(Room(name: "Living Room"))
3 johnsHouse.rooms.append(Room(name: "Kitchen"))
4 john.residence = johnsHouse
5
6 if let firstRoomName = john.residence?[0].name {
7 print("The first room name is \(firstRoomName).")
8 } else {
9 print("Unable to retrieve the first room name.")
10 }
11 // Prints "The first room name is Living Room."

Accessing Subscripts of Optional Type

If a subscript returns a value of optional type—such as the key subscript of Swiftʼs
Dictionary type—place a question mark after the subscriptʼs closing bracket to chain
on its optional return value:

1 var testScores = ["Dave": [86, 82, 84], "Bev": [79, 94, 81]]
2 testScores["Dave"]?[0] = 91

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3 testScores["Bev"]?[0] += 1
4 testScores["Brian"]?[0] = 72
5 // the "Dave" array is now [91, 82, 84] and the "Bev" array is
now [80, 94, 81]

The example above defines a dictionary called testScores, which contains two key-
value pairs that map a String key to an array of Int values. The example uses optional
chaining to set the first item in the "Dave" array to 91; to increment the first item in the
"Bev" array by 1; and to try to set the first item in an array for a key of "Brian". The first
two calls succeed, because the testScores dictionary contains keys for "Dave" and
"Bev". The third call fails, because the testScores dictionary does not contain a key
for "Brian".

Linking Multiple Levels of Chaining

You can link together multiple levels of optional chaining to drill down to properties,
methods, and subscripts deeper within a model. However, multiple levels of optional
chaining do not add more levels of optionality to the returned value.

To put it another way:

If the type you are trying to retrieve is not optional, it will become optional
because of the optional chaining.
If the type you are trying to retrieve is already optional, it will not become more
optional because of the chaining.

Therefore:

If you try to retrieve an Int value through optional chaining, an Int? is always
returned, no matter how many levels of chaining are used.
Similarly, if you try to retrieve an Int? value through optional chaining, an Int? is
always returned, no matter how many levels of chaining are used.

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The example below tries to access the street property of the address property of the
residence property of john. There are two levels of optional chaining in use here, to
chain through the residence and address properties, both of which are of optional
type:

1 if let johnsStreet = john.residence?.address?.street {

2 print("John's street name is \(johnsStreet).")
3 } else {
4 print("Unable to retrieve the address.")
5 }
6 // Prints "Unable to retrieve the address."

The value of john.residence currently contains a valid Residence instance. However,

the value of john.residence.address is currently nil. Because of this, the call to
john.residence?.address?.street fails.

Note that in the example above, you are trying to retrieve the value of the street
property. The type of this property is String?. The return value of
john.residence?.address?.street is therefore also String?, even though two levels
of optional chaining are applied in addition to the underlying optional type of the
property.

If you set an actual Address instance as the value for john.residence.address, and
set an actual value for the addressʼs street property, you can access the value of the
street property through multilevel optional chaining:

1 let johnsAddress = Address()

2 johnsAddress.buildingName = "The Larches"
3 johnsAddress.street = "Laurel Street"
4 john.residence?.address = johnsAddress
5
6 if let johnsStreet = john.residence?.address?.street {
7 print("John's street name is \(johnsStreet).")
8 } else {
9 print("Unable to retrieve the address.")
10 }
11 // Prints "John's street name is Laurel Street."

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In this example, the attempt to set the address property of john.residence will
succeed, because the value of john.residence currently contains a valid Residence
instance.

Chaining on Methods with Optional Return

Values
The previous example shows how to retrieve the value of a property of optional type
through optional chaining. You can also use optional chaining to call a method that
returns a value of optional type, and to chain on that methodʼs return value if needed.

The example below calls the Address classʼs buildingIdentifier() method through
optional chaining. This method returns a value of type String?. As described above,
the ultimate return type of this method call after optional chaining is also String?:

1 if let buildingIdentifier =
john.residence?.address?.buildingIdentifier() {
2 print("John's building identifier is \
(buildingIdentifier).")
3 }
4 // Prints "John's building identifier is The Larches."

If you want to perform further optional chaining on this methodʼs return value, place the
optional chaining question mark after the methodʼs parentheses:

1 if let beginsWithThe =
2
john.residence?.address?.buildingIdentifier()?.hasPrefix("The")
{
3 if beginsWithThe {
4 print("John's building identifier begins with
\"The\".")
5 } else {
6 print("John's building identifier does not begin with
\"The\".")

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7 }
8 }
9 // Prints "John's building identifier begins with "The"."

NOTE

In the example above, you place the optional chaining question mark after the
parentheses, because the optional value you are chaining on is the buildingIdentifier()
methodʼs return value, and not the buildingIdentifier() method itself.

Deinitialization Error Handling

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ON THIS PAGE

Error Handling
Error handling is the process of responding to and recovering from error conditions in
your program. Swift provides first-class support for throwing, catching, propagating,
and manipulating recoverable errors at runtime.

Some operations arenʼt guaranteed to always complete execution or produce a useful

output. Optionals are used to represent the absence of a value, but when an operation
fails, itʼs often useful to understand what caused the failure, so that your code can
respond accordingly.

As an example, consider the task of reading and processing data from a file on disk.
There are a number of ways this task can fail, including the file not existing at the
specified path, the file not having read permissions, or the file not being encoded in a
compatible format. Distinguishing among these different situations allows a program to
resolve some errors and to communicate to the user any errors it canʼt resolve.

NOTE

Error handling in Swift interoperates with error handling patterns that use the NSError
class in Cocoa and Objective-C. For more information about this class, see Handling
Cocoa Errors in Swift.

Representing and Throwing Errors

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In Swift, errors are represented by values of types that conform to the Error protocol.
This empty protocol indicates that a type can be used for error handling.

Swift enumerations are particularly well suited to modeling a group of related error
conditions, with associated values allowing for additional information about the nature
of an error to be communicated. For example, hereʼs how you might represent the error
conditions of operating a vending machine inside a game:

1 enum VendingMachineError: Error {

2 case invalidSelection
3 case insufficientFunds(coinsNeeded: Int)
4 case outOfStock
5 }

Throwing an error lets you indicate that something unexpected happened and the
normal flow of execution canʼt continue. You use a throw statement to throw an error.
For example, the following code throws an error to indicate that five additional coins are
needed by the vending machine:

throw VendingMachineError.insufficientFunds(coinsNeeded: 5)

Handling Errors
When an error is thrown, some surrounding piece of code must be responsible for
handling the error—for example, by correcting the problem, trying an alternative
approach, or informing the user of the failure.

There are four ways to handle errors in Swift. You can propagate the error from a
function to the code that calls that function, handle the error using a do-catch
statement, handle the error as an optional value, or assert that the error will not occur.
Each approach is described in a section below.

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When a function throws an error, it changes the flow of your program, so itʼs important
that you can quickly identify places in your code that can throw errors. To identify these
places in your code, write the try keyword—or the try? or try! variation—before a
piece of code that calls a function, method, or initializer that can throw an error. These
keywords are described in the sections below.

NOTE

Error handling in Swift resembles exception handling in other languages, with the use of
the try, catch and throw keywords. Unlike exception handling in many languages—
including Objective-C—error handling in Swift does not involve unwinding the call stack, a
process that can be computationally expensive. As such, the performance characteristics
of a throw statement are comparable to those of a return statement.

Propagating Errors Using Throwing Functions

To indicate that a function, method, or initializer can throw an error, you write the
throws keyword in the functionʼs declaration after its parameters. A function marked
with throws is called a throwing function. If the function specifies a return type, you
write the throws keyword before the return arrow (->).

1 func canThrowErrors() throws -> String

2
3 func cannotThrowErrors() -> String

A throwing function propagates errors that are thrown inside of it to the scope from
which itʼs called.

NOTE

Only throwing functions can propagate errors. Any errors thrown inside a nonthrowing
function must be handled inside the function.

In the example below, the VendingMachine class has a vend(itemNamed:) method that
throws an appropriate VendingMachineError if the requested item is not available, is
out of stock, or has a cost that exceeds the current deposited amount:

1 struct Item {

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2 var price: Int

3 var count: Int
4 }
5
6 class VendingMachine {
7 var inventory = [
8 "Candy Bar": Item(price: 12, count: 7),
9 "Chips": Item(price: 10, count: 4),
10 "Pretzels": Item(price: 7, count: 11)
11 ]
12 var coinsDeposited = 0
13
14 func vend(itemNamed name: String) throws {
15 guard let item = inventory[name] else {
16 throw VendingMachineError.invalidSelection
17 }
18
19 guard item.count > 0 else {
20 throw VendingMachineError.outOfStock
21 }
22
23 guard item.price <= coinsDeposited else {
24 throw
VendingMachineError.insufficientFunds(coinsNeeded: item.price
- coinsDeposited)
25 }
26
27 coinsDeposited -= item.price
28
29 var newItem = item
30 newItem.count -= 1
31 inventory[name] = newItem
32
33 print("Dispensing \(name)")
34 }
35 }

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The implementation of the vend(itemNamed:) method uses guard statements to exit

the method early and throw appropriate errors if any of the requirements for
purchasing a snack arenʼt met. Because a throw statement immediately transfers
program control, an item will be vended only if all of these requirements are met.

Because the vend(itemNamed:) method propagates any errors it throws, any code that
calls this method must either handle the errors—using a do-catch statement, try?, or
try!—or continue to propagate them. For example, the
buyFavoriteSnack(person:vendingMachine:) in the example below is also a throwing
function, and any errors that the vend(itemNamed:) method throws will propagate up
to the point where the buyFavoriteSnack(person:vendingMachine:) function is
called.

1 let favoriteSnacks = [
2 "Alice": "Chips",
3 "Bob": "Licorice",
4 "Eve": "Pretzels",
5 ]
6 func buyFavoriteSnack(person: String, vendingMachine:
VendingMachine) throws {
7 let snackName = favoriteSnacks[person] ?? "Candy Bar"
8 try vendingMachine.vend(itemNamed: snackName)
9 }

In this example, the buyFavoriteSnack(person: vendingMachine:) function looks up

a given personʼs favorite snack and tries to buy it for them by calling the
vend(itemNamed:) method. Because the vend(itemNamed:) method can throw an
error, itʼs called with the try keyword in front of it.

Throwing initializers can propagate errors in the same way as throwing functions. For
example, the initializer for the PurchasedSnack structure in the listing below calls a
throwing function as part of the initialization process, and it handles any errors that it
encounters by propagating them to its caller.

1 struct PurchasedSnack {
2 let name: String
3 init(name: String, vendingMachine: VendingMachine) throws {

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4 try vendingMachine.vend(itemNamed: name)

5 self.name = name
6 }
7 }

Handling Errors Using Do-Catch

You use a do-catch statement to handle errors by running a block of code. If an error is
thrown by the code in the do clause, it is matched against the catch clauses to
determine which one of them can handle the error.

Here is the general form of a do-catch statement:

do {
try expression
statements
} catch pattern 1 {
statements
} catch pattern 2 where condition {
statements
} catch {
statements
}

You write a pattern after catch to indicate what errors that clause can handle. If a catch
clause doesnʼt have a pattern, the clause matches any error and binds the error to a
local constant named error. For more information about pattern matching, see
Patterns.

For example, the following code matches against all three cases of the
VendingMachineError enumeration.

1 var vendingMachine = VendingMachine()

2 vendingMachine.coinsDeposited = 8
3 do {

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4 try buyFavoriteSnack(person: "Alice", vendingMachine:

vendingMachine)
5 print("Success! Yum.")
6 } catch VendingMachineError.invalidSelection {
7 print("Invalid Selection.")
8 } catch VendingMachineError.outOfStock {
9 print("Out of Stock.")
10 } catch VendingMachineError.insufficientFunds(let coinsNeeded)
{
11 print("Insufficient funds. Please insert an additional \
(coinsNeeded) coins.")
12 } catch {
13 print("Unexpected error: \(error).")
14 }
15 // Prints "Insufficient funds. Please insert an additional 2
coins."

In the above example, the buyFavoriteSnack(person:vendingMachine:) function is

called in a try expression, because it can throw an error. If an error is thrown, execution
immediately transfers to the catch clauses, which decide whether to allow propagation
to continue. If no pattern is matched, the error gets caught by the final catch clause
and is bound to a local error constant. If no error is thrown, the remaining statements
in the do statement are executed.

The catch clauses donʼt have to handle every possible error that the code in the do
clause can throw. If none of the catch clauses handle the error, the error propagates to
the surrounding scope. However, the propagated error must be handled by some
surrounding scope. In a nonthrowing function, an enclosing do-catch clause must
handle the error. In a throwing function, either an enclosing do-catch clause or the
caller must handle the error. If the error propagates to the top-level scope without
being handled, youʼll get a runtime error.

For example, the above example can be written so any error that isnʼt a
VendingMachineError is instead caught by the calling function:

1 func nourish(with item: String) throws {

2 do {

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3 try vendingMachine.vend(itemNamed: item)

4 } catch is VendingMachineError {
5 print("Invalid selection, out of stock, or not enough
money.")
6 }
7 }
8
9 do {
10 try nourish(with: "Beet-Flavored Chips")
11 } catch {
12 print("Unexpected non-vending-machine-related error: \
(error)")
13 }
14 // Prints "Invalid selection, out of stock, or not enough
money."

In the nourish(with:) function, if vend(itemNamed:) throws an error thatʼs one of the

cases of the VendingMachineError enumeration, nourish(with:) handles the error by
printing a message. Otherwise, nourish(with:) propagates the error to its call site.
The error is then caught by the general catch clause.

Converting Errors to Optional Values

You use try? to handle an error by converting it to an optional value. If an error is
thrown while evaluating the try? expression, the value of the expression is nil. For
example, in the following code x and y have the same value and behavior:

1 func someThrowingFunction() throws -> Int {

2 // ...
3 }
4
5 let x = try? someThrowingFunction()
6
7 let y: Int?
8 do {
9 y = try someThrowingFunction()
10 } catch {

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11 y = nil
12 }

If someThrowingFunction() throws an error, the value of x and y is nil. Otherwise, the

value of x and y is the value that the function returned. Note that x and y are an
optional of whatever type someThrowingFunction() returns. Here the function returns
an integer, so x and y are optional integers.

Using try? lets you write concise error handling code when you want to handle all
errors in the same way. For example, the following code uses several approaches to
fetch data, or returns nil if all of the approaches fail.

1 func fetchData() -> Data? {

2 if let data = try? fetchDataFromDisk() { return data }
3 if let data = try? fetchDataFromServer() { return data }
4 return nil
5 }

Disabling Error Propagation

Sometimes you know a throwing function or method wonʼt, in fact, throw an error at
runtime. On those occasions, you can write try! before the expression to disable error
propagation and wrap the call in a runtime assertion that no error will be thrown. If an
error actually is thrown, youʼll get a runtime error.

For example, the following code uses a loadImage(atPath:) function, which loads the
image resource at a given path or throws an error if the image canʼt be loaded. In this
case, because the image is shipped with the application, no error will be thrown at
runtime, so it is appropriate to disable error propagation.

let photo = try! loadImage(atPath: "./Resources/John

Appleseed.jpg")

Specifying Cleanup Actions

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You use a defer statement to execute a set of statements just before code execution
leaves the current block of code. This statement lets you do any necessary cleanup
that should be performed regardless of how execution leaves the current block of code
—whether it leaves because an error was thrown or because of a statement such as
return or break. For example, you can use a defer statement to ensure that file
descriptors are closed and manually allocated memory is freed.

A defer statement defers execution until the current scope is exited. This statement
consists of the defer keyword and the statements to be executed later. The deferred
statements may not contain any code that would transfer control out of the statements,
such as a break or a return statement, or by throwing an error. Deferred actions are
executed in the reverse of the order that theyʼre written in your source code. That is,
the code in the first defer statement executes last, the code in the second defer
statement executes second to last, and so on. The last defer statement in source code
order executes first.

1 func processFile(filename: String) throws {

2 if exists(filename) {
3 let file = open(filename)
4 defer {
5 close(file)
6 }
7 while let line = try file.readline() {
8 // Work with the file.
9 }
10 // close(file) is called here, at the end of the scope.
11 }
12 }

The above example uses a defer statement to ensure that the open(_:) function has a
corresponding call to close(_:).

NOTE

You can use a defer statement even when no error handling code is involved.

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Optional Chaining Type Casting

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ON THIS PAGE

Type Casting
Type casting is a way to check the type of an instance, or to treat that instance as a
different superclass or subclass from somewhere else in its own class hierarchy.

Type casting in Swift is implemented with the is and as operators. These two operators
provide a simple and expressive way to check the type of a value or cast a value to a
different type.

You can also use type casting to check whether a type conforms to a protocol, as
described in Checking for Protocol Conformance.

Defining a Class Hierarchy for Type Casting

You can use type casting with a hierarchy of classes and subclasses to check the type
of a particular class instance and to cast that instance to another class within the same
hierarchy. The three code snippets below define a hierarchy of classes and an array
containing instances of those classes, for use in an example of type casting.

The first snippet defines a new base class called MediaItem. This class provides basic
functionality for any kind of item that appears in a digital media library. Specifically, it
declares a name property of type String, and an init name initializer. (It is assumed
that all media items, including all movies and songs, will have a name.)

1 class MediaItem {
2 var name: String

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3 init(name: String) {
4 self.name = name
5 }
6 }

The next snippet defines two subclasses of MediaItem. The first subclass, Movie,
encapsulates additional information about a movie or film. It adds a director property
on top of the base MediaItem class, with a corresponding initializer. The second
subclass, Song, adds an artist property and initializer on top of the base class:

1 class Movie: MediaItem {

2 var director: String
3 init(name: String, director: String) {
4 self.director = director
5 super.init(name: name)
6 }
7 }
8
9 class Song: MediaItem {
10 var artist: String
11 init(name: String, artist: String) {
12 self.artist = artist
13 super.init(name: name)
14 }
15 }

The final snippet creates a constant array called library, which contains two Movie
instances and three Song instances. The type of the library array is inferred by
initializing it with the contents of an array literal. Swiftʼs type checker is able to deduce
that Movie and Song have a common superclass of MediaItem, and so it infers a type of
[MediaItem] for the library array:

1 let library = [
2 Movie(name: "Casablanca", director: "Michael Curtiz"),
3 Song(name: "Blue Suede Shoes", artist: "Elvis Presley"),
4 Movie(name: "Citizen Kane", director: "Orson Welles"),
5 Song(name: "The One And Only", artist: "Chesney Hawkes"),

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6 Song(name: "Never Gonna Give You Up", artist: "Rick

Astley")
7 ]
8 // the type of "library" is inferred to be [MediaItem]

The items stored in library are still Movie and Song instances behind the scenes.
However, if you iterate over the contents of this array, the items you receive back are
typed as MediaItem, and not as Movie or Song. In order to work with them as their
native type, you need to check their type, or downcast them to a different type, as
described below.

Checking Type
Use the type check operator (is) to check whether an instance is of a certain subclass
type. The type check operator returns true if the instance is of that subclass type and
false if it is not.

The example below defines two variables, movieCount and songCount, which count the
number of Movie and Song instances in the library array:

1 var movieCount = 0
2 var songCount = 0
3
4 for item in library {
5 if item is Movie {
6 movieCount += 1
7 } else if item is Song {
8 songCount += 1
9 }
10 }
11
12 print("Media library contains \(movieCount) movies and \
(songCount) songs")
13 // Prints "Media library contains 2 movies and 3 songs"

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This example iterates through all items in the library array. On each pass, the for-in
loop sets the item constant to the next MediaItem in the array.

item is Movie returns true if the current MediaItem is a Movie instance and false if it
is not. Similarly, item is Song checks whether the item is a Song instance. At the end
of the for-in loop, the values of movieCount and songCount contain a count of how
many MediaItem instances were found of each type.

Downcasting
A constant or variable of a certain class type may actually refer to an instance of a
subclass behind the scenes. Where you believe this is the case, you can try to
downcast to the subclass type with a type cast operator (as? or as!).

Because downcasting can fail, the type cast operator comes in two different forms. The
conditional form, as?, returns an optional value of the type you are trying to downcast
to. The forced form, as!, attempts the downcast and force-unwraps the result as a
single compound action.

Use the conditional form of the type cast operator (as?) when you are not sure if the
downcast will succeed. This form of the operator will always return an optional value,
and the value will be nil if the downcast was not possible. This enables you to check
for a successful downcast.

Use the forced form of the type cast operator (as!) only when you are sure that the
downcast will always succeed. This form of the operator will trigger a runtime error if
you try to downcast to an incorrect class type.

The example below iterates over each MediaItem in library, and prints an appropriate
description for each item. To do this, it needs to access each item as a true Movie or
Song, and not just as a MediaItem. This is necessary in order for it to be able to access
the director or artist property of a Movie or Song for use in the description.

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In this example, each item in the array might be a Movie, or it might be a Song. You
donʼt know in advance which actual class to use for each item, and so it is appropriate
to use the conditional form of the type cast operator (as?) to check the downcast each
time through the loop:

1 for item in library {

2 if let movie = item as? Movie {
3 print("Movie: \(movie.name), dir. \(movie.director)")
4 } else if let song = item as? Song {
5 print("Song: \(song.name), by \(song.artist)")
6 }
7 }
8
9 // Movie: Casablanca, dir. Michael Curtiz
10 // Song: Blue Suede Shoes, by Elvis Presley
11 // Movie: Citizen Kane, dir. Orson Welles
12 // Song: The One And Only, by Chesney Hawkes
13 // Song: Never Gonna Give You Up, by Rick Astley

The example starts by trying to downcast the current item as a Movie. Because item is
a MediaItem instance, itʼs possible that it might be a Movie; equally, itʼs also possible
that it might be a Song, or even just a base MediaItem. Because of this uncertainty, the
as? form of the type cast operator returns an optional value when attempting to
downcast to a subclass type. The result of item as? Movie is of type Movie?, or
“optional Movie”.

Downcasting to Movie fails when applied to the Song instances in the library array. To
cope with this, the example above uses optional binding to check whether the optional
Movie actually contains a value (that is, to find out whether the downcast succeeded.)
This optional binding is written “if let movie = item as? Movie”, which can be read
as:

“Try to access item as a Movie. If this is successful, set a new temporary constant
called movie to the value stored in the returned optional Movie.”

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If the downcasting succeeds, the properties of movie are then used to print a
description for that Movie instance, including the name of its director. A similar
principle is used to check for Song instances, and to print an appropriate description
(including artist name) whenever a Song is found in the library.

NOTE

Casting does not actually modify the instance or change its values. The underlying
instance remains the same; it is simply treated and accessed as an instance of the type to
which it has been cast.

Type Casting for Any and AnyObject

Swift provides two special types for working with nonspecific types:

Any can represent an instance of any type at all, including function types.
AnyObject can represent an instance of any class type.

Use Any and AnyObject only when you explicitly need the behavior and capabilities
they provide. It is always better to be specific about the types you expect to work with
in your code.

Hereʼs an example of using Any to work with a mix of different types, including function
types and nonclass types. The example creates an array called things, which can store
values of type Any:

1 var things = [Any]()

2
3 things.append(0)
4 things.append(0.0)
5 things.append(42)
6 things.append(3.14159)
7 things.append("hello")
8 things.append((3.0, 5.0))
9 things.append(Movie(name: "Ghostbusters", director: "Ivan
Reitman"))
10 things.append({ (name: String) -> String in "Hello, \(name)" })

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The things array contains two Int values, two Double values, a String value, a tuple of
type (Double, Double), the movie “Ghostbusters”, and a closure expression that takes
a String value and returns another String value.

To discover the specific type of a constant or variable that is known only to be of type
Any or AnyObject, you can use an is or as pattern in a switch statementʼs cases. The
example below iterates over the items in the things array and queries the type of each
item with a switch statement. Several of the switch statementʼs cases bind their
matched value to a constant of the specified type to enable its value to be printed:

1 for thing in things {

2 switch thing {
3 case 0 as Int:
4 print("zero as an Int")
5 case 0 as Double:
6 print("zero as a Double")
7 case let someInt as Int:
8 print("an integer value of \(someInt)")
9 case let someDouble as Double where someDouble > 0:
10 print("a positive double value of \(someDouble)")
11 case is Double:
12 print("some other double value that I don't want to
print")
13 case let someString as String:
14 print("a string value of \"\(someString)\"")
15 case let (x, y) as (Double, Double):
16 print("an (x, y) point at \(x), \(y)")
17 case let movie as Movie:
18 print("a movie called \(movie.name), dir. \
(movie.director)")
19 case let stringConverter as (String) -> String:
20 print(stringConverter("Michael"))
21 default:
22 print("something else")
23 }
24 }

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25
26 // zero as an Int
27 // zero as a Double
28 // an integer value of 42
29 // a positive double value of 3.14159
30 // a string value of "hello"
31 // an (x, y) point at 3.0, 5.0
32 // a movie called Ghostbusters, dir. Ivan Reitman
33 // Hello, Michael

NOTE

The Any type represents values of any type, including optional types. Swift gives you a
warning if you use an optional value where a value of type Any is expected. If you really do
need to use an optional value as an Any value, you can use the as operator to explicitly cast
the optional to Any, as shown below.

1 let optionalNumber: Int? = 3

2 things.append(optionalNumber) // Warning
3 things.append(optionalNumber as Any) // No warning

Error Handling Nested Types

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ON THIS PAGE

Nested Types
Enumerations are often created to support a specific class or structureʼs functionality.
Similarly, it can be convenient to define utility classes and structures purely for use
within the context of a more complex type. To accomplish this, Swift enables you to
define nested types, whereby you nest supporting enumerations, classes, and
structures within the definition of the type they support.

To nest a type within another type, write its definition within the outer braces of the
type it supports. Types can be nested to as many levels as are required.

Nested Types in Action

The example below defines a structure called BlackjackCard, which models a playing
card as used in the game of Blackjack. The BlackjackCard structure contains two
nested enumeration types called Suit and Rank.

In Blackjack, the Ace cards have a value of either one or eleven. This feature is
represented by a structure called Values, which is nested within the Rank enumeration:

1 struct BlackjackCard {
2
3 // nested Suit enumeration
4 enum Suit: Character {
5 case spades = "♠", hearts = "♡", diamonds = "♢", clubs
= "♣"

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6 }
7
8 // nested Rank enumeration
9 enum Rank: Int {
10 case two = 2, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine, ten
11 case jack, queen, king, ace
12 struct Values {
13 let first: Int, second: Int?
14 }
15 var values: Values {
16 switch self {
17 case .ace:
18 return Values(first: 1, second: 11)
19 case .jack, .queen, .king:
20 return Values(first: 10, second: nil)
21 default:
22 return Values(first: self.rawValue, second:
nil)
23 }
24 }
25 }
26
27 // BlackjackCard properties and methods
28 let rank: Rank, suit: Suit
29 var description: String {
30 var output = "suit is \(suit.rawValue),"
31 output += " value is \(rank.values.first)"
32 if let second = rank.values.second {
33 output += " or \(second)"
34 }
35 return output
36 }
37 }

The Suit enumeration describes the four common playing card suits, together with a
raw Character value to represent their symbol.

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The Rank enumeration describes the thirteen possible playing card ranks, together with
a raw Int value to represent their face value. (This raw Int value is not used for the
Jack, Queen, King, and Ace cards.)

As mentioned above, the Rank enumeration defines a further nested structure of its
own, called Values. This structure encapsulates the fact that most cards have one
value, but the Ace card has two values. The Values structure defines two properties to
represent this:

first, of type Int

second, of type Int?, or “optional Int”

Rank also defines a computed property, values, which returns an instance of the
Values structure. This computed property considers the rank of the card and initializes
a new Values instance with appropriate values based on its rank. It uses special values
for jack, queen, king, and ace. For the numeric cards, it uses the rankʼs raw Int value.

The BlackjackCard structure itself has two properties—rank and suit. It also defines
a computed property called description, which uses the values stored in rank and
suit to build a description of the name and value of the card. The description
property uses optional binding to check whether there is a second value to display, and
if so, inserts additional description detail for that second value.

Because BlackjackCard is a structure with no custom initializers, it has an implicit

memberwise initializer, as described in Memberwise Initializers for Structure Types. You
can use this initializer to initialize a new constant called theAceOfSpades:

1 let theAceOfSpades = BlackjackCard(rank: .ace, suit: .spades)

2 print("theAceOfSpades: \(theAceOfSpades.description)")
3 // Prints "theAceOfSpades: suit is ♠, value is 1 or 11"

Even though Rank and Suit are nested within BlackjackCard, their type can be
inferred from context, and so the initialization of this instance is able to refer to the
enumeration cases by their case names (.ace and .spades) alone. In the example
above, the description property correctly reports that the Ace of Spades has a value
of 1 or 11.

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Referring to Nested Types

To use a nested type outside of its definition context, prefix its name with the name of
the type it is nested within:

1 let heartsSymbol = BlackjackCard.Suit.hearts.rawValue

2 // heartsSymbol is "♡"

For the example above, this enables the names of Suit, Rank, and Values to be kept
deliberately short, because their names are naturally qualified by the context in which
they are defined.

Type Casting Extensions

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ON THIS PAGE

Extensions
Extensions add new functionality to an existing class, structure, enumeration, or
protocol type. This includes the ability to extend types for which you do not have
access to the original source code (known as retroactive modeling). Extensions are
similar to categories in Objective-C. (Unlike Objective-C categories, Swift extensions
do not have names.)

Extensions in Swift can:

Add computed instance properties and computed type properties

Define instance methods and type methods
Provide new initializers
Define subscripts
Define and use new nested types
Make an existing type conform to a protocol

In Swift, you can even extend a protocol to provide implementations of its requirements
or add additional functionality that conforming types can take advantage of. For more
details, see Protocol Extensions.

NOTE

Extensions can add new functionality to a type, but they cannot override existing
functionality.

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Extension Syntax
Declare extensions with the extension keyword:

1 extension SomeType {
2 // new functionality to add to SomeType goes here
3 }

An extension can extend an existing type to make it adopt one or more protocols. To
add protocol conformance, you write the protocol names the same way as you write
them for a class or structure:

1 extension SomeType: SomeProtocol, AnotherProtocol {

2 // implementation of protocol requirements goes here
3 }

Adding protocol conformance in this way is described in Adding Protocol Conformance

with an Extension.

An extension can be used to extend an existing generic type, as described in Extending

a Generic Type. You can also extend a generic type to conditionally add functionality,
as described in Extensions with a Generic Where Clause.

NOTE

If you define an extension to add new functionality to an existing type, the new
functionality will be available on all existing instances of that type, even if they were
created before the extension was defined.

Computed Properties
Extensions can add computed instance properties and computed type properties to
existing types. This example adds five computed instance properties to Swiftʼs built-in
Double type, to provide basic support for working with distance units:

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1 extension Double {
2 var km: Double { return self * 1_000.0 }
3 var m: Double { return self }
4 var cm: Double { return self / 100.0 }
5 var mm: Double { return self / 1_000.0 }
6 var ft: Double { return self / 3.28084 }
7 }
8 let oneInch = 25.4.mm
9 print("One inch is \(oneInch) meters")
10 // Prints "One inch is 0.0254 meters"
11 let threeFeet = 3.ft
12 print("Three feet is \(threeFeet) meters")
13 // Prints "Three feet is 0.914399970739201 meters"

These computed properties express that a Double value should be considered as a

certain unit of length. Although they are implemented as computed properties, the
names of these properties can be appended to a floating-point literal value with dot
syntax, as a way to use that literal value to perform distance conversions.

In this example, a Double value of 1.0 is considered to represent “one meter”. This is
why the m computed property returns self—the expression 1.m is considered to
calculate a Double value of 1.0.

Other units require some conversion to be expressed as a value measured in meters.

One kilometer is the same as 1,000 meters, so the km computed property multiplies the
value by 1_000.00 to convert into a number expressed in meters. Similarly, there are
3.28084 feet in a meter, and so the ft computed property divides the underlying
Double value by 3.28084, to convert it from feet to meters.

These properties are read-only computed properties, and so they are expressed
without the get keyword, for brevity. Their return value is of type Double, and can be
used within mathematical calculations wherever a Double is accepted:

1 let aMarathon = 42.km + 195.m

2 print("A marathon is \(aMarathon) meters long")
3 // Prints "A marathon is 42195.0 meters long"

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NOTE

Extensions can add new computed properties, but they cannot add stored properties, or
add property observers to existing properties.

Initializers
Extensions can add new initializers to existing types. This enables you to extend other
types to accept your own custom types as initializer parameters, or to provide
additional initialization options that were not included as part of the typeʼs original
implementation.

Extensions can add new convenience initializers to a class, but they cannot add new
designated initializers or deinitializers to a class. Designated initializers and
deinitializers must always be provided by the original class implementation.

If you use an extension to add an initializer to a value type that provides default values
for all of its stored properties and does not define any custom initializers, you can call
the default initializer and memberwise initializer for that value type from within your
extensionʼs initializer. This wouldnʼt be the case if you had written the initializer as part
of the value typeʼs original implementation, as described in Initializer Delegation for
Value Types.

If you use an extension to add an initializer to a structure that was declared in another
module, the new initializer canʼt access self until it calls an initializer from the defining
module.

The example below defines a custom Rect structure to represent a geometric

rectangle. The example also defines two supporting structures called Size and Point,
both of which provide default values of 0.0 for all of their properties:

1 struct Size {
2 var width = 0.0, height = 0.0
3 }
4 struct Point {
5 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0

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6 }
7 struct Rect {
8 var origin = Point()
9 var size = Size()
10 }

Because the Rect structure provides default values for all of its properties, it receives a
default initializer and a memberwise initializer automatically, as described in Default
Initializers. These initializers can be used to create new Rect instances:

1 let defaultRect = Rect()

2 let memberwiseRect = Rect(origin: Point(x: 2.0, y: 2.0),
3 size: Size(width: 5.0, height: 5.0))

You can extend the Rect structure to provide an additional initializer that takes a
specific center point and size:

1 extension Rect {
2 init(center: Point, size: Size) {
3 let originX = center.x - (size.width / 2)
4 let originY = center.y - (size.height / 2)
5 self.init(origin: Point(x: originX, y: originY), size:
size)
6 }
7 }

This new initializer starts by calculating an appropriate origin point based on the
provided center point and size value. The initializer then calls the structureʼs
automatic memberwise initializer init(origin:size:), which stores the new origin
and size values in the appropriate properties:

1 let centerRect = Rect(center: Point(x: 4.0, y: 4.0),

2 size: Size(width: 3.0, height: 3.0))
3 // centerRect's origin is (2.5, 2.5) and its size is (3.0, 3.0)

NOTE

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If you provide a new initializer with an extension, you are still responsible for making sure
that each instance is fully initialized once the initializer completes.

Methods
Extensions can add new instance methods and type methods to existing types. The
following example adds a new instance method called repetitions to the Int type:

1 extension Int {
2 func repetitions(task: () -> Void) {
3 for _ in 0..<self {
4 task()
5 }
6 }
7 }

The repetitions(task:) method takes a single argument of type () -> Void, which
indicates a function that has no parameters and does not return a value.

After defining this extension, you can call the repetitions(task:) method on any
integer to perform a task that many number of times:

1 3.repetitions {
2 print("Hello!")
3 }
4 // Hello!
5 // Hello!
6 // Hello!

Mutating Instance Methods

Instance methods added with an extension can also modify (or mutate) the instance
itself. Structure and enumeration methods that modify self or its properties must mark
the instance method as mutating, just like mutating methods from an original
implementation.

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The example below adds a new mutating method called square to Swiftʼs Int type,
which squares the original value:

1 extension Int {
2 mutating func square() {
3 self = self * self
4 }
5 }
6 var someInt = 3
7 someInt.square()
8 // someInt is now 9

Subscripts
Extensions can add new subscripts to an existing type. This example adds an integer
subscript to Swiftʼs built-in Int type. This subscript [n] returns the decimal digit n
places in from the right of the number:

123456789[0] returns 9
123456789[1] returns 8

…and so on:

1 extension Int {
2 subscript(digitIndex: Int) -> Int {
3 var decimalBase = 1
4 for _ in 0..<digitIndex {
5 decimalBase *= 10
6 }
7 return (self / decimalBase) % 10
8 }
9 }
10 746381295[0]
11 // returns 5
12 746381295[1]
13 // returns 9

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14 746381295[2]
15 // returns 2
16 746381295[8]
17 // returns 7

If the Int value does not have enough digits for the requested index, the subscript
implementation returns 0, as if the number had been padded with zeros to the left:

1 746381295[9]
2 // returns 0, as if you had requested:
3 0746381295[9]

Nested Types
Extensions can add new nested types to existing classes, structures, and
enumerations:

1 extension Int {
2 enum Kind {
3 case negative, zero, positive
4 }
5 var kind: Kind {
6 switch self {
7 case 0:
8 return .zero
9 case let x where x > 0:
10 return .positive
11 default:
12 return .negative
13 }
14 }
15 }

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This example adds a new nested enumeration to Int. This enumeration, called Kind,
expresses the kind of number that a particular integer represents. Specifically, it
expresses whether the number is negative, zero, or positive.

This example also adds a new computed instance property to Int, called kind, which
returns the appropriate Kind enumeration case for that integer.

The nested enumeration can now be used with any Int value:

1 func printIntegerKinds(_ numbers: [Int]) {

2 for number in numbers {
3 switch number.kind {
4 case .negative:
5 print("- ", terminator: "")
6 case .zero:
7 print("0 ", terminator: "")
8 case .positive:
9 print("+ ", terminator: "")
10 }
11 }
12 print("")
13 }
14 printIntegerKinds([3, 19, -27, 0, -6, 0, 7])
15 // Prints "+ + - 0 - 0 + "

This function, printIntegerKinds(_:), takes an input array of Int values and iterates
over those values in turn. For each integer in the array, the function considers the kind
computed property for that integer, and prints an appropriate description.

NOTE

number.kind is already known to be of type Int.Kind. Because of this, all of the Int.Kind
case values can be written in shorthand form inside the switch statement, such as
.negative rather than Int.Kind.negative.

Nested Types Protocols

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ON THIS PAGE

Protocols
A protocol defines a blueprint of methods, properties, and other requirements that suit
a particular task or piece of functionality. The protocol can then be adopted by a class,
structure, or enumeration to provide an actual implementation of those requirements.
Any type that satisfies the requirements of a protocol is said to conform to that
protocol.

In addition to specifying requirements that conforming types must implement, you can
extend a protocol to implement some of these requirements or to implement additional
functionality that conforming types can take advantage of.

Protocol Syntax
You define protocols in a very similar way to classes, structures, and enumerations:

1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 // protocol definition goes here
3 }

Custom types state that they adopt a particular protocol by placing the protocolʼs name
after the typeʼs name, separated by a colon, as part of their definition. Multiple
protocols can be listed, and are separated by commas:

1 struct SomeStructure: FirstProtocol, AnotherProtocol {

2 // structure definition goes here

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3 }

If a class has a superclass, list the superclass name before any protocols it adopts,
followed by a comma:

1 class SomeClass: SomeSuperclass, FirstProtocol, AnotherProtocol

{
2 // class definition goes here
3 }

Property Requirements
A protocol can require any conforming type to provide an instance property or type
property with a particular name and type. The protocol doesnʼt specify whether the
property should be a stored property or a computed property—it only specifies the
required property name and type. The protocol also specifies whether each property
must be gettable or gettable and settable.

If a protocol requires a property to be gettable and settable, that property requirement

canʼt be fulfilled by a constant stored property or a read-only computed property. If the
protocol only requires a property to be gettable, the requirement can be satisfied by
any kind of property, and itʼs valid for the property to be also settable if this is useful for
your own code.

Property requirements are always declared as variable properties, prefixed with the var
keyword. Gettable and settable properties are indicated by writing { get set } after
their type declaration, and gettable properties are indicated by writing { get }.

1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 var mustBeSettable: Int { get set }
3 var doesNotNeedToBeSettable: Int { get }
4 }

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Always prefix type property requirements with the static keyword when you define
them in a protocol. This rule pertains even though type property requirements can be
prefixed with the class or static keyword when implemented by a class:

1 protocol AnotherProtocol {
2 static var someTypeProperty: Int { get set }
3 }

Hereʼs an example of a protocol with a single instance property requirement:

1 protocol FullyNamed {
2 var fullName: String { get }
3 }

The FullyNamed protocol requires a conforming type to provide a fully-qualified name.

The protocol doesnʼt specify anything else about the nature of the conforming type—it
only specifies that the type must be able to provide a full name for itself. The protocol
states that any FullyNamed type must have a gettable instance property called
fullName, which is of type String.

Hereʼs an example of a simple structure that adopts and conforms to the FullyNamed
protocol:

1 struct Person: FullyNamed {

2 var fullName: String
3 }
4 let john = Person(fullName: "John Appleseed")
5 // john.fullName is "John Appleseed"

This example defines a structure called Person, which represents a specific named
person. It states that it adopts the FullyNamed protocol as part of the first line of its
definition.

Each instance of Person has a single stored property called fullName, which is of type
String. This matches the single requirement of the FullyNamed protocol, and means
that Person has correctly conformed to the protocol. (Swift reports an error at compile-
time if a protocol requirement is not fulfilled.)

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Hereʼs a more complex class, which also adopts and conforms to the FullyNamed
protocol:

1 class Starship: FullyNamed {

2 var prefix: String?
3 var name: String
4 init(name: String, prefix: String? = nil) {
5 self.name = name
6 self.prefix = prefix
7 }
8 var fullName: String {
9 return (prefix != nil ? prefix! + " " : "") + name
10 }
11 }
12 var ncc1701 = Starship(name: "Enterprise", prefix: "USS")
13 // ncc1701.fullName is "USS Enterprise"

This class implements the fullName property requirement as a computed read-only

property for a starship. Each Starship class instance stores a mandatory name and an
optional prefix. The fullName property uses the prefix value if it exists, and
prepends it to the beginning of name to create a full name for the starship.

Method Requirements
Protocols can require specific instance methods and type methods to be implemented
by conforming types. These methods are written as part of the protocolʼs definition in
exactly the same way as for normal instance and type methods, but without curly
braces or a method body. Variadic parameters are allowed, subject to the same rules
as for normal methods. Default values, however, canʼt be specified for method
parameters within a protocolʼs definition.

As with type property requirements, you always prefix type method requirements with
the static keyword when theyʼre defined in a protocol. This is true even though type
method requirements are prefixed with the class or static keyword when
implemented by a class:

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1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 static func someTypeMethod()
3 }

The following example defines a protocol with a single instance method requirement:

1 protocol RandomNumberGenerator {
2 func random() -> Double
3 }

This protocol, RandomNumberGenerator, requires any conforming type to have an

instance method called random, which returns a Double value whenever itʼs called.
Although itʼs not specified as part of the protocol, itʼs assumed that this value will be a
number from 0.0 up to (but not including) 1.0.

The RandomNumberGenerator protocol doesnʼt make any assumptions about how each
random number will be generated—it simply requires the generator to provide a
standard way to generate a new random number.

Hereʼs an implementation of a class that adopts and conforms to the

RandomNumberGenerator protocol. This class implements a pseudorandom number
generator algorithm known as a linear congruential generator:

1 class LinearCongruentialGenerator: RandomNumberGenerator {

2 var lastRandom = 42.0
3 let m = 139968.0
4 let a = 3877.0
5 let c = 29573.0
6 func random() -> Double {
7 lastRandom = ((lastRandom * a +
c).truncatingRemainder(dividingBy:m))
8 return lastRandom / m
9 }
10 }
11 let generator = LinearCongruentialGenerator()
12 print("Here's a random number: \(generator.random())")
13 // Prints "Here's a random number: 0.3746499199817101"

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14 print("And another one: \(generator.random())")

15 // Prints "And another one: 0.729023776863283"

Mutating Method Requirements

Itʼs sometimes necessary for a method to modify (or mutate) the instance it belongs to.
For instance methods on value types (that is, structures and enumerations) you place
the mutating keyword before a methodʼs func keyword to indicate that the method is
allowed to modify the instance it belongs to and any properties of that instance. This
process is described in Modifying Value Types from Within Instance Methods.

If you define a protocol instance method requirement that is intended to mutate

instances of any type that adopts the protocol, mark the method with the mutating
keyword as part of the protocolʼs definition. This enables structures and enumerations
to adopt the protocol and satisfy that method requirement.

NOTE

If you mark a protocol instance method requirement as mutating, you donʼt need to write
the mutating keyword when writing an implementation of that method for a class. The
mutating keyword is only used by structures and enumerations.

The example below defines a protocol called Togglable, which defines a single
instance method requirement called toggle. As its name suggests, the toggle()
method is intended to toggle or invert the state of any conforming type, typically by
modifying a property of that type.

The toggle() method is marked with the mutating keyword as part of the Togglable
protocol definition, to indicate that the method is expected to mutate the state of a
conforming instance when itʼs called:

1 protocol Togglable {
2 mutating func toggle()
3 }

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If you implement the Togglable protocol for a structure or enumeration, that structure
or enumeration can conform to the protocol by providing an implementation of the
toggle() method that is also marked as mutating.

The example below defines an enumeration called OnOffSwitch. This enumeration

toggles between two states, indicated by the enumeration cases on and off. The
enumerationʼs toggle implementation is marked as mutating, to match the Togglable
protocolʼs requirements:

1 enum OnOffSwitch: Togglable {

2 case off, on
3 mutating func toggle() {
4 switch self {
5 case .off:
6 self = .on
7 case .on:
8 self = .off
9 }
10 }
11 }
12 var lightSwitch = OnOffSwitch.off
13 lightSwitch.toggle()
14 // lightSwitch is now equal to .on

Initializer Requirements
Protocols can require specific initializers to be implemented by conforming types. You
write these initializers as part of the protocolʼs definition in exactly the same way as for
normal initializers, but without curly braces or an initializer body:

1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 init(someParameter: Int)
3 }

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Class Implementations of Protocol Initializer Requirements

You can implement a protocol initializer requirement on a conforming class as either a
designated initializer or a convenience initializer. In both cases, you must mark the
initializer implementation with the required modifier:

1 class SomeClass: SomeProtocol {

2 required init(someParameter: Int) {
3 // initializer implementation goes here
4 }
5 }

The use of the required modifier ensures that you provide an explicit or inherited
implementation of the initializer requirement on all subclasses of the conforming class,
such that they also conform to the protocol.

For more information on required initializers, see Required Initializers.

NOTE

You donʼt need to mark protocol initializer implementations with the required modifier on
classes that are marked with the final modifier, because final classes canʼt subclassed.
For more about the final modifier, see Preventing Overrides.

If a subclass overrides a designated initializer from a superclass, and also implements a

matching initializer requirement from a protocol, mark the initializer implementation
with both the required and override modifiers:

1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 init()
3 }
4
5 class SomeSuperClass {
6 init() {
7 // initializer implementation goes here
8 }
9 }

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10
11 class SomeSubClass: SomeSuperClass, SomeProtocol {
12 // "required" from SomeProtocol conformance; "override"
from SomeSuperClass
13 required override init() {
14 // initializer implementation goes here
15 }
16 }

Failable Initializer Requirements

Protocols can define failable initializer requirements for conforming types, as defined in
Failable Initializers.

A failable initializer requirement can be satisfied by a failable or nonfailable initializer on

a conforming type. A nonfailable initializer requirement can be satisfied by a nonfailable
initializer or an implicitly unwrapped failable initializer.

Protocols as Types
Protocols donʼt actually implement any functionality themselves. Nonetheless, any
protocol you create will become a fully-fledged type for use in your code.

Because itʼs a type, you can use a protocol in many places where other types are
allowed, including:

As a parameter type or return type in a function, method, or initializer

As the type of a constant, variable, or property
As the type of items in an array, dictionary, or other container

NOTE

Because protocols are types, begin their names with a capital letter (such as FullyNamed
and RandomNumberGenerator) to match the names of other types in Swift (such as Int,
String, and Double).

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Hereʼs an example of a protocol used as a type:

1 class Dice {
2 let sides: Int
3 let generator: RandomNumberGenerator
4 init(sides: Int, generator: RandomNumberGenerator) {
5 self.sides = sides
6 self.generator = generator
7 }
8 func roll() -> Int {
9 return Int(generator.random() * Double(sides)) + 1
10 }
11 }

This example defines a new class called Dice, which represents an n-sided dice for use
in a board game. Dice instances have an integer property called sides, which
represents how many sides they have, and a property called generator, which
provides a random number generator from which to create dice roll values.

The generator property is of type RandomNumberGenerator. Therefore, you can set it

to an instance of any type that adopts the RandomNumberGenerator protocol. Nothing
else is required of the instance you assign to this property, except that the instance
must adopt the RandomNumberGenerator protocol.

Dice also has an initializer, to set up its initial state. This initializer has a parameter
called generator, which is also of type RandomNumberGenerator. You can pass a value
of any conforming type in to this parameter when initializing a new Dice instance.

Dice provides one instance method, roll, which returns an integer value between 1
and the number of sides on the dice. This method calls the generatorʼs random()
method to create a new random number between 0.0 and 1.0, and uses this random
number to create a dice roll value within the correct range. Because generator is
known to adopt RandomNumberGenerator, itʼs guaranteed to have a random() method
to call.

Hereʼs how the Dice class can be used to create a six-sided dice with a
LinearCongruentialGenerator instance as its random number generator:

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1 var d6 = Dice(sides: 6, generator:

LinearCongruentialGenerator())
2 for _ in 1...5 {
3 print("Random dice roll is \(d6.roll())")
4 }
5 // Random dice roll is 3
6 // Random dice roll is 5
7 // Random dice roll is 4
8 // Random dice roll is 5
9 // Random dice roll is 4

Delegation
Delegation is a design pattern that enables a class or structure to hand off (or
delegate) some of its responsibilities to an instance of another type. This design
pattern is implemented by defining a protocol that encapsulates the delegated
responsibilities, such that a conforming type (known as a delegate) is guaranteed to
provide the functionality that has been delegated. Delegation can be used to respond
to a particular action, or to retrieve data from an external source without needing to
know the underlying type of that source.

The example below defines two protocols for use with dice-based board games:

1 protocol DiceGame {
2 var dice: Dice { get }
3 func play()
4 }
5 protocol DiceGameDelegate: AnyObject {
6 func gameDidStart(_ game: DiceGame)
7 func game(_ game: DiceGame, didStartNewTurnWithDiceRoll
diceRoll: Int)
8 func gameDidEnd(_ game: DiceGame)
9 }

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The DiceGame protocol is a protocol that can be adopted by any game that involves
dice.

The DiceGameDelegate protocol can be adopted to track the progress of a DiceGame.

To prevent strong reference cycles, delegates are declared as weak references. For
information about weak references, see Strong Reference Cycles Between Class
Instances. Marking the protocol as class-only lets the SnakesAndLadders class later in
this chapter declare that its delegate must use a weak reference. A class-only protocol
is marked by its inheritance from AnyObject as discussed in Class-Only Protocols.

Hereʼs a version of the Snakes and Ladders game originally introduced in Control Flow.
This version is adapted to use a Dice instance for its dice-rolls; to adopt the DiceGame
protocol; and to notify a DiceGameDelegate about its progress:

1 class SnakesAndLadders: DiceGame {

2 let finalSquare = 25
3 let dice = Dice(sides: 6, generator:
LinearCongruentialGenerator())
4 var square = 0
5 var board: [Int]
6 init() {
7 board = Array(repeating: 0, count: finalSquare + 1)
8 board[03] = +08; board[06] = +11; board[09] = +09;
board[10] = +02
9 board[14] = -10; board[19] = -11; board[22] = -02;
board[24] = -08
10 }
11 weak var delegate: DiceGameDelegate?
12 func play() {
13 square = 0
14 delegate?.gameDidStart(self)
15 gameLoop: while square != finalSquare {
16 let diceRoll = dice.roll()
17 delegate?.game(self, didStartNewTurnWithDiceRoll:
diceRoll)
18 switch square + diceRoll {
19 case finalSquare:

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20 break gameLoop
21 case let newSquare where newSquare > finalSquare:
22 continue gameLoop
23 default:
24 square += diceRoll
25 square += board[square]
26 }
27 }
28 delegate?.gameDidEnd(self)
29 }
30 }

For a description of the Snakes and Ladders gameplay, see Break.

This version of the game is wrapped up as a class called SnakesAndLadders, which

adopts the DiceGame protocol. It provides a gettable dice property and a play()
method in order to conform to the protocol. (The dice property is declared as a
constant property because it doesnʼt need to change after initialization, and the
protocol only requires that it must be gettable.)

The Snakes and Ladders game board setup takes place within the classʼs init()
initializer. All game logic is moved into the protocolʼs play method, which uses the
protocolʼs required dice property to provide its dice roll values.

Note that the delegate property is defined as an optional DiceGameDelegate, because

a delegate isnʼt required in order to play the game. Because itʼs of an optional type, the
delegate property is automatically set to an initial value of nil. Thereafter, the game
instantiator has the option to set the property to a suitable delegate. Because the
DiceGameDelegate protocol is class-only, you can declare the delegate to be weak to
prevent reference cycles.

DiceGameDelegate provides three methods for tracking the progress of a game. These
three methods have been incorporated into the game logic within the play() method
above, and are called when a new game starts, a new turn begins, or the game ends.

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Because the delegate property is an optional DiceGameDelegate, the play() method

uses optional chaining each time it calls a method on the delegate. If the delegate
property is nil, these delegate calls fail gracefully and without error. If the delegate
property is non-nil, the delegate methods are called, and are passed the
SnakesAndLadders instance as a parameter.

This next example shows a class called DiceGameTracker, which adopts the
DiceGameDelegate protocol:

1 class DiceGameTracker: DiceGameDelegate {

2 var numberOfTurns = 0
3 func gameDidStart(_ game: DiceGame) {
4 numberOfTurns = 0
5 if game is SnakesAndLadders {
6 print("Started a new game of Snakes and Ladders")
7 }
8 print("The game is using a \(game.dice.sides)-sided
dice")
9 }
10 func game(_ game: DiceGame, didStartNewTurnWithDiceRoll
diceRoll: Int) {
11 numberOfTurns += 1
12 print("Rolled a \(diceRoll)")
13 }
14 func gameDidEnd(_ game: DiceGame) {
15 print("The game lasted for \(numberOfTurns) turns")
16 }
17 }

DiceGameTracker implements all three methods required by DiceGameDelegate. It uses

these methods to keep track of the number of turns a game has taken. It resets a
numberOfTurns property to zero when the game starts, increments it each time a new
turn begins, and prints out the total number of turns once the game has ended.

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The implementation of gameDidStart(_:) shown above uses the game parameter to

print some introductory information about the game that is about to be played. The
game parameter has a type of DiceGame, not SnakesAndLadders, and so
gameDidStart(_:) can access and use only methods and properties that are
implemented as part of the DiceGame protocol. However, the method is still able to use
type casting to query the type of the underlying instance. In this example, it checks
whether game is actually an instance of SnakesAndLadders behind the scenes, and
prints an appropriate message if so.

The gameDidStart(_:) method also accesses the dice property of the passed game
parameter. Because game is known to conform to the DiceGame protocol, itʼs
guaranteed to have a dice property, and so the gameDidStart(_:) method is able to
access and print the diceʼs sides property, regardless of what kind of game is being
played.

Hereʼs how DiceGameTracker looks in action:

1 let tracker = DiceGameTracker()

2 let game = SnakesAndLadders()
3 game.delegate = tracker
4 game.play()
5 // Started a new game of Snakes and Ladders
6 // The game is using a 6-sided dice
7 // Rolled a 3
8 // Rolled a 5
9 // Rolled a 4
10 // Rolled a 5
11 // The game lasted for 4 turns

Adding Protocol Conformance with an

Extension

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You can extend an existing type to adopt and conform to a new protocol, even if you
donʼt have access to the source code for the existing type. Extensions can add new
properties, methods, and subscripts to an existing type, and are therefore able to add
any requirements that a protocol may demand. For more about extensions, see
Extensions.

NOTE

Existing instances of a type automatically adopt and conform to a protocol when that
conformance is added to the instanceʼs type in an extension.

For example, this protocol, called TextRepresentable, can be implemented by any

type that has a way to be represented as text. This might be a description of itself, or a
text version of its current state:

1 protocol TextRepresentable {
2 var textualDescription: String { get }
3 }

The Dice class from above can be extended to adopt and conform to
TextRepresentable:

1 extension Dice: TextRepresentable {

2 var textualDescription: String {
3 return "A \(sides)-sided dice"
4 }
5 }

This extension adopts the new protocol in exactly the same way as if Dice had
provided it in its original implementation. The protocol name is provided after the type
name, separated by a colon, and an implementation of all requirements of the protocol
is provided within the extensionʼs curly braces.

Any Dice instance can now be treated as TextRepresentable:

1 let d12 = Dice(sides: 12, generator:

LinearCongruentialGenerator())
2 print(d12.textualDescription)

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3 // Prints "A 12-sided dice"

Similarly, the SnakesAndLadders game class can be extended to adopt and conform to
the TextRepresentable protocol:

1 extension SnakesAndLadders: TextRepresentable {

2 var textualDescription: String {
3 return "A game of Snakes and Ladders with \
(finalSquare) squares"
4 }
5 }
6 print(game.textualDescription)
7 // Prints "A game of Snakes and Ladders with 25 squares"

Conditionally Conforming to a Protocol

A generic type may be able to satisfy the requirements of a protocol only under certain
conditions, such as when the typeʼs generic parameter conforms to the protocol. You
can make a generic type conditionally conform to a protocol by listing constraints when
extending the type. Write these constraints after the name of the protocol youʼre
adopting by writing a generic where clause. For more about generic where clauses, see
Generic Where Clauses.

The following extension makes Array instances conform to the TextRepresentable

protocol whenever they store elements of a type that conforms to TextRepresentable.

1 extension Array: TextRepresentable where Element:

TextRepresentable {
2 var textualDescription: String {
3 let itemsAsText = self.map { $0.textualDescription }
4 return "[" + itemsAsText.joined(separator: ", ") + "]"
5 }
6 }
7 let myDice = [d6, d12]
8 print(myDice.textualDescription)
9 // Prints "[A 6-sided dice, A 12-sided dice]"

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Declaring Protocol Adoption with an Extension

If a type already conforms to all of the requirements of a protocol, but has not yet
stated that it adopts that protocol, you can make it adopt the protocol with an empty
extension:

1 struct Hamster {
2 var name: String
3 var textualDescription: String {
4 return "A hamster named \(name)"
5 }
6 }
7 extension Hamster: TextRepresentable {}

Instances of Hamster can now be used wherever TextRepresentable is the required

type:

1 let simonTheHamster = Hamster(name: "Simon")

2 let somethingTextRepresentable: TextRepresentable =
simonTheHamster
3 print(somethingTextRepresentable.textualDescription)
4 // Prints "A hamster named Simon"

NOTE

Types donʼt automatically adopt a protocol just by satisfying its requirements. They must
always explicitly declare their adoption of the protocol.

Collections of Protocol Types

A protocol can be used as the type to be stored in a collection such as an array or a
dictionary, as mentioned in Protocols as Types. This example creates an array of
TextRepresentable things:

let things: [TextRepresentable] = [game, d12, simonTheHamster]

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Itʼs now possible to iterate over the items in the array, and print each itemʼs textual
description:

1 for thing in things {

2 print(thing.textualDescription)
3 }
4 // A game of Snakes and Ladders with 25 squares
5 // A 12-sided dice
6 // A hamster named Simon

Note that the thing constant is of type TextRepresentable. Itʼs not of type Dice, or
DiceGame, or Hamster, even if the actual instance behind the scenes is of one of those
types. Nonetheless, because itʼs of type TextRepresentable, and anything that is
TextRepresentable is known to have a textualDescription property, itʼs safe to
access thing.textualDescription each time through the loop.

Protocol Inheritance
A protocol can inherit one or more other protocols and can add further requirements
on top of the requirements it inherits. The syntax for protocol inheritance is similar to
the syntax for class inheritance, but with the option to list multiple inherited protocols,
separated by commas:

1 protocol InheritingProtocol: SomeProtocol, AnotherProtocol {

2 // protocol definition goes here
3 }

Hereʼs an example of a protocol that inherits the TextRepresentable protocol from

above:

1 protocol PrettyTextRepresentable: TextRepresentable {

2 var prettyTextualDescription: String { get }
3 }

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This example defines a new protocol, PrettyTextRepresentable, which inherits from

TextRepresentable. Anything that adopts PrettyTextRepresentable must satisfy all
of the requirements enforced by TextRepresentable, plus the additional requirements
enforced by PrettyTextRepresentable. In this example, PrettyTextRepresentable
adds a single requirement to provide a gettable property called
prettyTextualDescription that returns a String.

The SnakesAndLadders class can be extended to adopt and conform to

PrettyTextRepresentable:

1 extension SnakesAndLadders: PrettyTextRepresentable {

2 var prettyTextualDescription: String {
3 var output = textualDescription + ":\n"
4 for index in 1...finalSquare {
5 switch board[index] {
6 case let ladder where ladder > 0:
7 output += "▲ "
8 case let snake where snake < 0:
9 output += "▼ "
10 default:
11 output += "○ "
12 }
13 }
14 return output
15 }
16 }

This extension states that it adopts the PrettyTextRepresentable protocol and

provides an implementation of the prettyTextualDescription property for the
SnakesAndLadders type. Anything that is PrettyTextRepresentable must also be
TextRepresentable, and so the implementation of prettyTextualDescription starts
by accessing the textualDescription property from the TextRepresentable protocol
to begin an output string. It appends a colon and a line break, and uses this as the start
of its pretty text representation. It then iterates through the array of board squares, and
appends a geometric shape to represent the contents of each square:

If the squareʼs value is greater than 0, itʼs the base of a ladder, and is represented

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by ▲.
If the squareʼs value is less than 0, itʼs the head of a snake, and is represented by
▼.
Otherwise, the squareʼs value is 0, and itʼs a “free” square, represented by ○.

The prettyTextualDescription property can now be used to print a pretty text

description of any SnakesAndLadders instance:

1 print(game.prettyTextualDescription)
2 // A game of Snakes and Ladders with 25 squares:
3 // ○ ○ ▲ ○ ○ ▲ ○ ○ ▲ ▲ ○ ○ ○ ▼ ○ ○ ○ ○ ▼ ○ ○ ▼ ○ ▼ ○

Class-Only Protocols
You can limit protocol adoption to class types (and not structures or enumerations) by
adding the AnyObject protocol to a protocolʼs inheritance list.

1 protocol SomeClassOnlyProtocol: AnyObject,

SomeInheritedProtocol {
2 // class-only protocol definition goes here
3 }

In the example above, SomeClassOnlyProtocol can only be adopted by class types. Itʼs
a compile-time error to write a structure or enumeration definition that tries to adopt
SomeClassOnlyProtocol.

NOTE

Use a class-only protocol when the behavior defined by that protocolʼs requirements
assumes or requires that a conforming type has reference semantics rather than value
semantics. For more about reference and value semantics, see Structures and
Enumerations Are Value Types and Classes Are Reference Types.

Protocol Composition
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It can be useful to require a type to conform to multiple protocols at the same time. You
can combine multiple protocols into a single requirement with a protocol composition.
Protocol compositions behave as if you defined a temporary local protocol that has the
combined requirements of all protocols in the composition. Protocol compositions
donʼt define any new protocol types.

Protocol compositions have the form SomeProtocol & AnotherProtocol. You can list
as many protocols as you need, separating them with ampersands (&). In addition to its
list of protocols, a protocol composition can also contain one class type, which you can
use to specify a required superclass.

Hereʼs an example that combines two protocols called Named and Aged into a single
protocol composition requirement on a function parameter:

1 protocol Named {
2 var name: String { get }
3 }
4 protocol Aged {
5 var age: Int { get }
6 }
7 struct Person: Named, Aged {
8 var name: String
9 var age: Int
10 }
11 func wishHappyBirthday(to celebrator: Named & Aged) {
12 print("Happy birthday, \(celebrator.name), you're \
(celebrator.age)!")
13 }
14 let birthdayPerson = Person(name: "Malcolm", age: 21)
15 wishHappyBirthday(to: birthdayPerson)
16 // Prints "Happy birthday, Malcolm, you're 21!"

In this example, the Named protocol has a single requirement for a gettable String
property called name. The Aged protocol has a single requirement for a gettable Int
property called age. Both protocols are adopted by a structure called Person.

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The example also defines a wishHappyBirthday(to:) function. The type of the

celebrator parameter is Named & Aged, which means “any type that conforms to both
the Named and Aged protocols.” It doesnʼt matter which specific type is passed to the
function, as long as it conforms to both of the required protocols.

The example then creates a new Person instance called birthdayPerson and passes
this new instance to the wishHappyBirthday(to:) function. Because Person conforms
to both protocols, this call is valid, and the wishHappyBirthday(to:) function can print
its birthday greeting.

Hereʼs an example that combines the Named protocol from the previous example with a
Location class:

1 class Location {
2 var latitude: Double
3 var longitude: Double
4 init(latitude: Double, longitude: Double) {
5 self.latitude = latitude
6 self.longitude = longitude
7 }
8 }
9 class City: Location, Named {
10 var name: String
11 init(name: String, latitude: Double, longitude: Double) {
12 self.name = name
13 super.init(latitude: latitude, longitude: longitude)
14 }
15 }
16 func beginConcert(in location: Location & Named) {
17 print("Hello, \(location.name)!")
18 }
19
20 let seattle = City(name: "Seattle", latitude: 47.6, longitude:
-122.3)
21 beginConcert(in: seattle)
22 // Prints "Hello, Seattle!"

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The beginConcert(in:) function takes a parameter of type Location & Named, which
means “any type thatʼs a subclass of Location and that conforms to the Named
protocol.” In this case, City satisfies both requirements.

Passing birthdayPerson to the beginConcert(in:) function is invalid because Person

isnʼt a subclass of Location. Likewise, if you made a subclass of Location that didnʼt
conform to the Named protocol, calling beginConcert(in:) with an instance of that type
is also invalid.

Checking for Protocol Conformance

You can use the is and as operators described in Type Casting to check for protocol
conformance, and to cast to a specific protocol. Checking for and casting to a protocol
follows exactly the same syntax as checking for and casting to a type:

The is operator returns true if an instance conforms to a protocol and returns

false if it doesnʼt.
The as? version of the downcast operator returns an optional value of the
protocolʼs type, and this value is nil if the instance doesnʼt conform to that
protocol.
The as! version of the downcast operator forces the downcast to the protocol
type and triggers a runtime error if the downcast doesnʼt succeed.

This example defines a protocol called HasArea, with a single property requirement of a
gettable Double property called area:

1 protocol HasArea {
2 var area: Double { get }
3 }

Here are two classes, Circle and Country, both of which conform to the HasArea
protocol:

1 class Circle: HasArea {

2 let pi = 3.1415927
3 var radius: Double

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4 var area: Double { return pi * radius * radius }

5 init(radius: Double) { self.radius = radius }
6 }
7 class Country: HasArea {
8 var area: Double
9 init(area: Double) { self.area = area }
10 }

The Circle class implements the area property requirement as a computed property,
based on a stored radius property. The Country class implements the area
requirement directly as a stored property. Both classes correctly conform to the
HasArea protocol.

Hereʼs a class called Animal, which doesnʼt conform to the HasArea protocol:

1 class Animal {
2 var legs: Int
3 init(legs: Int) { self.legs = legs }
4 }

The Circle, Country and Animal classes donʼt have a shared base class. Nonetheless,
theyʼre all classes, and so instances of all three types can be used to initialize an array
that stores values of type AnyObject:

1 let objects: [AnyObject] = [

2 Circle(radius: 2.0),
3 Country(area: 243_610),
4 Animal(legs: 4)
5 ]

The objects array is initialized with an array literal containing a Circle instance with a
radius of 2 units; a Country instance initialized with the surface area of the United
Kingdom in square kilometers; and an Animal instance with four legs.

The objects array can now be iterated, and each object in the array can be checked to
see if it conforms to the HasArea protocol:

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1 for object in objects {

2 if let objectWithArea = object as? HasArea {
3 print("Area is \(objectWithArea.area)")
4 } else {
5 print("Something that doesn't have an area")
6 }
7 }
8 // Area is 12.5663708
9 // Area is 243610.0
10 // Something that doesn't have an area

Whenever an object in the array conforms to the HasArea protocol, the optional value
returned by the as? operator is unwrapped with optional binding into a constant called
objectWithArea. The objectWithArea constant is known to be of type HasArea, and so
its area property can be accessed and printed in a type-safe way.

Note that the underlying objects arenʼt changed by the casting process. They continue
to be a Circle, a Country and an Animal. However, at the point that theyʼre stored in
the objectWithArea constant, theyʼre only known to be of type HasArea, and so only
their area property can be accessed.

Optional Protocol Requirements

You can define optional requirements for protocols, These requirements donʼt have to
be implemented by types that conform to the protocol. Optional requirements are
prefixed by the optional modifier as part of the protocolʼs definition. Optional
requirements are available so that you can write code that interoperates with
Objective-C. Both the protocol and the optional requirement must be marked with the
@objc attribute. Note that @objc protocols can be adopted only by classes that inherit
from Objective-C classes or other @objc classes. They canʼt be adopted by structures
or enumerations.

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When you use a method or property in an optional requirement, its type automatically
becomes an optional. For example, a method of type (Int) -> String becomes
((Int) -> String)?. Note that the entire function type is wrapped in the optional, not
the methodʼs return value.

An optional protocol requirement can be called with optional chaining, to account for
the possibility that the requirement was not implemented by a type that conforms to
the protocol. You check for an implementation of an optional method by writing a
question mark after the name of the method when itʼs called, such as
someOptionalMethod?(someArgument). For information on optional chaining, see
Optional Chaining.

The following example defines an integer-counting class called Counter, which uses an
external data source to provide its increment amount. This data source is defined by
the CounterDataSource protocol, which has two optional requirements:

1 @objc protocol CounterDataSource {

2 @objc optional func increment(forCount count: Int) -> Int
3 @objc optional var fixedIncrement: Int { get }
4 }

The CounterDataSource protocol defines an optional method requirement called

increment(forCount:) and an optional property requirement called fixedIncrement.
These requirements define two different ways for data sources to provide an
appropriate increment amount for a Counter instance.

NOTE

Strictly speaking, you can write a custom class that conforms to CounterDataSource
without implementing either protocol requirement. Theyʼre both optional, after all.
Although technically allowed, this wouldnʼt make for a very good data source.

The Counter class, defined below, has an optional dataSource property of type
CounterDataSource?:

1 class Counter {
2 var count = 0
3 var dataSource: CounterDataSource?

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4 func increment() {
5 if let amount = dataSource?.increment?(forCount: count)
{
6 count += amount
7 } else if let amount = dataSource?.fixedIncrement {
8 count += amount
9 }
10 }
11 }

The Counter class stores its current value in a variable property called count. The
Counter class also defines a method called increment, which increments the count
property every time the method is called.

The increment() method first tries to retrieve an increment amount by looking for an
implementation of the increment(forCount:) method on its data source. The
increment() method uses optional chaining to try to call increment(forCount:), and
passes the current count value as the methodʼs single argument.

Note that two levels of optional chaining are at play here. First, itʼs possible that
dataSource may be nil, and so dataSource has a question mark after its name to
indicate that increment(forCount:) should be called only if dataSource isnʼt nil.
Second, even if dataSource does exist, thereʼs no guarantee that it implements
increment(forCount:), because itʼs an optional requirement. Here, the possibility that
increment(forCount:) might not be implemented is also handled by optional chaining.
The call to increment(forCount:) happens only if increment(forCount:) exists—that
is, if it isnʼt nil. This is why increment(forCount:) is also written with a question mark
after its name.

Because the call to increment(forCount:) can fail for either of these two reasons, the
call returns an optional Int value. This is true even though increment(forCount:) is
defined as returning a non-optional Int value in the definition of CounterDataSource.
Even though there are two optional chaining operations, one after another, the result is
still wrapped in a single optional. For more information about using multiple optional
chaining operations, see Linking Multiple Levels of Chaining.

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After calling increment(forCount:), the optional Int that it returns is unwrapped into a
constant called amount, using optional binding. If the optional Int does contain a value
—that is, if the delegate and method both exist, and the method returned a value—the
unwrapped amount is added onto the stored count property, and incrementation is
complete.

If itʼs not possible to retrieve a value from the increment(forCount:) method—either

because dataSource is nil, or because the data source doesnʼt implement
increment(forCount:)—then the increment() method tries to retrieve a value from
the data sourceʼs fixedIncrement property instead. The fixedIncrement property is
also an optional requirement, so its value is an optional Int value, even though
fixedIncrement is defined as a non-optional Int property as part of the
CounterDataSource protocol definition.

Hereʼs a simple CounterDataSource implementation where the data source returns a

constant value of 3 every time itʼs queried. It does this by implementing the optional
fixedIncrement property requirement:

1 class ThreeSource: NSObject, CounterDataSource {

2 let fixedIncrement = 3
3 }

You can use an instance of ThreeSource as the data source for a new Counter
instance:

1 var counter = Counter()

2 counter.dataSource = ThreeSource()
3 for _ in 1...4 {
4 counter.increment()
5 print(counter.count)
6 }
7 // 3
8 // 6
9 // 9
10 // 12

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The code above creates a new Counter instance; sets its data source to be a new
ThreeSource instance; and calls the counterʼs increment() method four times. As
expected, the counterʼs count property increases by three each time increment() is
called.

Hereʼs a more complex data source called TowardsZeroSource, which makes a Counter
instance count up or down towards zero from its current count value:

1 class TowardsZeroSource: NSObject, CounterDataSource {

2 func increment(forCount count: Int) -> Int {
3 if count == 0 {
4 return 0
5 } else if count < 0 {
6 return 1
7 } else {
8 return -1
9 }
10 }
11 }

The TowardsZeroSource class implements the optional increment(forCount:) method

from the CounterDataSource protocol and uses the count argument value to work out
which direction to count in. If count is already zero, the method returns 0 to indicate
that no further counting should take place.

You can use an instance of TowardsZeroSource with the existing Counter instance to
count from -4 to zero. Once the counter reaches zero, no more counting takes place:

1 counter.count = -4
2 counter.dataSource = TowardsZeroSource()
3 for _ in 1...5 {
4 counter.increment()
5 print(counter.count)
6 }
7 // -3
8 // -2
9 // -1

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10 // 0
11 // 0

Protocol Extensions
Protocols can be extended to provide method, initializer, subscript, and computed
property implementations to conforming types. This allows you to define behavior on
protocols themselves, rather than in each typeʼs individual conformance or in a global
function.

For example, the RandomNumberGenerator protocol can be extended to provide a

randomBool() method, which uses the result of the required random() method to
return a random Bool value:

1 extension RandomNumberGenerator {
2 func randomBool() -> Bool {
3 return random() > 0.5
4 }
5 }

By creating an extension on the protocol, all conforming types automatically gain this
method implementation without any additional modification.

1 let generator = LinearCongruentialGenerator()

2 print("Here's a random number: \(generator.random())")
3 // Prints "Here's a random number: 0.3746499199817101"
4 print("And here's a random Boolean: \(generator.randomBool())")
5 // Prints "And here's a random Boolean: true"

Protocol extensions can add implementations to conforming types but canʼt make a
protocol extend or inherit from another protocol. Protocol inheritance is always
specified in the protocol declaration itself.

Providing Default Implementations

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You can use protocol extensions to provide a default implementation to any method or
computed property requirement of that protocol. If a conforming type provides its own
implementation of a required method or property, that implementation will be used
instead of the one provided by the extension.

NOTE

Protocol requirements with default implementations provided by extensions are distinct

from optional protocol requirements. Although conforming types donʼt have to provide
their own implementation of either, requirements with default implementations can be
called without optional chaining.

For example, the PrettyTextRepresentable protocol, which inherits the

TextRepresentable protocol can provide a default implementation of its required
prettyTextualDescription property to simply return the result of accessing the
textualDescription property:

1 extension PrettyTextRepresentable {
2 var prettyTextualDescription: String {
3 return textualDescription
4 }
5 }

Adding Constraints to Protocol Extensions

When you define a protocol extension, you can specify constraints that conforming
types must satisfy before the methods and properties of the extension are available.
You write these constraints after the name of the protocol youʼre extending by writing a
generic where clause. For more about generic where clauses, see Generic Where
Clauses.

For example, you can define an extension to the Collection protocol that applies to
any collection whose elements conform to the Equatable protocol. By constraining a
collectionʼs elements to the Equatable protocol, a part of the standard library, you can
use the == and != operators to check for equality and inequality between two elements.

1 extension Collection where Element: Equatable {

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2 func allEqual() -> Bool {

3 for element in self {
4 if element != self.first {
5 return false
6 }
7 }
8 return true
9 }
10 }

The allEqual() method returns true only if all the elements in the collection are equal.

Consider two arrays of integers, one where all the elements are the same, and one
where they arenʼt:

1 let equalNumbers = [100, 100, 100, 100, 100]

2 let differentNumbers = [100, 100, 200, 100, 200]

Because arrays conform to Collection and integers conform to Equatable,

equalNumbers and differentNumbers can use the allEqual() method:

1 print(equalNumbers.allEqual())
2 // Prints "true"
3 print(differentNumbers.allEqual())
4 // Prints "false"

NOTE

If a conforming type satisfies the requirements for multiple constrained extensions that
provide implementations for the same method or property, Swift uses the implementation
corresponding to the most specialized constraints.

Extensions Generics

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ON THIS PAGE

Generics
Generic code enables you to write flexible, reusable functions and types that can work
with any type, subject to requirements that you define. You can write code that avoids
duplication and expresses its intent in a clear, abstracted manner.

Generics are one of the most powerful features of Swift, and much of the Swift
standard library is built with generic code. In fact, youʼve been using generics
throughout the Language Guide, even if you didnʼt realize it. For example, Swiftʼs Array
and Dictionary types are both generic collections. You can create an array that holds
Int values, or an array that holds String values, or indeed an array for any other type
that can be created in Swift. Similarly, you can create a dictionary to store values of any
specified type, and there are no limitations on what that type can be.

The Problem That Generics Solve

Hereʼs a standard, nongeneric function called swapTwoInts(_:_:), which swaps two
Int values:

1 func swapTwoInts(_ a: inout Int, _ b: inout Int) {

2 let temporaryA = a
3 a = b
4 b = temporaryA
5 }

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This function makes use of in-out parameters to swap the values of a and b, as
described in In-Out Parameters.

The swapTwoInts(_:_:) function swaps the original value of b into a, and the original
value of a into b. You can call this function to swap the values in two Int variables:

1 var someInt = 3
2 var anotherInt = 107
3 swapTwoInts(&someInt, &anotherInt)
4 print("someInt is now \(someInt), and anotherInt is now \
(anotherInt)")
5 // Prints "someInt is now 107, and anotherInt is now 3"

The swapTwoInts(_:_:) function is useful, but it can only be used with Int values. If
you want to swap two String values, or two Double values, you have to write more
functions, such as the swapTwoStrings(_:_:) and swapTwoDoubles(_:_:) functions
shown below:

1 func swapTwoStrings(_ a: inout String, _ b: inout String) {

2 let temporaryA = a
3 a = b
4 b = temporaryA
5 }
6
7 func swapTwoDoubles(_ a: inout Double, _ b: inout Double) {
8 let temporaryA = a
9 a = b
10 b = temporaryA
11 }

You may have noticed that the bodies of the swapTwoInts(_:_:),

swapTwoStrings(_:_:), and swapTwoDoubles(_:_:) functions are identical. The only
difference is the type of the values that they accept (Int, String, and Double).

Itʼs more useful, and considerably more flexible, to write a single function that swaps
two values of any type. Generic code enables you to write such a function. (A generic
version of these functions is defined below.)

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NOTE

In all three functions, the types of a and b must be the same. If a and b arenʼt of the same
type, it isnʼt possible to swap their values. Swift is a type-safe language, and doesnʼt allow
(for example) a variable of type String and a variable of type Double to swap values with
each other. Attempting to do so results in a compile-time error.

Generic Functions
Generic functions can work with any type. Hereʼs a generic version of the
swapTwoInts(_:_:) function from above, called swapTwoValues(_:_:):

1 func swapTwoValues<T>(_ a: inout T, _ b: inout T) {

2 let temporaryA = a
3 a = b
4 b = temporaryA
5 }

The body of the swapTwoValues(_:_:) function is identical to the body of the

swapTwoInts(_:_:) function. However, the first line of swapTwoValues(_:_:) is slightly
different from swapTwoInts(_:_:). Hereʼs how the first lines compare:

1 func swapTwoInts(_ a: inout Int, _ b: inout Int)

2 func swapTwoValues<T>(_ a: inout T, _ b: inout T)

The generic version of the function uses a placeholder type name (called T, in this
case) instead of an actual type name (such as Int, String, or Double). The placeholder
type name doesnʼt say anything about what T must be, but it does say that both a and
b must be of the same type T, whatever T represents. The actual type to use in place of
T is determined each time the swapTwoValues(_:_:) function is called.

The other difference between a generic function and a nongeneric function is that the
generic functionʼs name (swapTwoValues(_:_:)) is followed by the placeholder type
name (T) inside angle brackets (<T>). The brackets tell Swift that T is a placeholder type
name within the swapTwoValues(_:_:) function definition. Because T is a placeholder,
Swift doesnʼt look for an actual type called T.

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The swapTwoValues(_:_:) function can now be called in the same way as

swapTwoInts, except that it can be passed two values of any type, as long as both of
those values are of the same type as each other. Each time swapTwoValues(_:_:) is
called, the type to use for T is inferred from the types of values passed to the function.

In the two examples below, T is inferred to be Int and String respectively:

1 var someInt = 3
2 var anotherInt = 107
3 swapTwoValues(&someInt, &anotherInt)
4 // someInt is now 107, and anotherInt is now 3
5
6 var someString = "hello"
7 var anotherString = "world"
8 swapTwoValues(&someString, &anotherString)
9 // someString is now "world", and anotherString is now "hello"

NOTE

The swapTwoValues(_:_:) function defined above is inspired by a generic function called

swap, which is part of the Swift standard library, and is automatically made available for you
to use in your apps. If you need the behavior of the swapTwoValues(_:_:) function in your
own code, you can use Swiftʼs existing swap(_:_:) function rather than providing your own
implementation.

Type Parameters
In the swapTwoValues(_:_:) example above, the placeholder type T is an example of a
type parameter. Type parameters specify and name a placeholder type, and are written
immediately after the functionʼs name, between a pair of matching angle brackets
(such as <T>).

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Once you specify a type parameter, you can use it to define the type of a functionʼs
parameters (such as the a and b parameters of the swapTwoValues(_:_:) function), or
as the functionʼs return type, or as a type annotation within the body of the function. In
each case, the type parameter is replaced with an actual type whenever the function is
called. (In the swapTwoValues(_:_:) example above, T was replaced with Int the first
time the function was called, and was replaced with String the second time it was
called.)

You can provide more than one type parameter by writing multiple type parameter
names within the angle brackets, separated by commas.

Naming Type Parameters

In most cases, type parameters have descriptive names, such as Key and Value in
Dictionary<Key, Value> and Element in Array<Element>, which tells the reader
about the relationship between the type parameter and the generic type or function itʼs
used in. However, when there isnʼt a meaningful relationship between them, itʼs
traditional to name them using single letters such as T, U, and V, such as T in the
swapTwoValues(_:_:) function above.

NOTE

Always give type parameters upper camel case names (such as T and MyTypeParameter) to
indicate that theyʼre a placeholder for a type, not a value.

Generic Types
In addition to generic functions, Swift enables you to define your own generic types.
These are custom classes, structures, and enumerations that can work with any type,
in a similar way to Array and Dictionary.

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This section shows you how to write a generic collection type called Stack. A stack is
an ordered set of values, similar to an array, but with a more restricted set of operations
than Swiftʼs Array type. An array allows new items to be inserted and removed at any
location in the array. A stack, however, allows new items to be appended only to the
end of the collection (known as pushing a new value on to the stack). Similarly, a stack
allows items to be removed only from the end of the collection (known as popping a
value off the stack).

NOTE

The concept of a stack is used by the UINavigationController class to model the view
controllers in its navigation hierarchy. You call the UINavigationController class
pushViewController(_:animated:) method to add (or push) a view controller on to the
navigation stack, and its popViewControllerAnimated(_:) method to remove (or pop) a
view controller from the navigation stack. A stack is a useful collection model whenever
you need a strict “last in, first out” approach to managing a collection.

The illustration below shows the push and pop behavior for a stack:

Q. There are currently three values on the stack.

R. A fourth value is pushed onto the top of the stack.
S. The stack now holds four values, with the most recent one at the top.
T. The top item in the stack is popped.
U. After popping a value, the stack once again holds three values.

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Hereʼs how to write a nongeneric version of a stack, in this case for a stack of Int
values:

1 struct IntStack {
2 var items = [Int]()
3 mutating func push(_ item: Int) {
4 items.append(item)
5 }
6 mutating func pop() -> Int {
7 return items.removeLast()
8 }
9 }

This structure uses an Array property called items to store the values in the stack.
Stack provides two methods, push and pop, to push and pop values on and off the
stack. These methods are marked as mutating, because they need to modify (or
mutate) the structureʼs items array.

The IntStack type shown above can only be used with Int values, however. It would
be much more useful to define a generic Stack class, that can manage a stack of any
type of value.

Hereʼs a generic version of the same code:

1 struct Stack<Element> {
2 var items = [Element]()
3 mutating func push(_ item: Element) {
4 items.append(item)
5 }
6 mutating func pop() -> Element {
7 return items.removeLast()
8 }
9 }

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Note how the generic version of Stack is essentially the same as the nongeneric
version, but with a type parameter called Element instead of an actual type of Int. This
type parameter is written within a pair of angle brackets (<Element>) immediately after
the structureʼs name.

Element defines a placeholder name for a type to be provided later. This future type
can be referred to as Element anywhere within the structureʼs definition. In this case,
Element is used as a placeholder in three places:

To create a property called items, which is initialized with an empty array of

values of type Element
To specify that the push(_:) method has a single parameter called item, which
must be of type Element
To specify that the value returned by the pop() method will be a value of type
Element

Because itʼs a generic type, Stack can be used to create a stack of any valid type in
Swift, in a similar manner to Array and Dictionary.

You create a new Stack instance by writing the type to be stored in the stack within
angle brackets. For example, to create a new stack of strings, you write
Stack<String>():

1 var stackOfStrings = Stack<String>()

2 stackOfStrings.push("uno")
3 stackOfStrings.push("dos")
4 stackOfStrings.push("tres")
5 stackOfStrings.push("cuatro")
6 // the stack now contains 4 strings

Hereʼs how stackOfStrings looks after pushing these four values on to the stack:

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Popping a value from the stack removes and returns the top value, "cuatro":

1 let fromTheTop = stackOfStrings.pop()

2 // fromTheTop is equal to "cuatro", and the stack now contains
3 strings

Hereʼs how the stack looks after popping its top value:

Extending a Generic Type

When you extend a generic type, you donʼt provide a type parameter list as part of the
extensionʼs definition. Instead, the type parameter list from the original type definition is
available within the body of the extension, and the original type parameter names are
used to refer to the type parameters from the original definition.

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The following example extends the generic Stack type to add a read-only computed
property called topItem, which returns the top item on the stack without popping it
from the stack:

1 extension Stack {
2 var topItem: Element? {
3 return items.isEmpty ? nil : items[items.count - 1]
4 }
5 }

The topItem property returns an optional value of type Element. If the stack is empty,
topItem returns nil; if the stack isnʼt empty, topItem returns the final item in the items
array.

Note that this extension doesnʼt define a type parameter list. Instead, the Stack typeʼs
existing type parameter name, Element, is used within the extension to indicate the
optional type of the topItem computed property.

The topItem computed property can now be used with any Stack instance to access
and query its top item without removing it.

1 if let topItem = stackOfStrings.topItem {

2 print("The top item on the stack is \(topItem).")
3 }
4 // Prints "The top item on the stack is tres."

Extensions of a generic type can also include requirements that instances of the
extended type must satisfy in order to gain the new functionality, as discussed in
Extensions with a Generic Where Clause below.

Type Constraints

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The swapTwoValues(_:_:) function and the Stack type can work with any type.
However, itʼs sometimes useful to enforce certain type constraints on the types that
can be used with generic functions and generic types. Type constraints specify that a
type parameter must inherit from a specific class, or conform to a particular protocol or
protocol composition.

For example, Swiftʼs Dictionary type places a limitation on the types that can be used
as keys for a dictionary. As described in Dictionaries, the type of a dictionaryʼs keys
must be hashable. That is, it must provide a way to make itself uniquely representable.
Dictionary needs its keys to be hashable so that it can check whether it already
contains a value for a particular key. Without this requirement, Dictionary could not
tell whether it should insert or replace a value for a particular key, nor would it be able
to find a value for a given key that is already in the dictionary.

This requirement is enforced by a type constraint on the key type for Dictionary,
which specifies that the key type must conform to the Hashable protocol, a special
protocol defined in the Swift standard library. All of Swiftʼs basic types (such as String,
Int, Double, and Bool) are hashable by default.

You can define your own type constraints when creating custom generic types, and
these constraints provide much of the power of generic programming. Abstract
concepts like Hashable characterize types in terms of their conceptual characteristics,
rather than their concrete type.

Type Constraint Syntax

You write type constraints by placing a single class or protocol constraint after a type
parameterʼs name, separated by a colon, as part of the type parameter list. The basic
syntax for type constraints on a generic function is shown below (although the syntax is
the same for generic types):

1 func someFunction<T: SomeClass, U: SomeProtocol>(someT: T,

someU: U) {
2 // function body goes here
3 }

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The hypothetical function above has two type parameters. The first type parameter, T,
has a type constraint that requires T to be a subclass of SomeClass. The second type
parameter, U, has a type constraint that requires U to conform to the protocol
SomeProtocol.

Type Constraints in Action

Hereʼs a nongeneric function called findIndex(ofString:in:), which is given a
String value to find and an array of String values within which to find it. The
findIndex(ofString:in:) function returns an optional Int value, which will be the
index of the first matching string in the array if itʼs found, or nil if the string canʼt be
found:

1 func findIndex(ofString valueToFind: String, in array:

[String]) -> Int? {
2 for (index, value) in array.enumerated() {
3 if value == valueToFind {
4 return index
5 }
6 }
7 return nil
8 }

The findIndex(ofString:in:) function can be used to find a string value in an array

of strings:

1 let strings = ["cat", "dog", "llama", "parakeet", "terrapin"]

2 if let foundIndex = findIndex(ofString: "llama", in: strings) {
3 print("The index of llama is \(foundIndex)")
4 }
5 // Prints "The index of llama is 2"

The principle of finding the index of a value in an array isnʼt useful only for strings,
however. You can write the same functionality as a generic function by replacing any
mention of strings with values of some type T instead.

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Hereʼs how you might expect a generic version of findIndex(ofString:in:), called

findIndex(of:in:), to be written. Note that the return type of this function is still Int?,
because the function returns an optional index number, not an optional value from the
array. Be warned, though—this function doesnʼt compile, for reasons explained after
the example:

1 func findIndex<T>(of valueToFind: T, in array:[T]) -> Int? {

2 for (index, value) in array.enumerated() {
3 if value == valueToFind {
4 return index
5 }
6 }
7 return nil
8 }

This function doesnʼt compile as written above. The problem lies with the equality
check, “if value == valueToFind”. Not every type in Swift can be compared with the
equal to operator (==). If you create your own class or structure to represent a complex
data model, for example, then the meaning of “equal to” for that class or structure isnʼt
something that Swift can guess for you. Because of this, it isnʼt possible to guarantee
that this code will work for every possible type T, and an appropriate error is reported
when you try to compile the code.

All is not lost, however. The Swift standard library defines a protocol called Equatable,
which requires any conforming type to implement the equal to operator (==) and the
not equal to operator (!=) to compare any two values of that type. All of Swiftʼs
standard types automatically support the Equatable protocol.

Any type that is Equatable can be used safely with the findIndex(of:in:) function,
because itʼs guaranteed to support the equal to operator. To express this fact, you write
a type constraint of Equatable as part of the type parameterʼs definition when you
define the function:

1 func findIndex<T: Equatable>(of valueToFind: T, in array:[T]) -

> Int? {
2 for (index, value) in array.enumerated() {
3 if value == valueToFind {

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4 return index
5 }
6 }
7 return nil
8 }

The single type parameter for findIndex(of:in:) is written as T: Equatable, which

means “any type T that conforms to the Equatable protocol.”

The findIndex(of:in:) function now compiles successfully and can be used with any
type that is Equatable, such as Double or String:

1 let doubleIndex = findIndex(of: 9.3, in: [3.14159, 0.1, 0.25])

2 // doubleIndex is an optional Int with no value, because 9.3
isn't in the array
3 let stringIndex = findIndex(of: "Andrea", in: ["Mike",
"Malcolm", "Andrea"])
4 // stringIndex is an optional Int containing a value of 2

Associated Types
When defining a protocol, itʼs sometimes useful to declare one or more associated
types as part of the protocolʼs definition. An associated type gives a placeholder name
to a type that is used as part of the protocol. The actual type to use for that associated
type isnʼt specified until the protocol is adopted. Associated types are specified with
the associatedtype keyword.

Associated Types in Action

Hereʼs an example of a protocol called Container, which declares an associated type
called Item:

1 protocol Container {
2 associatedtype Item
3 mutating func append(_ item: Item)

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4 var count: Int { get }

5 subscript(i: Int) -> Item { get }
6 }

The Container protocol defines three required capabilities that any container must
provide:

It must be possible to add a new item to the container with an append(_:)

method.
It must be possible to access a count of the items in the container through a
count property that returns an Int value.
It must be possible to retrieve each item in the container with a subscript that
takes an Int index value.

This protocol doesnʼt specify how the items in the container should be stored or what
type theyʼre allowed to be. The protocol only specifies the three bits of functionality
that any type must provide in order to be considered a Container. A conforming type
can provide additional functionality, as long as it satisfies these three requirements.

Any type that conforms to the Container protocol must be able to specify the type of
values it stores. Specifically, it must ensure that only items of the right type are added
to the container, and it must be clear about the type of the items returned by its
subscript.

To define these requirements, the Container protocol needs a way to refer to the type
of the elements that a container will hold, without knowing what that type is for a
specific container. The Container protocol needs to specify that any value passed to
the append(_:) method must have the same type as the containerʼs element type, and
that the value returned by the containerʼs subscript will be of the same type as the
containerʼs element type.

To achieve this, the Container protocol declares an associated type called Item,
written as associatedtype Item. The protocol doesnʼt define what Item is—that
information is left for any conforming type to provide. Nonetheless, the Item alias
provides a way to refer to the type of the items in a Container, and to define a type for
use with the append(_:) method and subscript, to ensure that the expected behavior
of any Container is enforced.

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Hereʼs a version of the nongeneric IntStack type from Generic Types above, adapted
to conform to the Container protocol:

1 struct IntStack: Container {

2 // original IntStack implementation
3 var items = [Int]()
4 mutating func push(_ item: Int) {
5 items.append(item)
6 }
7 mutating func pop() -> Int {
8 return items.removeLast()
9 }
10 // conformance to the Container protocol
11 typealias Item = Int
12 mutating func append(_ item: Int) {
13 self.push(item)
14 }
15 var count: Int {
16 return items.count
17 }
18 subscript(i: Int) -> Int {
19 return items[i]
20 }
21 }

The IntStack type implements all three of the Container protocolʼs requirements, and
in each case wraps part of the IntStack typeʼs existing functionality to satisfy these
requirements.

Moreover, IntStack specifies that for this implementation of Container, the

appropriate Item to use is a type of Int. The definition of typealias Item = Int turns
the abstract type of Item into a concrete type of Int for this implementation of the
Container protocol.

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Thanks to Swiftʼs type inference, you donʼt actually need to declare a concrete Item of
Int as part of the definition of IntStack. Because IntStack conforms to all of the
requirements of the Container protocol, Swift can infer the appropriate Item to use,
simply by looking at the type of the append(_:) methodʼs item parameter and the
return type of the subscript. Indeed, if you delete the typealias Item = Int line from
the code above, everything still works, because itʼs clear what type should be used for
Item.

You can also make the generic Stack type conform to the Container protocol:

1 struct Stack<Element>: Container {

2 // original Stack<Element> implementation
3 var items = [Element]()
4 mutating func push(_ item: Element) {
5 items.append(item)
6 }
7 mutating func pop() -> Element {
8 return items.removeLast()
9 }
10 // conformance to the Container protocol
11 mutating func append(_ item: Element) {
12 self.push(item)
13 }
14 var count: Int {
15 return items.count
16 }
17 subscript(i: Int) -> Element {
18 return items[i]
19 }
20 }

This time, the type parameter Element is used as the type of the append(_:) methodʼs
item parameter and the return type of the subscript. Swift can therefore infer that
Element is the appropriate type to use as the Item for this particular container.

Extending an Existing Type to Specify an Associated Type

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You can extend an existing type to add conformance to a protocol, as described in

Adding Protocol Conformance with an Extension. This includes a protocol with an
associated type.

Swiftʼs Array type already provides an append(_:) method, a count property, and a
subscript with an Int index to retrieve its elements. These three capabilities match the
requirements of the Container protocol. This means that you can extend Array to
conform to the Container protocol simply by declaring that Array adopts the protocol.
You do this with an empty extension, as described in Declaring Protocol Adoption with
an Extension:

extension Array: Container {}

Arrayʼs existing append(_:) method and subscript enable Swift to infer the appropriate
type to use for Item, just as for the generic Stack type above. After defining this
extension, you can use any Array as a Container.

Adding Constraints to an Associated Type

You can add type constraints to an associated type in a protocol to require that
conforming types satisfy those constraints. For example, the following code defines a
version of Container that requires the items in the container to be equatable.

1 protocol Container {
2 associatedtype Item: Equatable
3 mutating func append(_ item: Item)
4 var count: Int { get }
5 subscript(i: Int) -> Item { get }
6 }

To conform to this version of Container, the containerʼs Item type has to conform to
the Equatable protocol.

Using a Protocol in Its Associated Typeʼs Constraints

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A protocol can appear as part of its own requirements. For example, hereʼs a protocol
that refines the Container protocol, adding the requirement of a suffix(_:) method.
The suffix(_:) method returns a given number of elements from the end of the
container, storing them in an instance of the Suffix type.

1 protocol SuffixableContainer: Container {

2 associatedtype Suffix: SuffixableContainer where
Suffix.Item == Item
3 func suffix(_ size: Int) -> Suffix
4 }

In this protocol, Suffix is an associated type, like the Item type in the Container
example above. Suffix has two constraints: It must conform to the
SuffixableContainer protocol (the protocol currently being defined), and its Item
type must be the same as the containerʼs Item type. The constraint on Item is a
generic where clause, which is discussed in Associated Types with a Generic Where
Clause below.

Hereʼs an extension of the Stack type from Strong Reference Cycles for Closures above
that adds conformance to the SuffixableContainer protocol:

1 extension Stack: SuffixableContainer {

2 func suffix(_ size: Int) -> Stack {
3 var result = Stack()
4 for index in (count-size)..<count {
5 result.append(self[index])
6 }
7 return result
8 }
9 // Inferred that Suffix is Stack.
10 }
11 var stackOfInts = Stack<Int>()
12 stackOfInts.append(10)
13 stackOfInts.append(20)
14 stackOfInts.append(30)
15 let suffix = stackOfInts.suffix(2)
16 // suffix contains 20 and 30

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In the example above, the Suffix associated type for Stack is also Stack, so the suffix
operation on Stack returns another Stack. Alternatively, a type that conforms to
SuffixableContainer can have a Suffix type thatʼs different from itself—meaning the
suffix operation can return a different type. For example, hereʼs an extension to the
nongeneric IntStack type that adds SuffixableContainer conformance, using
Stack<Int> as its suffix type instead of IntStack:

1 extension IntStack: SuffixableContainer {

2 func suffix(_ size: Int) -> Stack<Int> {
3 var result = Stack<Int>()
4 for index in (count-size)..<count {
5 result.append(self[index])
6 }
7 return result
8 }
9 // Inferred that Suffix is Stack<Int>.
10 }

Generic Where Clauses

Type constraints, as described in Type Constraints, enable you to define requirements
on the type parameters associated with a generic function, subscript, or type.

It can also be useful to define requirements for associated types. You do this by
defining a generic where clause. A generic where clause enables you to require that an
associated type must conform to a certain protocol, or that certain type parameters
and associated types must be the same. A generic where clause starts with the where
keyword, followed by constraints for associated types or equality relationships between
types and associated types. You write a generic where clause right before the opening
curly brace of a type or functionʼs body.

The example below defines a generic function called allItemsMatch, which checks to
see if two Container instances contain the same items in the same order. The function
returns a Boolean value of true if all items match and a value of false if they donʼt.

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The two containers to be checked donʼt have to be the same type of container
(although they can be), but they do have to hold the same type of items. This
requirement is expressed through a combination of type constraints and a generic
where clause:

1 func allItemsMatch<C1: Container, C2: Container>

2 (_ someContainer: C1, _ anotherContainer: C2) -> Bool
3 where C1.Item == C2.Item, C1.Item: Equatable {
4
5 // Check that both containers contain the same number
of items.
6 if someContainer.count != anotherContainer.count {
7 return false
8 }
9
10 // Check each pair of items to see if they're
equivalent.
11 for i in 0..<someContainer.count {
12 if someContainer[i] != anotherContainer[i] {
13 return false
14 }
15 }
16
17 // All items match, so return true.
18 return true
19 }

This function takes two arguments called someContainer and anotherContainer. The
someContainer argument is of type C1, and the anotherContainer argument is of type
C2. Both C1 and C2 are type parameters for two container types to be determined when
the function is called.

The following requirements are placed on the functionʼs two type parameters:

C1 must conform to the Container protocol (written as C1: Container).

C2 must also conform to the Container protocol (written as C2: Container).
The Item for C1 must be the same as the Item for C2 (written as

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C1.Item == C2.Item).
The Item for C1 must conform to the Equatable protocol (written as
C1.Item: Equatable).

The first and second requirements are defined in the functionʼs type parameter list, and
the third and fourth requirements are defined in the functionʼs generic where clause.

These requirements mean:

someContainer is a container of type C1.

anotherContainer is a container of type C2.
someContainer and anotherContainer contain the same type of items.
The items in someContainer can be checked with the not equal operator (!=) to
see if theyʼre different from each other.

The third and fourth requirements combine to mean that the items in
anotherContainer can also be checked with the != operator, because theyʼre exactly
the same type as the items in someContainer.

These requirements enable the allItemsMatch(_:_:) function to compare the two

containers, even if theyʼre of a different container type.

The allItemsMatch(_:_:) function starts by checking that both containers contain the
same number of items. If they contain a different number of items, thereʼs no way that
they can match, and the function returns false.

After making this check, the function iterates over all of the items in someContainer
with a for-in loop and the half-open range operator (..<). For each item, the function
checks whether the item from someContainer isnʼt equal to the corresponding item in
anotherContainer. If the two items arenʼt equal, then the two containers donʼt match,
and the function returns false.

If the loop finishes without finding a mismatch, the two containers match, and the
function returns true.

Hereʼs how the allItemsMatch(_:_:) function looks in action:

1 var stackOfStrings = Stack<String>()

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2 stackOfStrings.push("uno")
3 stackOfStrings.push("dos")
4 stackOfStrings.push("tres")
5
6 var arrayOfStrings = ["uno", "dos", "tres"]
7
8 if allItemsMatch(stackOfStrings, arrayOfStrings) {
9 print("All items match.")
10 } else {
11 print("Not all items match.")
12 }
13 // Prints "All items match."

The example above creates a Stack instance to store String values, and pushes three
strings onto the stack. The example also creates an Array instance initialized with an
array literal containing the same three strings as the stack. Even though the stack and
the array are of a different type, they both conform to the Container protocol, and both
contain the same type of values. You can therefore call the allItemsMatch(_:_:)
function with these two containers as its arguments. In the example above, the
allItemsMatch(_:_:) function correctly reports that all of the items in the two
containers match.

Extensions with a Generic Where Clause

You can also use a generic where clause as part of an extension. The example below
extends the generic Stack structure from the previous examples to add an isTop(_:)
method.

1 extension Stack where Element: Equatable {

2 func isTop(_ item: Element) -> Bool {
3 guard let topItem = items.last else {
4 return false
5 }
6 return topItem == item
7 }

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8 }

This new isTop(_:) method first checks that the stack isnʼt empty, and then compares
the given item against the stackʼs topmost item. If you tried to do this without a generic
where clause, you would have a problem: The implementation of isTop(_:) uses the ==
operator, but the definition of Stack doesnʼt require its items to be equatable, so using
the == operator results in a compile-time error. Using a generic where clause lets you
add a new requirement to the extension, so that the extension adds the isTop(_:)
method only when the items in the stack are equatable.

Hereʼs how the isTop(_:) method looks in action:

1 if stackOfStrings.isTop("tres") {
2 print("Top element is tres.")
3 } else {
4 print("Top element is something else.")
5 }
6 // Prints "Top element is tres."

If you try to call the isTop(_:) method on a stack whose elements arenʼt equatable,
youʼll get a compile-time error.

1 struct NotEquatable { }
2 var notEquatableStack = Stack<NotEquatable>()
3 let notEquatableValue = NotEquatable()
4 notEquatableStack.push(notEquatableValue)
5 notEquatableStack.isTop(notEquatableValue) // Error

You can use a generic where clause with extensions to a protocol. The example below
extends the Container protocol from the previous examples to add a startsWith(_:)
method.

1 extension Container where Item: Equatable {

2 func startsWith(_ item: Item) -> Bool {
3 return count >= 1 && self[0] == item
4 }
5 }

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The startsWith(_:) method first makes sure that the container has at least one item,
and then it checks whether the first item in the container matches the given item. This
new startsWith(_:) method can be used with any type that conforms to the
Container protocol, including the stacks and arrays used above, as long as the
containerʼs items are equatable.

1 if [9, 9, 9].startsWith(42) {
2 print("Starts with 42.")
3 } else {
4 print("Starts with something else.")
5 }
6 // Prints "Starts with something else."

The generic where clause in the example above requires Item to conform to a protocol,
but you can also write a generic where clauses that require Item to be a specific type.
For example:

1 extension Container where Item == Double {

2 func average() -> Double {
3 var sum = 0.0
4 for index in 0..<count {
5 sum += self[index]
6 }
7 return sum / Double(count)
8 }
9 }
10 print([1260.0, 1200.0, 98.6, 37.0].average())
11 // Prints "648.9"

This example adds an average() method to containers whose Item type is Double. It
iterates over the items in the container to add them up, and divides by the containerʼs
count to compute the average. It explicitly converts the count from Int to Double to be
able to do floating-point division.

You can include multiple requirements in a generic where clause that is part of an
extension, just like you can for a generic where clause that you write elsewhere.
Separate each requirement in the list with a comma.

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Associated Types with a Generic Where

Clause
You can include a generic where clause on an associated type. For example, suppose
you want to make a version of Container that includes an iterator, like what the
Sequence protocol uses in the standard library. Hereʼs how you write that:

1 protocol Container {
2 associatedtype Item
3 mutating func append(_ item: Item)
4 var count: Int { get }
5 subscript(i: Int) -> Item { get }
6
7 associatedtype Iterator: IteratorProtocol where
Iterator.Element == Item
8 func makeIterator() -> Iterator
9 }

The generic where clause on Iterator requires that the iterator must traverse over
elements of the same item type as the containerʼs items, regardless of the iteratorʼs
type. The makeIterator() function provides access to a containerʼs iterator.

For a protocol that inherits from another protocol, you add a constraint to an inherited
associated type by including the generic where clause in the protocol declaration. For
example, the following code declares a ComparableContainer protocol that requires
Item to conform to Comparable:

protocol ComparableContainer: Container where Item: Comparable

{ }

Generic Subscripts

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Subscripts can be generic, and they can include generic where clauses. You write the
placeholder type name inside angle brackets after subscript, and you write a generic
where clause right before the opening curly brace of the subscriptʼs body. For example:

1 extension Container {
2 subscript<Indices: Sequence>(indices: Indices) -> [Item]
3 where Indices.Iterator.Element == Int {
4 var result = [Item]()
5 for index in indices {
6 result.append(self[index])
7 }
8 return result
9 }
10 }

This extension to the Container protocol adds a subscript that takes a sequence of
indices and returns an array containing the items at each given index. This generic
subscript is constrained as follows:

The generic parameter Indices in angle brackets has to be a type that conforms
to the Sequence protocol from the standard library.
The subscript takes a single parameter, indices, which is an instance of that
Indices type.
The generic where clause requires that the iterator for the sequence must
traverse over elements of type Int. This ensures that the indices in the sequence
are the same type as the indices used for a container.

Taken together, these constraints mean that the value passed for the indices
parameter is a sequence of integers.

Protocols Automatic Reference Counting

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Automatic Reference Counting

Swift uses Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) to track and manage your appʼs
memory usage. In most cases, this means that memory management “just works” in
Swift, and you do not need to think about memory management yourself. ARC
automatically frees up the memory used by class instances when those instances are
no longer needed.
ON THIS PAGE
However, in a few cases ARC requires more information about the relationships
between parts of your code in order to manage memory for you. This chapter
describes those situations and shows how you enable ARC to manage all of your appʼs
memory. Using ARC in Swift is very similar to the approach described in Transitioning to
ARC Release Notes for using ARC with Objective-C.

Reference counting applies only to instances of classes. Structures and enumerations

are value types, not reference types, and are not stored and passed by reference.

How ARC Works

Every time you create a new instance of a class, ARC allocates a chunk of memory to
store information about that instance. This memory holds information about the type of
the instance, together with the values of any stored properties associated with that
instance.

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Additionally, when an instance is no longer needed, ARC frees up the memory used by
that instance so that the memory can be used for other purposes instead. This ensures
that class instances do not take up space in memory when they are no longer needed.

However, if ARC were to deallocate an instance that was still in use, it would no longer
be possible to access that instanceʼs properties, or call that instanceʼs methods.
Indeed, if you tried to access the instance, your app would most likely crash.

To make sure that instances donʼt disappear while they are still needed, ARC tracks
how many properties, constants, and variables are currently referring to each class
instance. ARC will not deallocate an instance as long as at least one active reference to
that instance still exists.

To make this possible, whenever you assign a class instance to a property, constant, or
variable, that property, constant, or variable makes a strong reference to the instance.
The reference is called a “strong” reference because it keeps a firm hold on that
instance, and does not allow it to be deallocated for as long as that strong reference
remains.

ARC in Action
Hereʼs an example of how Automatic Reference Counting works. This example starts
with a simple class called Person, which defines a stored constant property called
name:

1 class Person {
2 let name: String
3 init(name: String) {
4 self.name = name
5 print("\(name) is being initialized")
6 }
7 deinit {
8 print("\(name) is being deinitialized")
9 }
10 }

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The Person class has an initializer that sets the instanceʼs name property and prints a
message to indicate that initialization is underway. The Person class also has a
deinitializer that prints a message when an instance of the class is deallocated.

The next code snippet defines three variables of type Person?, which are used to set
up multiple references to a new Person instance in subsequent code snippets.
Because these variables are of an optional type (Person?, not Person), they are
automatically initialized with a value of nil, and do not currently reference a Person
instance.

1 var reference1: Person?

2 var reference2: Person?
3 var reference3: Person?

You can now create a new Person instance and assign it to one of these three
variables:

1 reference1 = Person(name: "John Appleseed")

2 // Prints "John Appleseed is being initialized"

Note that the message "John Appleseed is being initialized" is printed at the
point that you call the Person classʼs initializer. This confirms that initialization has taken
place.

Because the new Person instance has been assigned to the reference1 variable, there
is now a strong reference from reference1 to the new Person instance. Because there
is at least one strong reference, ARC makes sure that this Person is kept in memory
and is not deallocated.

If you assign the same Person instance to two more variables, two more strong
references to that instance are established:

1 reference2 = reference1
2 reference3 = reference1

There are now three strong references to this single Person instance.

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If you break two of these strong references (including the original reference) by
assigning nil to two of the variables, a single strong reference remains, and the Person
instance is not deallocated:

1 reference1 = nil
2 reference2 = nil

ARC does not deallocate the Person instance until the third and final strong reference
is broken, at which point itʼs clear that you are no longer using the Person instance:

1 reference3 = nil
2 // Prints "John Appleseed is being deinitialized"

Strong Reference Cycles Between Class

Instances
In the examples above, ARC is able to track the number of references to the new
Person instance you create and to deallocate that Person instance when itʼs no longer
needed.

However, itʼs possible to write code in which an instance of a class never gets to a point
where it has zero strong references. This can happen if two class instances hold a
strong reference to each other, such that each instance keeps the other alive. This is
known as a strong reference cycle.

You resolve strong reference cycles by defining some of the relationships between
classes as weak or unowned references instead of as strong references. This process
is described in Resolving Strong Reference Cycles Between Class Instances. However,
before you learn how to resolve a strong reference cycle, itʼs useful to understand how
such a cycle is caused.

Hereʼs an example of how a strong reference cycle can be created by accident. This
example defines two classes called Person and Apartment, which model a block of
apartments and its residents:

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1 class Person {
2 let name: String
3 init(name: String) { self.name = name }
4 var apartment: Apartment?
5 deinit { print("\(name) is being deinitialized") }
6 }
7
8 class Apartment {
9 let unit: String
10 init(unit: String) { self.unit = unit }
11 var tenant: Person?
12 deinit { print("Apartment \(unit) is being deinitialized")
}
13 }

Every Person instance has a name property of type String and an optional apartment
property that is initially nil. The apartment property is optional, because a person may
not always have an apartment.

Similarly, every Apartment instance has a unit property of type String and has an
optional tenant property that is initially nil. The tenant property is optional because an
apartment may not always have a tenant.

Both of these classes also define a deinitializer, which prints the fact that an instance of
that class is being deinitialized. This enables you to see whether instances of Person
and Apartment are being deallocated as expected.

This next code snippet defines two variables of optional type called john and unit4A,
which will be set to a specific Apartment and Person instance below. Both of these
variables have an initial value of nil, by virtue of being optional:

1 var john: Person?

2 var unit4A: Apartment?

You can now create a specific Person instance and Apartment instance and assign
these new instances to the john and unit4A variables:

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1 john = Person(name: "John Appleseed")

2 unit4A = Apartment(unit: "4A")

Hereʼs how the strong references look after creating and assigning these two
instances. The john variable now has a strong reference to the new Person instance,
and the unit4A variable has a strong reference to the new Apartment instance:

You can now link the two instances together so that the person has an apartment, and
the apartment has a tenant. Note that an exclamation mark (!) is used to unwrap and
access the instances stored inside the john and unit4A optional variables, so that the
properties of those instances can be set:

1 john!.apartment = unit4A
2 unit4A!.tenant = john

Hereʼs how the strong references look after you link the two instances together:

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Unfortunately, linking these two instances creates a strong reference cycle between
them. The Person instance now has a strong reference to the Apartment instance, and
the Apartment instance has a strong reference to the Person instance. Therefore, when
you break the strong references held by the john and unit4A variables, the reference
counts do not drop to zero, and the instances are not deallocated by ARC:

1 john = nil
2 unit4A = nil

Note that neither deinitializer was called when you set these two variables to nil. The
strong reference cycle prevents the Person and Apartment instances from ever being
deallocated, causing a memory leak in your app.

Hereʼs how the strong references look after you set the john and unit4A variables to
nil:

The strong references between the Person instance and the Apartment instance
remain and cannot be broken.

Resolving Strong Reference Cycles Between

Class Instances
Swift provides two ways to resolve strong reference cycles when you work with
properties of class type: weak references and unowned references.

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Weak and unowned references enable one instance in a reference cycle to refer to the
other instance without keeping a strong hold on it. The instances can then refer to
each other without creating a strong reference cycle.

Use a weak reference when the other instance has a shorter lifetime—that is, when the
other instance can be deallocated first. In the Apartment example above, itʼs
appropriate for an apartment to be able to have no tenant at some point in its lifetime,
and so a weak reference is an appropriate way to break the reference cycle in this case.
In contrast, use an unowned reference when the other instance has the same lifetime
or a longer lifetime.

Weak References
A weak reference is a reference that does not keep a strong hold on the instance it
refers to, and so does not stop ARC from disposing of the referenced instance. This
behavior prevents the reference from becoming part of a strong reference cycle. You
indicate a weak reference by placing the weak keyword before a property or variable
declaration.

Because a weak reference does not keep a strong hold on the instance it refers to, itʼs
possible for that instance to be deallocated while the weak reference is still referring to
it. Therefore, ARC automatically sets a weak reference to nil when the instance that it
refers to is deallocated. And, because weak references need to allow their value to be
changed to nil at runtime, they are always declared as variables, rather than
constants, of an optional type.

You can check for the existence of a value in the weak reference, just like any other
optional value, and you will never end up with a reference to an invalid instance that no
longer exists.

NOTE

Property observers arenʼt called when ARC sets a weak reference to nil.

The example below is identical to the Person and Apartment example from above, with
one important difference. This time around, the Apartment typeʼs tenant property is
declared as a weak reference:

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1 class Person {
2 let name: String
3 init(name: String) { self.name = name }
4 var apartment: Apartment?
5 deinit { print("\(name) is being deinitialized") }
6 }
7
8 class Apartment {
9 let unit: String
10 init(unit: String) { self.unit = unit }
11 weak var tenant: Person?
12 deinit { print("Apartment \(unit) is being deinitialized")
}
13 }

The strong references from the two variables (john and unit4A) and the links between
the two instances are created as before:

1 var john: Person?

2 var unit4A: Apartment?
3
4 john = Person(name: "John Appleseed")
5 unit4A = Apartment(unit: "4A")
6
7 john!.apartment = unit4A
8 unit4A!.tenant = john

Hereʼs how the references look now that youʼve linked the two instances together:

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The Person instance still has a strong reference to the Apartment instance, but the
Apartment instance now has a weak reference to the Person instance. This means that
when you break the strong reference held by the john variable by setting it to nil,
there are no more strong references to the Person instance:

1 john = nil
2 // Prints "John Appleseed is being deinitialized"

Because there are no more strong references to the Person instance, itʼs deallocated
and the tenant property is set to nil:

The only remaining strong reference to the Apartment instance is from the unit4A
variable. If you break that strong reference, there are no more strong references to the
Apartment instance:

1 unit4A = nil
2 // Prints "Apartment 4A is being deinitialized"

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Because there are no more strong references to the Apartment instance, it too is
deallocated:

NOTE

In systems that use garbage collection, weak pointers are sometimes used to implement a
simple caching mechanism because objects with no strong references are deallocated
only when memory pressure triggers garbage collection. However, with ARC, values are
deallocated as soon as their last strong reference is removed, making weak references
unsuitable for such a purpose.

Unowned References
Like a weak reference, an unowned reference does not keep a strong hold on the
instance it refers to. Unlike a weak reference, however, an unowned reference is used
when the other instance has the same lifetime or a longer lifetime. You indicate an
unowned reference by placing the unowned keyword before a property or variable
declaration.

An unowned reference is expected to always have a value. As a result, ARC never sets
an unowned referenceʼs value to nil, which means that unowned references are
defined using non-optional types.

I M P O R TA N T

Use an unowned reference only when you are sure that the reference always refers to an
instance that has not been deallocated.

If you try to access the value of an unowned reference after that instance has been
deallocated, youʼll get a runtime error.

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The following example defines two classes, Customer and CreditCard, which model a
bank customer and a possible credit card for that customer. These two classes each
store an instance of the other class as a property. This relationship has the potential to
create a strong reference cycle.

The relationship between Customer and CreditCard is slightly different from the
relationship between Apartment and Person seen in the weak reference example
above. In this data model, a customer may or may not have a credit card, but a credit
card will always be associated with a customer. A CreditCard instance never outlives
the Customer that it refers to. To represent this, the Customer class has an optional
card property, but the CreditCard class has an unowned (and non-optional) customer
property.

Furthermore, a new CreditCard instance can only be created by passing a number

value and a customer instance to a custom CreditCard initializer. This ensures that a
CreditCard instance always has a customer instance associated with it when the
CreditCard instance is created.

Because a credit card will always have a customer, you define its customer property as
an unowned reference, to avoid a strong reference cycle:

1 class Customer {
2 let name: String
3 var card: CreditCard?
4 init(name: String) {
5 self.name = name
6 }
7 deinit { print("\(name) is being deinitialized") }
8 }
9
10 class CreditCard {
11 let number: UInt64
12 unowned let customer: Customer
13 init(number: UInt64, customer: Customer) {
14 self.number = number
15 self.customer = customer
16 }

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17 deinit { print("Card #\(number) is being deinitialized") }

18 }

NOTE

The number property of the CreditCard class is defined with a type of UInt64 rather than
Int, to ensure that the number propertyʼs capacity is large enough to store a 16-digit card
number on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

This next code snippet defines an optional Customer variable called john, which will be
used to store a reference to a specific customer. This variable has an initial value of nil,
by virtue of being optional:

var john: Customer?

You can now create a Customer instance, and use it to initialize and assign a new
CreditCard instance as that customerʼs card property:

1 john = Customer(name: "John Appleseed")

2 john!.card = CreditCard(number: 1234_5678_9012_3456, customer:
john!)

Hereʼs how the references look, now that youʼve linked the two instances:

The Customer instance now has a strong reference to the CreditCard instance, and the
CreditCard instance has an unowned reference to the Customer instance.

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Because of the unowned customer reference, when you break the strong reference
held by the john variable, there are no more strong references to the Customer
instance:

Because there are no more strong references to the Customer instance, itʼs
deallocated. After this happens, there are no more strong references to the CreditCard
instance, and it too is deallocated:

1 john = nil
2 // Prints "John Appleseed is being deinitialized"
3 // Prints "Card #1234567890123456 is being deinitialized"

The final code snippet above shows that the deinitializers for the Customer instance
and CreditCard instance both print their “deinitialized” messages after the john
variable is set to nil.

NOTE

The examples above show how to use safe unowned references. Swift also provides
unsafe unowned references for cases where you need to disable runtime safety checks—
for example, for performance reasons. As with all unsafe operations, you take on the
responsibility for checking that code for safety.

You indicate an unsafe unowned reference by writing unowned(unsafe). If you try to

access an unsafe unowned reference after the instance that it refers to is deallocated, your
program will try to access the memory location where the instance used to be, which is an
unsafe operation.

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Unowned References and Implicitly Unwrapped Optional

Properties
The examples for weak and unowned references above cover two of the more common
scenarios in which itʼs necessary to break a strong reference cycle.

The Person and Apartment example shows a situation where two properties, both of
which are allowed to be nil, have the potential to cause a strong reference cycle. This
scenario is best resolved with a weak reference.

The Customer and CreditCard example shows a situation where one property that is
allowed to be nil and another property that cannot be nil have the potential to cause
a strong reference cycle. This scenario is best resolved with an unowned reference.

However, there is a third scenario, in which both properties should always have a value,
and neither property should ever be nil once initialization is complete. In this scenario,
itʼs useful to combine an unowned property on one class with an implicitly unwrapped
optional property on the other class.

This enables both properties to be accessed directly (without optional unwrapping)

once initialization is complete, while still avoiding a reference cycle. This section shows
you how to set up such a relationship.

The example below defines two classes, Country and City, each of which stores an
instance of the other class as a property. In this data model, every country must always
have a capital city, and every city must always belong to a country. To represent this,
the Country class has a capitalCity property, and the City class has a country
property:

1 class Country {
2 let name: String
3 var capitalCity: City!
4 init(name: String, capitalName: String) {
5 self.name = name
6 self.capitalCity = City(name: capitalName, country:
self)
7 }

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8 }
9
10 class City {
11 let name: String
12 unowned let country: Country
13 init(name: String, country: Country) {
14 self.name = name
15 self.country = country
16 }
17 }

To set up the interdependency between the two classes, the initializer for City takes a
Country instance, and stores this instance in its country property.

The initializer for City is called from within the initializer for Country. However, the
initializer for Country cannot pass self to the City initializer until a new Country
instance is fully initialized, as described in Two-Phase Initialization.

To cope with this requirement, you declare the capitalCity property of Country as an
implicitly unwrapped optional property, indicated by the exclamation mark at the end of
its type annotation (City!). This means that the capitalCity property has a default
value of nil, like any other optional, but can be accessed without the need to unwrap
its value as described in Implicitly Unwrapped Optionals.

Because capitalCity has a default nil value, a new Country instance is considered
fully initialized as soon as the Country instance sets its name property within its
initializer. This means that the Country initializer can start to reference and pass around
the implicit self property as soon as the name property is set. The Country initializer
can therefore pass self as one of the parameters for the City initializer when the
Country initializer is setting its own capitalCity property.

All of this means that you can create the Country and City instances in a single
statement, without creating a strong reference cycle, and the capitalCity property
can be accessed directly, without needing to use an exclamation mark to unwrap its
optional value:

1 var country = Country(name: "Canada", capitalName: "Ottawa")

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2 print("\(country.name)'s capital city is called \

(country.capitalCity.name)")
3 // Prints "Canada's capital city is called Ottawa"

In the example above, the use of an implicitly unwrapped optional means that all of the
two-phase class initializer requirements are satisfied. The capitalCity property can
be used and accessed like a non-optional value once initialization is complete, while
still avoiding a strong reference cycle.

Strong Reference Cycles for Closures

You saw above how a strong reference cycle can be created when two class instance
properties hold a strong reference to each other. You also saw how to use weak and
unowned references to break these strong reference cycles.

A strong reference cycle can also occur if you assign a closure to a property of a class
instance, and the body of that closure captures the instance. This capture might occur
because the closureʼs body accesses a property of the instance, such as
self.someProperty, or because the closure calls a method on the instance, such as
self.someMethod(). In either case, these accesses cause the closure to “capture”
self, creating a strong reference cycle.

This strong reference cycle occurs because closures, like classes, are reference types.
When you assign a closure to a property, you are assigning a reference to that closure.
In essence, itʼs the same problem as above—two strong references are keeping each
other alive. However, rather than two class instances, this time itʼs a class instance and
a closure that are keeping each other alive.

Swift provides an elegant solution to this problem, known as a closure capture list.
However, before you learn how to break a strong reference cycle with a closure capture
list, itʼs useful to understand how such a cycle can be caused.

The example below shows how you can create a strong reference cycle when using a
closure that references self. This example defines a class called HTMLElement, which
provides a simple model for an individual element within an HTML document:

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1 class HTMLElement {
2
3 let name: String
4 let text: String?
5
6 lazy var asHTML: () -> String = {
7 if let text = self.text {
8 return "<\(self.name)>\(text)</\(self.name)>"
9 } else {
10 return "<\(self.name) />"
11 }
12 }
13
14 init(name: String, text: String? = nil) {
15 self.name = name
16 self.text = text
17 }
18
19 deinit {
20 print("\(name) is being deinitialized")
21 }
22
23 }

The HTMLElement class defines a name property, which indicates the name of the
element, such as "h1" for a heading element, "p" for a paragraph element, or "br" for
a line break element. HTMLElement also defines an optional text property, which you
can set to a string that represents the text to be rendered within that HTML element.

In addition to these two simple properties, the HTMLElement class defines a lazy
property called asHTML. This property references a closure that combines name and
text into an HTML string fragment. The asHTML property is of type () -> String, or “a
function that takes no parameters, and returns a String value”.

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By default, the asHTML property is assigned a closure that returns a string

representation of an HTML tag. This tag contains the optional text value if it exists, or
no text content if text does not exist. For a paragraph element, the closure would
return "<p>some text</p>" or "<p />", depending on whether the text property
equals "some text" or nil.

The asHTML property is named and used somewhat like an instance method. However,
because asHTML is a closure property rather than an instance method, you can replace
the default value of the asHTML property with a custom closure, if you want to change
the HTML rendering for a particular HTML element.

For example, the asHTML property could be set to a closure that defaults to some text if
the text property is nil, in order to prevent the representation from returning an
empty HTML tag:

1 let heading = HTMLElement(name: "h1")

2 let defaultText = "some default text"
3 heading.asHTML = {
4 return "<\(heading.name)>\(heading.text ?? defaultText)</\
(heading.name)>"
5 }
6 print(heading.asHTML())
7 // Prints "<h1>some default text</h1>"

NOTE

The asHTML property is declared as a lazy property, because itʼs only needed if and when
the element actually needs to be rendered as a string value for some HTML output target.
The fact that asHTML is a lazy property means that you can refer to self within the default
closure, because the lazy property will not be accessed until after initialization has been
completed and self is known to exist.

The HTMLElement class provides a single initializer, which takes a name argument and (if
desired) a text argument to initialize a new element. The class also defines a
deinitializer, which prints a message to show when an HTMLElement instance is
deallocated.

Hereʼs how you use the HTMLElement class to create and print a new instance:

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1 var paragraph: HTMLElement? = HTMLElement(name: "p", text:

"hello, world")
2 print(paragraph!.asHTML())
3 // Prints "<p>hello, world</p>"

NOTE

The paragraph variable above is defined as an optional HTMLElement, so that it can be set
to nil below to demonstrate the presence of a strong reference cycle.

Unfortunately, the HTMLElement class, as written above, creates a strong reference

cycle between an HTMLElement instance and the closure used for its default asHTML
value. Hereʼs how the cycle looks:

The instanceʼs asHTML property holds a strong reference to its closure. However,
because the closure refers to self within its body (as a way to reference self.name
and self.text), the closure captures self, which means that it holds a strong reference
back to the HTMLElement instance. A strong reference cycle is created between the
two. (For more information about capturing values in a closure, see Capturing Values.)

NOTE

Even though the closure refers to self multiple times, it only captures one strong
reference to the HTMLElement instance.

If you set the paragraph variable to nil and break its strong reference to the
HTMLElement instance, neither the HTMLElement instance nor its closure are
deallocated, because of the strong reference cycle:

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paragraph = nil

Note that the message in the HTMLElement deinitializer is not printed, which shows that
the HTMLElement instance is not deallocated.

Resolving Strong Reference Cycles for

Closures
You resolve a strong reference cycle between a closure and a class instance by
defining a capture list as part of the closureʼs definition. A capture list defines the rules
to use when capturing one or more reference types within the closureʼs body. As with
strong reference cycles between two class instances, you declare each captured
reference to be a weak or unowned reference rather than a strong reference. The
appropriate choice of weak or unowned depends on the relationships between the
different parts of your code.

NOTE

Swift requires you to write self.someProperty or self.someMethod() (rather than just

someProperty or someMethod()) whenever you refer to a member of self within a closure.
This helps you remember that itʼs possible to capture self by accident.

Defining a Capture List

Each item in a capture list is a pairing of the weak or unowned keyword with a reference
to a class instance (such as self) or a variable initialized with some value (such as
delegate = self.delegate!). These pairings are written within a pair of square
braces, separated by commas.

Place the capture list before a closureʼs parameter list and return type if they are
provided:

1 lazy var someClosure: (Int, String) -> String = {

2 [unowned self, weak delegate = self.delegate!] (index: Int,
stringToProcess: String) -> String in

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3 // closure body goes here

4 }

If a closure does not specify a parameter list or return type because they can be
inferred from context, place the capture list at the very start of the closure, followed by
the in keyword:

1 lazy var someClosure: () -> String = {

2 [unowned self, weak delegate = self.delegate!] in
3 // closure body goes here
4 }

Weak and Unowned References

Define a capture in a closure as an unowned reference when the closure and the
instance it captures will always refer to each other, and will always be deallocated at the
same time.

Conversely, define a capture as a weak reference when the captured reference may
become nil at some point in the future. Weak references are always of an optional
type, and automatically become nil when the instance they reference is deallocated.
This enables you to check for their existence within the closureʼs body.

NOTE

If the captured reference will never become nil, it should always be captured as an
unowned reference, rather than a weak reference.

An unowned reference is the appropriate capture method to use to resolve the strong
reference cycle in the HTMLElement example from Strong Reference Cycles for Closures
above. Hereʼs how you write the HTMLElement class to avoid the cycle:

1 class HTMLElement {
2
3 let name: String
4 let text: String?
5

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6 lazy var asHTML: () -> String = {

7 [unowned self] in
8 if let text = self.text {
9 return "<\(self.name)>\(text)</\(self.name)>"
10 } else {
11 return "<\(self.name) />"
12 }
13 }
14
15 init(name: String, text: String? = nil) {
16 self.name = name
17 self.text = text
18 }
19
20 deinit {
21 print("\(name) is being deinitialized")
22 }
23
24 }

This implementation of HTMLElement is identical to the previous implementation, apart

from the addition of a capture list within the asHTML closure. In this case, the capture
list is [unowned self], which means “capture self as an unowned reference rather than
a strong reference”.

You can create and print an HTMLElement instance as before:

1 var paragraph: HTMLElement? = HTMLElement(name: "p", text:

"hello, world")
2 print(paragraph!.asHTML())
3 // Prints "<p>hello, world</p>"

Hereʼs how the references look with the capture list in place:

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This time, the capture of self by the closure is an unowned reference, and does not
keep a strong hold on the HTMLElement instance it has captured. If you set the strong
reference from the paragraph variable to nil, the HTMLElement instance is deallocated,
as can be seen from the printing of its deinitializer message in the example below:

1 paragraph = nil
2 // Prints "p is being deinitialized"

For more information about capture lists, see Capture Lists.

Generics Memory Safety

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ON THIS PAGE

Memory Safety
By default, Swift prevents unsafe behavior from happening in your code. For example,
Swift ensures that variables are initialized before theyʼre used, memory isnʼt accessed
after itʼs been deallocated, and array indices are checked for out-of-bounds errors.

Swift also makes sure that multiple accesses to the same area of memory donʼt
conflict, by requiring code that modifies a location in memory to have exclusive access
to that memory. Because Swift manages memory automatically, most of the time you
donʼt have to think about accessing memory at all. However, itʼs important to
understand where potential conflicts can occur, so you can avoid writing code that has
conflicting access to memory. If your code does contain conflicts, youʼll get a compile-
time or runtime error.

Understanding Conflicting Access to Memory

Access to memory happens in your code when you do things like set the value of a
variable or pass an argument to a function. For example, the following code contains
both a read access and a write access:

1 // A write access to the memory where one is stored.

2 var one = 1
3
4 // A read access from the memory where one is stored.
5 print("We're number \(one)!")

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A conflicting access to memory can occur when different parts of your code are trying
to access the same location in memory at the same time. Multiple accesses to a
location in memory at the same time can produce unpredictable or inconsistent
behavior. In Swift, there are ways to modify a value that span several lines of code,
making it possible to attempt to access a value in the middle of its own modification.

You can see a similar problem by thinking about how you update a budget thatʼs written
on a piece of paper. Updating the budget is a two-step process: First you add the
itemsʼ names and prices, and then you change the total amount to reflect the items
currently on the list. Before and after the update, you can read any information from the
budget and get a correct answer, as shown in the figure below.

While youʼre adding items to the budget, itʼs in a temporary, invalid state because the
total amount hasnʼt been updated to reflect the newly added items. Reading the total
amount during the process of adding an item gives you incorrect information.

This example also demonstrates a challenge you may encounter when fixing conflicting
access to memory: There are sometimes multiple ways to fix the conflict that produce
different answers, and itʼs not always obvious which answer is correct. In this example,
depending on whether you wanted the original total amount or the updated total
amount, either $5 or $320 could be the correct answer. Before you can fix the
conflicting access, you have to determine what it was intended to do.

NOTE

If youʼve written concurrent or multithreaded code, conflicting access to memory might be

a familiar problem. However, the conflicting access discussed here can happen on a single
thread and doesnʼt involve concurrent or multithreaded code.

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If you have conflicting access to memory from within a single thread, Swift guarantees that
youʼll get an error at either compile time or runtime. For multithreaded code, use Thread
Sanitizer to help detect conflicting access across threads.

Characteristics of Memory Access

There are three characteristics of memory access to consider in the context of
conflicting access: whether the access is a read or a write, the duration of the access,
and the location in memory being accessed. Specifically, a conflict occurs if you have
two accesses that meet all of the following conditions:

At least one is a write access.

They access the same location in memory.
Their durations overlap.

The difference between a read and write access is usually obvious: a write access
changes the location in memory, but a read access doesnʼt. The location in memory
refers to what is being accessed—for example, a variable, constant, or property. The
duration of a memory access is either instantaneous or long-term.

An access is instantaneous if itʼs not possible for other code to run after that access
starts but before it ends. By their nature, two instantaneous accesses canʼt happen at
the same time. Most memory access is instantaneous. For example, all the read and
write accesses in the code listing below are instantaneous:

1 func oneMore(than number: Int) -> Int {

2 return number + 1
3 }
4
5 var myNumber = 1
6 myNumber = oneMore(than: myNumber)
7 print(myNumber)
8 // Prints "2"

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However, there are several ways to access memory, called long-term accesses, that
span the execution of other code. The difference between instantaneous access and
long-term access is that itʼs possible for other code to run after a long-term access
starts but before it ends, which is called overlap. A long-term access can overlap with
other long-term accesses and instantaneous accesses.

Overlapping accesses appear primarily in code that uses in-out parameters in

functions and methods or mutating methods of a structure. The specific kinds of Swift
code that use long-term accesses are discussed in the sections below.

Conflicting Access to In-Out Parameters

A function has long-term write access to all of its in-out parameters. The write access
for an in-out parameter starts after all of the non-in-out parameters have been
evaluated and lasts for the entire duration of that function call. If there are multiple in-
out parameters, the write accesses start in the same order as the parameters appear.

One consequence of this long-term write access is that you canʼt access the original
variable that was passed as in-out, even if scoping rules and access control would
otherwise permit it—any access to the original creates a conflict. For example:

1 var stepSize = 1
2
3 func increment(_ number: inout Int) {
4 number += stepSize
5 }
6
7 increment(&stepSize)
8 // Error: conflicting accesses to stepSize

In the code above, stepSize is a global variable, and it is normally accessible from
within increment(_:). However, the read access to stepSize overlaps with the write
access to number. As shown in the figure below, both number and stepSize refer to the
same location in memory. The read and write accesses refer to the same memory and
they overlap, producing a conflict.

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One way to solve this conflict is to make an explicit copy of stepSize:

1 // Make an explicit copy.

2 var copyOfStepSize = stepSize
3 increment(&copyOfStepSize)
4
5 // Update the original.
6 stepSize = copyOfStepSize
7 // stepSize is now 2

When you make a copy of stepSize before calling increment(_:), itʼs clear that the
value of copyOfStepSize is incremented by the current step size. The read access
ends before the write access starts, so there isnʼt a conflict.

Another consequence of long-term write access to in-out parameters is that passing a

single variable as the argument for multiple in-out parameters of the same function
produces a conflict. For example:

1 func balance(_ x: inout Int, _ y: inout Int) {

2 let sum = x + y
3 x = sum / 2
4 y = sum - x
5 }
6 var playerOneScore = 42
7 var playerTwoScore = 30
8 balance(&playerOneScore, &playerTwoScore) // OK
9 balance(&playerOneScore, &playerOneScore)
10 // Error: conflicting accesses to playerOneScore

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The balance(_:_:) function above modifies its two parameters to divide the total value
evenly between them. Calling it with playerOneScore and playerTwoScore as
arguments doesnʼt produce a conflict—there are two write accesses that overlap in
time, but they access different locations in memory. In contrast, passing
playerOneScore as the value for both parameters produces a conflict because it tries
to perform two write accesses to the same location in memory at the same time.

NOTE

Because operators are functions, they can also have long-term accesses to their in-out
parameters. For example, if balance(_:_:) was an operator function named <^>, writing
playerOneScore <^> playerOneScore would result in the same conflict as
balance(&playerOneScore, &playerOneScore).

Conflicting Access to self in Methods

A mutating method on a structure has write access to self for the duration of the
method call. For example, consider a game where each player has a health amount,
which decreases when taking damage, and an energy amount, which decreases when
using special abilities.

1 struct Player {
2 var name: String
3 var health: Int
4 var energy: Int
5
6 static let maxHealth = 10
7 mutating func restoreHealth() {
8 health = Player.maxHealth
9 }
10 }

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In the restoreHealth() method above, a write access to self starts at the beginning
of the method and lasts until the method returns. In this case, thereʼs no other code
inside restoreHealth() that could have an overlapping access to the properties of a
Player instance. The shareHealth(with:) method below takes another Player
instance as an in-out parameter, creating the possibility of overlapping accesses.

1 extension Player {
2 mutating func shareHealth(with teammate: inout Player) {
3 balance(&teammate.health, &health)
4 }
5 }
6
7 var oscar = Player(name: "Oscar", health: 10, energy: 10)
8 var maria = Player(name: "Maria", health: 5, energy: 10)
9 oscar.shareHealth(with: &maria) // OK

In the example above, calling the shareHealth(with:) method for Oscarʼs player to
share health with Mariaʼs player doesnʼt cause a conflict. Thereʼs a write access to
oscar during the method call because oscar is the value of self in a mutating method,
and thereʼs a write access to maria for the same duration because maria was passed
as an in-out parameter. As shown in the figure below, they access different locations in
memory. Even though the two write accesses overlap in time, they donʼt conflict.

However, if you pass oscar as the argument to shareHealth(with:), thereʼs a conflict:

1 oscar.shareHealth(with: &oscar)
2 // Error: conflicting accesses to oscar

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The mutating method needs write access to self for the duration of the method, and
the in-out parameter needs write access to teammate for the same duration. Within the
method, both self and teammate refer to the same location in memory—as shown in
the figure below. The two write accesses refer to the same memory and they overlap,
producing a conflict.

Conflicting Access to Properties

Types like structures, tuples, and enumerations are made up of individual constituent
values, such as the properties of a structure or the elements of a tuple. Because these
are value types, mutating any piece of the value mutates the whole value, meaning read
or write access to one of the properties requires read or write access to the whole
value. For example, overlapping write accesses to the elements of a tuple produces a
conflict:

1 var playerInformation = (health: 10, energy: 20)

2 balance(&playerInformation.health, &playerInformation.energy)
3 // Error: conflicting access to properties of playerInformation

In the example above, calling balance(_:_:) on the elements of a tuple produces a

conflict because there are overlapping write accesses to playerInformation. Both
playerInformation.health and playerInformation.energy are passed as in-out
parameters, which means balance(_:_:) needs write access to them for the duration
of the function call. In both cases, a write access to the tuple element requires a write
access to the entire tuple. This means there are two write accesses to
playerInformation with durations that overlap, causing a conflict.

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The code below shows that the same error appears for overlapping write accesses to
the properties of a structure thatʼs stored in a global variable.

1 var holly = Player(name: "Holly", health: 10, energy: 10)

2 balance(&holly.health, &holly.energy) // Error

In practice, most access to the properties of a structure can overlap safely. For
example, if the variable holly in the example above is changed to a local variable
instead of a global variable, the compiler can prove that overlapping access to stored
properties of the structure is safe:

1 func someFunction() {
2 var oscar = Player(name: "Oscar", health: 10, energy: 10)
3 balance(&oscar.health, &oscar.energy) // OK
4 }

In the example above, Oscarʼs health and energy are passed as the two in-out
parameters to balance(_:_:). The compiler can prove that memory safety is
preserved because the two stored properties donʼt interact in any way.

The restriction against overlapping access to properties of a structure isnʼt always

necessary to preserve memory safety. Memory safety is the desired guarantee, but
exclusive access is a stricter requirement than memory safety—which means some
code preserves memory safety, even though it violates exclusive access to memory.
Swift allows this memory-safe code if the compiler can prove that the nonexclusive
access to memory is still safe. Specifically, it can prove that overlapping access to
properties of a structure is safe if the following conditions apply:

Youʼre accessing only stored properties of an instance, not computed properties

or class properties.
The structure is the value of a local variable, not a global variable.
The structure is either not captured by any closures, or itʼs captured only by
nonescaping closures.

If the compiler canʼt prove the access is safe, it doesnʼt allow the access.

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Automatic Reference Counting Access Control

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ON THIS PAGE

Access Control
Access control restricts access to parts of your code from code in other source files
and modules. This feature enables you to hide the implementation details of your code,
and to specify a preferred interface through which that code can be accessed and
used.

You can assign specific access levels to individual types (classes, structures, and
enumerations), as well as to properties, methods, initializers, and subscripts belonging
to those types. Protocols can be restricted to a certain context, as can global
constants, variables, and functions.

In addition to offering various levels of access control, Swift reduces the need to
specify explicit access control levels by providing default access levels for typical
scenarios. Indeed, if you are writing a single-target app, you may not need to specify
explicit access control levels at all.

NOTE

The various aspects of your code that can have access control applied to them
(properties, types, functions, and so on) are referred to as “entities” in the sections below,
for brevity.

Modules and Source Files

Swiftʼs access control model is based on the concept of modules and source files.

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A module is a single unit of code distribution—a framework or application that is built

and shipped as a single unit and that can be imported by another module with Swiftʼs
import keyword.

Each build target (such as an app bundle or framework) in Xcode is treated as a

separate module in Swift. If you group together aspects of your appʼs code as a stand-
alone framework—perhaps to encapsulate and reuse that code across multiple
applications—then everything you define within that framework will be part of a
separate module when itʼs imported and used within an app, or when itʼs used within
another framework.

A source file is a single Swift source code file within a module (in effect, a single file
within an app or framework). Although itʼs common to define individual types in
separate source files, a single source file can contain definitions for multiple types,
functions, and so on.

Access Levels
Swift provides five different access levels for entities within your code. These access
levels are relative to the source file in which an entity is defined, and also relative to the
module that source file belongs to.

Open access and public access enable entities to be used within any source file
from their defining module, and also in a source file from another module that
imports the defining module. You typically use open or public access when
specifying the public interface to a framework. The difference between open and
public access is described below.
Internal access enables entities to be used within any source file from their
defining module, but not in any source file outside of that module. You typically
use internal access when defining an appʼs or a frameworkʼs internal structure.
File-private access restricts the use of an entity to its own defining source file.
Use file-private access to hide the implementation details of a specific piece of
functionality when those details are used within an entire file.
Private access restricts the use of an entity to the enclosing declaration, and to
extensions of that declaration that are in the same file. Use private access to hide

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the implementation details of a specific piece of functionality when those details

are used only within a single declaration.

Open access is the highest (least restrictive) access level and private access is the
lowest (most restrictive) access level.

Open access applies only to classes and class members, and it differs from public
access as follows:

Classes with public access, or any more restrictive access level, can be
subclassed only within the module where theyʼre defined.
Class members with public access, or any more restrictive access level, can be
overridden by subclasses only within the module where theyʼre defined.
Open classes can be subclassed within the module where theyʼre defined, and
within any module that imports the module where theyʼre defined.
Open class members can be overridden by subclasses within the module where
theyʼre defined, and within any module that imports the module where theyʼre
defined.

Marking a class as open explicitly indicates that youʼve considered the impact of code
from other modules using that class as a superclass, and that youʼve designed your
classʼs code accordingly.

Guiding Principle of Access Levels

Access levels in Swift follow an overall guiding principle: No entity can be defined in
terms of another entity that has a lower (more restrictive) access level.

For example:

A public variable canʼt be defined as having an internal, file-private, or private

type, because the type might not be available everywhere that the public variable
is used.
A function canʼt have a higher access level than its parameter types and return
type, because the function could be used in situations where its constituent
types are unavailable to the surrounding code.

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The specific implications of this guiding principle for different aspects of the language
are covered in detail below.

Default Access Levels

All entities in your code (with a few specific exceptions, as described later in this
chapter) have a default access level of internal if you donʼt specify an explicit access
level yourself. As a result, in many cases you donʼt need to specify an explicit access
level in your code.

Access Levels for Single-Target Apps

When you write a simple single-target app, the code in your app is typically self-
contained within the app and doesnʼt need to be made available outside of the appʼs
module. The default access level of internal already matches this requirement.
Therefore, you donʼt need to specify a custom access level. You may, however, want to
mark some parts of your code as file private or private in order to hide their
implementation details from other code within the appʼs module.

Access Levels for Frameworks

When you develop a framework, mark the public-facing interface to that framework as
open or public so that it can be viewed and accessed by other modules, such as an
app that imports the framework. This public-facing interface is the application
programming interface (or API) for the framework.

NOTE

Any internal implementation details of your framework can still use the default access level
of internal, or can be marked as private or file private if you want to hide them from other
parts of the frameworkʼs internal code. You need to mark an entity as open or public only if
you want it to become part of your frameworkʼs API.

Access Levels for Unit Test Targets

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When you write an app with a unit test target, the code in your app needs to be made
available to that module in order to be tested. By default, only entities marked as open
or public are accessible to other modules. However, a unit test target can access any
internal entity, if you mark the import declaration for a product module with the
@testable attribute and compile that product module with testing enabled.

Access Control Syntax

Define the access level for an entity by placing one of the open, public, internal,
fileprivate, or private modifiers before the entityʼs introducer:

1 public class SomePublicClass {}

2 internal class SomeInternalClass {}
3 fileprivate class SomeFilePrivateClass {}
4 private class SomePrivateClass {}
5
6 public var somePublicVariable = 0
7 internal let someInternalConstant = 0
8 fileprivate func someFilePrivateFunction() {}
9 private func somePrivateFunction() {}

Unless otherwise specified, the default access level is internal, as described in Default
Access Levels. This means that SomeInternalClass and someInternalConstant can
be written without an explicit access-level modifier, and will still have an access level of
internal:

1 class SomeInternalClass {} // implicitly internal

2 let someInternalConstant = 0 // implicitly internal

Custom Types

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If you want to specify an explicit access level for a custom type, do so at the point that
you define the type. The new type can then be used wherever its access level permits.
For example, if you define a file-private class, that class can only be used as the type of
a property, or as a function parameter or return type, in the source file in which the file-
private class is defined.

The access control level of a type also affects the default access level of that typeʼs
members (its properties, methods, initializers, and subscripts). If you define a typeʼs
access level as private or file private, the default access level of its members will also
be private or file private. If you define a typeʼs access level as internal or public (or use
the default access level of internal without specifying an access level explicitly), the
default access level of the typeʼs members will be internal.

I M P O R TA N T

A public type defaults to having internal members, not public members. If you want a type
member to be public, you must explicitly mark it as such. This requirement ensures that
the public-facing API for a type is something you opt in to publishing, and avoids
presenting the internal workings of a type as public API by mistake.

1 public class SomePublicClass { // explicitly

public class
2 public var somePublicProperty = 0 // explicitly
public class member
3 var someInternalProperty = 0 // implicitly
internal class member
4 fileprivate func someFilePrivateMethod() {} // explicitly
file-private class member
5 private func somePrivateMethod() {} // explicitly
private class member
6 }
7
8 class SomeInternalClass { // implicitly
internal class
9 var someInternalProperty = 0 // implicitly
internal class member
10 fileprivate func someFilePrivateMethod() {} // explicitly
file-private class member

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11 private func somePrivateMethod() {} // explicitly

private class member
12 }
13
14 fileprivate class SomeFilePrivateClass { // explicitly
file-private class
15 func someFilePrivateMethod() {} // implicitly
file-private class member
16 private func somePrivateMethod() {} // explicitly
private class member
17 }
18
19 private class SomePrivateClass { // explicitly
private class
20 func somePrivateMethod() {} // implicitly
private class member
21 }

Tuple Types
The access level for a tuple type is the most restrictive access level of all types used in
that tuple. For example, if you compose a tuple from two different types, one with
internal access and one with private access, the access level for that compound tuple
type will be private.

NOTE

Tuple types donʼt have a standalone definition in the way that classes, structures,
enumerations, and functions do. A tuple typeʼs access level is deduced automatically when
the tuple type is used, and canʼt be specified explicitly.

Function Types
The access level for a function type is calculated as the most restrictive access level of
the functionʼs parameter types and return type. You must specify the access level
explicitly as part of the functionʼs definition if the functionʼs calculated access level
doesnʼt match the contextual default.

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The example below defines a global function called someFunction(), without providing
a specific access-level modifier for the function itself. You might expect this function to
have the default access level of “internal”, but this isnʼt the case. In fact,
someFunction() wonʼt compile as written below:

1 func someFunction() -> (SomeInternalClass, SomePrivateClass) {

2 // function implementation goes here
3 }

The functionʼs return type is a tuple type composed from two of the custom classes
defined above in Custom Types. One of these classes is defined as internal, and the
other is defined as private. Therefore, the overall access level of the compound tuple
type is private (the minimum access level of the tupleʼs constituent types).

Because the functionʼs return type is private, you must mark the functionʼs overall
access level with the private modifier for the function declaration to be valid:

1 private func someFunction() -> (SomeInternalClass,

SomePrivateClass) {
2 // function implementation goes here
3 }

Itʼs not valid to mark the definition of someFunction() with the public or internal
modifiers, or to use the default setting of internal, because public or internal users of
the function might not have appropriate access to the private class used in the
functionʼs return type.

Enumeration Types
The individual cases of an enumeration automatically receive the same access level as
the enumeration they belong to. You canʼt specify a different access level for individual
enumeration cases.

In the example below, the CompassPoint enumeration has an explicit access level of
public. The enumeration cases north, south, east, and west therefore also have an
access level of public:

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1 public enum CompassPoint {

2 case north
3 case south
4 case east
5 case west
6 }

Raw Values and Associated Values

The types used for any raw values or associated values in an enumeration definition
must have an access level at least as high as the enumerationʼs access level. You canʼt
use a private type as the raw-value type of an enumeration with an internal access
level, for example.

Nested Types
Nested types defined within a private type have an automatic access level of private.
Nested types defined within a file-private type have an automatic access level of file
private. Nested types defined within a public type or an internal type have an automatic
access level of internal. If you want a nested type within a public type to be publicly
available, you must explicitly declare the nested type as public.

Subclassing
You can subclass any class that can be accessed in the current access context. A
subclass canʼt have a higher access level than its superclass—for example, you canʼt
write a public subclass of an internal superclass.

In addition, you can override any class member (method, property, initializer, or
subscript) that is visible in a certain access context.

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An override can make an inherited class member more accessible than its superclass
version. In the example below, class A is a public class with a file-private method called
someMethod(). Class B is a subclass of A, with a reduced access level of “internal”.
Nonetheless, class B provides an override of someMethod() with an access level of
“internal”, which is higher than the original implementation of someMethod():

1 public class A {
2 fileprivate func someMethod() {}
3 }
4
5 internal class B: A {
6 override internal func someMethod() {}
7 }

Itʼs even valid for a subclass member to call a superclass member that has lower
access permissions than the subclass member, as long as the call to the superclassʼs
member takes place within an allowed access level context (that is, within the same
source file as the superclass for a file-private member call, or within the same module
as the superclass for an internal member call):

1 public class A {
2 fileprivate func someMethod() {}
3 }
4
5 internal class B: A {
6 override internal func someMethod() {
7 super.someMethod()
8 }
9 }

Because superclass A and subclass B are defined in the same source file, itʼs valid for
the B implementation of someMethod() to call super.someMethod().

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Constants, Variables, Properties, and

Subscripts
A constant, variable, or property canʼt be more public than its type. Itʼs not valid to write
a public property with a private type, for example. Similarly, a subscript canʼt be more
public than either its index type or return type.

If a constant, variable, property, or subscript makes use of a private type, the constant,
variable, property, or subscript must also be marked as private:

private var privateInstance = SomePrivateClass()

Getters and Setters

Getters and setters for constants, variables, properties, and subscripts automatically
receive the same access level as the constant, variable, property, or subscript they
belong to.

You can give a setter a lower access level than its corresponding getter, to restrict the
read-write scope of that variable, property, or subscript. You assign a lower access
level by writing fileprivate(set), private(set), or internal(set) before the var or
subscript introducer.

NOTE

This rule applies to stored properties as well as computed properties. Even though you
donʼt write an explicit getter and setter for a stored property, Swift still synthesizes an
implicit getter and setter for you to provide access to the stored propertyʼs backing
storage. Use fileprivate(set), private(set), and internal(set) to change the access
level of this synthesized setter in exactly the same way as for an explicit setter in a
computed property.

The example below defines a structure called TrackedString, which keeps track of the
number of times a string property is modified:

1 struct TrackedString {

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2 private(set) var numberOfEdits = 0

3 var value: String = "" {
4 didSet {
5 numberOfEdits += 1
6 }
7 }
8 }

The TrackedString structure defines a stored string property called value, with an
initial value of "" (an empty string). The structure also defines a stored integer property
called numberOfEdits, which is used to track the number of times that value is
modified. This modification tracking is implemented with a didSet property observer
on the value property, which increments numberOfEdits every time the value property
is set to a new value.

The TrackedString structure and the value property donʼt provide an explicit access-
level modifier, and so they both receive the default access level of internal. However,
the access level for the numberOfEdits property is marked with a private(set)
modifier to indicate that the propertyʼs getter still has the default access level of
internal, but the property is settable only from within code thatʼs part of the
TrackedString structure. This enables TrackedString to modify the numberOfEdits
property internally, but to present the property as a read-only property when itʼs used
outside the structureʼs definition.

If you create a TrackedString instance and modify its string value a few times, you can
see the numberOfEdits property value update to match the number of modifications:

1 var stringToEdit = TrackedString()

2 stringToEdit.value = "This string will be tracked."
3 stringToEdit.value += " This edit will increment
numberOfEdits."
4 stringToEdit.value += " So will this one."
5 print("The number of edits is \(stringToEdit.numberOfEdits)")
6 // Prints "The number of edits is 3"

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Although you can query the current value of the numberOfEdits property from within
another source file, you canʼt modify the property from another source file. This
restriction protects the implementation details of the TrackedString edit-tracking
functionality, while still providing convenient access to an aspect of that functionality.

Note that you can assign an explicit access level for both a getter and a setter if
required. The example below shows a version of the TrackedString structure in which
the structure is defined with an explicit access level of public. The structureʼs members
(including the numberOfEdits property) therefore have an internal access level by
default. You can make the structureʼs numberOfEdits property getter public, and its
property setter private, by combining the public and private(set) access-level
modifiers:

1 public struct TrackedString {

2 public private(set) var numberOfEdits = 0
3 public var value: String = "" {
4 didSet {
5 numberOfEdits += 1
6 }
7 }
8 public init() {}
9 }

Initializers
Custom initializers can be assigned an access level less than or equal to the type that
they initialize. The only exception is for required initializers (as defined in Required
Initializers). A required initializer must have the same access level as the class it
belongs to.

As with function and method parameters, the types of an initializerʼs parameters canʼt
be more private than the initializerʼs own access level.

Default Initializers

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As described in Default Initializers, Swift automatically provides a default initializer

without any arguments for any structure or base class that provides default values for
all of its properties and doesnʼt provide at least one initializer itself.

A default initializer has the same access level as the type it initializes, unless that type
is defined as public. For a type that is defined as public, the default initializer is
considered internal. If you want a public type to be initializable with a no-argument
initializer when used in another module, you must explicitly provide a public no-
argument initializer yourself as part of the typeʼs definition.

Default Memberwise Initializers for Structure Types

The default memberwise initializer for a structure type is considered private if any of
the structureʼs stored properties are private. Likewise, if any of the structureʼs stored
properties are file private, the initializer is file private. Otherwise, the initializer has an
access level of internal.

As with the default initializer above, if you want a public structure type to be initializable
with a memberwise initializer when used in another module, you must provide a public
memberwise initializer yourself as part of the typeʼs definition.

Protocols
If you want to assign an explicit access level to a protocol type, do so at the point that
you define the protocol. This enables you to create protocols that can only be adopted
within a certain access context.

The access level of each requirement within a protocol definition is automatically set to
the same access level as the protocol. You canʼt set a protocol requirement to a
different access level than the protocol it supports. This ensures that all of the
protocolʼs requirements will be visible on any type that adopts the protocol.

NOTE

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If you define a public protocol, the protocolʼs requirements require a public access level for
those requirements when theyʼre implemented. This behavior is different from other types,
where a public type definition implies an access level of internal for the typeʼs members.

Protocol Inheritance
If you define a new protocol that inherits from an existing protocol, the new protocol
can have at most the same access level as the protocol it inherits from. You canʼt write
a public protocol that inherits from an internal protocol, for example.

Protocol Conformance
A type can conform to a protocol with a lower access level than the type itself. For
example, you can define a public type that can be used in other modules, but whose
conformance to an internal protocol can only be used within the internal protocolʼs
defining module.

The context in which a type conforms to a particular protocol is the minimum of the
typeʼs access level and the protocolʼs access level. If a type is public, but a protocol it
conforms to is internal, the typeʼs conformance to that protocol is also internal.

When you write or extend a type to conform to a protocol, you must ensure that the
typeʼs implementation of each protocol requirement has at least the same access level
as the typeʼs conformance to that protocol. For example, if a public type conforms to
an internal protocol, the typeʼs implementation of each protocol requirement must be at
least “internal”.

NOTE

In Swift, as in Objective-C, protocol conformance is global—it isnʼt possible for a type to

conform to a protocol in two different ways within the same program.

Extensions

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You can extend a class, structure, or enumeration in any access context in which the
class, structure, or enumeration is available. Any type members added in an extension
have the same default access level as type members declared in the original type being
extended. If you extend a public or internal type, any new type members you add have
a default access level of internal. If you extend a file-private type, any new type
members you add have a default access level of file private. If you extend a private
type, any new type members you add have a default access level of private.

Alternatively, you can mark an extension with an explicit access-level modifier (for
example, private extension) to set a new default access level for all members
defined within the extension. This new default can still be overridden within the
extension for individual type members.

You canʼt provide an explicit access-level modifier for an extension if youʼre using that
extension to add protocol conformance. Instead, the protocolʼs own access level is
used to provide the default access level for each protocol requirement implementation
within the extension.

Private Members in Extensions

Extensions that are in the same file as the class, structure, or enumeration that they
extend behave as if the code in the extension had been written as part of the original
typeʼs declaration. As a result, you can:

Declare a private member in the original declaration, and access that member
from extensions in the same file.
Declare a private member in one extension, and access that member from
another extension in the same file.
Declare a private member in an extension, and access that member from the
original declaration in the same file.

This behavior means you can use extensions in the same way to organize your code,
whether or not your types have private entities. For example, given the following simple
protocol:

1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 func doSomething()

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3 }

You can use an extension to add protocol conformance, like this:

1 struct SomeStruct {
2 private var privateVariable = 12
3 }
4
5 extension SomeStruct: SomeProtocol {
6 func doSomething() {
7 print(privateVariable)
8 }
9 }

Generics
The access level for a generic type or generic function is the minimum of the access
level of the generic type or function itself and the access level of any type constraints
on its type parameters.

Type Aliases
Any type aliases you define are treated as distinct types for the purposes of access
control. A type alias can have an access level less than or equal to the access level of
the type it aliases. For example, a private type alias can alias a private, file-private,
internal, public, or open type, but a public type alias canʼt alias an internal, file-private,
or private type.

NOTE

This rule also applies to type aliases for associated types used to satisfy protocol
conformances.

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Memory Safety Advanced Operators

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ON THIS PAGE

Advanced Operators
In addition to the operators described in Basic Operators, Swift provides several
advanced operators that perform more complex value manipulation. These include all
of the bitwise and bit shifting operators you will be familiar with from C and Objective-
C.

Unlike arithmetic operators in C, arithmetic operators in Swift do not overflow by

default. Overflow behavior is trapped and reported as an error. To opt in to overflow
behavior, use Swiftʼs second set of arithmetic operators that overflow by default, such
as the overflow addition operator (&+). All of these overflow operators begin with an
ampersand (&).

When you define your own structures, classes, and enumerations, it can be useful to
provide your own implementations of the standard Swift operators for these custom
types. Swift makes it easy to provide tailored implementations of these operators and
to determine exactly what their behavior should be for each type you create.

Youʼre not limited to the predefined operators. Swift gives you the freedom to define
your own custom infix, prefix, postfix, and assignment operators, with custom
precedence and associativity values. These operators can be used and adopted in your
code like any of the predefined operators, and you can even extend existing types to
support the custom operators you define.

Bitwise Operators
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Bitwise operators enable you to manipulate the individual raw data bits within a data
structure. They are often used in low-level programming, such as graphics
programming and device driver creation. Bitwise operators can also be useful when
you work with raw data from external sources, such as encoding and decoding data for
communication over a custom protocol.

Swift supports all of the bitwise operators found in C, as described below.

Bitwise NOT Operator

The bitwise NOT operator (~) inverts all bits in a number:

The bitwise NOT operator is a prefix operator, and appears immediately before the
value it operates on, without any white space:

1 let initialBits: UInt8 = 0b00001111

2 let invertedBits = ~initialBits // equals 11110000

UInt8 integers have eight bits and can store any value between 0 and 255. This
example initializes a UInt8 integer with the binary value 00001111, which has its first
four bits set to 0, and its second four bits set to 1. This is equivalent to a decimal value
of 15.

The bitwise NOT operator is then used to create a new constant called invertedBits,
which is equal to initialBits, but with all of the bits inverted. Zeros become ones,
and ones become zeros. The value of invertedBits is 11110000, which is equal to an
unsigned decimal value of 240.

Bitwise AND Operator

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The bitwise AND operator (&) combines the bits of two numbers. It returns a new
number whose bits are set to 1 only if the bits were equal to 1 in both input numbers:

In the example below, the values of firstSixBits and lastSixBits both have four
middle bits equal to 1. The bitwise AND operator combines them to make the number
00111100, which is equal to an unsigned decimal value of 60:

1 let firstSixBits: UInt8 = 0b11111100

2 let lastSixBits: UInt8 = 0b00111111
3 let middleFourBits = firstSixBits & lastSixBits // equals
00111100

Bitwise OR Operator
The bitwise OR operator (|) compares the bits of two numbers. The operator returns a
new number whose bits are set to 1 if the bits are equal to 1 in either input number:

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In the example below, the values of someBits and moreBits have different bits set to 1.
The bitwise OR operator combines them to make the number 11111110, which equals
an unsigned decimal of 254:

1 let someBits: UInt8 = 0b10110010

2 let moreBits: UInt8 = 0b01011110
3 let combinedbits = someBits | moreBits // equals 11111110

Bitwise XOR Operator

The bitwise XOR operator, or “exclusive OR operator” (^), compares the bits of two
numbers. The operator returns a new number whose bits are set to 1 where the input
bits are different and are set to 0 where the input bits are the same:

In the example below, the values of firstBits and otherBits each have a bit set to 1
in a location that the other does not. The bitwise XOR operator sets both of these bits
to 1 in its output value. All of the other bits in firstBits and otherBits match and are
set to 0 in the output value:

1 let firstBits: UInt8 = 0b00010100

2 let otherBits: UInt8 = 0b00000101
3 let outputBits = firstBits ^ otherBits // equals 00010001

Bitwise Left and Right Shift Operators

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The bitwise left shift operator (<<) and bitwise right shift operator (>>) move all bits in a
number to the left or the right by a certain number of places, according to the rules
defined below.

Bitwise left and right shifts have the effect of multiplying or dividing an integer by a
factor of two. Shifting an integerʼs bits to the left by one position doubles its value,
whereas shifting it to the right by one position halves its value.

Shifting Behavior for Unsigned Integers

The bit-shifting behavior for unsigned integers is as follows:

T. Existing bits are moved to the left or right by the requested number of places.
V. Any bits that are moved beyond the bounds of the integerʼs storage are
discarded.
W. Zeros are inserted in the spaces left behind after the original bits are moved to
the left or right.

This approach is known as a logical shift.

The illustration below shows the results of 11111111 << 1 (which is 11111111 shifted to
the left by 1 place), and 11111111 >> 1 (which is 11111111 shifted to the right by 1
place). Blue numbers are shifted, gray numbers are discarded, and orange zeros are
inserted:

Hereʼs how bit shifting looks in Swift code:

1 let shiftBits: UInt8 = 4 // 00000100 in binary

2 shiftBits << 1 // 00001000
3 shiftBits << 2 // 00010000
4 shiftBits << 5 // 10000000

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5 shiftBits << 6 // 00000000

6 shiftBits >> 2 // 00000001

You can use bit shifting to encode and decode values within other data types:

1 let pink: UInt32 = 0xCC6699

2 let redComponent = (pink & 0xFF0000) >> 16 // redComponent
is 0xCC, or 204
3 let greenComponent = (pink & 0x00FF00) >> 8 // greenComponent
is 0x66, or 102
4 let blueComponent = pink & 0x0000FF // blueComponent
is 0x99, or 153

This example uses a UInt32 constant called pink to store a Cascading Style Sheets
color value for the color pink. The CSS color value #CC6699 is written as 0xCC6699 in
Swiftʼs hexadecimal number representation. This color is then decomposed into its red
(CC), green (66), and blue (99) components by the bitwise AND operator (&) and the
bitwise right shift operator (>>).

The red component is obtained by performing a bitwise AND between the numbers
0xCC6699 and 0xFF0000. The zeros in 0xFF0000 effectively “mask” the second and third
bytes of 0xCC6699, causing the 6699 to be ignored and leaving 0xCC0000 as the result.

This number is then shifted 16 places to the right (>> 16). Each pair of characters in a
hexadecimal number uses 8 bits, so a move 16 places to the right will convert 0xCC0000
into 0x0000CC. This is the same as 0xCC, which has a decimal value of 204.

Similarly, the green component is obtained by performing a bitwise AND between the
numbers 0xCC6699 and 0x00FF00, which gives an output value of 0x006600. This output
value is then shifted eight places to the right, giving a value of 0x66, which has a
decimal value of 102.

Finally, the blue component is obtained by performing a bitwise AND between the
numbers 0xCC6699 and 0x0000FF, which gives an output value of 0x000099. Thereʼs no
need to shift this to the right, as 0x000099 already equals 0x99, which has a decimal
value of 153.

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Shifting Behavior for Signed Integers

The shifting behavior is more complex for signed integers than for unsigned integers,
because of the way signed integers are represented in binary. (The examples below are
based on 8-bit signed integers for simplicity, but the same principles apply for signed
integers of any size.)

Signed integers use their first bit (known as the sign bit) to indicate whether the integer
is positive or negative. A sign bit of 0 means positive, and a sign bit of 1 means
negative.

The remaining bits (known as the value bits) store the actual value. Positive numbers
are stored in exactly the same way as for unsigned integers, counting upwards from 0.
Hereʼs how the bits inside an Int8 look for the number 4:

The sign bit is 0 (meaning “positive”), and the seven value bits are just the number 4,
written in binary notation.

Negative numbers, however, are stored differently. They are stored by subtracting their
absolute value from 2 to the power of n, where n is the number of value bits. An eight-
bit number has seven value bits, so this means 2 to the power of 7, or 128.

Hereʼs how the bits inside an Int8 look for the number -4:

This time, the sign bit is 1 (meaning “negative”), and the seven value bits have a binary
value of 124 (which is 128 - 4):

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This encoding for negative numbers is known as a twoʼs complement representation. It

may seem an unusual way to represent negative numbers, but it has several
advantages.

First, you can add -1 to -4, simply by performing a standard binary addition of all eight
bits (including the sign bit), and discarding anything that doesnʼt fit in the eight bits
once youʼre done:

Second, the twoʼs complement representation also lets you shift the bits of negative
numbers to the left and right like positive numbers, and still end up doubling them for
every shift you make to the left, or halving them for every shift you make to the right. To
achieve this, an extra rule is used when signed integers are shifted to the right: When
you shift signed integers to the right, apply the same rules as for unsigned integers, but
fill any empty bits on the left with the sign bit, rather than with a zero.

This action ensures that signed integers have the same sign after they are shifted to
the right, and is known as an arithmetic shift.

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Because of the special way that positive and negative numbers are stored, shifting
either of them to the right moves them closer to zero. Keeping the sign bit the same
during this shift means that negative integers remain negative as their value moves
closer to zero.

Overflow Operators
If you try to insert a number into an integer constant or variable that cannot hold that
value, by default Swift reports an error rather than allowing an invalid value to be
created. This behavior gives extra safety when you work with numbers that are too
large or too small.

For example, the Int16 integer type can hold any signed integer between -32768 and
32767. Trying to set an Int16 constant or variable to a number outside of this range
causes an error:

1 var potentialOverflow = Int16.max

2 // potentialOverflow equals 32767, which is the maximum value
an Int16 can hold
3 potentialOverflow += 1
4 // this causes an error

Providing error handling when values get too large or too small gives you much more
flexibility when coding for boundary value conditions.

However, when you specifically want an overflow condition to truncate the number of
available bits, you can opt in to this behavior rather than triggering an error. Swift
provides three arithmetic overflow operators that opt in to the overflow behavior for
integer calculations. These operators all begin with an ampersand (&):

Overflow addition (&+)

Overflow subtraction (&-)
Overflow multiplication (&*)

Value Overflow
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Numbers can overflow in both the positive and negative direction.

Hereʼs an example of what happens when an unsigned integer is allowed to overflow in

the positive direction, using the overflow addition operator (&+):

1 var unsignedOverflow = UInt8.max

2 // unsignedOverflow equals 255, which is the maximum value a
UInt8 can hold
3 unsignedOverflow = unsignedOverflow &+ 1
4 // unsignedOverflow is now equal to 0

The variable unsignedOverflow is initialized with the maximum value a UInt8 can hold
(255, or 11111111 in binary). It is then incremented by 1 using the overflow addition
operator (&+). This pushes its binary representation just over the size that a UInt8 can
hold, causing it to overflow beyond its bounds, as shown in the diagram below. The
value that remains within the bounds of the UInt8 after the overflow addition is
00000000, or zero.

Something similar happens when an unsigned integer is allowed to overflow in the

negative direction. Hereʼs an example using the overflow subtraction operator (&-):

1 var unsignedOverflow = UInt8.min

2 // unsignedOverflow equals 0, which is the minimum value a
UInt8 can hold
3 unsignedOverflow = unsignedOverflow &- 1
4 // unsignedOverflow is now equal to 255

The minimum value that a UInt8 can hold is zero, or 00000000 in binary. If you subtract
1 from 00000000 using the overflow subtraction operator (&-), the number will overflow
and wrap around to 11111111, or 255 in decimal.
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Overflow also occurs for signed integers. All addition and subtraction for signed
integers is performed in bitwise fashion, with the sign bit included as part of the
numbers being added or subtracted, as described in Bitwise Left and Right Shift
Operators.

1 var signedOverflow = Int8.min

2 // signedOverflow equals -128, which is the minimum value an
Int8 can hold
3 signedOverflow = signedOverflow &- 1
4 // signedOverflow is now equal to 127

The minimum value that an Int8 can hold is -128, or 10000000 in binary. Subtracting 1
from this binary number with the overflow operator gives a binary value of 01111111,
which toggles the sign bit and gives positive 127, the maximum positive value that an
Int8 can hold.

For both signed and unsigned integers, overflow in the positive direction wraps around
from the maximum valid integer value back to the minimum, and overflow in the
negative direction wraps around from the minimum value to the maximum.

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Precedence and Associativity

Operator precedence gives some operators higher priority than others; these operators
are applied first.

Operator associativity defines how operators of the same precedence are grouped
together—either grouped from the left, or grouped from the right. Think of it as
meaning “they associate with the expression to their left,” or “they associate with the
expression to their right.”

It is important to consider each operatorʼs precedence and associativity when working

out the order in which a compound expression will be calculated. For example, operator
precedence explains why the following expression equals 17.

1 2 + 3 % 4 * 5
2 // this equals 17

If you read strictly from left to right, you might expect the expression to be calculated
as follows:

2 plus 3 equals 5
5 remainder 4 equals 1
1 times 5 equals 5

However, the actual answer is 17, not 5. Higher-precedence operators are evaluated
before lower-precedence ones. In Swift, as in C, the remainder operator (%) and the
multiplication operator (*) have a higher precedence than the addition operator (+). As
a result, they are both evaluated before the addition is considered.

However, remainder and multiplication have the same precedence as each other. To
work out the exact evaluation order to use, you also need to consider their associativity.
Remainder and multiplication both associate with the expression to their left. Think of
this as adding implicit parentheses around these parts of the expression, starting from
their left:

2 + ((3 % 4) * 5)

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(3 % 4) is 3, so this is equivalent to:

2 + (3 * 5)

(3 * 5) is 15, so this is equivalent to:

2 + 15

This calculation yields the final answer of 17.

For information about the operators provided by the Swift standard library, including a
complete list of the operator precedence groups and associativity settings, see
Operator Declarations.

NOTE

Swiftʼs operator precedences and associativity rules are simpler and more predictable than
those found in C and Objective-C. However, this means that they are not exactly the same
as in C-based languages. Be careful to ensure that operator interactions still behave in the
way you intend when porting existing code to Swift.

Operator Methods
Classes and structures can provide their own implementations of existing operators.
This is known as overloading the existing operators.

The example below shows how to implement the arithmetic addition operator (+) for a
custom structure. The arithmetic addition operator is a binary operator because it
operates on two targets and is said to be infix because it appears in between those two
targets.

The example defines a Vector2D structure for a two-dimensional position vector

(x, y), followed by a definition of an operator method to add together instances of the
Vector2D structure:

1 struct Vector2D {
2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0

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3 }
4
5 extension Vector2D {
6 static func + (left: Vector2D, right: Vector2D) -> Vector2D
{
7 return Vector2D(x: left.x + right.x, y: left.y +
right.y)
8 }
9 }

The operator method is defined as a type method on Vector2D, with a method name
that matches the operator to be overloaded (+). Because addition isnʼt part of the
essential behavior for a vector, the type method is defined in an extension of Vector2D
rather than in the main structure declaration of Vector2D. Because the arithmetic
addition operator is a binary operator, this operator method takes two input parameters
of type Vector2D and returns a single output value, also of type Vector2D.

In this implementation, the input parameters are named left and right to represent
the Vector2D instances that will be on the left side and right side of the + operator. The
method returns a new Vector2D instance, whose x and y properties are initialized with
the sum of the x and y properties from the two Vector2D instances that are added
together.

The type method can be used as an infix operator between existing Vector2D
instances:

1 let vector = Vector2D(x: 3.0, y: 1.0)

2 let anotherVector = Vector2D(x: 2.0, y: 4.0)
3 let combinedVector = vector + anotherVector
4 // combinedVector is a Vector2D instance with values of (5.0,
5.0)

This example adds together the vectors (3.0, 1.0) and (2.0, 4.0) to make the
vector (5.0, 5.0), as illustrated below.

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Prefix and Postfix Operators

The example shown above demonstrates a custom implementation of a binary infix
operator. Classes and structures can also provide implementations of the standard
unary operators. Unary operators operate on a single target. They are prefix if they
precede their target (such as -a) and postfix operators if they follow their target (such
as b!).

You implement a prefix or postfix unary operator by writing the prefix or postfix
modifier before the func keyword when declaring the operator method:

1 extension Vector2D {
2 static prefix func - (vector: Vector2D) -> Vector2D {
3 return Vector2D(x: -vector.x, y: -vector.y)
4 }
5 }

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The example above implements the unary minus operator (-a) for Vector2D instances.
The unary minus operator is a prefix operator, and so this method has to be qualified
with the prefix modifier.

For simple numeric values, the unary minus operator converts positive numbers into
their negative equivalent and vice versa. The corresponding implementation for
Vector2D instances performs this operation on both the x and y properties:

1 let positive = Vector2D(x: 3.0, y: 4.0)

2 let negative = -positive
3 // negative is a Vector2D instance with values of (-3.0, -4.0)
4 let alsoPositive = -negative
5 // alsoPositive is a Vector2D instance with values of (3.0,
4.0)

Compound Assignment Operators

Compound assignment operators combine assignment (=) with another operation. For
example, the addition assignment operator (+=) combines addition and assignment into
a single operation. You mark a compound assignment operatorʼs left input parameter
type as inout, because the parameterʼs value will be modified directly from within the
operator method.

The example below implements an addition assignment operator method for Vector2D
instances:

1 extension Vector2D {
2 static func += (left: inout Vector2D, right: Vector2D) {
3 left = left + right
4 }
5 }

Because an addition operator was defined earlier, you donʼt need to reimplement the
addition process here. Instead, the addition assignment operator method takes
advantage of the existing addition operator method, and uses it to set the left value to
be the left value plus the right value:

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1 var original = Vector2D(x: 1.0, y: 2.0)

2 let vectorToAdd = Vector2D(x: 3.0, y: 4.0)
3 original += vectorToAdd
4 // original now has values of (4.0, 6.0)

NOTE

It isnʼt possible to overload the default assignment operator (=). Only the compound
assignment operators can be overloaded. Similarly, the ternary conditional operator
(a ? b : c) canʼt be overloaded.

Equivalence Operators
By default, custom classes and structures donʼt have an implementation of the
equivalence operators, known as the equal to operator (==) and not equal to operator
(!=). You usually implement the == operator, and use the standard libraryʼs default
implementation of the != operator that negates the result of the == operator. There are
two ways to implement the == operator: You can implement it yourself, or for many
types, you can ask Swift to synthesize an implementation for you. In both cases, you
add conformance to the standard libraryʼs Equatable protocol.

You provide an implementation of the == operator in the same way as you implement
other infix operators:

1 extension Vector2D: Equatable {

2 static func == (left: Vector2D, right: Vector2D) -> Bool {
3 return (left.x == right.x) && (left.y == right.y)
4 }
5 }

The example above implements an == operator to check whether two Vector2D

instances have equivalent values. In the context of Vector2D, it makes sense to
consider “equal” as meaning “both instances have the same x values and y values”, and
so this is the logic used by the operator implementation.

You can now use this operator to check whether two Vector2D instances are
equivalent:

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1 let twoThree = Vector2D(x: 2.0, y: 3.0)

2 let anotherTwoThree = Vector2D(x: 2.0, y: 3.0)
3 if twoThree == anotherTwoThree {
4 print("These two vectors are equivalent.")
5 }
6 // Prints "These two vectors are equivalent."

In many simple cases, you can ask Swift to provide synthesized implementations of the
equivalence operators for you. Swift provides synthesized implementations for the
following kinds of custom types:

Structures that have only stored properties that conform to the Equatable
protocol
Enumerations that have only associated types that conform to the Equatable
protocol
Enumerations that have no associated types

To receive a synthesized implementation of ==, declare Equatable conformance in the

file that contains the original declaration, without implementing an == operator yourself.

The example below defines a Vector3D structure for a three-dimensional position

vector (x, y, z), similar to the Vector2D structure. Because the x, y, and z properties
are all of an Equatable type, Vector3D receives synthesized implementations of the
equivalence operators.

1 struct Vector3D: Equatable {

2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0, z = 0.0
3 }
4
5 let twoThreeFour = Vector3D(x: 2.0, y: 3.0, z: 4.0)
6 let anotherTwoThreeFour = Vector3D(x: 2.0, y: 3.0, z: 4.0)
7 if twoThreeFour == anotherTwoThreeFour {
8 print("These two vectors are also equivalent.")
9 }
10 // Prints "These two vectors are also equivalent."

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Custom Operators
You can declare and implement your own custom operators in addition to the standard
operators provided by Swift. For a list of characters that can be used to define custom
operators, see Operators.

New operators are declared at a global level using the operator keyword, and are
marked with the prefix, infix or postfix modifiers:

prefix operator +++

The example above defines a new prefix operator called +++. This operator does not
have an existing meaning in Swift, and so it is given its own custom meaning below in
the specific context of working with Vector2D instances. For the purposes of this
example, +++ is treated as a new “prefix doubling” operator. It doubles the x and y
values of a Vector2D instance, by adding the vector to itself with the addition
assignment operator defined earlier. To implement the +++ operator, you add a type
method called +++ to Vector2D as follows:

1 extension Vector2D {
2 static prefix func +++ (vector: inout Vector2D) -> Vector2D
{
3 vector += vector
4 return vector
5 }
6 }
7
8 var toBeDoubled = Vector2D(x: 1.0, y: 4.0)
9 let afterDoubling = +++toBeDoubled
10 // toBeDoubled now has values of (2.0, 8.0)
11 // afterDoubling also has values of (2.0, 8.0)

Precedence for Custom Infix Operators

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Custom infix operators each belong to a precedence group. A precedence group

specifies an operatorʼs precedence relative to other infix operators, as well as the
operatorʼs associativity. See Precedence and Associativity for an explanation of how
these characteristics affect an infix operatorʼs interaction with other infix operators.

A custom infix operator that is not explicitly placed into a precedence group is given a
default precedence group with a precedence immediately higher than the precedence
of the ternary conditional operator.

The following example defines a new custom infix operator called +-, which belongs to
the precedence group AdditionPrecedence:

1 infix operator +-: AdditionPrecedence

2 extension Vector2D {
3 static func +- (left: Vector2D, right: Vector2D) ->
Vector2D {
4 return Vector2D(x: left.x + right.x, y: left.y -
right.y)
5 }
6 }
7 let firstVector = Vector2D(x: 1.0, y: 2.0)
8 let secondVector = Vector2D(x: 3.0, y: 4.0)
9 let plusMinusVector = firstVector +- secondVector
10 // plusMinusVector is a Vector2D instance with values of (4.0,
-2.0)

This operator adds together the x values of two vectors, and subtracts the y value of
the second vector from the first. Because it is in essence an “additive” operator, it has
been given the same precedence group as additive infix operators such as + and -. For
information about the operators provided by the Swift standard library, including a
complete list of the operator precedence groups and associativity settings, see
Operator Declarations. For more information about precedence groups and to see the
syntax for defining your own operators and precedence groups, see Operator
Declaration.

NOTE

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You do not specify a precedence when defining a prefix or postfix operator. However, if
you apply both a prefix and a postfix operator to the same operand, the postfix operator is
applied first.

Access Control About the Language Reference

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ON THIS PAGE

About the Language Reference

This part of the book describes the formal grammar of the Swift programming
language. The grammar described here is intended to help you understand the
language in more detail, rather than to allow you to directly implement a parser or
compiler.

The Swift language is relatively small, because many common types, functions, and
operators that appear virtually everywhere in Swift code are actually defined in the
Swift standard library. Although these types, functions, and operators are not part of
the Swift language itself, they are used extensively in the discussions and code
examples in this part of the book.

How to Read the Grammar

The notation used to describe the formal grammar of the Swift programming language
follows a few conventions:

An arrow (→) is used to mark grammar productions and can be read as “can
consist of.”
Syntactic categories are indicated by italic text and appear on both sides of a
grammar production rule.
Literal words and punctuation are indicated by boldface constant width text and
appear only on the right-hand side of a grammar production rule.
Alternative grammar productions are separated by vertical bars (|). When

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alternative productions are too long to read easily, they are broken into multiple
grammar production rules on new lines.
In a few cases, regular font text is used to describe the right-hand side of a
grammar production rule.
Optional syntactic categories and literals are marked by a trailing subscript, opt.

As an example, the grammar of a getter-setter block is defined as follows:

GRAMMAR OF A GETTER-SETTER BLOCK

getter-setter-block → { getter-clause setter-clauseopt } | { setter-clause getter-clause }

This definition indicates that a getter-setter block can consist of a getter clause
followed by an optional setter clause, enclosed in braces, or a setter clause followed by
a getter clause, enclosed in braces. The grammar production above is equivalent to the
following two productions, where the alternatives are spelled out explicitly:

GRAMMAR OF A GETTER-SETTER BLOCK

getter-setter-block → { getter-clause setter-clauseopt }

getter-setter-block → { setter-clause getter-clause }

Advanced Operators Lexical Structure

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ON THIS PAGE

Lexical Structure
The lexical structure of Swift describes what sequence of characters form valid tokens
of the language. These valid tokens form the lowest-level building blocks of the
language and are used to describe the rest of the language in subsequent chapters. A
token consists of an identifier, keyword, punctuation, literal, or operator.

In most cases, tokens are generated from the characters of a Swift source file by
considering the longest possible substring from the input text, within the constraints of
the grammar that are specified below. This behavior is referred to as longest match or
maximal munch.

Whitespace and Comments

Whitespace has two uses: to separate tokens in the source file and to help determine
whether an operator is a prefix or postfix (see Operators), but is otherwise ignored. The
following characters are considered whitespace: space (U+0020), line feed (U+000A),
carriage return (U+000D), horizontal tab (U+0009), vertical tab (U+000B), form feed
(U+000C) and null (U+0000).

Comments are treated as whitespace by the compiler. Single line comments begin with
// and continue until a line feed (U+000A) or carriage return (U+000D). Multiline
comments begin with /* and end with */. Nesting multiline comments is allowed, but
the comment markers must be balanced.

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Comments can contain additional formatting and markup, as described in Markup

Formatting Reference.

GRAMMAR OF WHITESPACE

whitespace → whitespace-item whitespaceopt

whitespace-item → line-break
whitespace-item → comment
whitespace-item → multiline-comment
whitespace-item → U+0000, U+0009, U+000B, U+000C, or U+0020

line-break → U+000A
line-break → U+000D
line-break → U+000D followed by U+000A

comment → // comment-text line-break

multiline-comment → /* multiline-comment-text */

comment-text → comment-text-item comment-text opt

comment-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except U+000A or U+000D

multiline-comment-text → multiline-comment-text-item multiline-comment-text opt

multiline-comment-text-item → multiline-comment
multiline-comment-text-item → comment-text-item
multiline-comment-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except /* or */

Identifiers
Identifiers begin with an uppercase or lowercase letter A through Z, an underscore (_),
a noncombining alphanumeric Unicode character in the Basic Multilingual Plane, or a
character outside the Basic Multilingual Plane that isnʼt in a Private Use Area. After the
first character, digits and combining Unicode characters are also allowed.

To use a reserved word as an identifier, put a backtick (`) before and after it. For
example, class is not a valid identifier, but `class` is valid. The backticks arenʼt
considered part of the identifier; `x` and x have the same meaning.

Inside a closure with no explicit parameter names, the parameters are implicitly named
$0, $1, $2, and so on. These names are valid identifiers within the scope of the closure.

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GRAMMAR OF AN IDENTIFIER

identifier → identifier-head identifier-charactersopt

identifier → ` identifier-head identifier-charactersopt `
identifier → implicit-parameter-name
identifier-list → identifier | identifier , identifier-list

identifier-head → Upper- or lowercase letter A through Z

identifier-head → _
identifier-head → U+00A8, U+00AA, U+00AD, U+00AF, U+00B2–U+00B5, or U+00B7–U+00BA
identifier-head → U+00BC–U+00BE, U+00C0–U+00D6, U+00D8–U+00F6, or U+00F8–U+00FF
identifier-head → U+0100–U+02FF, U+0370–U+167F, U+1681–U+180D, or U+180F–U+1DBF
identifier-head → U+1E00–U+1FFF
identifier-head → U+200B–U+200D, U+202A–U+202E, U+203F–U+2040, U+2054, or U+2060–
U+206F
identifier-head → U+2070–U+20CF, U+2100–U+218F, U+2460–U+24FF, or U+2776–U+2793
identifier-head → U+2C00–U+2DFF or U+2E80–U+2FFF
identifier-head → U+3004–U+3007, U+3021–U+302F, U+3031–U+303F, or U+3040–U+D7FF
identifier-head → U+F900–U+FD3D, U+FD40–U+FDCF, U+FDF0–U+FE1F, or U+FE30–U+FE44
identifier-head → U+FE47–U+FFFD
identifier-head → U+10000–U+1FFFD, U+20000–U+2FFFD, U+30000–U+3FFFD, or U+40000–
U+4FFFD
identifier-head → U+50000–U+5FFFD, U+60000–U+6FFFD, U+70000–U+7FFFD, or U+80000–
U+8FFFD
identifier-head → U+90000–U+9FFFD, U+A0000–U+AFFFD, U+B0000–U+BFFFD, or U+C0000–
U+CFFFD
identifier-head → U+D0000–U+DFFFD or U+E0000–U+EFFFD

identifier-character → Digit 0 through 9

identifier-character → U+0300–U+036F, U+1DC0–U+1DFF, U+20D0–U+20FF, or U+FE20–
U+FE2F
identifier-character → identifier-head
identifier-characters → identifier-character identifier-charactersopt

implicit-parameter-name → $ decimal-digits

Keywords and Punctuation

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The following keywords are reserved and canʼt be used as identifiers, unless theyʼre
escaped with backticks, as described above in Identifiers. Keywords other than inout,
var, and let can be used as parameter names in a function declaration or function call
without being escaped with backticks. When a member has the same name as a
keyword, references to that member donʼt need to be escaped with backticks, except
when thereʼs ambiguity between referring to the member and using the keyword—for
example, self, Type, and Protocol have special meaning in an explicit member
expression, so they must be escaped with backticks in that context.

Keywords used in declarations: associatedtype, class, deinit, enum, extension,

fileprivate, func, import, init, inout, internal, let, open, operator,
private, protocol, public, static, struct, subscript, typealias, and var.
Keywords used in statements: break, case, continue, default, defer, do, else,
fallthrough, for, guard, if, in, repeat, return, switch, where, and while.
Keywords used in expressions and types: as, Any, catch, false, is, nil,
rethrows, super, self, Self, throw, throws, true, and try.
Keywords used in patterns: _.
Keywords that begin with a number sign (#): #available, #colorLiteral,
#column, #else, #elseif, #endif, #error, #file, #fileLiteral, #function, #if,
#imageLiteral, #line, #selector, #sourceLocation, and #warning.
Keywords reserved in particular contexts: associativity, convenience, dynamic,
didSet, final, get, infix, indirect, lazy, left, mutating, none, nonmutating,
optional, override, postfix, precedence, prefix, Protocol, required, right,
set, Type, unowned, weak, and willSet. Outside the context in which they appear
in the grammar, they can be used as identifiers.

The following tokens are reserved as punctuation and canʼt be used as custom
operators: (, ), {, }, [, ], ., ,, :, ;, =, @, #, & (as a prefix operator), ->, `, ?, and ! (as a
postfix operator).

Literals
A literal is the source code representation of a value of a type, such as a number or
string.

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The following are examples of literals:

1 42 // Integer literal
2 3.14159 // Floating-point literal
3 "Hello, world!" // String literal
4 true // Boolean literal

A literal doesnʼt have a type on its own. Instead, a literal is parsed as having infinite
precision and Swiftʼs type inference attempts to infer a type for the literal. For example,
in the declaration let x: Int8 = 42, Swift uses the explicit type annotation (: Int8)
to infer that the type of the integer literal 42 is Int8. If there isnʼt suitable type
information available, Swift infers that the literalʼs type is one of the default literal types
defined in the Swift standard library. The default types are Int for integer literals,
Double for floating-point literals, String for string literals, and Bool for Boolean literals.
For example, in the declaration let str = "Hello, world", the default inferred type
of the string literal "Hello, world" is String.

When specifying the type annotation for a literal value, the annotationʼs type must be a
type that can be instantiated from that literal value. That is, the type must conform to
one of the following Swift standard library protocols: ExpressibleByIntegerLiteral
for integer literals, ExpressibleByFloatLiteral for floating-point literals,
ExpressibleByStringLiteral for string literals, ExpressibleByBooleanLiteral for
Boolean literals, ExpressibleByUnicodeScalarLiteral for string literals that contain
only a single Unicode scalar, and ExpressibleByExtendedGraphemeClusterLiteral for
string literals that contain only a single extended grapheme cluster. For example, Int8
conforms to the ExpressibleByIntegerLiteral protocol, and therefore it can be used
in the type annotation for the integer literal 42 in the declaration let x: Int8 = 42.

GRAMMAR OF A LITERAL

literal → numeric-literal | string-literal | boolean-literal | nil-literal

numeric-literal → -opt integer-literal | -opt floating-point-literal

boolean-literal → true | false
nil-literal → nil

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Integer Literals
Integer literals represent integer values of unspecified precision. By default, integer
literals are expressed in decimal; you can specify an alternate base using a prefix.
Binary literals begin with 0b, octal literals begin with 0o, and hexadecimal literals begin
with 0x.

Decimal literals contain the digits 0 through 9. Binary literals contain 0 and 1, octal
literals contain 0 through 7, and hexadecimal literals contain 0 through 9 as well as A
through F in upper- or lowercase.

Negative integers literals are expressed by prepending a minus sign (-) to an integer
literal, as in -42.

Underscores (_) are allowed between digits for readability, but theyʼre ignored and
therefore donʼt affect the value of the literal. Integer literals can begin with leading
zeros (0), but theyʼre likewise ignored and donʼt affect the base or value of the literal.

Unless otherwise specified, the default inferred type of an integer literal is the Swift
standard library type Int. The Swift standard library also defines types for various sizes
of signed and unsigned integers, as described in Integers.

GRAMMAR OF AN INTEGER LITERAL

integer-literal → binary-literal
integer-literal → octal-literal
integer-literal → decimal-literal
integer-literal → hexadecimal-literal

binary-literal → 0b binary-digit binary-literal-charactersopt

binary-digit → Digit 0 or 1
binary-literal-character → binary-digit | _
binary-literal-characters → binary-literal-character binary-literal-charactersopt

octal-literal → 0o octal-digit octal-literal-charactersopt

octal-digit → Digit 0 through 7
octal-literal-character → octal-digit | _
octal-literal-characters → octal-literal-character octal-literal-charactersopt

decimal-literal → decimal-digit decimal-literal-charactersopt

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decimal-digit → Digit 0 through 9

decimal-digits → decimal-digit decimal-digitsopt
decimal-literal-character → decimal-digit | _
decimal-literal-characters → decimal-literal-character decimal-literal-charactersopt

hexadecimal-literal → 0x hexadecimal-digit hexadecimal-literal-charactersopt

hexadecimal-digit → Digit 0 through 9, a through f, or A through F
hexadecimal-literal-character → hexadecimal-digit | _
hexadecimal-literal-characters → hexadecimal-literal-character hexadecimal-literal-
charactersopt

Floating-Point Literals
Floating-point literals represent floating-point values of unspecified precision.

By default, floating-point literals are expressed in decimal (with no prefix), but they can
also be expressed in hexadecimal (with a 0x prefix).

Decimal floating-point literals consist of a sequence of decimal digits followed by either

a decimal fraction, a decimal exponent, or both. The decimal fraction consists of a
decimal point (.) followed by a sequence of decimal digits. The exponent consists of an
upper- or lowercase e prefix followed by a sequence of decimal digits that indicates
what power of 10 the value preceding the e is multiplied by. For example, 1.25e2
represents 1.25 x 102, which evaluates to 125.0. Similarly, 1.25e-2 represents 1.25 x 10-
2, which evaluates to 0.0125.

Hexadecimal floating-point literals consist of a 0x prefix, followed by an optional

hexadecimal fraction, followed by a hexadecimal exponent. The hexadecimal fraction
consists of a decimal point followed by a sequence of hexadecimal digits. The
exponent consists of an upper- or lowercase p prefix followed by a sequence of
decimal digits that indicates what power of 2 the value preceding the p is multiplied by.
For example, 0xFp2 represents 15 x 22, which evaluates to 60. Similarly, 0xFp-2
represents 15 x 2-2, which evaluates to 3.75.

Negative floating-point literals are expressed by prepending a minus sign (-) to a

floating-point literal, as in -42.5.

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Underscores (_) are allowed between digits for readability, but theyʼre ignored and
therefore donʼt affect the value of the literal. Floating-point literals can begin with
leading zeros (0), but theyʼre likewise ignored and donʼt affect the base or value of the
literal.

Unless otherwise specified, the default inferred type of a floating-point literal is the
Swift standard library type Double, which represents a 64-bit floating-point number.
The Swift standard library also defines a Float type, which represents a 32-bit
floating-point number.

G R A M M A R O F A F L O AT I N G - P O I N T L I T E R A L

floating-point-literal → decimal-literal decimal-fraction opt decimal-exponentopt

floating-point-literal → hexadecimal-literal hexadecimal-fraction opt hexadecimal-exponent

decimal-fraction → . decimal-literal
decimal-exponent → floating-point-e signopt decimal-literal

hexadecimal-fraction → . hexadecimal-digit hexadecimal-literal-charactersopt

hexadecimal-exponent → floating-point-p signopt decimal-literal

floating-point-e → e | E
floating-point-p → p | P
sign → + | -

String Literals
A string literal is a sequence of characters surrounded by quotation marks. A single-
line string literal is surrounded by double quotation marks and has the following form:

" characters "

String literals canʼt contain an unescaped double quotation mark ("), an unescaped
backslash (\), a carriage return, or a line feed.

A multiline string literal is surrounded by three double quotation marks and has the
following form:

"""

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characters
"""

Unlike a single-line string literal, a multiline string literal can contain unescaped double
quotation marks ("), carriage returns, and line feeds. It canʼt contain three unescaped
double quotation marks next to each other.

The line break after the """ that begins the multiline string literal is not part of the
string. The line break before the """ that ends the literal is also not part of the string.
To make a multiline string literal that begins or ends with a line feed, write a blank line
as its first or last line.

A multiline string literal can be indented using any combination of spaces and tabs; this
indentation is not included in the string. The """ that ends the literal determines the
indentation: Every nonblank line in the literal must begin with exactly the same
indentation that appears before the closing """; thereʼs no conversion between tabs
and spaces. You can include additional spaces and tabs after that indentation; those
spaces and tabs appear in the string.

Line breaks in a multiline string literal are normalized to use the line feed character.
Even if your source file has a mix of carriage returns and line feeds, all of the line breaks
in the string will be the same.

In a multiline string literal, writing a backslash (\) at the end of a line omits that line
break from the string. Any whitespace between the backslash and the line break is also
omitted. You can use this syntax to hard wrap a multiline string literal in your source
code, without changing the value of the resulting string.

Special characters can be included in string literals of both the single-line and multiline
forms using the following escape sequences:

Null character (\0)

Backslash (\\)
Horizontal tab (\t)
Line feed (\n)
Carriage return (\r)
Double quotation mark (\")

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Single quotation mark (\')

Unicode scalar (\u{n}), where n is a hexadecimal number that has one to eight
digits

The value of an expression can be inserted into a string literal by placing the expression
in parentheses after a backslash (\). The interpolated expression can contain a string
literal, but canʼt contain an unescaped backslash, a carriage return, or a line feed.

For example, all of the following string literals have the same value:

1 "1 2 3"
2 "1 2 \("3")"
3 "1 2 \(3)"
4 "1 2 \(1 + 2)"
5 let x = 3; "1 2 \(x)"

A string delimited by extended delimiters is a sequence of characters surrounded by

quotation marks and a balanced set of one or more number signs (#). A string delimited
by extended delimiters has the following forms:

#" characters "#

#"""
characters
"""#

Special characters in a string delimited by extended delimiters appear in the resulting

string as normal characters rather than as special characters. You can use extended
delimiters to create strings with characters that would ordinarily have a special effect
such as generating a string interpolation, starting an escape sequence, or terminating
the string.

The following example shows a string literal and a string delimited by extended
delimiters that create equivalent string values:

1 let string = #"\(x) \ " \u{2603}"#

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2 let escaped = "\\(x) \\ \" \\u{2603}"

3 print(string)
4 // Prints "\(x) \ " \u{2603}"
5 print(string == escaped)
6 // Prints "true"

If you use more than one number sign to form a string delimited by extended delimiters,
donʼt place whitespace in between the number signs:

1 print(###"Line 1\###nLine 2"###) // OK

2 print(# # #"Line 1\# # #nLine 2"# # #) // Error

Multiline string literals that you create using extended delimiters have the same
indentation requirements as regular multiline string literals.

The default inferred type of a string literal is String. For more information about the
String type, see Strings and Characters and String.

String literals that are concatenated by the + operator are concatenated at compile
time. For example, the values of textA and textB in the example below are identical—
no runtime concatenation is performed.

1 let textA = "Hello " + "world"

2 let textB = "Hello world"

GRAMMAR OF A STRING LITERAL

string-literal → static-string-literal | interpolated-string-literal

string-literal-opening-delimiter → extended-string-literal-delimiteropt "

string-literal-closing-delimiter → " extended-string-literal-delimiteropt

static-string-literal → string-literal-opening-delimiter quoted-text opt string-literal-closing-

delimiter
static-string-literal → multiline-string-literal-opening-delimiter multiline-quoted-text opt
multiline-string-literal-closing-delimiter

multiline-string-literal-opening-delimiter → extended-string-literal-delimiter """

multiline-string-literal-closing-delimiter → """ extended-string-literal-delimiter
extended-string-literal-delimiter → # extended-string-literal-delimiteropt

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quoted-text → quoted-text-item quoted-text opt

quoted-text-item → escaped-character
quoted-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except " , \ , U+000A, or U+000D

multiline-quoted-text → multiline-quoted-text-item multiline-quoted-text opt

multiline-quoted-text-item → escaped-character
multiline-quoted-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except \
multiline-quoted-text-item → escaped-newline

interpolated-string-literal → string-literal-opening-delimiter interpolated-text opt string-literal-

closing-delimiter
interpolated-string-literal → multiline-string-literal-opening-delimiter interpolated-text opt
multiline-string-literal-closing-delimiter

interpolated-text → interpolated-text-item interpolated-text opt

interpolated-text-item → \( expression ) | quoted-text-item

multiline-interpolated-text → multiline-interpolated-text-item multiline-interpolated-text opt

multiline-interpolated-text-item → \( expression ) | multiline-quoted-text-item

escape-sequence → \ extended-string-literal-delimiter
escaped-character → escape-sequence 0 | escape-sequence \ | escape-sequence t |
escape-sequence n | escape-sequence r | escape-sequence " | escape-sequence '
escaped-character → escape-sequence u { unicode-scalar-digits }
unicode-scalar-digits → Between one and eight hexadecimal digits

escaped-newline → escape-sequence whitespaceopt line-break

Operators
The Swift standard library defines a number of operators for your use, many of which
are discussed in Basic Operators and Advanced Operators. The present section
describes which characters can be used to define custom operators.

Custom operators can begin with one of the ASCII characters /, =, -, +, !, *, %, <, >, &, |,
^, ?, or ~, or one of the Unicode characters defined in the grammar below (which
include characters from the Mathematical Operators, Miscellaneous Symbols, and
Dingbats Unicode blocks, among others). After the first character, combining Unicode
characters are also allowed.

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You can also define custom operators that begin with a dot (.). These operators can
contain additional dots. For example, .+. is treated as a single operator. If an operator
doesnʼt begin with a dot, it canʼt contain a dot elsewhere. For example, +.+ is treated
as the + operator followed by the .+ operator.

Although you can define custom operators that contain a question mark (?), they canʼt
consist of a single question mark character only. Additionally, although operators can
contain an exclamation mark (!), postfix operators canʼt begin with either a question
mark or an exclamation mark.

NOTE

The tokens =, ->, //, /*, */, ., the prefix operators <, &, and ?, the infix operator ?, and the
postfix operators >, !, and ? are reserved. These tokens canʼt be overloaded, nor can they
be used as custom operators.

The whitespace around an operator is used to determine whether an operator is used

as a prefix operator, a postfix operator, or a binary operator. This behavior is
summarized in the following rules:

If an operator has whitespace around both sides or around neither side, itʼs
treated as a binary operator. As an example, the +++ operator in a+++b and
a +++ b is treated as a binary operator.
If an operator has whitespace on the left side only, itʼs treated as a prefix unary
operator. As an example, the +++ operator in a +++b is treated as a prefix unary
operator.
If an operator has whitespace on the right side only, itʼs treated as a postfix unary
operator. As an example, the +++ operator in a+++ b is treated as a postfix unary
operator.
If an operator has no whitespace on the left but is followed immediately by a dot
(.), itʼs treated as a postfix unary operator. As an example, the +++ operator in
a+++.b is treated as a postfix unary operator (a+++ .b rather than a +++ .b).

For the purposes of these rules, the characters (, [, and { before an operator, the
characters ), ], and } after an operator, and the characters ,, ;, and : are also
considered whitespace.

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Thereʼs one caveat to the rules above. If the ! or ? predefined operator has no
whitespace on the left, itʼs treated as a postfix operator, regardless of whether it has
whitespace on the right. To use the ? as the optional-chaining operator, it must not
have whitespace on the left. To use it in the ternary conditional (? :) operator, it must
have whitespace around both sides.

In certain constructs, operators with a leading < or > may be split into two or more
tokens. The remainder is treated the same way and may be split again. As a result,
thereʼs no need to use whitespace to disambiguate between the closing > characters in
constructs like Dictionary<String, Array<Int>>. In this example, the closing >
characters are not treated as a single token that may then be misinterpreted as a bit
shift >> operator.

To learn how to define new, custom operators, see Custom Operators and Operator
Declaration. To learn how to overload existing operators, see Operator Methods.

G R A M M A R O F O P E R AT O R S

operator → operator-head operator-charactersopt

operator → dot-operator-head dot-operator-characters

operator-head → / | = | - | + | ! | * | % | < | > | & | | | ^ | ~ | ?

operator-head → U+00A1–U+00A7
operator-head → U+00A9 or U+00AB
operator-head → U+00AC or U+00AE
operator-head → U+00B0–U+00B1
operator-head → U+00B6, U+00BB, U+00BF, U+00D7, or U+00F7
operator-head → U+2016–U+2017
operator-head → U+2020–U+2027
operator-head → U+2030–U+203E
operator-head → U+2041–U+2053
operator-head → U+2055–U+205E
operator-head → U+2190–U+23FF
operator-head → U+2500–U+2775
operator-head → U+2794–U+2BFF
operator-head → U+2E00–U+2E7F
operator-head → U+3001–U+3003
operator-head → U+3008–U+3020
operator-head → U+3030

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operator-character → operator-head
operator-character → U+0300–U+036F
operator-character → U+1DC0–U+1DFF
operator-character → U+20D0–U+20FF
operator-character → U+FE00–U+FE0F
operator-character → U+FE20–U+FE2F
operator-character → U+E0100–U+E01EF
operator-characters → operator-character operator-charactersopt

dot-operator-head → .
dot-operator-character → . | operator-character
dot-operator-characters → dot-operator-character dot-operator-charactersopt

binary-operator → operator
prefix-operator → operator
postfix-operator → operator

About the Language Reference Types

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ON THIS PAGE

Types
In Swift, there are two kinds of types: named types and compound types. A named
type is a type that can be given a particular name when itʼs defined. Named types
include classes, structures, enumerations, and protocols. For example, instances of a
user-defined class named MyClass have the type MyClass. In addition to user-defined
named types, the Swift standard library defines many commonly used named types,
including those that represent arrays, dictionaries, and optional values.

Data types that are normally considered basic or primitive in other languages—such as
types that represent numbers, characters, and strings—are actually named types,
defined and implemented in the Swift standard library using structures. Because
theyʼre named types, you can extend their behavior to suit the needs of your program,
using an extension declaration, discussed in Extensions and Extension Declaration.

A compound type is a type without a name, defined in the Swift language itself. There
are two compound types: function types and tuple types. A compound type may
contain named types and other compound types. For example, the tuple type
(Int, (Int, Int)) contains two elements: The first is the named type Int, and the
second is another compound type (Int, Int).

You can put parentheses around a named type or a compound type. However, adding
parentheses around a type doesnʼt have any effect. For example, (Int) is equivalent to
Int.

This chapter discusses the types defined in the Swift language itself and describes the
type inference behavior of Swift.

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GRAMMAR OF A TYPE

type → array-type
type → dictionary-type
type → function-type
type → type-identifier
type → tuple-type
type → optional-type
type → implicitly-unwrapped-optional-type
type → protocol-composition-type
type → metatype-type
type → Any
type → Self
type → ( type )

Type Annotation
A type annotation explicitly specifies the type of a variable or expression. Type
annotations begin with a colon (:) and end with a type, as the following examples
show:

1 let someTuple: (Double, Double) = (3.14159, 2.71828)

2 func someFunction(a: Int) { /* ... */ }

In the first example, the expression someTuple is specified to have the tuple type
(Double, Double). In the second example, the parameter a to the function
someFunction is specified to have the type Int.

Type annotations can contain an optional list of type attributes before the type.

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E A N N O TAT I O N

type-annotation → : attributesopt inoutopt type

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Type Identifier
A type identifier refers to either a named type or a type alias of a named or compound
type.

Most of the time, a type identifier directly refers to a named type with the same name
as the identifier. For example, Int is a type identifier that directly refers to the named
type Int, and the type identifier Dictionary<String, Int> directly refers to the
named type Dictionary<String, Int>.

There are two cases in which a type identifier doesnʼt refer to a type with the same
name. In the first case, a type identifier refers to a type alias of a named or compound
type. For instance, in the example below, the use of Point in the type annotation refers
to the tuple type (Int, Int).

1 typealias Point = (Int, Int)

2 let origin: Point = (0, 0)

In the second case, a type identifier uses dot (.) syntax to refer to named types
declared in other modules or nested within other types. For example, the type identifier
in the following code references the named type MyType that is declared in the
ExampleModule module.

var someValue: ExampleModule.MyType

GRAMMAR OF A TYPE IDENTIFIER

type-identifier → type-name generic-argument-clauseopt | type-name generic-argument-

clauseopt . type-identifier
type-name → identifier

Tuple Type
A tuple type is a comma-separated list of types, enclosed in parentheses.

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You can use a tuple type as the return type of a function to enable the function to
return a single tuple containing multiple values. You can also name the elements of a
tuple type and use those names to refer to the values of the individual elements. An
element name consists of an identifier followed immediately by a colon (:). For an
example that demonstrates both of these features, see Functions with Multiple Return
Values.

When an element of a tuple type has a name, that name is part of the type.

1 var someTuple = (top: 10, bottom: 12) // someTuple is of type

(top: Int, bottom: Int)
2 someTuple = (top: 4, bottom: 42) // OK: names match
3 someTuple = (9, 99) // OK: names are inferred
4 someTuple = (left: 5, right: 5) // Error: names don't match

All tuple types contain two or more types, except for Void which is a type alias for the
empty tuple type, ().

GRAMMAR OF A TUPLE TYPE

tuple-type → ( ) | ( tuple-type-element , tuple-type-element-list )

tuple-type-element-list → tuple-type-element | tuple-type-element , tuple-type-element-list
tuple-type-element → element-name type-annotation | type
element-name → identifier

Function Type
A function type represents the type of a function, method, or closure and consists of a
parameter and return type separated by an arrow (->):

( parameter type ) -> return type

The parameter type is comma-separated list of types. Because the return type can be
a tuple type, function types support functions and methods that return multiple values.

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A parameter of the function type () -> T (where T is any type) can apply the
autoclosure attribute to implicitly create a closure at its call sites. This provides a
syntactically convenient way to defer the evaluation of an expression without needing
to write an explicit closure when you call the function. For an example of an autoclosure
function type parameter, see Autoclosures.

A function type can have a variadic parameter in its parameter type. Syntactically, a
variadic parameter consists of a base type name followed immediately by three dots
(...), as in Int.... A variadic parameter is treated as an array that contains elements
of the base type name. For instance, the variadic parameter Int... is treated as [Int].
For an example that uses a variadic parameter, see Variadic Parameters.

To specify an in-out parameter, prefix the parameter type with the inout keyword. You
canʼt mark a variadic parameter or a return type with the inout keyword. In-out
parameters are discussed in In-Out Parameters.

If a function type has only one parameter and that parameterʼs type is a tuple type,
then the tuple type must be parenthesized when writing the functionʼs type. For
example, ((Int, Int)) -> Void is the type of a function that takes a single parameter
of the tuple type (Int, Int) and doesnʼt return any value. In contrast, without
parentheses, (Int, Int) -> Void is the type of a function that takes two Int
parameters and doesnʼt return any value. Likewise, because Void is a type alias for (),
the function type (Void) -> Void is the same as (()) -> ()—a function that takes a
single argument that is an empty tuple. These types are not the same as () -> ()—a
function that takes no arguments.

Argument names in functions and methods are not part of the corresponding function
type. For example:

1 func someFunction(left: Int, right: Int) {}

2 func anotherFunction(left: Int, right: Int) {}
3 func functionWithDifferentLabels(top: Int, bottom: Int) {}
4
5 var f = someFunction // The type of f is (Int, Int) -> Void,
not (left: Int, right: Int) -> Void.
6 f = anotherFunction // OK
7 f = functionWithDifferentLabels // OK

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8
9 func functionWithDifferentArgumentTypes(left: Int, right:
String) {}
10 f = functionWithDifferentArgumentTypes // Error
11
12 func functionWithDifferentNumberOfArguments(left: Int, right:
Int, top: Int) {}
13 f = functionWithDifferentNumberOfArguments // Error

Because argument labels are not part of a functionʼs type, you omit them when writing
a function type.

1 var operation: (lhs: Int, rhs: Int) -> Int // Error

2 var operation: (_ lhs: Int, _ rhs: Int) -> Int // OK
3 var operation: (Int, Int) -> Int // OK

If a function type includes more than a single arrow (->), the function types are
grouped from right to left. For example, the function type (Int) -> (Int) -> Int is
understood as (Int) -> ((Int) -> Int)—that is, a function that takes an Int and
returns another function that takes and returns an Int.

Function types that can throw an error must be marked with the throws keyword, and
function types that can rethrow an error must be marked with the rethrows keyword.
The throws keyword is part of a functionʼs type, and nonthrowing functions are
subtypes of throwing functions. As a result, you can use a nonthrowing function in the
same places as a throwing one. Throwing and rethrowing functions are described in
Throwing Functions and Methods and Rethrowing Functions and Methods.

Restrictions for Nonescaping Closures

A parameter thatʼs a nonescaping function canʼt be stored in a property, variable, or
constant of type Any, because that might allow the value to escape.

A parameter thatʼs a nonescaping function canʼt be passed as an argument to another

nonescaping function parameter. This restriction helps Swift perform more of its
checks for conflicting access to memory at compile time instead of at runtime. For
example:

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1 let external: (() -> Void) -> Void = { _ in () }

2 func takesTwoFunctions(first: (() -> Void) -> Void, second: (()
-> Void) -> Void) {
3 first { first {} } // Error
4 second { second {} } // Error
5
6 first { second {} } // Error
7 second { first {} } // Error
8
9 first { external {} } // OK
10 external { first {} } // OK
11 }

In the code above, both of the parameters to takesTwoFunctions(first:second:) are

functions. Neither parameter is marked @escaping, so theyʼre both nonescaping as a
result.

The four function calls marked “Error” in the example above cause compiler errors.
Because the first and second parameters are nonescaping functions, they canʼt be
passed as arguments to another nonescaping function parameter. In contrast, the two
function calls marked “OK” donʼt cause a compiler error. These function calls donʼt
violate the restriction because external isnʼt one of the parameters of
takesTwoFunctions(first:second:).

If you need to avoid this restriction, mark one of the parameters as escaping, or
temporarily convert one of the nonescaping function parameters to an escaping
function by using the withoutActuallyEscaping(_:do:) function. For information
about avoiding conflicting access to memory, see Memory Safety.

GRAMMAR OF A FUNCTION TYPE

function-type → attributesopt function-type-argument-clause throwsopt -> type

function-type → attributesopt function-type-argument-clause rethrows -> type

function-type-argument-clause → ( )
function-type-argument-clause → ( function-type-argument-list ...opt )

function-type-argument-list → function-type-argument | function-type-argument , function-

type-argument-list

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function-type-argument → attributesopt inoutopt type | argument-label type-annotation

argument-label → identifier

Array Type
The Swift language provides the following syntactic sugar for the Swift standard library
Array<Element> type:

[ type ]

In other words, the following two declarations are equivalent:

1 let someArray: Array<String> = ["Alex", "Brian", "Dave"]

2 let someArray: [String] = ["Alex", "Brian", "Dave"]

In both cases, the constant someArray is declared as an array of strings. The elements
of an array can be accessed through subscripting by specifying a valid index value in
square brackets: someArray[0] refers to the element at index 0, "Alex".

You can create multidimensional arrays by nesting pairs of square brackets, where the
name of the base type of the elements is contained in the innermost pair of square
brackets. For example, you can create a three-dimensional array of integers using
three sets of square brackets:

var array3D: [[[Int]]] = [[[1, 2], [3, 4]], [[5, 6], [7, 8]]]

When accessing the elements in a multidimensional array, the left-most subscript index
refers to the element at that index in the outermost array. The next subscript index to
the right refers to the element at that index in the array thatʼs nested one level in. And
so on. This means that in the example above, array3D[0] refers to [[1, 2], [3, 4]],
array3D[0][1] refers to [3, 4], and array3D[0][1][1] refers to the value 4.

For a detailed discussion of the Swift standard library Array type, see Arrays.

G R A M M A R O F A N A R R AY T Y P E

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array-type → [ type ]

Dictionary Type
The Swift language provides the following syntactic sugar for the Swift standard library
Dictionary<Key, Value> type:

[ key type : value type ]

In other words, the following two declarations are equivalent:

1 let someDictionary: [String: Int] = ["Alex": 31, "Paul": 39]

2 let someDictionary: Dictionary<String, Int> = ["Alex": 31,
"Paul": 39]

In both cases, the constant someDictionary is declared as a dictionary with strings as

keys and integers as values.

The values of a dictionary can be accessed through subscripting by specifying the

corresponding key in square brackets: someDictionary["Alex"] refers to the value
associated with the key "Alex". The subscript returns an optional value of the
dictionaryʼs value type. If the specified key isnʼt contained in the dictionary, the
subscript returns nil.

The key type of a dictionary must conform to the Swift standard library Hashable
protocol.

For a detailed discussion of the Swift standard library Dictionary type, see
Dictionaries.

GRAMMAR OF A DICTIONARY TYPE

dictionary-type → [ type : type ]

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Optional Type
The Swift language defines the postfix ? as syntactic sugar for the named type
Optional<Wrapped>, which is defined in the Swift standard library. In other words, the
following two declarations are equivalent:

1 var optionalInteger: Int?

2 var optionalInteger: Optional<Int>

In both cases, the variable optionalInteger is declared to have the type of an optional
integer. Note that no whitespace may appear between the type and the ?.

The type Optional<Wrapped> is an enumeration with two cases, none and

some(Wrapped), which are used to represent values that may or may not be present.
Any type can be explicitly declared to be (or implicitly converted to) an optional type. If
you donʼt provide an initial value when you declare an optional variable or property, its
value automatically defaults to nil.

If an instance of an optional type contains a value, you can access that value using the
postfix operator !, as shown below:

1 optionalInteger = 42
2 optionalInteger! // 42

Using the ! operator to unwrap an optional that has a value of nil results in a runtime
error.

You can also use optional chaining and optional binding to conditionally perform an
operation on an optional expression. If the value is nil, no operation is performed and
therefore no runtime error is produced.

For more information and to see examples that show how to use optional types, see
Optionals.

GRAMMAR OF AN OPTIONAL TYPE

optional-type → type ?

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Implicitly Unwrapped Optional Type

The Swift language defines the postfix ! as syntactic sugar for the named type
Optional<Wrapped>, which is defined in the Swift standard library, with the additional
behavior that itʼs automatically unwrapped when itʼs accessed. If you try to use an
implicitly unwrapped optional that has a value of nil, youʼll get a runtime error. With the
exception of the implicit unwrapping behavior, the following two declarations are
equivalent:

1 var implicitlyUnwrappedString: String!

2 var explicitlyUnwrappedString: Optional<String>

Note that no whitespace may appear between the type and the !.

Because implicit unwrapping changes the meaning of the declaration that contains that
type, optional types that are nested inside a tuple type or a generic type—such as the
element types of a dictionary or array—canʼt be marked as implicitly unwrapped. For
example:

1 let tupleOfImplicitlyUnwrappedElements: (Int!, Int!) // Error

2 let implicitlyUnwrappedTuple: (Int, Int)! // OK
3
4 let arrayOfImplicitlyUnwrappedElements: [Int!] // Error
5 let implicitlyUnwrappedArray: [Int]! // OK

Because implicitly unwrapped optionals have the same Optional<Wrapped> type as

optional values, you can use implicitly unwrapped optionals in all the same places in
your code that you can use optionals. For example, you can assign values of implicitly
unwrapped optionals to variables, constants, and properties of optionals, and vice
versa.

As with optionals, if you donʼt provide an initial value when you declare an implicitly
unwrapped optional variable or property, its value automatically defaults to nil.

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Use optional chaining to conditionally perform an operation on an implicitly unwrapped

optional expression. If the value is nil, no operation is performed and therefore no
runtime error is produced.

For more information about implicitly unwrapped optional types, see Implicitly
Unwrapped Optionals.

G R A M M A R O F A N I M P L I C I T LY U N W R A P P E D O P T I O N A L T Y P E

implicitly-unwrapped-optional-type → type !

Protocol Composition Type

A protocol composition type defines a type that conforms to each protocol in a list of
specified protocols, or a type that is a subclass of a given class and conforms to each
protocol in a list of specified protocols. Protocol composition types may be used only
when specifying a type in type annotations, in generic parameter clauses, and in
generic where clauses.

Protocol composition types have the following form:

Protocol 1 & Protocol 2

A protocol composition type allows you to specify a value whose type conforms to the
requirements of multiple protocols without explicitly defining a new, named protocol
that inherits from each protocol you want the type to conform to. For example, you can
use the protocol composition type ProtocolA & ProtocolB & ProtocolC instead of
declaring a new protocol that inherits from ProtocolA, ProtocolB, and ProtocolC.
Likewise, you can use SuperClass & ProtocolA instead of declaring a new protocol
that is a subclass of SuperClass and conforms to ProtocolA.

Each item in a protocol composition list is one of the following; the list can contain at
most one class:

The name of a class

The name of a protocol

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A type alias whose underlying type is a protocol composition type, a protocol, or a

class.

When a protocol composition type contains type aliases, itʼs possible for the same
protocol to appear more than once in the definitions—duplicates are ignored. For
example, the definition of PQR in the code below is equivalent to P & Q & R.

1 typealias PQ = P & Q
2 typealias PQR = PQ & Q & R

GRAMMAR OF A PROTOCOL COMPOSITION TYPE

protocol-composition-type → type-identifier & protocol-composition-continuation

protocol-composition-continuation → type-identifier | protocol-composition-type

Metatype Type
A metatype type refers to the type of any type, including class types, structure types,
enumeration types, and protocol types.

The metatype of a class, structure, or enumeration type is the name of that type
followed by .Type. The metatype of a protocol type—not the concrete type that
conforms to the protocol at runtime—is the name of that protocol followed by
.Protocol. For example, the metatype of the class type SomeClass is SomeClass.Type
and the metatype of the protocol SomeProtocol is SomeProtocol.Protocol.

You can use the postfix self expression to access a type as a value. For example,
SomeClass.self returns SomeClass itself, not an instance of SomeClass. And
SomeProtocol.self returns SomeProtocol itself, not an instance of a type that
conforms to SomeProtocol at runtime. You can call the type(of:) function with an
instance of a type to access that instanceʼs dynamic, runtime type as a value, as the
following example shows:

1 class SomeBaseClass {
2 class func printClassName() {
3 print("SomeBaseClass")

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4 }
5 }
6 class SomeSubClass: SomeBaseClass {
7 override class func printClassName() {
8 print("SomeSubClass")
9 }
10 }
11 let someInstance: SomeBaseClass = SomeSubClass()
12 // The compile-time type of someInstance is SomeBaseClass,
13 // and the runtime type of someInstance is SomeSubClass
14 type(of: someInstance).printClassName()
15 // Prints "SomeSubClass"

For more information, see type(of:) in the Swift standard library.

Use an initializer expression to construct an instance of a type from that typeʼs

metatype value. For class instances, the initializer thatʼs called must be marked with the
required keyword or the entire class marked with the final keyword.

1 class AnotherSubClass: SomeBaseClass {

2 let string: String
3 required init(string: String) {
4 self.string = string
5 }
6 override class func printClassName() {
7 print("AnotherSubClass")
8 }
9 }
10 let metatype: AnotherSubClass.Type = AnotherSubClass.self
11 let anotherInstance = metatype.init(string: "some string")

G R A M M A R O F A M E TAT Y P E T Y P E

metatype-type → type . Type | type . Protocol

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Type Inheritance Clause

A type inheritance clause is used to specify which class a named type inherits from and
which protocols a named type conforms to. A type inheritance clause begins with a
colon (:), followed by a list of type identifiers.

Class types can inherit from a single superclass and conform to any number of
protocols. When defining a class, the name of the superclass must appear first in the
list of type identifiers, followed by any number of protocols the class must conform to.
If the class doesnʼt inherit from another class, the list can begin with a protocol instead.
For an extended discussion and several examples of class inheritance, see Inheritance.

Other named types can only inherit from or conform to a list of protocols. Protocol
types can inherit from any number of other protocols. When a protocol type inherits
from other protocols, the set of requirements from those other protocols are
aggregated together, and any type that inherits from the current protocol must
conform to all of those requirements.

A type inheritance clause in an enumeration definition can be either a list of protocols,

or in the case of an enumeration that assigns raw values to its cases, a single, named
type that specifies the type of those raw values. For an example of an enumeration
definition that uses a type inheritance clause to specify the type of its raw values, see
Raw Values.

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E I N H E R I TA N C E C L A U S E

type-inheritance-clause → : type-inheritance-list
type-inheritance-list → type-identifier | type-identifier , type-inheritance-list

Type Inference

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Swift uses type inference extensively, allowing you to omit the type or part of the type
of many variables and expressions in your code. For example, instead of writing
var x: Int = 0, you can write var x = 0, omitting the type completely—the compiler
correctly infers that x names a value of type Int. Similarly, you can omit part of a type
when the full type can be inferred from context. For example, if you write
let dict: Dictionary = ["A": 1], the compiler infers that dict has the type
Dictionary<String, Int>.

In both of the examples above, the type information is passed up from the leaves of the
expression tree to its root. That is, the type of x in var x: Int = 0 is inferred by first
checking the type of 0 and then passing this type information up to the root (the
variable x).

In Swift, type information can also flow in the opposite direction—from the root down to
the leaves. In the following example, for instance, the explicit type annotation (: Float)
on the constant eFloat causes the numeric literal 2.71828 to have an inferred type of
Float instead of Double.

1 let e = 2.71828 // The type of e is inferred to be Double.

2 let eFloat: Float = 2.71828 // The type of eFloat is Float.

Type inference in Swift operates at the level of a single expression or statement. This
means that all of the information needed to infer an omitted type or part of a type in an
expression must be accessible from type-checking the expression or one of its
subexpressions.

Lexical Structure Expressions

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ON THIS PAGE

Expressions
In Swift, there are four kinds of expressions: prefix expressions, binary expressions,
primary expressions, and postfix expressions. Evaluating an expression returns a value,
causes a side effect, or both.

Prefix and binary expressions let you apply operators to smaller expressions. Primary
expressions are conceptually the simplest kind of expression, and they provide a way
to access values. Postfix expressions, like prefix and binary expressions, let you build
up more complex expressions using postfixes such as function calls and member
access. Each kind of expression is described in detail in the sections below.

GRAMMAR OF AN EXPRESSION

expression → try-operatoropt prefix-expression binary-expressionsopt

expression-list → expression | expression , expression-list

Prefix Expressions
Prefix expressions combine an optional prefix operator with an expression. Prefix
operators take one argument, the expression that follows them.

For information about the behavior of these operators, see Basic Operators and
Advanced Operators.

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For information about the operators provided by the Swift standard library, see
Operator Declarations.

In addition to the standard library operators, you use & immediately before the name of
a variable thatʼs being passed as an in-out argument to a function call expression. For
more information and to see an example, see In-Out Parameters.

GRAMMAR OF A PREFIX EXPRESSION

prefix-expression → prefix-operatoropt postfix-expression

prefix-expression → in-out-expression
in-out-expression → & identifier

Try Operator
A try expression consists of the try operator followed by an expression that can throw
an error. It has the following form:

try expression

An optional-try expression consists of the try? operator followed by an expression that

can throw an error. It has the following form:

try? expression

If the expression does not throw an error, the value of the optional-try expression is an
optional containing the value of the expression. Otherwise, the value of the optional-try
expression is nil.

A forced-try expression consists of the try! operator followed by an expression that

can throw an error. It has the following form:

try! expression

If the expression throws an error, a runtime error is produced.

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When the expression on the left-hand side of a binary operator is marked with try,
try?, or try!, that operator applies to the whole binary expression. That said, you can
use parentheses to be explicit about the scope of the operatorʼs application.

1 sum = try someThrowingFunction() + anotherThrowingFunction()

// try applies to both function calls
2 sum = try (someThrowingFunction() + anotherThrowingFunction())
// try applies to both function calls
3 sum = (try someThrowingFunction()) + anotherThrowingFunction()
// Error: try applies only to the first function call

A try expression canʼt appear on the right-hand side of a binary operator, unless the
binary operator is the assignment operator or the try expression is enclosed in
parentheses.

For more information and to see examples of how to use try, try?, and try!, see Error
Handling.

GRAMMAR OF A TRY EXPRESSION

try-operator → try | try ? | try !

Binary Expressions
Binary expressions combine an infix binary operator with the expression that it takes as
its left-hand and right-hand arguments. It has the following form:

left-hand argument operator right-hand argument

For information about the behavior of these operators, see Basic Operators and
Advanced Operators.

For information about the operators provided by the Swift standard library, see
Operator Declarations.

NOTE

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At parse time, an expression made up of binary operators is represented as a flat list. This
list is transformed into a tree by applying operator precedence. For example, the
expression 2 + 3 * 5 is initially understood as a flat list of five items, 2, +, 3, *, and 5. This
process transforms it into the tree (2 + (3 * 5)).

GRAMMAR OF A BINARY EXPRESSION

binary-expression → binary-operator prefix-expression

binary-expression → assignment-operator try-operatoropt prefix-expression
binary-expression → conditional-operator try-operatoropt prefix-expression
binary-expression → type-casting-operator
binary-expressions → binary-expression binary-expressionsopt

Assignment Operator
The assignment operator sets a new value for a given expression. It has the following
form:

expression = value

The value of the expression is set to the value obtained by evaluating the value. If the
expression is a tuple, the value must be a tuple with the same number of elements.
(Nested tuples are allowed.) Assignment is performed from each part of the value to
the corresponding part of the expression. For example:

1 (a, _, (b, c)) = ("test", 9.45, (12, 3))

2 // a is "test", b is 12, c is 3, and 9.45 is ignored

The assignment operator does not return any value.

G R A M M A R O F A N A S S I G N M E N T O P E R AT O R

assignment-operator → =

Ternary Conditional Operator

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The ternary conditional operator evaluates to one of two given values based on the
value of a condition. It has the following form:

condition ? expression used if true :

expression used if false

If the condition evaluates to true, the conditional operator evaluates the first
expression and returns its value. Otherwise, it evaluates the second expression and
returns its value. The unused expression is not evaluated.

For an example that uses the ternary conditional operator, see Ternary Conditional
Operator.

G R A M M A R O F A C O N D I T I O N A L O P E R AT O R

conditional-operator → ? expression :

Type-Casting Operators
There are four type-casting operators: the is operator, the as operator, the as?
operator, and the as! operator.

They have the following form:

expression is type
expression as type
expression as? type
expression as! type

The is operator checks at runtime whether the expression can be cast to the specified
type. It returns true if the expression can be cast to the specified type; otherwise, it
returns false.

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The as operator performs a cast when it is known at compile time that the cast always
succeeds, such as upcasting or bridging. Upcasting lets you use an expression as an
instance of its typeʼs supertype, without using an intermediate variable. The following
approaches are equivalent:

1 func f(_ any: Any) { print("Function for Any") }

2 func f(_ int: Int) { print("Function for Int") }
3 let x = 10
4 f(x)
5 // Prints "Function for Int"
6
7 let y: Any = x
8 f(y)
9 // Prints "Function for Any"
10
11 f(x as Any)
12 // Prints "Function for Any"

Bridging lets you use an expression of a Swift standard library type such as String as
its corresponding Foundation type such as NSString without needing to create a new
instance. For more information on bridging, see Working with Foundation Types.

The as? operator performs a conditional cast of the expression to the specified type.
The as? operator returns an optional of the specified type. At runtime, if the cast
succeeds, the value of expression is wrapped in an optional and returned; otherwise,
the value returned is nil. If casting to the specified type is guaranteed to fail or is
guaranteed to succeed, a compile-time error is raised.

The as! operator performs a forced cast of the expression to the specified type. The
as! operator returns a value of the specified type, not an optional type. If the cast fails,
a runtime error is raised. The behavior of x as! T is the same as the behavior of
(x as? T)!.

For more information about type casting and to see examples that use the type-casting
operators, see Type Casting.

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E - C A S T I N G O P E R AT O R

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type-casting-operator → is type
type-casting-operator → as type
type-casting-operator → as ? type
type-casting-operator → as ! type

Primary Expressions
Primary expressions are the most basic kind of expression. They can be used as
expressions on their own, and they can be combined with other tokens to make prefix
expressions, binary expressions, and postfix expressions.

GRAMMAR OF A PRIMARY EXPRESSION

primary-expression → identifier generic-argument-clauseopt

primary-expression → literal-expression
primary-expression → self-expression
primary-expression → superclass-expression
primary-expression → closure-expression
primary-expression → parenthesized-expression
primary-expression → tuple-expression
primary-expression → implicit-member-expression
primary-expression → wildcard-expression
primary-expression → key-path-expression
primary-expression → selector-expression
primary-expression → key-path-string-expression

Literal Expression
A literal expression consists of either an ordinary literal (such as a string or a number),
an array or dictionary literal, a playground literal, or one of the following special literals:

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Literal Type Value

#file String The name of the file in which it

appears.

#line Int The line number on which it

appears.

#column Int The column number in which it

begins.

#function String The name of the declaration in

which it appears.

#dsohandle UnsafeRawPointer The DSO (dynamic shared

object) handle in use where it
appears.

Inside a function, the value of #function is the name of that function, inside a method
it is the name of that method, inside a property getter or setter it is the name of that
property, inside special members like init or subscript it is the name of that keyword,
and at the top level of a file it is the name of the current module.

When used as the default value of a function or method parameter, the special literalʼs
value is determined when the default value expression is evaluated at the call site.

1 func logFunctionName(string: String = #function) {

2 print(string)
3 }
4 func myFunction() {
5 logFunctionName() // Prints "myFunction()".
6 }

An array literal is an ordered collection of values. It has the following form:

[ value 1 , value 2 , ... ]

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The last expression in the array can be followed by an optional comma. The value of an
array literal has type [T], where T is the type of the expressions inside it. If there are
expressions of multiple types, T is their closest common supertype. Empty array literals
are written using an empty pair of square brackets and can be used to create an empty
array of a specified type.

var emptyArray: [Double] = []

A dictionary literal is an unordered collection of key-value pairs. It has the following

form:

[ key 1 : value 1 , key 2 : value 2 , ... ]

The last expression in the dictionary can be followed by an optional comma. The value
of a dictionary literal has type [Key: Value], where Key is the type of its key
expressions and Value is the type of its value expressions. If there are expressions of
multiple types, Key and Value are the closest common supertype for their respective
values. An empty dictionary literal is written as a colon inside a pair of brackets ([:]) to
distinguish it from an empty array literal. You can use an empty dictionary literal to
create an empty dictionary literal of specified key and value types.

var emptyDictionary: [String: Double] = [:]

A playground literal is used by Xcode to create an interactive representation of a color,

file, or image within the program editor. Playground literals in plain text outside of
Xcode are represented using a special literal syntax.

For information on using playground literals in Xcode, see Add a color, file, or image
literal in Xcode Help.

GRAMMAR OF A LITERAL EXPRESSION

literal-expression → literal
literal-expression → array-literal | dictionary-literal | playground-literal
literal-expression → #file | #line | #column | #function | #dsohandle

array-literal → [ array-literal-itemsopt ]
array-literal-items → array-literal-item ,opt | array-literal-item , array-literal-items

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array-literal-item → expression

dictionary-literal → [ dictionary-literal-items ] | [ : ]
dictionary-literal-items → dictionary-literal-item ,opt | dictionary-literal-item , dictionary-
literal-items
dictionary-literal-item → expression : expression

playground-literal → #colorLiteral ( red : expression , green : expression ,

blue : expression , alpha : expression )
playground-literal → #fileLiteral ( resourceName : expression )
playground-literal → #imageLiteral ( resourceName : expression )

Self Expression
The self expression is an explicit reference to the current type or instance of the type
in which it occurs. It has the following forms:

self
self. member name
self[ subscript index ]
self( initializer arguments )
self.init( initializer arguments )

In an initializer, subscript, or instance method, self refers to the current instance of the
type in which it occurs. In a type method, self refers to the current type in which it
occurs.

The self expression is used to specify scope when accessing members, providing
disambiguation when there is another variable of the same name in scope, such as a
function parameter. For example:

1 class SomeClass {
2 var greeting: String
3 init(greeting: String) {
4 self.greeting = greeting
5 }
6 }

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In a mutating method of a value type, you can assign a new instance of that value type
to self. For example:

1 struct Point {
2 var x = 0.0, y = 0.0
3 mutating func moveBy(x deltaX: Double, y deltaY: Double) {
4 self = Point(x: x + deltaX, y: y + deltaY)
5 }
6 }

GRAMMAR OF A SELF EXPRESSION

self-expression → self | self-method-expression | self-subscript-expression | self-initializer-

expression

self-method-expression → self . identifier

self-subscript-expression → self [ function-call-argument-list ]
self-initializer-expression → self . init

Superclass Expression
A superclass expression lets a class interact with its superclass. It has one of the
following forms:

super. member name

super[ subscript index ]
super.init( initializer arguments )

The first form is used to access a member of the superclass. The second form is used
to access the superclassʼs subscript implementation. The third form is used to access
an initializer of the superclass.

Subclasses can use a superclass expression in their implementation of members,

subscripting, and initializers to make use of the implementation in their superclass.

GRAMMAR OF A SUPERCLASS EXPRESSION

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superclass-expression → superclass-method-expression | superclass-subscript-expression |

superclass-initializer-expression

superclass-method-expression → super . identifier

superclass-subscript-expression → super [ function-call-argument-list ]
superclass-initializer-expression → super . init

Closure Expression
A closure expression creates a closure, also known as a lambda or an anonymous
function in other programming languages. Like a function declaration, a closure
contains statements, and it captures constants and variables from its enclosing scope.
It has the following form:

{ ( parameters ) -> return type in

statements
}

The parameters have the same form as the parameters in a function declaration, as
described in Function Declaration.

There are several special forms that allow closures to be written more concisely:

A closure can omit the types of its parameters, its return type, or both. If you omit
the parameter names and both types, omit the in keyword before the statements.
If the omitted types canʼt be inferred, a compile-time error is raised.
A closure may omit names for its parameters. Its parameters are then implicitly
named $ followed by their position: $0, $1, $2, and so on.
A closure that consists of only a single expression is understood to return the
value of that expression. The contents of this expression are also considered
when performing type inference on the surrounding expression.

The following closure expressions are equivalent:

1 myFunction { (x: Int, y: Int) -> Int in

2 return x + y
3 }

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4
5 myFunction { x, y in
6 return x + y
7 }
8
9 myFunction { return $0 + $1 }
10
11 myFunction { $0 + $1 }

For information about passing a closure as an argument to a function, see Function Call
Expression.

Closure expressions can be used without being stored in a variable or constant, such
as when you immediately use a closure as part of a function call. The closure
expressions passed to myFunction in code above are examples of this kind of
immediate use. As a result, whether a closure expression is escaping or nonescaping
depends on the surrounding context of the expression. A closure expression is
nonescaping if it is called immediately or passed as a nonescaping function argument.
Otherwise, the closure expression is escaping.

For more information about escaping closures, see Escaping Closures.

Capture Lists

By default, a closure expression captures constants and variables from its surrounding
scope with strong references to those values. You can use a capture list to explicitly
control how values are captured in a closure.

A capture list is written as a comma-separated list of expressions surrounded by

square brackets, before the list of parameters. If you use a capture list, you must also
use the in keyword, even if you omit the parameter names, parameter types, and
return type.

The entries in the capture list are initialized when the closure is created. For each entry
in the capture list, a constant is initialized to the value of the constant or variable that
has the same name in the surrounding scope. For example in the code below, a is
included in the capture list but b is not, which gives them different behavior.

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1 var a = 0
2 var b = 0
3 let closure = { [a] in
4 print(a, b)
5 }
6
7 a = 10
8 b = 10
9 closure()
10 // Prints "0 10"

There are two different things named a, the variable in the surrounding scope and the
constant in the closureʼs scope, but only one variable named b. The a in the inner
scope is initialized with the value of the a in the outer scope when the closure is
created, but their values are not connected in any special way. This means that a
change to the value of a in the outer scope does not affect the value of a in the inner
scope, nor does a change to a inside the closure affect the value of a outside the
closure. In contrast, there is only one variable named b—the b in the outer scope—so
changes from inside or outside the closure are visible in both places.

This distinction is not visible when the captured variableʼs type has reference
semantics. For example, there are two things named x in the code below, a variable in
the outer scope and a constant in the inner scope, but they both refer to the same
object because of reference semantics.

1 class SimpleClass {
2 var value: Int = 0
3 }
4 var x = SimpleClass()
5 var y = SimpleClass()
6 let closure = { [x] in
7 print(x.value, y.value)
8 }
9
10 x.value = 10
11 y.value = 10
12 closure()

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13 // Prints "10 10"

If the type of the expressionʼs value is a class, you can mark the expression in a capture
list with weak or unowned to capture a weak or unowned reference to the expressionʼs
value.

1 myFunction { print(self.title) } // implicit

strong capture
2 myFunction { [self] in print(self.title) } // explicit
strong capture
3 myFunction { [weak self] in print(self!.title) } // weak
capture
4 myFunction { [unowned self] in print(self.title) } // unowned
capture

You can also bind an arbitrary expression to a named value in a capture list. The
expression is evaluated when the closure is created, and the value is captured with the
specified strength. For example:

1 // Weak capture of "self.parent" as "parent"

2 myFunction { [weak parent = self.parent] in
print(parent!.title) }

For more information and examples of closure expressions, see Closure Expressions.
For more information and examples of capture lists, see Resolving Strong Reference
Cycles for Closures.

GRAMMAR OF A CLOSURE EXPRESSION

closure-expression → { closure-signatureopt statementsopt }

closure-signature → capture-listopt closure-parameter-clause throwsopt function-resultopt

in
closure-signature → capture-list in

closure-parameter-clause → ( ) | ( closure-parameter-list ) | identifier-list

closure-parameter-list → closure-parameter | closure-parameter , closure-parameter-list
closure-parameter → closure-parameter-name type-annotationopt
closure-parameter → closure-parameter-name type-annotation ...

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closure-parameter-name → identifier

capture-list → [ capture-list-items ]
capture-list-items → capture-list-item | capture-list-item , capture-list-items
capture-list-item → capture-specifieropt expression
capture-specifier → weak | unowned | unowned(safe) | unowned(unsafe)

Implicit Member Expression

An implicit member expression is an abbreviated way to access a member of a type,
such as an enumeration case or a type method, in a context where type inference can
determine the implied type. It has the following form:

. member name

For example:

1 var x = MyEnumeration.someValue
2 x = .anotherValue

GRAMMAR OF A IMPLICIT MEMBER EXPRESSION

implicit-member-expression → . identifier

Parenthesized Expression
A parenthesized expression consists of an expression surrounded by parentheses. You
can use parentheses to specify the precedence of operations by explicitly grouping
expressions. Grouping parentheses donʼt change an expressionʼs type—for example,
the type of (1) is simply Int.

GRAMMAR OF A PARENTHESIZED EXPRESSION

parenthesized-expression → ( expression )

Tuple Expression
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A tuple expression consists of a comma-separated list of expressions surrounded by

parentheses. Each expression can have an optional identifier before it, separated by a
colon (:). It has the following form:

( identifier 1 : expression 1 , identifier 2 : expression 2 ,

... )

A tuple expression can contain zero expressions, or it can contain two or more
expressions. A single expression inside parentheses is a parenthesized expression.

NOTE

Both an empty tuple expression and an empty tuple type are written () in Swift. Because
Void is a type alias for (), you can use it to write an empty tuple type. However, like all type
aliases, Void is always a type—you canʼt use it to write an empty tuple expression.

GRAMMAR OF A TUPLE EXPRESSION

tuple-expression → ( ) | ( tuple-element , tuple-element-list )

tuple-element-list → tuple-element | tuple-element , tuple-element-list
tuple-element → expression | identifier : expression

Wildcard Expression
A wildcard expression is used to explicitly ignore a value during an assignment. For
example, in the following assignment 10 is assigned to x and 20 is ignored:

1 (x, _) = (10, 20)

2 // x is 10, and 20 is ignored

GRAMMAR OF A WILDCARD EXPRESSION

wildcard-expression → _

Key-Path Expression

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A key-path expression refers to a property or subscript of a type. You use key-path

expressions in dynamic programming tasks, such as key-value observing. They have
the following form:

\ type name . path

The type name is the name of a concrete type, including any generic parameters, such
as String, [Int], or Set<Int>.

The path consists of property names, subscripts, optional-chaining expressions, and

forced unwrapping expressions. Each of these key-path components can be repeated
as many times as needed, in any order.

At compile time, a key-path expression is replaced by an instance of the KeyPath class.

To access a value using a key path, pass the key path to the subscript(keyPath:)
subscript, which is available on all types. For example:

1 struct SomeStructure {
2 var someValue: Int
3 }
4
5 let s = SomeStructure(someValue: 12)
6 let pathToProperty = \SomeStructure.someValue
7
8 let value = s[keyPath: pathToProperty]
9 // value is 12

The type name can be omitted in contexts where type inference can determine the
implied type. The following code uses \.someProperty instead of
\SomeClass.someProperty:

1 class SomeClass: NSObject {

2 @objc var someProperty: Int
3 init(someProperty: Int) {
4 self.someProperty = someProperty
5 }

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6 }
7
8 let c = SomeClass(someProperty: 10)
9 c.observe(\.someProperty) { object, change in
10 // ...
11 }

The path can refer to self to create the identity key path (\.self). The identity key
path refers to a whole instance, so you can use it to access and change all of the data
stored in a variable in a single step. For example:

1 var compoundValue = (a: 1, b: 2)

2 // Equivalent to compoundValue = (a: 10, b: 20)
3 compoundValue[keyPath: \.self] = (a: 10, b: 20)

The path can contain multiple property names, separated by periods, to refer to a
property of a propertyʼs value. This code uses the key path expression
\OuterStructure.outer.someValue to access the someValue property of the
OuterStructure typeʼs outer property:

1 struct OuterStructure {
2 var outer: SomeStructure
3 init(someValue: Int) {
4 self.outer = SomeStructure(someValue: someValue)
5 }
6 }
7
8 let nested = OuterStructure(someValue: 24)
9 let nestedKeyPath = \OuterStructure.outer.someValue
10
11 let nestedValue = nested[keyPath: nestedKeyPath]
12 // nestedValue is 24

The path can include subscripts using brackets, as long as the subscriptʼs parameter
type conforms to the Hashable protocol. This example uses a subscript in a key path to
access the second element of an array:

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1 let greetings = ["hello", "hola", "bonjour", "안녕"]

2 let myGreeting = greetings[keyPath: \[String].[1]]
3 // myGreeting is 'hola'

The value used in a subscript can be a named value or a literal. Values are captured in
key paths using value semantics. The following code uses the variable index in both a
key-path expression and in a closure to access the third element of the greetings
array. When index is modified, the key-path expression still references the third
element, while the closure uses the new index.

1 var index = 2
2 let path = \[String].[index]
3 let fn: ([String]) -> String = { strings in strings[index] }
4
5 print(greetings[keyPath: path])
6 // Prints "bonjour"
7 print(fn(greetings))
8 // Prints "bonjour"
9
10 // Setting 'index' to a new value doesn't affect 'path'
11 index += 1
12 print(greetings[keyPath: path])
13 // Prints "bonjour"
14
15 // Because 'fn' closes over 'index', it uses the new value
16 print(fn(greetings))
17 // Prints "안녕"

The path can use optional chaining and forced unwrapping. This code uses optional
chaining in a key path to access a property of an optional string:

1 let firstGreeting: String? = greetings.first

2 print(firstGreeting?.count as Any)
3 // Prints "Optional(5)"
4
5 // Do the same thing using a key path.
6 let count = greetings[keyPath: \[String].first?.count]

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7 print(count as Any)
8 // Prints "Optional(5)"

You can mix and match components of key paths to access values that are deeply
nested within a type. The following code accesses different values and properties of a
dictionary of arrays by using key-path expressions that combine these components.

1 let interestingNumbers = ["prime": [2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17],

2 "triangular": [1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21,
28],
3 "hexagonal": [1, 6, 15, 28, 45, 66,
91]]
4 print(interestingNumbers[keyPath: \[String: [Int]].["prime"]]
as Any)
5 // Prints "Optional([2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17])"
6 print(interestingNumbers[keyPath: \[String: [Int]].["prime"]!
[0]])
7 // Prints "2"
8 print(interestingNumbers[keyPath: \[String: [Int]].
["hexagonal"]!.count])
9 // Prints "7"
10 print(interestingNumbers[keyPath: \[String: [Int]].
["hexagonal"]!.count.bitWidth])
11 // Prints "64"

For more information about using key paths in code that interacts with Objective-C
APIs, see Using Objective-C Runtime Features in Swift. For information about key-value
coding and key-value observing, see Key-Value Coding Programming Guide and Key-
Value Observing Programming Guide.

G R A M M A R O F A K E Y- PAT H E X P R E S S I O N

key-path-expression → \ typeopt . key-path-components

key-path-components → key-path-component | key-path-component . key-path-
components
key-path-component → identifier key-path-postfixesopt | key-path-postfixes

key-path-postfixes → key-path-postfix key-path-postfixesopt

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key-path-postfix → ? | ! | self | [ function-call-argument-list ]

Selector Expression
A selector expression lets you access the selector used to refer to a method or to a
propertyʼs getter or setter in Objective-C. It has the following form:

#selector( method name )

#selector(getter: property name )
#selector(setter: property name )

The method name and property name must be a reference to a method or a property
that is available in the Objective-C runtime. The value of a selector expression is an
instance of the Selector type. For example:

1 class SomeClass: NSObject {

2 @objc let property: String
3 @objc(doSomethingWithInt:)
4 func doSomething(_ x: Int) {}
5
6 init(property: String) {
7 self.property = property
8 }
9 }
10 let selectorForMethod = #selector(SomeClass.doSomething(_:))
11 let selectorForPropertyGetter = #selector(getter:
SomeClass.property)

When creating a selector for a propertyʼs getter, the property name can be a reference
to a variable or constant property. In contrast, when creating a selector for a propertyʼs
setter, the property name must be a reference to a variable property only.

The method name can contain parentheses for grouping, as well the as operator to
disambiguate between methods that share a name but have different type signatures.
For example:

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1 extension SomeClass {
2 @objc(doSomethingWithString:)
3 func doSomething(_ x: String) { }
4 }
5 let anotherSelector = #selector(SomeClass.doSomething(_:) as
(SomeClass) -> (String) -> Void)

Because a selector is created at compile time, not at runtime, the compiler can check
that a method or property exists and that theyʼre exposed to the Objective-C runtime.

NOTE

Although the method name and the property name are expressions, theyʼre never
evaluated.

For more information about using selectors in Swift code that interacts with Objective-
C APIs, see Using Objective-C Runtime Features in Swift.

GRAMMAR OF A SELECTOR EXPRESSION

selector-expression → #selector ( expression )

selector-expression → #selector ( getter: expression )
selector-expression → #selector ( setter: expression )

Key-Path String Expression

A key-path string expression lets you access the string used to refer to a property in
Objective-C, for use in key-value coding and key-value observing APIs. It has the
following form:

#keyPath( property name )

The property name must be a reference to a property that is available in the Objective-
C runtime. At compile time, the key-path string expression is replaced by a string literal.
For example:

1 class SomeClass: NSObject {

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2 @objc var someProperty: Int

3 init(someProperty: Int) {
4 self.someProperty = someProperty
5 }
6 }
7
8 let c = SomeClass(someProperty: 12)
9 let keyPath = #keyPath(SomeClass.someProperty)
10
11 if let value = c.value(forKey: keyPath) {
12 print(value)
13 }
14 // Prints "12"

When you use a key-path string expression within a class, you can refer to a property
of that class by writing just the property name, without the class name.

1 extension SomeClass {
2 func getSomeKeyPath() -> String {
3 return #keyPath(someProperty)
4 }
5 }
6 print(keyPath == c.getSomeKeyPath())
7 // Prints "true"

Because the key path string is created at compile time, not at runtime, the compiler can
check that the property exists and that the property is exposed to the Objective-C
runtime.

For more information about using key paths in Swift code that interacts with Objective-
C APIs, see Using Objective-C Runtime Features in Swift. For information about key-
value coding and key-value observing, see Key-Value Coding Programming Guide and
Key-Value Observing Programming Guide.

NOTE

Although the property name is an expression, it is never evaluated.

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G R A M M A R O F A K E Y- PAT H S T R I N G E X P R E S S I O N

key-path-string-expression → #keyPath ( expression )

Postfix Expressions
Postfix expressions are formed by applying a postfix operator or other postfix syntax to
an expression. Syntactically, every primary expression is also a postfix expression.

For information about the behavior of these operators, see Basic Operators and
Advanced Operators.

For information about the operators provided by the Swift standard library, see
Operator Declarations.

GRAMMAR OF A POSTFIX EXPRESSION

postfix-expression → primary-expression
postfix-expression → postfix-expression postfix-operator
postfix-expression → function-call-expression
postfix-expression → initializer-expression
postfix-expression → explicit-member-expression
postfix-expression → postfix-self-expression
postfix-expression → subscript-expression
postfix-expression → forced-value-expression
postfix-expression → optional-chaining-expression

Function Call Expression

A function call expression consists of a function name followed by a comma-separated
list of the functionʼs arguments in parentheses. Function call expressions have the
following form:

function name ( argument value 1 , argument value 2 )

The function name can be any expression whose value is of a function type.

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If the function definition includes names for its parameters, the function call must
include names before its argument values separated by a colon (:). This kind of
function call expression has the following form:

function name ( argument name 1 : argument value 1 ,

argument name 2 : argument value 2 )

A function call expression can include a trailing closure in the form of a closure
expression immediately after the closing parenthesis. The trailing closure is understood
as an argument to the function, added after the last parenthesized argument. The
following function calls are equivalent:

1 // someFunction takes an integer and a closure as its arguments

2 someFunction(x: x, f: {$0 == 13})
3 someFunction(x: x) {$0 == 13}

If the trailing closure is the functionʼs only argument, the parentheses can be omitted.

1 // someMethod takes a closure as its only argument

2 myData.someMethod() {$0 == 13}
3 myData.someMethod {$0 == 13}

GRAMMAR OF A FUNCTION CALL EXPRESSION

function-call-expression → postfix-expression function-call-argument-clause

function-call-expression → postfix-expression function-call-argument-clauseopt trailing-
closure

function-call-argument-clause → ( ) | ( function-call-argument-list )
function-call-argument-list → function-call-argument | function-call-argument , function-
call-argument-list
function-call-argument → expression | identifier : expression
function-call-argument → operator | identifier : operator

trailing-closure → closure-expression

Initializer Expression

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An initializer expression provides access to a typeʼs initializer. It has the following form:

expression .init( initializer arguments )

You use the initializer expression in a function call expression to initialize a new instance
of a type. You also use an initializer expression to delegate to the initializer of a
superclass.

1 class SomeSubClass: SomeSuperClass {

2 override init() {
3 // subclass initialization goes here
4 super.init()
5 }
6 }

Like a function, an initializer can be used as a value. For example:

1 // Type annotation is required because String has multiple

initializers.
2 let initializer: (Int) -> String = String.init
3 let oneTwoThree = [1, 2, 3].map(initializer).reduce("", +)
4 print(oneTwoThree)
5 // Prints "123"

If you specify a type by name, you can access the typeʼs initializer without using an
initializer expression. In all other cases, you must use an initializer expression.

1 let s1 = SomeType.init(data: 3) // Valid

2 let s2 = SomeType(data: 1) // Also valid
3
4 let s3 = type(of: someValue).init(data: 7) // Valid
5 let s4 = type(of: someValue)(data: 5) // Error

GRAMMAR OF AN INITIALIZER EXPRESSION

initializer-expression → postfix-expression . init

initializer-expression → postfix-expression . init ( argument-names )

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Explicit Member Expression

An explicit member expression allows access to the members of a named type, a tuple,
or a module. It consists of a period (.) between the item and the identifier of its
member.

expression . member name

The members of a named type are named as part of the typeʼs declaration or
extension. For example:

1 class SomeClass {
2 var someProperty = 42
3 }
4 let c = SomeClass()
5 let y = c.someProperty // Member access

The members of a tuple are implicitly named using integers in the order they appear,
starting from zero. For example:

1 var t = (10, 20, 30)

2 t.0 = t.1
3 // Now t is (20, 20, 30)

The members of a module access the top-level declarations of that module.

Types declared with the dynamicMemberLookup attribute include members that are
looked up at runtime, as described in Attributes.

To distinguish between methods or initializers whose names differ only by the names of
their arguments, include the argument names in parentheses, with each argument
name followed by a colon (:). Write an underscore (_) for an argument with no name.
To distinguish between overloaded methods, use a type annotation. For example:

1 class SomeClass {
2 func someMethod(x: Int, y: Int) {}
3 func someMethod(x: Int, z: Int) {}

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4 func overloadedMethod(x: Int, y: Int) {}

5 func overloadedMethod(x: Int, y: Bool) {}
6 }
7 let instance = SomeClass()
8
9 let a = instance.someMethod // Ambiguous
10 let b = instance.someMethod(x:y:) // Unambiguous
11
12 let d = instance.overloadedMethod // Ambiguous
13 let d = instance.overloadedMethod(x:y:) // Still ambiguous
14 let d: (Int, Bool) -> Void = instance.overloadedMethod(x:y:)
// Unambiguous

If a period appears at the beginning of a line, it is understood as part of an explicit

member expression, not as an implicit member expression. For example, the following
listing shows chained method calls split over several lines:

1 let x = [10, 3, 20, 15, 4]

2 .sorted()
3 .filter { $0 > 5 }
4 .map { $0 * 100 }

GRAMMAR OF AN EXPLICIT MEMBER EXPRESSION

explicit-member-expression → postfix-expression . decimal-digits

explicit-member-expression → postfix-expression . identifier generic-argument-clauseopt
explicit-member-expression → postfix-expression . identifier ( argument-names )

argument-names → argument-name argument-namesopt

argument-name → identifier :

Postfix Self Expression

A postfix self expression consists of an expression or the name of a type, immediately
followed by .self. It has the following forms:

expression .self

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type .self

The first form evaluates to the value of the expression. For example, x.self evaluates
to x.

The second form evaluates to the value of the type. Use this form to access a type as a
value. For example, because SomeClass.self evaluates to the SomeClass type itself,
you can pass it to a function or method that accepts a type-level argument.

GRAMMAR OF A POSTFIX SELF EXPRESSION

postfix-self-expression → postfix-expression . self

Subscript Expression
A subscript expression provides subscript access using the getter and setter of the
corresponding subscript declaration. It has the following form:

expression [ index expressions ]

To evaluate the value of a subscript expression, the subscript getter for the
expressionʼs type is called with the index expressions passed as the subscript
parameters. To set its value, the subscript setter is called in the same way.

For information about subscript declarations, see Protocol Subscript Declaration.

GRAMMAR OF A SUBSCRIPT EXPRESSION

subscript-expression → postfix-expression [ function-call-argument-list ]

Forced-Value Expression
A forced-value expression unwraps an optional value that you are certain is not nil. It
has the following form:

expression !

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If the value of the expression is not nil, the optional value is unwrapped and returned
with the corresponding non-optional type. Otherwise, a runtime error is raised.

The unwrapped value of a forced-value expression can be modified, either by mutating

the value itself, or by assigning to one of the valueʼs members. For example:

1 var x: Int? = 0
2 x! += 1
3 // x is now 1
4
5 var someDictionary = ["a": [1, 2, 3], "b": [10, 20]]
6 someDictionary["a"]![0] = 100
7 // someDictionary is now ["a": [100, 2, 3], "b": [10, 20]]

G R A M M A R O F A F O R C E D -VA LU E E X P R E S S I O N

forced-value-expression → postfix-expression !

Optional-Chaining Expression
An optional-chaining expression provides a simplified syntax for using optional values
in postfix expressions. It has the following form:

expression ?

The postfix ? operator makes an optional-chaining expression from an expression

without changing the expressionʼs value.

Optional-chaining expressions must appear within a postfix expression, and they cause
the postfix expression to be evaluated in a special way. If the value of the optional-
chaining expression is nil, all of the other operations in the postfix expression are
ignored and the entire postfix expression evaluates to nil. If the value of the optional-
chaining expression is not nil, the value of the optional-chaining expression is
unwrapped and used to evaluate the rest of the postfix expression. In either case, the
value of the postfix expression is still of an optional type.

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If a postfix expression that contains an optional-chaining expression is nested inside

other postfix expressions, only the outermost expression returns an optional type. In
the example below, when c is not nil, its value is unwrapped and used to evaluate
.property, the value of which is used to evaluate .performAction(). The entire
expression c?.property.performAction() has a value of an optional type.

1 var c: SomeClass?
2 var result: Bool? = c?.property.performAction()

The following example shows the behavior of the example above without using optional
chaining.

1 var result: Bool?

2 if let unwrappedC = c {
3 result = unwrappedC.property.performAction()
4 }

The unwrapped value of an optional-chaining expression can be modified, either by

mutating the value itself, or by assigning to one of the valueʼs members. If the value of
the optional-chaining expression is nil, the expression on the right-hand side of the
assignment operator is not evaluated. For example:

1 func someFunctionWithSideEffects() -> Int {

2 return 42 // No actual side effects.
3 }
4 var someDictionary = ["a": [1, 2, 3], "b": [10, 20]]
5
6 someDictionary["not here"]?[0] = someFunctionWithSideEffects()
7 // someFunctionWithSideEffects is not evaluated
8 // someDictionary is still ["a": [1, 2, 3], "b": [10, 20]]
9
10 someDictionary["a"]?[0] = someFunctionWithSideEffects()
11 // someFunctionWithSideEffects is evaluated and returns 42
12 // someDictionary is now ["a": [42, 2, 3], "b": [10, 20]]

G R A M M A R O F A N O P T I O N A L- C H A I N I N G E X P R E S S I O N

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optional-chaining-expression → postfix-expression ?

Types Statements

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ON THIS PAGE

Statements
In Swift, there are three kinds of statements: simple statements, compiler control
statements, and control flow statements. Simple statements are the most common and
consist of either an expression or a declaration. Compiler control statements allow the
program to change aspects of the compilerʼs behavior and include a conditional
compilation block and a line control statement.

Control flow statements are used to control the flow of execution in a program. There
are several types of control flow statements in Swift, including loop statements, branch
statements, and control transfer statements. Loop statements allow a block of code to
be executed repeatedly, branch statements allow a certain block of code to be
executed only when certain conditions are met, and control transfer statements
provide a way to alter the order in which code is executed. In addition, Swift provides a
do statement to introduce scope, and catch and handle errors, and a defer statement
for running cleanup actions just before the current scope exits.

A semicolon (;) can optionally appear after any statement and is used to separate
multiple statements if they appear on the same line.

G R A M M A R O F A S TAT E M E N T

statement → expression ;opt

statement → declaration ;opt
statement → loop-statement ;opt
statement → branch-statement ;opt
statement → labeled-statement ;opt
statement → control-transfer-statement ;opt

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statement → defer-statement ;opt

statement → do-statement ;opt
statement → compiler-control-statement
statements → statement statementsopt

Loop Statements
Loop statements allow a block of code to be executed repeatedly, depending on the
conditions specified in the loop. Swift has three loop statements: a for-in statement, a
while statement, and a repeat-while statement.

Control flow in a loop statement can be changed by a break statement and a continue
statement and is discussed in Break Statement and Continue Statement below.

G R A M M A R O F A L O O P S TAT E M E N T

loop-statement → for-in-statement
loop-statement → while-statement
loop-statement → repeat-while-statement

For-In Statement
A for-in statement allows a block of code to be executed once for each item in a
collection (or any type) that conforms to the Sequence protocol.

A for-in statement has the following form:

for item in collection {

statements
}

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The makeIterator() method is called on the collection expression to obtain a value of

an iterator type—that is, a type that conforms to the IteratorProtocol protocol. The
program begins executing a loop by calling the next() method on the iterator. If the
value returned is not nil, it is assigned to the item pattern, the program executes the
statements, and then continues execution at the beginning of the loop. Otherwise, the
program does not perform assignment or execute the statements, and it is finished
executing the for-in statement.

G R A M M A R O F A F O R - I N S TAT E M E N T

for-in-statement → for caseopt pattern in expression where-clauseopt code-block

While Statement
A while statement allows a block of code to be executed repeatedly, as long as a
condition remains true.

A while statement has the following form:

while condition {
statements
}

A while statement is executed as follows:

K. The condition is evaluated.

If true, execution continues to step 2. If false, the program is finished executing

the while statement.

M. The program executes the statements, and execution returns to step 1.

Because the value of the condition is evaluated before the statements are executed,
the statements in a while statement can be executed zero or more times.

The value of the condition must be of type Bool or a type bridged to Bool. The
condition can also be an optional binding declaration, as discussed in Optional Binding.

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G R A M M A R O F A W H I L E S TAT E M E N T

while-statement → while condition-list code-block

condition-list → condition | condition , condition-list

condition → expression | availability-condition | case-condition | optional-binding-condition

case-condition → case pattern initializer

optional-binding-condition → let pattern initializer | var pattern initializer

Repeat-While Statement
A repeat-while statement allows a block of code to be executed one or more times, as
long as a condition remains true.

A repeat-while statement has the following form:

repeat {
statements
} while condition

A repeat-while statement is executed as follows:

K. The program executes the statements, and execution continues to step 2.

M. The condition is evaluated.

If true, execution returns to step 1. If false, the program is finished executing the
repeat-while statement.

Because the value of the condition is evaluated after the statements are executed, the
statements in a repeat-while statement are executed at least once.

The value of the condition must be of type Bool or a type bridged to Bool. The
condition can also be an optional binding declaration, as discussed in Optional Binding.

G R A M M A R O F A R E P E AT-W H I L E S TAT E M E N T

repeat-while-statement → repeat code-block while expression

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Branch Statements
Branch statements allow the program to execute certain parts of code depending on
the value of one or more conditions. The values of the conditions specified in a branch
statement control how the program branches and, therefore, what block of code is
executed. Swift has three branch statements: an if statement, a guard statement, and
a switch statement.

Control flow in an if statement or a switch statement can be changed by a break

statement and is discussed in Break Statement below.

G R A M M A R O F A B R A N C H S TAT E M E N T

branch-statement → if-statement
branch-statement → guard-statement
branch-statement → switch-statement

If Statement
An if statement is used for executing code based on the evaluation of one or more
conditions.

There are two basic forms of an if statement. In each form, the opening and closing
braces are required.

The first form allows code to be executed only when a condition is true and has the
following form:

if condition {
statements
}

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The second form of an if statement provides an additional else clause (introduced by

the else keyword) and is used for executing one part of code when the condition is
true and another part of code when the same condition is false. When a single else
clause is present, an if statement has the following form:

if condition {
statements to execute if condition is true
} else {
statements to execute if condition is false
}

The else clause of an if statement can contain another if statement to test more than
one condition. An if statement chained together in this way has the following form:

if condition 1 {
statements to execute if condition 1 is true
} else if condition 2 {
statements to execute if condition 2 is true
} else {
statements to execute if both conditions are false
}

The value of any condition in an if statement must be of type Bool or a type bridged to
Bool. The condition can also be an optional binding declaration, as discussed in
Optional Binding.

G R A M M A R O F A N I F S TAT E M E N T

if-statement → if condition-list code-block else-clauseopt

else-clause → else code-block | else if-statement

Guard Statement

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A guard statement is used to transfer program control out of a scope if one or more
conditions arenʼt met.

A guard statement has the following form:

guard condition else {

statements
}

The value of any condition in a guard statement must be of type Bool or a type bridged
to Bool. The condition can also be an optional binding declaration, as discussed in
Optional Binding.

Any constants or variables assigned a value from an optional binding declaration in a

guard statement condition can be used for the rest of the guard statementʼs enclosing
scope.

The else clause of a guard statement is required, and must either call a function with
the Never return type or transfer program control outside the guard statementʼs
enclosing scope using one of the following statements:

return
break
continue
throw

Control transfer statements are discussed in Control Transfer Statements below. For
more information on functions with the Never return type, see Functions that Never
Return.

G R A M M A R O F A G U A R D S TAT E M E N T

guard-statement → guard condition-list else code-block

Switch Statement

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A switch statement allows certain blocks of code to be executed depending on the

value of a control expression.

A switch statement has the following form:

switch control expression {

case pattern 1 :
statements
case pattern 2 where condition :
statements
case pattern 3 where condition ,
pattern 4 where condition :
statements
default:
statements
}

The control expression of the switch statement is evaluated and then compared with
the patterns specified in each case. If a match is found, the program executes the
statements listed within the scope of that case. The scope of each case canʼt be
empty. As a result, you must include at least one statement following the colon (:) of
each case label. Use a single break statement if you donʼt intend to execute any code
in the body of a matched case.

The values of expressions your code can branch on are very flexible. For example, in
addition to the values of scalar types, such as integers and characters, your code can
branch on the values of any type, including floating-point numbers, strings, tuples,
instances of custom classes, and optionals. The value of the control expression can
even be matched to the value of a case in an enumeration and checked for inclusion in
a specified range of values. For examples of how to use these various types of values in
switch statements, see Switch in Control Flow.

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A switch case can optionally contain a where clause after each pattern. A where clause
is introduced by the where keyword followed by an expression, and is used to provide
an additional condition before a pattern in a case is considered matched to the control
expression. If a where clause is present, the statements within the relevant case are
executed only if the value of the control expression matches one of the patterns of the
case and the expression of the where clause evaluates to true. For example, a control
expression matches the case in the example below only if it is a tuple that contains two
elements of the same value, such as (1, 1).

case let (x, y) where x == y:

As the above example shows, patterns in a case can also bind constants using the let
keyword (they can also bind variables using the var keyword). These constants (or
variables) can then be referenced in a corresponding where clause and throughout the
rest of the code within the scope of the case. If the case contains multiple patterns that
match the control expression, all of the patterns must contain the same constant or
variable bindings, and each bound variable or constant must have the same type in all
of the caseʼs patterns.

A switch statement can also include a default case, introduced by the default
keyword. The code within a default case is executed only if no other cases match the
control expression. A switch statement can include only one default case, which must
appear at the end of the switch statement.

Although the actual execution order of pattern-matching operations, and in particular

the evaluation order of patterns in cases, is unspecified, pattern matching in a switch
statement behaves as if the evaluation is performed in source order—that is, the order
in which they appear in source code. As a result, if multiple cases contain patterns that
evaluate to the same value, and thus can match the value of the control expression, the
program executes only the code within the first matching case in source order.

Switch Statements Must Be Exhaustive

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In Swift, every possible value of the control expressionʼs type must match the value of
at least one pattern of a case. When this simply isnʼt feasible (for example, when the
control expressionʼs type is Int), you can include a default case to satisfy the
requirement.

Switching Over Future Enumeration Cases

A nonfrozen enumeration is a special kind of enumeration that may gain new

enumeration cases in the future—even after you compile and ship an app. Switching
over a nonfrozen enumeration requires extra consideration. When a libraryʼs authors
mark an enumeration as nonfrozen, they reserve the right to add new enumeration
cases, and any code that interacts with that enumeration must be able to handle those
future cases without being recompiled. Only the standard library, Swift overlays for
Apple frameworks, and C and Objective-C code can declare nonfrozen enumerations.
Enumerations you declare in Swift canʼt be nonfrozen.

When switching over a nonfrozen enumeration value, you always need to include a
default case, even if every case of the enumeration already has a corresponding switch
case. You can apply the @unknown attribute to the default case, which indicates that the
default case should match only enumeration cases that are added in the future. Swift
produces a warning if the default case matches any enumeration case that is known at
compiler time. This future warning informs you that the library author added a new case
to the enumeration that doesnʼt have a corresponding switch case.

The following example switches over all three existing cases of the standard libraryʼs
Mirror.AncestorRepresentation enumeration. If you add additional cases in the
future, the compiler generates a warning to indicate that you need to update the switch
statement to take the new cases into account.

1 let representation: Mirror.AncestorRepresentation = .generated

2 switch representation {
3 case .customized:
4 print("Use the nearest ancestor’s implementation.")
5 case .generated:
6 print("Generate a default mirror for all ancestor
classes.")

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7 case .suppressed:
8 print("Suppress the representation of all ancestor
classes.")
9 @unknown default:
10 print("Use a representation that was unknown when this code
was compiled.")
11 }
12 // Prints "Generate a default mirror for all ancestor classes."

Execution Does Not Fall Through Cases Implicitly

After the code within a matched case has finished executing, the program exits from
the switch statement. Program execution does not continue or “fall through” to the
next case or default case. That said, if you want execution to continue from one case to
the next, explicitly include a fallthrough statement, which simply consists of the
fallthrough keyword, in the case from which you want execution to continue. For
more information about the fallthrough statement, see Fallthrough Statement below.

G R A M M A R O F A S W I T C H S TAT E M E N T

switch-statement → switch expression { switch-casesopt }

switch-cases → switch-case switch-casesopt
switch-case → case-label statements
switch-case → default-label statements
switch-case → conditional-switch-case

case-label → attributesopt case case-item-list :

case-item-list → pattern where-clauseopt | pattern where-clauseopt , case-item-list
default-label → attributesopt default :

where-clause → where where-expression

where-expression → expression

conditional-switch-case → switch-if-directive-clause switch-elseif-directive-clausesopt

switch-else-directive-clauseopt endif-directive
switch-if-directive-clause → if-directive compilation-condition switch-casesopt
switch-elseif-directive-clauses → elseif-directive-clause switch-elseif-directive-clausesopt
switch-elseif-directive-clause → elseif-directive compilation-condition switch-casesopt
switch-else-directive-clause → else-directive switch-casesopt

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Labeled Statement
You can prefix a loop statement, an if statement, a switch statement, or a do
statement with a statement label, which consists of the name of the label followed
immediately by a colon (:). Use statement labels with break and continue statements
to be explicit about how you want to change control flow in a loop statement or a
switch statement, as discussed in Break Statement and Continue Statement below.

The scope of a labeled statement is the entire statement following the statement label.
You can nest labeled statements, but the name of each statement label must be
unique.

For more information and to see examples of how to use statement labels, see Labeled
Statements in Control Flow.

G R A M M A R O F A L A B E L E D S TAT E M E N T

labeled-statement → statement-label loop-statement

labeled-statement → statement-label if-statement
labeled-statement → statement-label switch-statement
labeled-statement → statement-label do-statement

statement-label → label-name :
label-name → identifier

Control Transfer Statements

Control transfer statements can change the order in which code in your program is
executed by unconditionally transferring program control from one piece of code to
another. Swift has five control transfer statements: a break statement, a continue
statement, a fallthrough statement, a return statement, and a throw statement.

G R A M M A R O F A C O N T R O L T R A N S F E R S TAT E M E N T

control-transfer-statement → break-statement

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control-transfer-statement → continue-statement
control-transfer-statement → fallthrough-statement
control-transfer-statement → return-statement
control-transfer-statement → throw-statement

Break Statement
A break statement ends program execution of a loop, an if statement, or a switch
statement. A break statement can consist of only the break keyword, or it can consist
of the break keyword followed by the name of a statement label, as shown below.

break
break label name

When a break statement is followed by the name of a statement label, it ends program
execution of the loop, if statement, or switch statement named by that label.

When a break statement is not followed by the name of a statement label, it ends
program execution of the switch statement or the innermost enclosing loop statement
in which it occurs. You canʼt use an unlabeled break statement to break out of an if
statement.

In both cases, program control is then transferred to the first line of code following the
enclosing loop or switch statement, if any.

For examples of how to use a break statement, see Break and Labeled Statements in
Control Flow.

G R A M M A R O F A B R E A K S TAT E M E N T

break-statement → break label-nameopt

Continue Statement

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A continue statement ends program execution of the current iteration of a loop

statement but does not stop execution of the loop statement. A continue statement
can consist of only the continue keyword, or it can consist of the continue keyword
followed by the name of a statement label, as shown below.

continue
continue label name

When a continue statement is followed by the name of a statement label, it ends

program execution of the current iteration of the loop statement named by that label.

When a continue statement is not followed by the name of a statement label, it ends
program execution of the current iteration of the innermost enclosing loop statement in
which it occurs.

In both cases, program control is then transferred to the condition of the enclosing
loop statement.

In a for statement, the increment expression is still evaluated after the continue
statement is executed, because the increment expression is evaluated after the
execution of the loopʼs body.

For examples of how to use a continue statement, see Continue and Labeled
Statements in Control Flow.

G R A M M A R O F A C O N T I N U E S TAT E M E N T

continue-statement → continue label-nameopt

Fallthrough Statement
A fallthrough statement consists of the fallthrough keyword and occurs only in a
case block of a switch statement. A fallthrough statement causes program execution
to continue from one case in a switch statement to the next case. Program execution
continues to the next case even if the patterns of the case label do not match the value
of the switch statementʼs control expression.

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A fallthrough statement can appear anywhere inside a switch statement, not just as
the last statement of a case block, but it canʼt be used in the final case block. It also
cannot transfer control into a case block whose pattern contains value binding
patterns.

For an example of how to use a fallthrough statement in a switch statement, see

Control Transfer Statements in Control Flow.

G R A M M A R O F A F A L LT H R O U G H S TAT E M E N T

fallthrough-statement → fallthrough

Return Statement
A return statement occurs in the body of a function or method definition and causes
program execution to return to the calling function or method. Program execution
continues at the point immediately following the function or method call.

A return statement can consist of only the return keyword, or it can consist of the
return keyword followed by an expression, as shown below.

return
return expression

When a return statement is followed by an expression, the value of the expression is

returned to the calling function or method. If the value of the expression does not
match the value of the return type declared in the function or method declaration, the
expressionʼs value is converted to the return type before it is returned to the calling
function or method.

NOTE

As described in Failable Initializers, a special form of the return statement (return nil)
can be used in a failable initializer to indicate initialization failure.

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When a return statement is not followed by an expression, it can be used only to

return from a function or method that does not return a value (that is, when the return
type of the function or method is Void or ()).

G R A M M A R O F A R E T U R N S TAT E M E N T

return-statement → return expressionopt

Throw Statement
A throw statement occurs in the body of a throwing function or method, or in the body
of a closure expression whose type is marked with the throws keyword.

A throw statement causes a program to end execution of the current scope and begin
error propagation to its enclosing scope. The error thatʼs thrown continues to
propagate until itʼs handled by a catch clause of a do statement.

A throw statement consists of the throw keyword followed by an expression, as shown

below.

throw expression

The value of the expression must have a type that conforms to the Error protocol.

For an example of how to use a throw statement, see Propagating Errors Using
Throwing Functions in Error Handling.

G R A M M A R O F A T H R O W S TAT E M E N T

throw-statement → throw expression

Defer Statement
A defer statement is used for executing code just before transferring program control
outside of the scope that the defer statement appears in.

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A defer statement has the following form:

defer {
statements
}

The statements within the defer statement are executed no matter how program
control is transferred. This means that a defer statement can be used, for example, to
perform manual resource management such as closing file descriptors, and to perform
actions that need to happen even if an error is thrown.

If multiple defer statements appear in the same scope, the order they appear is the
reverse of the order they are executed. Executing the last defer statement in a given
scope first means that statements inside that last defer statement can refer to
resources that will be cleaned up by other defer statements.

1 func f() {
2 defer { print("First defer") }
3 defer { print("Second defer") }
4 print("End of function")
5 }
6 f()
7 // Prints "End of function"
8 // Prints "Second defer"
9 // Prints "First defer"

The statements in the defer statement canʼt transfer program control outside of the
defer statement.

G R A M M A R O F A D E F E R S TAT E M E N T

defer-statement → defer code-block

Do Statement
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The do statement is used to introduce a new scope and can optionally contain one or
more catch clauses, which contain patterns that match against defined error
conditions. Variables and constants declared in the scope of a do statement can be
accessed only within that scope.

A do statement in Swift is similar to curly braces ({}) in C used to delimit a code block,
and does not incur a performance cost at runtime.

A do statement has the following form:

do {
try expression
statements
} catch pattern 1 {
statements
} catch pattern 2 where condition {
statements
}

Like a switch statement, the compiler attempts to infer whether catch clauses are
exhaustive. If such a determination can be made, the error is considered handled.
Otherwise, the error can propagate out of the containing scope, which means the error
must be handled by an enclosing catch clause or the containing function must be
declared with throws.

To ensure that an error is handled, use a catch clause with a pattern that matches all
errors, such as a wildcard pattern (_). If a catch clause does not specify a pattern, the
catch clause matches and binds any error to a local constant named error. For more
information about the patterns you can use in a catch clause, see Patterns.

To see an example of how to use a do statement with several catch clauses, see
Handling Errors.

G R A M M A R O F A D O S TAT E M E N T

do-statement → do code-block catch-clausesopt

catch-clauses → catch-clause catch-clausesopt

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catch-clause → catch patternopt where-clauseopt code-block

Compiler Control Statements

Compiler control statements allow the program to change aspects of the compilerʼs
behavior. Swift has three compiler control statements: a conditional compilation block a
line control statement, and a compile-time diagnostic statement.

G R A M M A R O F A C O M P I L E R C O N T R O L S TAT E M E N T

compiler-control-statement → conditional-compilation-block
compiler-control-statement → line-control-statement
compiler-control-statement → diagnostic-statement

Conditional Compilation Block

A conditional compilation block allows code to be conditionally compiled depending on
the value of one or more compilation conditions.

Every conditional compilation block begins with the #if compilation directive and ends
with the #endif compilation directive. A simple conditional compilation block has the
following form:

#if compilation condition

statements
#endif

Unlike the condition of an if statement, the compilation condition is evaluated at

compile time. As a result, the statements are compiled and executed only if the
compilation condition evaluates to true at compile time.

The compilation condition can include the true and false Boolean literals, an identifier
used with the -D command line flag, or any of the platform conditions listed in the table
below.

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Platform condition Valid arguments

os() macOS , iOS , watchOS , tvOS , Linux

arch() i386 , x86_64 , arm , arm64

swift() >= or < followed by a version number

compiler() >= or < followed by a version number

canImport() A module name

targetEnvironment() simulator

The version number for the swift() and compiler() platform conditions consists of a
major number, optional minor number, optional patch number, and so on, with a dot (.)
separating each part of the version number. There must not be whitespace between
the comparison operator and the version number. The version for compiler() is the
compiler version, regardless of the Swift version setting passed to the compiler. The
version for swift() is the language version currently being compiled. For example, if
you compile your code using the Swift 5 compiler in Swift 4.2 mode, the compiler
version is 5 and the language version is 4.2. With those settings, the following code
prints all three messages:

1 #if compiler(>=5)
2 print("Compiled with the Swift 5 compiler or later")
3 #endif
4 #if swift(>=4.2)
5 print("Compiled in Swift 4.2 mode or later")
6 #endif
7 #if compiler(>=5) && swift(<5)
8 print("Compiled with the Swift 5 compiler or later in a Swift
mode earlier than 5")
9 #endif
10 // Prints "Compiled with the Swift 5 compiler or later"
11 // Prints "Compiled in Swift 4.2 mode or later"

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12 // Prints "Compiled with the Swift 5 compiler or later in a

Swift mode earlier than 5"

The argument for the canImport() platform condition is the name of a module that
may not be present on all platforms. This condition tests whether itʼs possible to import
the module, but doesnʼt actually import it. If the module is present, the platform
condition returns true; otherwise, it returns false.

The targetEnvironment() platform condition returns true when code is compiled for
a simulator; otherwise, it returns false.

NOTE

The arch(arm) platform condition does not return true for ARM 64 devices. The
arch(i386) platform condition returns true when code is compiled for the 32–bit iOS
simulator.

You can combine compilation conditions using the logical operators &&, ||, and ! and
use parentheses for grouping. These operators have the same associativity and
precedence as the logical operators that are used to combine ordinary Boolean
expressions.

Similar to an if statement, you can add multiple conditional branches to test for
different compilation conditions. You can add any number of additional branches using
#elseif clauses. You can also add a final additional branch using an #else clause.
Conditional compilation blocks that contain multiple branches have the following form:

#if compilation condition 1

statements to compile if compilation condition 1 is true
#elseif compilation condition 2
statements to compile if compilation condition 2 is true
#else
statements to compile if both compilation conditions are false

#endif

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NOTE

Each statement in the body of a conditional compilation block is parsed even if itʼs not
compiled. However, there is an exception if the compilation condition includes a swift()
platform condition: The statements are parsed only if the compilerʼs version of Swift
matches what is specified in the platform condition. This exception ensures that an older
compiler doesnʼt attempt to parse syntax introduced in a newer version of Swift.

G R A M M A R O F A C O N D I T I O N A L C O M P I L AT I O N B L O C K

conditional-compilation-block → if-directive-clause elseif-directive-clausesopt else-

directive-clauseopt endif-directive

if-directive-clause → if-directive compilation-condition statementsopt

elseif-directive-clauses → elseif-directive-clause elseif-directive-clausesopt
elseif-directive-clause → elseif-directive compilation-condition statementsopt
else-directive-clause → else-directive statementsopt
if-directive → #if
elseif-directive → #elseif
else-directive → #else
endif-directive → #endif

compilation-condition → platform-condition
compilation-condition → identifier
compilation-condition → boolean-literal
compilation-condition → ( compilation-condition )
compilation-condition → ! compilation-condition
compilation-condition → compilation-condition && compilation-condition
compilation-condition → compilation-condition || compilation-condition

platform-condition → os ( operating-system )
platform-condition → arch ( architecture )
platform-condition → swift ( >= swift-version ) | swift ( < swift-version )
platform-condition → compiler ( >= swift-version ) | compiler ( < swift-version )
platform-condition → canImport ( module-name )
platform-condition → targetEnvironment ( environment )

operating-system → macOS | iOS | watchOS | tvOS

architecture → i386 | x86_64 | arm | arm64
swift-version → decimal-digits swift-version-continuation opt
swift-version-continuation → . decimal-digits swift-version-continuation opt

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module-name → identifier
environment → simulator

Line Control Statement

A line control statement is used to specify a line number and filename that can be
different from the line number and filename of the source code being compiled. Use a
line control statement to change the source code location used by Swift for diagnostic
and debugging purposes.

A line control statement has the following forms:

#sourceLocation(file: filename , line: line number )

#sourceLocation()

The first form of a line control statement changes the values of the #line and #file
literal expressions, beginning with the line of code following the line control statement.
The line number changes the value of #line and is any integer literal greater than zero.
The filename changes the value of #file and is a string literal.

The second form of a line control statement, #sourceLocation(), resets the source
code location back to the default line numbering and filename.

G R A M M A R O F A L I N E C O N T R O L S TAT E M E N T

line-control-statement → #sourceLocation ( file: file-name , line: line-number

)
line-control-statement → #sourceLocation ( )
line-number → A decimal integer greater than zero
file-name → static-string-literal

Compile-Time Diagnostic Statement

A compile-time diagnostic statement causes the compiler to emit an error or a warning
during compilation. A compile-time diagnostic statement has the following forms:

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#error(" error message ")

#warning(" warning message ")

The first form emits the error message as a fatal error and terminates the compilation
process. The second form emits the warning message as a nonfatal warning and allows
compilation to proceed. You write the diagnostic message as a static string literal.
Static string literals canʼt use features like string interpolation or concatenation, but
they can use the multiline string literal syntax.

G R A M M A R O F A C O M P I L E -T I M E D I A G N O S T I C S TAT E M E N T

diagnostic-statement → #error ( diagnostic-message )

diagnostic-statement → #warning ( diagnostic-message )

diagnostic-message → static-string-literal

Availability Condition
An availability condition is used as a condition of an if, while, and guard statement to
query the availability of APIs at runtime, based on specified platforms arguments.

An availability condition has the following form:

if #available( platform name version , ... , *) {

statements to execute if the APIs are available
} else {

fallback statements to execute if the APIs are unavailable

}

You use an availability condition to execute a block of code, depending on whether the
APIs you want to use are available at runtime. The compiler uses the information from
the availability condition when it verifies that the APIs in that block of code are
available.

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The availability condition takes a comma-separated list of platform names and

versions. Use iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS for the platform names, and include the
corresponding version numbers. The * argument is required and specifies that on any
other platform, the body of the code block guarded by the availability condition
executes on the minimum deployment target specified by your target.

Unlike Boolean conditions, you canʼt combine availability conditions using logical
operators such as && and ||.

G R A M M A R O F A N AVA I L A B I L I T Y C O N D I T I O N

availability-condition → #available ( availability-arguments )

availability-arguments → availability-argument | availability-argument , availability-arguments
availability-argument → platform-name platform-version
availability-argument → *

platform-name → iOS | iOSApplicationExtension

platform-name → macOS | macOSApplicationExtension
platform-name → watchOS
platform-name → tvOS
platform-version → decimal-digits
platform-version → decimal-digits . decimal-digits
platform-version → decimal-digits . decimal-digits . decimal-digits

Expressions Declarations

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ON THIS PAGE

Declarations
A declaration introduces a new name or construct into your program. For example, you
use declarations to introduce functions and methods, to introduce variables and
constants, and to define enumeration, structure, class, and protocol types. You can
also use a declaration to extend the behavior of an existing named type and to import
symbols into your program that are declared elsewhere.

In Swift, most declarations are also definitions in the sense that they are implemented
or initialized at the same time they are declared. That said, because protocols donʼt
implement their members, most protocol members are declarations only. For
convenience and because the distinction isnʼt that important in Swift, the term
declaration covers both declarations and definitions.

G R A M M A R O F A D E C L A R AT I O N

declaration → import-declaration
declaration → constant-declaration
declaration → variable-declaration
declaration → typealias-declaration
declaration → function-declaration
declaration → enum-declaration
declaration → struct-declaration
declaration → class-declaration
declaration → protocol-declaration
declaration → initializer-declaration
declaration → deinitializer-declaration
declaration → extension-declaration

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declaration → subscript-declaration
declaration → operator-declaration
declaration → precedence-group-declaration
declarations → declaration declarationsopt

Top-Level Code
The top-level code in a Swift source file consists of zero or more statements,
declarations, and expressions. By default, variables, constants, and other named
declarations that are declared at the top-level of a source file are accessible to code in
every source file that is part of the same module. You can override this default behavior
by marking the declaration with an access-level modifier, as described in Access
Control Levels.

G R A M M A R O F A T O P - L E V E L D E C L A R AT I O N

top-level-declaration → statementsopt

Code Blocks
A code block is used by a variety of declarations and control structures to group
statements together. It has the following form:

{
statements
}

The statements inside a code block include declarations, expressions, and other kinds
of statements and are executed in order of their appearance in source code.

GRAMMAR OF A CODE BLOCK

code-block → { statementsopt }

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Import Declaration
An import declaration lets you access symbols that are declared outside the current
file. The basic form imports the entire module; it consists of the import keyword
followed by a module name:

import module

Providing more detail limits which symbols are imported—you can specify a specific
submodule or a specific declaration within a module or submodule. When this detailed
form is used, only the imported symbol (and not the module that declares it) is made
available in the current scope.

import import kind module . symbol name

import module . submodule

G R A M M A R O F A N I M P O R T D E C L A R AT I O N

import-declaration → attributesopt import import-kindopt import-path

import-kind → typealias | struct | class | enum | protocol | let | var | func

import-path → import-path-identifier | import-path-identifier . import-path
import-path-identifier → identifier | operator

Constant Declaration
A constant declaration introduces a constant named value into your program. Constant
declarations are declared using the let keyword and have the following form:

let constant name : type = expression

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A constant declaration defines an immutable binding between the constant name and
the value of the initializer expression; after the value of a constant is set, it cannot be
changed. That said, if a constant is initialized with a class object, the object itself can
change, but the binding between the constant name and the object it refers to canʼt.

When a constant is declared at global scope, it must be initialized with a value. When a
constant declaration occurs in the context of a function or method, it can be initialized
later, as long as it is guaranteed to have a value set before the first time its value is
read. When a constant declaration occurs in the context of a class or structure
declaration, it is considered a constant property. Constant declarations are not
computed properties and therefore do not have getters or setters.

If the constant name of a constant declaration is a tuple pattern, the name of each item
in the tuple is bound to the corresponding value in the initializer expression.

let (firstNumber, secondNumber) = (10, 42)

In this example, firstNumber is a named constant for the value 10, and secondNumber
is a named constant for the value 42. Both constants can now be used independently:

1 print("The first number is \(firstNumber).")

2 // Prints "The first number is 10."
3 print("The second number is \(secondNumber).")
4 // Prints "The second number is 42."

The type annotation (: type) is optional in a constant declaration when the type of the
constant name can be inferred, as described in Type Inference.

To declare a constant type property, mark the declaration with the static declaration
modifier. Type properties are discussed in Type Properties.

For more information about constants and for guidance about when to use them, see
Constants and Variables and Stored Properties.

G R A M M A R O F A C O N S TA N T D E C L A R AT I O N

constant-declaration → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt let pattern-initializer-list

pattern-initializer-list → pattern-initializer | pattern-initializer , pattern-initializer-list

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pattern-initializer → pattern initializeropt

initializer → = expression

Variable Declaration
A variable declaration introduces a variable named value into your program and is
declared using the var keyword.

Variable declarations have several forms that declare different kinds of named, mutable
values, including stored and computed variables and properties, stored variable and
property observers, and static variable properties. The appropriate form to use
depends on the scope at which the variable is declared and the kind of variable you
intend to declare.

NOTE

You can also declare properties in the context of a protocol declaration, as described in
Protocol Property Declaration.

You can override a property in a subclass by marking the subclassʼs property

declaration with the override declaration modifier, as described in Overriding.

Stored Variables and Stored Variable Properties

The following form declares a stored variable or stored variable property:

var variable name : type = expression

You define this form of a variable declaration at global scope, the local scope of a
function, or in the context of a class or structure declaration. When a variable
declaration of this form is declared at global scope or the local scope of a function, it is
referred to as a stored variable. When it is declared in the context of a class or
structure declaration, it is referred to as a stored variable property.

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The initializer expression canʼt be present in a protocol declaration, but in all other
contexts, the initializer expression is optional. That said, if no initializer expression is
present, the variable declaration must include an explicit type annotation (: type).

As with constant declarations, if the variable name is a tuple pattern, the name of each
item in the tuple is bound to the corresponding value in the initializer expression.

As their names suggest, the value of a stored variable or a stored variable property is
stored in memory.

Computed Variables and Computed Properties

The following form declares a computed variable or computed property:

var variable name : type {

get {
statements
}
set( setter name ) {
statements
}
}

You define this form of a variable declaration at global scope, the local scope of a
function, or in the context of a class, structure, enumeration, or extension declaration.
When a variable declaration of this form is declared at global scope or the local scope
of a function, it is referred to as a computed variable. When it is declared in the context
of a class, structure, or extension declaration, it is referred to as a computed property.

The getter is used to read the value, and the setter is used to write the value. The
setter clause is optional, and when only a getter is needed, you can omit both clauses
and simply return the requested value directly, as described in Read-Only Computed
Properties. But if you provide a setter clause, you must also provide a getter clause.

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The setter name and enclosing parentheses is optional. If you provide a setter name, it
is used as the name of the parameter to the setter. If you do not provide a setter name,
the default parameter name to the setter is newValue, as described in Shorthand Setter
Declaration.

Unlike stored named values and stored variable properties, the value of a computed
named value or a computed property is not stored in memory.

For more information and to see examples of computed properties, see Computed
Properties.

Stored Variable Observers and Property Observers

You can also declare a stored variable or property with willSet and didSet observers.
A stored variable or property declared with observers has the following form:

var variable name : type = expression {

willSet( setter name ) {
statements
}
didSet( setter name ) {
statements
}
}

You define this form of a variable declaration at global scope, the local scope of a
function, or in the context of a class or structure declaration. When a variable
declaration of this form is declared at global scope or the local scope of a function, the
observers are referred to as stored variable observers. When it is declared in the
context of a class or structure declaration, the observers are referred to as property
observers.

You can add property observers to any stored property. You can also add property
observers to any inherited property (whether stored or computed) by overriding the
property within a subclass, as described in Overriding Property Observers.

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The initializer expression is optional in the context of a class or structure declaration,

but required elsewhere. The type annotation is optional when the type can be inferred
from the initializer expression.

The willSet and didSet observers provide a way to observe (and to respond
appropriately) when the value of a variable or property is being set. The observers are
not called when the variable or property is first initialized. Instead, they are called only
when the value is set outside of an initialization context.

A willSet observer is called just before the value of the variable or property is set. The
new value is passed to the willSet observer as a constant, and therefore it canʼt be
changed in the implementation of the willSet clause. The didSet observer is called
immediately after the new value is set. In contrast to the willSet observer, the old
value of the variable or property is passed to the didSet observer in case you still need
access to it. That said, if you assign a value to a variable or property within its own
didSet observer clause, that new value that you assign will replace the one that was
just set and passed to the willSet observer.

The setter name and enclosing parentheses in the willSet and didSet clauses are
optional. If you provide setter names, they are used as the parameter names to the
willSet and didSet observers. If you do not provide setter names, the default
parameter name to the willSet observer is newValue and the default parameter name
to the didSet observer is oldValue.

The didSet clause is optional when you provide a willSet clause. Likewise, the
willSet clause is optional when you provide a didSet clause.

For more information and to see an example of how to use property observers, see
Property Observers.

Type Variable Properties

To declare a type variable property, mark the declaration with the static declaration
modifier. Classes may mark type computed properties with the class declaration
modifier instead to allow subclasses to override the superclassʼs implementation. Type
properties are discussed in Type Properties.

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NOTE

In a class declaration, the static keyword has the same effect as marking the declaration
with both the class and final declaration modifiers.

G R A M M A R O F A VA R I A B L E D E C L A R AT I O N

variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head pattern-initializer-list

variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation code-block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation getter-setter-
block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation getter-setter-
keyword-block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name initializer willSet-didSet-block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation initializeropt
willSet-didSet-block

variable-declaration-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt var

variable-name → identifier

getter-setter-block → code-block
getter-setter-block → { getter-clause setter-clauseopt }
getter-setter-block → { setter-clause getter-clause }
getter-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt get code-block
setter-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt set setter-nameopt code-block
setter-name → ( identifier )

getter-setter-keyword-block → { getter-keyword-clause setter-keyword-clauseopt }

getter-setter-keyword-block → { setter-keyword-clause getter-keyword-clause }
getter-keyword-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt get
setter-keyword-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt set

willSet-didSet-block → { willSet-clause didSet-clauseopt }

willSet-didSet-block → { didSet-clause willSet-clauseopt }
willSet-clause → attributesopt willSet setter-nameopt code-block
didSet-clause → attributesopt didSet setter-nameopt code-block

Type Alias Declaration

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A type alias declaration introduces a named alias of an existing type into your program.
Type alias declarations are declared using the typealias keyword and have the
following form:

typealias name = existing type

After a type alias is declared, the aliased name can be used instead of the existing type
everywhere in your program. The existing type can be a named type or a compound
type. Type aliases do not create new types; they simply allow a name to refer to an
existing type.

A type alias declaration can use generic parameters to give a name to an existing
generic type. The type alias can provide concrete types for some or all of the generic
parameters of the existing type. For example:

1 typealias StringDictionary<Value> = Dictionary<String, Value>

2
3 // The following dictionaries have the same type.
4 var dictionary1: StringDictionary<Int> = [:]
5 var dictionary2: Dictionary<String, Int> = [:]

When a type alias is declared with generic parameters, the constraints on those
parameters must match exactly the constraints on the existing typeʼs generic
parameters. For example:

typealias DictionaryOfInts<Key: Hashable> = Dictionary<Key,

Int>

Because the type alias and the existing type can be used interchangeably, the type
alias canʼt introduce additional generic constraints.

A type alias can forward an existing typeʼs generic parameters by omitting all generic
parameters from the declaration. For example, the Diccionario type alias declared
here has the same generic parameters and constraints as Dictionary.

typealias Diccionario = Dictionary

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Inside a protocol declaration, a type alias can give a shorter and more convenient name
to a type that is used frequently. For example:

1 protocol Sequence {
2 associatedtype Iterator: IteratorProtocol
3 typealias Element = Iterator.Element
4 }
5
6 func sum<T: Sequence>(_ sequence: T) -> Int where T.Element ==
Int {
7 // ...
8 }

Without this type alias, the sum function would have to refer to the associated type as
T.Iterator.Element instead of T.Element.

See also Protocol Associated Type Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E A L I A S D E C L A R AT I O N

typealias-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt typealias typealias-name

generic-parameter-clauseopt typealias-assignment
typealias-name → identifier
typealias-assignment → = type

Function Declaration
A function declaration introduces a function or method into your program. A function
declared in the context of class, structure, enumeration, or protocol is referred to as a
method. Function declarations are declared using the func keyword and have the
following form:

func function name ( parameters ) -> return type {

statements
}

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If the function has a return type of Void, the return type can be omitted as follows:

func function name ( parameters ) {

statements
}

The type of each parameter must be included—it canʼt be inferred. If you write inout in
front of a parameterʼs type, the parameter can be modified inside the scope of the
function. In-out parameters are discussed in detail in In-Out Parameters, below.

Functions can return multiple values using a tuple type as the return type of the
function.

A function definition can appear inside another function declaration. This kind of
function is known as a nested function.

A nested function is nonescaping if it captures a value that is guaranteed to never

escape—such as an in-out parameter—or passed as a nonescaping function
argument. Otherwise, the nested function is an escaping function.

For a discussion of nested functions, see Nested Functions.

Parameter Names
Function parameters are a comma-separated list where each parameter has one of
several forms. The order of arguments in a function call must match the order of
parameters in the functionʼs declaration. The simplest entry in a parameter list has the
following form:

parameter name : parameter type

A parameter has a name, which is used within the function body, as well as an
argument label, which is used when calling the function or method. By default,
parameter names are also used as argument labels. For example:

1 func f(x: Int, y: Int) -> Int { return x + y }

2 f(x: 1, y: 2) // both x and y are labeled

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You can override the default behavior for argument labels with one of the following
forms:

argument label parameter name : parameter type

_ parameter name : parameter type

A name before the parameter name gives the parameter an explicit argument label,
which can be different from the parameter name. The corresponding argument must
use the given argument label in function or method calls.

An underscore (_) before a parameter name suppresses the argument label. The
corresponding argument must have no label in function or method calls.

1 func repeatGreeting(_ greeting: String, count n: Int) { /*

Greet n times */ }
2 repeatGreeting("Hello, world!", count: 2) // count is labeled,
greeting is not

In-Out Parameters
In-out parameters are passed as follows:

X. When the function is called, the value of the argument is copied.

Y. In the body of the function, the copy is modified.
Z. When the function returns, the copyʼs value is assigned to the original argument.

This behavior is known as copy-in copy-out or call by value result. For example, when a
computed property or a property with observers is passed as an in-out parameter, its
getter is called as part of the function call and its setter is called as part of the function
return.

As an optimization, when the argument is a value stored at a physical address in

memory, the same memory location is used both inside and outside the function body.
The optimized behavior is known as call by reference; it satisfies all of the requirements
of the copy-in copy-out model while removing the overhead of copying. Write your
code using the model given by copy-in copy-out, without depending on the call-by-
reference optimization, so that it behaves correctly with or without the optimization.

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Within a function, donʼt access a value that was passed as an in-out argument, even if
the original value is available in the current scope. Accessing the original is a
simultaneous access of the value, which violates Swiftʼs memory exclusivity guarantee.
For the same reason, you canʼt pass the same value to multiple in-out parameters.

For more information about memory safety and memory exclusivity, see Memory
Safety.

A closure or nested function that captures an in-out parameter must be nonescaping. If

you need to capture an in-out parameter without mutating it or to observe changes
made by other code, use a capture list to explicitly capture the parameter immutably.

1 func someFunction(a: inout Int) -> () -> Int {

2 return { [a] in return a + 1 }
3 }

If you need to capture and mutate an in-out parameter, use an explicit local copy, such
as in multithreaded code that ensures all mutation has finished before the function
returns.

1 func multithreadedFunction(queue: DispatchQueue, x: inout Int)

{
2 // Make a local copy and manually copy it back.
3 var localX = x
4 defer { x = localX }
5
6 // Operate on localX asynchronously, then wait before
returning.
7 queue.async { someMutatingOperation(&localX) }
8 queue.sync {}
9 }

For more discussion and examples of in-out parameters, see In-Out Parameters.

Special Kinds of Parameters

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Parameters can be ignored, take a variable number of values, and provide default
values using the following forms:

_ : parameter type
parameter name : parameter type ...
parameter name : parameter type = default argument value

An underscore (_) parameter is explicitly ignored and canʼt be accessed within the
body of the function.

A parameter with a base type name followed immediately by three dots (...) is
understood as a variadic parameter. A function can have at most one variadic
parameter. A variadic parameter is treated as an array that contains elements of the
base type name. For example, the variadic parameter Int... is treated as [Int]. For
an example that uses a variadic parameter, see Variadic Parameters.

A parameter with an equals sign (=) and an expression after its type is understood to
have a default value of the given expression. The given expression is evaluated when
the function is called. If the parameter is omitted when calling the function, the default
value is used instead.

1 func f(x: Int = 42) -> Int { return x }

2 f() // Valid, uses default value
3 f(x: 7) // Valid, uses the value provided
4 f(7) // Invalid, missing argument label

Special Kinds of Methods

Methods on an enumeration or a structure that modify self must be marked with the
mutating declaration modifier.

Methods that override a superclass method must be marked with the override
declaration modifier. Itʼs a compile-time error to override a method without the
override modifier or to use the override modifier on a method that doesnʼt override a
superclass method.

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Methods associated with a type rather than an instance of a type must be marked with
the static declaration modifier for enumerations and structures, or with either the
static or class declaration modifier for classes. A class type method marked with the
class declaration modifier can be overridden by a subclass implementation; a class
type method marked with static canʼt be overridden.

Throwing Functions and Methods

Functions and methods that can throw an error must be marked with the throws
keyword. These functions and methods are known as throwing functions and throwing
methods. They have the following form:

func function name ( parameters ) throws -> return type {

statements
}

Calls to a throwing function or method must be wrapped in a try or try! expression

(that is, in the scope of a try or try! operator).

The throws keyword is part of a functionʼs type, and nonthrowing functions are
subtypes of throwing functions. As a result, you can use a nonthrowing function in the
same places as a throwing one.

You canʼt overload a function based only on whether the function can throw an error.
That said, you can overload a function based on whether a function parameter can
throw an error.

A throwing method canʼt override a nonthrowing method, and a throwing method canʼt
satisfy a protocol requirement for a nonthrowing method. That said, a nonthrowing
method can override a throwing method, and a nonthrowing method can satisfy a
protocol requirement for a throwing method.

Rethrowing Functions and Methods

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A function or method can be declared with the rethrows keyword to indicate that it
throws an error only if one of its function parameters throws an error. These functions
and methods are known as rethrowing functions and rethrowing methods. Rethrowing
functions and methods must have at least one throwing function parameter.

1 func someFunction(callback: () throws -> Void) rethrows {

2 try callback()
3 }

A rethrowing function or method can contain a throw statement only inside a catch
clause. This lets you call the throwing function inside a do-catch block and handle
errors in the catch clause by throwing a different error. In addition, the catch clause
must handle only errors thrown by one of the rethrowing functionʼs throwing
parameters. For example, the following is invalid because the catch clause would
handle the error thrown by alwaysThrows().

1 func alwaysThrows() throws {

2 throw SomeError.error
3 }
4 func someFunction(callback: () throws -> Void) rethrows {
5 do {
6 try callback()
7 try alwaysThrows() // Invalid, alwaysThrows() isn't a
throwing parameter
8 } catch {
9 throw AnotherError.error
10 }
11 }

A throwing method canʼt override a rethrowing method, and a throwing method canʼt
satisfy a protocol requirement for a rethrowing method. That said, a rethrowing method
can override a throwing method, and a rethrowing method can satisfy a protocol
requirement for a throwing method.

Functions that Never Return

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Swift defines a Never type, which indicates that a function or method doesnʼt return to
its caller. Functions and methods with the Never return type are called nonreturning.
Nonreturning functions and methods either cause an irrecoverable error or begin a
sequence of work that continues indefinitely. This means that code that would
otherwise run immediately after the call is never executed. Throwing and rethrowing
functions can transfer program control to an appropriate catch block, even when they
are nonreturning.

A nonreturning function or method can be called to conclude the else clause of a

guard statement, as discussed in Guard Statement.

You can override a nonreturning method, but the new method must preserve its return
type and nonreturning behavior.

G R A M M A R O F A F U N C T I O N D E C L A R AT I O N

function-declaration → function-head function-name generic-parameter-clauseopt function-

signature generic-where-clause opt function-bodyopt

function-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt func

function-name → identifier | operator

function-signature → parameter-clause throwsopt function-resultopt

function-signature → parameter-clause rethrows function-resultopt
function-result → -> attributesopt type
function-body → code-block

parameter-clause → ( ) | ( parameter-list )
parameter-list → parameter | parameter , parameter-list
parameter → external-parameter-nameopt local-parameter-name type-annotation default-
argument-clauseopt
parameter → external-parameter-nameopt local-parameter-name type-annotation
parameter → external-parameter-nameopt local-parameter-name type-annotation ...
external-parameter-name → identifier
local-parameter-name → identifier
default-argument-clause → = expression

Enumeration Declaration
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An enumeration declaration introduces a named enumeration type into your program.

Enumeration declarations have two basic forms and are declared using the enum
keyword. The body of an enumeration declared using either form contains zero or more
values—called enumeration cases—and any number of declarations, including
computed properties, instance methods, type methods, initializers, type aliases, and
even other enumeration, structure, and class declarations. Enumeration declarations
canʼt contain deinitializer or protocol declarations.

Enumeration types can adopt any number of protocols, but canʼt inherit from classes,
structures, or other enumerations.

Unlike classes and structures, enumeration types do not have an implicitly provided
default initializer; all initializers must be declared explicitly. Initializers can delegate to
other initializers in the enumeration, but the initialization process is complete only after
an initializer assigns one of the enumeration cases to self.

Like structures but unlike classes, enumerations are value types; instances of an
enumeration are copied when assigned to variables or constants, or when passed as
arguments to a function call. For information about value types, see Structures and
Enumerations Are Value Types.

You can extend the behavior of an enumeration type with an extension declaration, as
discussed in Extension Declaration.

Enumerations with Cases of Any Type

The following form declares an enumeration type that contains enumeration cases of
any type:

enum enumeration name : adopted protocols {

case enumeration case 1
case enumeration case 2 ( associated value types )
}

Enumerations declared in this form are sometimes called discriminated unions in other
programming languages.

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In this form, each case block consists of the case keyword followed by one or more
enumeration cases, separated by commas. The name of each case must be unique.
Each case can also specify that it stores values of a given type. These types are
specified in the associated value types tuple, immediately following the name of the
case.

Enumeration cases that store associated values can be used as functions that create
instances of the enumeration with the specified associated values. And just like
functions, you can get a reference to an enumeration case and apply it later in your
code.

1 enum Number {
2 case integer(Int)
3 case real(Double)
4 }
5 let f = Number.integer
6 // f is a function of type (Int) -> Number
7
8 // Apply f to create an array of Number instances with integer
values
9 let evenInts: [Number] = [0, 2, 4, 6].map(f)

For more information and to see examples of cases with associated value types, see
Associated Values.

Enumerations with Indirection

Enumerations can have a recursive structure, that is, they can have cases with
associated values that are instances of the enumeration type itself. However, instances
of enumeration types have value semantics, which means they have a fixed layout in
memory. To support recursion, the compiler must insert a layer of indirection.

To enable indirection for a particular enumeration case, mark it with the indirect
declaration modifier. An indirect case must have an associated value.

1 enum Tree<T> {

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2 case empty
3 indirect case node(value: T, left: Tree, right: Tree)
4 }

To enable indirection for all the cases of an enumeration that have an associated value,
mark the entire enumeration with the indirect modifier—this is convenient when the
enumeration contains many cases that would each need to be marked with the
indirect modifier.

An enumeration that is marked with the indirect modifier can contain a mixture of
cases that have associated values and cases those that donʼt. That said, it canʼt
contain any cases that are also marked with the indirect modifier.

Enumerations with Cases of a Raw-Value Type

The following form declares an enumeration type that contains enumeration cases of
the same basic type:

enum enumeration name : raw-value type , adopted protocols {

case enumeration case 1 = raw value 1
case enumeration case 2 = raw value 2
}

In this form, each case block consists of the case keyword, followed by one or more
enumeration cases, separated by commas. Unlike the cases in the first form, each case
has an underlying value, called a raw value, of the same basic type. The type of these
values is specified in the raw-value type and must represent an integer, floating-point
number, string, or single character. In particular, the raw-value type must conform to
the Equatable protocol and one of the following protocols:
ExpressibleByIntegerLiteral for integer literals, ExpressibleByFloatLiteral for
floating-point literals, ExpressibleByStringLiteral for string literals that contain any
number of characters, and ExpressibleByUnicodeScalarLiteral or
ExpressibleByExtendedGraphemeClusterLiteral for string literals that contain only a
single character. Each case must have a unique name and be assigned a unique raw
value.

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If the raw-value type is specified as Int and you donʼt assign a value to the cases
explicitly, they are implicitly assigned the values 0, 1, 2, and so on. Each unassigned
case of type Int is implicitly assigned a raw value that is automatically incremented
from the raw value of the previous case.

1 enum ExampleEnum: Int {

2 case a, b, c = 5, d
3 }

In the above example, the raw value of ExampleEnum.a is 0 and the value of
ExampleEnum.b is 1. And because the value of ExampleEnum.c is explicitly set to 5, the
value of ExampleEnum.d is automatically incremented from 5 and is therefore 6.

If the raw-value type is specified as String and you donʼt assign values to the cases
explicitly, each unassigned case is implicitly assigned a string with the same text as the
name of that case.

1 enum GamePlayMode: String {

2 case cooperative, individual, competitive
3 }

In the above example, the raw value of GamePlayMode.cooperative is "cooperative",

the raw value of GamePlayMode.individual is "individual",. and the raw value of
GamePlayMode.competitive is "competitive".

Enumerations that have cases of a raw-value type implicitly conform to the

RawRepresentable protocol, defined in the Swift standard library. As a result, they have
a rawValue property and a failable initializer with the signature
init?(rawValue: RawValue). You can use the rawValue property to access the raw
value of an enumeration case, as in ExampleEnum.b.rawValue. You can also use a raw
value to find a corresponding case, if there is one, by calling the enumerationʼs failable
initializer, as in ExampleEnum(rawValue: 5), which returns an optional case. For more
information and to see examples of cases with raw-value types, see Raw Values.

Accessing Enumeration Cases

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To reference the case of an enumeration type, use dot (.) syntax, as in

EnumerationType.enumerationCase. When the enumeration type can be inferred from
context, you can omit it (the dot is still required), as described in Enumeration Syntax
and Implicit Member Expression.

To check the values of enumeration cases, use a switch statement, as shown in

Matching Enumeration Values with a Switch Statement. The enumeration type is
pattern-matched against the enumeration case patterns in the case blocks of the
switch statement, as described in Enumeration Case Pattern.

G R A M M A R O F A N E N U M E R AT I O N D E C L A R AT I O N

enum-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt union-style-enum

enum-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt raw-value-style-enum

union-style-enum → indirectopt enum enum-name generic-parameter-clauseopt type-

inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt { union-style-enum-membersopt }
union-style-enum-members → union-style-enum-member union-style-enum-membersopt
union-style-enum-member → declaration | union-style-enum-case-clause | compiler-control-
statement
union-style-enum-case-clause → attributesopt indirectopt case union-style-enum-
case-list
union-style-enum-case-list → union-style-enum-case | union-style-enum-case , union-
style-enum-case-list
union-style-enum-case → enum-case-name tuple-type opt
enum-name → identifier
enum-case-name → identifier

raw-value-style-enum → enum enum-name generic-parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-

clause generic-where-clause opt { raw-value-style-enum-members }
raw-value-style-enum-members → raw-value-style-enum-member raw-value-style-enum-
membersopt
raw-value-style-enum-member → declaration | raw-value-style-enum-case-clause |
compiler-control-statement
raw-value-style-enum-case-clause → attributesopt case raw-value-style-enum-case-list
raw-value-style-enum-case-list → raw-value-style-enum-case | raw-value-style-enum-case
, raw-value-style-enum-case-list
raw-value-style-enum-case → enum-case-name raw-value-assignment opt
raw-value-assignment → = raw-value-literal
raw-value-literal → numeric-literal | static-string-literal | boolean-literal

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Structure Declaration
A structure declaration introduces a named structure type into your program. Structure
declarations are declared using the struct keyword and have the following form:

struct structure name : adopted protocols {

declarations
}

The body of a structure contains zero or more declarations. These declarations can
include both stored and computed properties, type properties, instance methods, type
methods, initializers, subscripts, type aliases, and even other structure, class, and
enumeration declarations. Structure declarations canʼt contain deinitializer or protocol
declarations. For a discussion and several examples of structures that include various
kinds of declarations, see Structures and Classes.

Structure types can adopt any number of protocols, but canʼt inherit from classes,
enumerations, or other structures.

There are three ways to create an instance of a previously declared structure:

Call one of the initializers declared within the structure, as described in Initializers.
If no initializers are declared, call the structureʼs memberwise initializer, as
described in Memberwise Initializers for Structure Types.
If no initializers are declared, and all properties of the structure declaration were
given initial values, call the structureʼs default initializer, as described in Default
Initializers.

The process of initializing a structureʼs declared properties is described in Initialization.

Properties of a structure instance can be accessed using dot (.) syntax, as described
in Accessing Properties.

Structures are value types; instances of a structure are copied when assigned to
variables or constants, or when passed as arguments to a function call. For information
about value types, see Structures and Enumerations Are Value Types.

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You can extend the behavior of a structure type with an extension declaration, as
discussed in Extension Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A S T R U C T U R E D E C L A R AT I O N

struct-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt struct struct-name generic-

parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt struct-body
struct-name → identifier
struct-body → { struct-membersopt }

struct-members → struct-member struct-membersopt

struct-member → declaration | compiler-control-statement

Class Declaration
A class declaration introduces a named class type into your program. Class
declarations are declared using the class keyword and have the following form:

class class name : superclass , adopted protocols {

declarations
}

The body of a class contains zero or more declarations. These declarations can include
both stored and computed properties, instance methods, type methods, initializers, a
single deinitializer, subscripts, type aliases, and even other class, structure, and
enumeration declarations. Class declarations canʼt contain protocol declarations. For a
discussion and several examples of classes that include various kinds of declarations,
see Structures and Classes.

A class type can inherit from only one parent class, its superclass, but can adopt any
number of protocols. The superclass appears first after the class name and colon,
followed by any adopted protocols. Generic classes can inherit from other generic and
nongeneric classes, but a nongeneric class can inherit only from other nongeneric
classes. When you write the name of a generic superclass class after the colon, you
must include the full name of that generic class, including its generic parameter clause.

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As discussed in Initializer Declaration, classes can have designated and convenience

initializers. The designated initializer of a class must initialize all of the classʼs declared
properties and it must do so before calling any of its superclassʼs designated
initializers.

A class can override properties, methods, subscripts, and initializers of its superclass.
Overridden properties, methods, subscripts, and designated initializers must be
marked with the override declaration modifier.

To require that subclasses implement a superclassʼs initializer, mark the superclassʼs

initializer with the required declaration modifier. The subclassʼs implementation of that
initializer must also be marked with the required declaration modifier.

Although properties and methods declared in the superclass are inherited by the
current class, designated initializers declared in the superclass are only inherited when
the subclass meets the conditions described in Automatic Initializer Inheritance. Swift
classes do not inherit from a universal base class.

There are two ways to create an instance of a previously declared class:

Call one of the initializers declared within the class, as described in Initializers.
If no initializers are declared, and all properties of the class declaration were given
initial values, call the classʼs default initializer, as described in Default Initializers.

Access properties of a class instance with dot (.) syntax, as described in Accessing
Properties.

Classes are reference types; instances of a class are referred to, rather than copied,
when assigned to variables or constants, or when passed as arguments to a function
call. For information about reference types, see Structures and Enumerations Are Value
Types.

You can extend the behavior of a class type with an extension declaration, as
discussed in Extension Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A C L A S S D E C L A R AT I O N

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class-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt finalopt class class-name

generic-parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt class-
body
class-declaration → attributesopt final access-level-modifieropt class class-name
generic-parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt class-
body
class-name → identifier
class-body → { class-membersopt }

class-members → class-member class-membersopt

class-member → declaration | compiler-control-statement

Protocol Declaration
A protocol declaration introduces a named protocol type into your program. Protocol
declarations are declared at global scope using the protocol keyword and have the
following form:

protocol protocol name : inherited protocols {

protocol member declarations
}

The body of a protocol contains zero or more protocol member declarations, which
describe the conformance requirements that any type adopting the protocol must
fulfill. In particular, a protocol can declare that conforming types must implement
certain properties, methods, initializers, and subscripts. Protocols can also declare
special kinds of type aliases, called associated types, that can specify relationships
among the various declarations of the protocol. Protocol declarations canʼt contain
class, structure, enumeration, or other protocol declarations. The protocol member
declarations are discussed in detail below.

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Protocol types can inherit from any number of other protocols. When a protocol type
inherits from other protocols, the set of requirements from those other protocols are
aggregated, and any type that inherits from the current protocol must conform to all
those requirements. For an example of how to use protocol inheritance, see Protocol
Inheritance.

NOTE

You can also aggregate the conformance requirements of multiple protocols using
protocol composition types, as described in Protocol Composition Type and Protocol
Composition.

You can add protocol conformance to a previously declared type by adopting the
protocol in an extension declaration of that type. In the extension, you must implement
all of the adopted protocolʼs requirements. If the type already implements all of the
requirements, you can leave the body of the extension declaration empty.

By default, types that conform to a protocol must implement all properties, methods,
and subscripts declared in the protocol. That said, you can mark these protocol
member declarations with the optional declaration modifier to specify that their
implementation by a conforming type is optional. The optional modifier can be applied
only to members that are marked with the objc attribute, and only to members of
protocols that are marked with the objc attribute. As a result, only class types can
adopt and conform to a protocol that contains optional member requirements. For
more information about how to use the optional declaration modifier and for guidance
about how to access optional protocol members—for example, when youʼre not sure
whether a conforming type implements them—see Optional Protocol Requirements.

To restrict the adoption of a protocol to class types only, include the AnyObject
protocol in the inherited protocols list after the colon. For example, the following
protocol can be adopted only by class types:

1 protocol SomeProtocol: AnyObject {

2 /* Protocol members go here */
3 }

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Any protocol that inherits from a protocol thatʼs marked with the AnyObject
requirement can likewise be adopted only by class types.

NOTE

If a protocol is marked with the objc attribute, the AnyObject requirement is implicitly
applied to that protocol; thereʼs no need to mark the protocol with the AnyObject
requirement explicitly.

Protocols are named types, and thus they can appear in all the same places in your
code as other named types, as discussed in Protocols as Types. However, you canʼt
construct an instance of a protocol, because protocols do not actually provide the
implementations for the requirements they specify.

You can use protocols to declare which methods a delegate of a class or structure
should implement, as described in Delegation.

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt protocol protocol-name

type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt protocol-body
protocol-name → identifier
protocol-body → { protocol-membersopt }

protocol-members → protocol-member protocol-membersopt

protocol-member → protocol-member-declaration | compiler-control-statement

protocol-member-declaration → protocol-property-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-method-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-initializer-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-subscript-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-associated-type-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → typealias-declaration

Protocol Property Declaration

Protocols declare that conforming types must implement a property by including a
protocol property declaration in the body of the protocol declaration. Protocol property
declarations have a special form of a variable declaration:

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var property name : type { get set }

As with other protocol member declarations, these property declarations declare only
the getter and setter requirements for types that conform to the protocol. As a result,
you donʼt implement the getter or setter directly in the protocol in which it is declared.

The getter and setter requirements can be satisfied by a conforming type in a variety of
ways. If a property declaration includes both the get and set keywords, a conforming
type can implement it with a stored variable property or a computed property that is
both readable and writeable (that is, one that implements both a getter and a setter).
However, that property declaration canʼt be implemented as a constant property or a
read-only computed property. If a property declaration includes only the get keyword,
it can be implemented as any kind of property. For examples of conforming types that
implement the property requirements of a protocol, see Property Requirements.

See also Variable Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L P R O P E R T Y D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-property-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation

getter-setter-keyword-block

Protocol Method Declaration

Protocols declare that conforming types must implement a method by including a
protocol method declaration in the body of the protocol declaration. Protocol method
declarations have the same form as function declarations, with two exceptions: They
donʼt include a function body, and you canʼt provide any default parameter values as
part of the function declaration. For examples of conforming types that implement the
method requirements of a protocol, see Method Requirements.

To declare a class or static method requirement in a protocol declaration, mark the

method declaration with the static declaration modifier. Classes that implement this
method declare the method with the class modifier. Structures that implement it must
declare the method with the static declaration modifier instead. If youʼre
implementing the method in an extension, use the class modifier if youʼre extending a
class and the static modifier if youʼre extending a structure.
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See also Function Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L M E T H O D D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-method-declaration → function-head function-name generic-parameter-clauseopt

function-signature generic-where-clause opt

Protocol Initializer Declaration

Protocols declare that conforming types must implement an initializer by including a
protocol initializer declaration in the body of the protocol declaration. Protocol initializer
declarations have the same form as initializer declarations, except they donʼt include
the initializerʼs body.

A conforming type can satisfy a nonfailable protocol initializer requirement by

implementing a nonfailable initializer or an init! failable initializer. A conforming type
can satisfy a failable protocol initializer requirement by implementing any kind of
initializer.

When a class implements an initializer to satisfy a protocolʼs initializer requirement, the

initializer must be marked with the required declaration modifier if the class is not
already marked with the final declaration modifier.

See also Initializer Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L I N I T I A L I Z E R D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-

clause throwsopt generic-where-clause opt
protocol-initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-
clause rethrows generic-where-clause opt

Protocol Subscript Declaration

Protocols declare that conforming types must implement a subscript by including a
protocol subscript declaration in the body of the protocol declaration. Protocol
subscript declarations have a special form of a subscript declaration:

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subscript ( parameters ) -> return type { get set }

Subscript declarations only declare the minimum getter and setter implementation
requirements for types that conform to the protocol. If the subscript declaration
includes both the get and set keywords, a conforming type must implement both a
getter and a setter clause. If the subscript declaration includes only the get keyword, a
conforming type must implement at least a getter clause and optionally can implement
a setter clause.

See also Subscript Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L S U B S C R I P T D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt

getter-setter-keyword-block

Protocol Associated Type Declaration

Protocols declare associated types using the associatedtype keyword. An associated
type provides an alias for a type that is used as part of a protocolʼs declaration.
Associated types are similar to type parameters in generic parameter clauses, but
theyʼre associated with Self in the protocol in which theyʼre declared. In that context,
Self refers to the eventual type that conforms to the protocol. For more information
and examples, see Associated Types.

You use a generic where clause in a protocol declaration to add constraints to an

associated types inherited from another protocol, without redeclaring the associated
types. For example, the declarations of SubProtocol below are equivalent:

1 protocol SomeProtocol {
2 associatedtype SomeType
3 }
4
5 protocol SubProtocolA: SomeProtocol {
6 // This syntax produces a warning.
7 associatedtype SomeType: Equatable
8 }

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9
10 // This syntax is preferred.
11 protocol SubProtocolB: SomeProtocol where SomeType: Equatable {
}

See also Type Alias Declaration.

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L A S S O C I AT E D T Y P E D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-associated-type-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt

associatedtype typealias-name type-inheritance-clauseopt typealias-assignmentopt
generic-where-clause opt

Initializer Declaration
An initializer declaration introduces an initializer for a class, structure, or enumeration
into your program. Initializer declarations are declared using the init keyword and
have two basic forms.

Structure, enumeration, and class types can have any number of initializers, but the
rules and associated behavior for class initializers are different. Unlike structures and
enumerations, classes have two kinds of initializers: designated initializers and
convenience initializers, as described in Initialization.

The following form declares initializers for structures, enumerations, and designated
initializers of classes:

init( parameters ) {
statements
}

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A designated initializer of a class initializes all of the classʼs properties directly. It canʼt
call any other initializers of the same class, and if the class has a superclass, it must call
one of the superclassʼs designated initializers. If the class inherits any properties from
its superclass, one of the superclassʼs designated initializers must be called before any
of these properties can be set or modified in the current class.

Designated initializers can be declared in the context of a class declaration only and
therefore canʼt be added to a class using an extension declaration.

Initializers in structures and enumerations can call other declared initializers to delegate
part or all of the initialization process.

To declare convenience initializers for a class, mark the initializer declaration with the
convenience declaration modifier.

convenience init( parameters ) {

statements
}

Convenience initializers can delegate the initialization process to another convenience

initializer or to one of the classʼs designated initializers. That said, the initialization
processes must end with a call to a designated initializer that ultimately initializes the
classʼs properties. Convenience initializers canʼt call a superclassʼs initializers.

You can mark designated and convenience initializers with the required declaration
modifier to require that every subclass implement the initializer. A subclassʼs
implementation of that initializer must also be marked with the required declaration
modifier.

By default, initializers declared in a superclass are not inherited by subclasses. That

said, if a subclass initializes all of its stored properties with default values and doesnʼt
define any initializers of its own, it inherits all of the superclassʼs initializers. If the
subclass overrides all of the superclassʼs designated initializers, it inherits the
superclassʼs convenience initializers.

As with methods, properties, and subscripts, you need to mark overridden designated
initializers with the override declaration modifier.

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NOTE

If you mark an initializer with the required declaration modifier, you donʼt also mark the
initializer with the override modifier when you override the required initializer in a
subclass.

Just like functions and methods, initializers can throw or rethrow errors. And just like
functions and methods, you use the throws or rethrows keyword after an initializerʼs
parameters to indicate the appropriate behavior.

To see examples of initializers in various type declarations, see Initialization.

Failable Initializers
A failable initializer is a type of initializer that produces an optional instance or an
implicitly unwrapped optional instance of the type the initializer is declared on. As a
result, a failable initializer can return nil to indicate that initialization failed.

To declare a failable initializer that produces an optional instance, append a question

mark to the init keyword in the initializer declaration (init?). To declare a failable
initializer that produces an implicitly unwrapped optional instance, append an
exclamation mark instead (init!). The example below shows an init? failable
initializer that produces an optional instance of a structure.

1 struct SomeStruct {
2 let property: String
3 // produces an optional instance of 'SomeStruct'
4 init?(input: String) {
5 if input.isEmpty {
6 // discard 'self' and return 'nil'
7 return nil
8 }
9 property = input
10 }
11 }

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You call an init? failable initializer in the same way that you call a nonfailable initializer,
except that you must deal with the optionality of the result.

1 if let actualInstance = SomeStruct(input: "Hello") {

2 // do something with the instance of 'SomeStruct'
3 } else {
4 // initialization of 'SomeStruct' failed and the
initializer returned 'nil'
5 }

A failable initializer can return nil at any point in the implementation of the initializerʼs
body.

A failable initializer can delegate to any kind of initializer. A nonfailable initializer can
delegate to another nonfailable initializer or to an init! failable initializer. A nonfailable
initializer can delegate to an init? failable initializer by force-unwrapping the result of
the superclassʼs initializer—for example, by writing super.init()!.

Initialization failure propagates through initializer delegation. Specifically, if a failable

initializer delegates to an initializer that fails and returns nil, then the initializer that
delegated also fails and implicitly returns nil. If a nonfailable initializer delegates to an
init! failable initializer that fails and returns nil, then a runtime error is raised (as if
you used the ! operator to unwrap an optional that has a nil value).

A failable designated initializer can be overridden in a subclass by any kind of

designated initializer. A nonfailable designated initializer can be overridden in a
subclass by a nonfailable designated initializer only.

For more information and to see examples of failable initializers, see Failable Initializers.

G R A M M A R O F A N I N I T I A L I Z E R D E C L A R AT I O N

initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-clause

throwsopt generic-where-clause opt initializer-body
initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-clause
rethrows generic-where-clause opt initializer-body
initializer-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt init
initializer-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt init ?

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initializer-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt init !

initializer-body → code-block

Deinitializer Declaration
A deinitializer declaration declares a deinitializer for a class type. Deinitializers take no
parameters and have the following form:

deinit {
statements
}

A deinitializer is called automatically when there are no longer any references to a class
object, just before the class object is deallocated. A deinitializer can be declared only in
the body of a class declaration—but not in an extension of a class—and each class can
have at most one.

A subclass inherits its superclassʼs deinitializer, which is implicitly called just before the
subclass object is deallocated. The subclass object is not deallocated until all
deinitializers in its inheritance chain have finished executing.

Deinitializers are not called directly.

For an example of how to use a deinitializer in a class declaration, see Deinitialization.

G R A M M A R O F A D E I N I T I A L I Z E R D E C L A R AT I O N

deinitializer-declaration → attributesopt deinit code-block

Extension Declaration
An extension declaration allows you to extend the behavior of existing types. Extension
declarations are declared using the extension keyword and have the following form:

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extension type name where requirements {

declarations
}

The body of an extension declaration contains zero or more declarations. These

declarations can include computed properties, computed type properties, instance
methods, type methods, initializers, subscript declarations, and even class, structure,
and enumeration declarations. Extension declarations canʼt contain deinitializer or
protocol declarations, stored properties, property observers, or other extension
declarations. Declarations in a protocol extension canʼt be marked final. For a
discussion and several examples of extensions that include various kinds of
declarations, see Extensions.

If the type name is a class, structure, or enumeration type, the extension extends that
type. If the type name is a protocol type, the extension extends all types that conform
to that protocol.

Extension declarations that extend a generic type or a protocol with associated types
can include requirements. If an instance of the extended type or of a type that
conforms to the extended protocol satisfies the requirements, the instance gains the
behavior specified in the declaration.

Extension declarations can contain initializer declarations. That said, if the type youʼre
extending is defined in another module, an initializer declaration must delegate to an
initializer already defined in that module to ensure members of that type are properly
initialized.

Properties, methods, and initializers of an existing type canʼt be overridden in an

extension of that type.

Extension declarations can add protocol conformance to an existing class, structure, or

enumeration type by specifying adopted protocols:

extension type name : adopted protocols where requirements

{
declarations

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Extension declarations canʼt add class inheritance to an existing class, and therefore
you can specify only a list of protocols after the type name and colon.

Conditional Conformance
You can extend a generic type to conditionally conform to a protocol, so that instances
of the type conform to the protocol only when certain requirements are met. You add
conditional conformance to a protocol by including requirements in an extension
declaration.

Overridden Requirements Arenʼt Used in Some Generic Contexts

In some generic contexts, types that get behavior from conditional conformance to a
protocol donʼt always use the specialized implementations of that protocolʼs
requirements. To illustrate this behavior, the following example defines two protocols
and a generic type that conditionally conforms to both protocols.

1 protocol Loggable {
2 func log()
3 }
4 extension Loggable {
5 func log() {
6 print(self)
7 }
8 }
9
10 protocol TitledLoggable: Loggable {
11 static var logTitle: String { get }
12 }
13 extension TitledLoggable {
14 func log() {
15 print("\(Self.logTitle): \(self)")
16 }
17 }

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18
19 struct Pair<T>: CustomStringConvertible {
20 let first: T
21 let second: T
22 var description: String {
23 return "(\(first), \(second))"
24 }
25 }
26
27 extension Pair: Loggable where T: Loggable { }
28 extension Pair: TitledLoggable where T: TitledLoggable {
29 static var logTitle: String {
30 return "Pair of '\(T.logTitle)'"
31 }
32 }
33
34 extension String: TitledLoggable {
35 static var logTitle: String {
36 return "String"
37 }
38 }

The Pair structure conforms to Loggable and TitledLoggable whenever its generic
type conforms to Loggable or TitledLoggable, respectively. In the example below,
oneAndTwo is an instance of Pair<String>, which conforms to TitledLoggable
because String conforms to TitledLoggable. When the log() method is called on
oneAndTwo directly, the specialized version containing the title string is used.

1 let oneAndTwo = Pair(first: "one", second: "two")

2 oneAndTwo.log()
3 // Prints "Pair of 'String': (one, two)"

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However, when oneAndTwo is used in a generic context or as an instance of the

Loggable protocol, the specialized version isnʼt used. Swift picks which implementation
of log() to call by consulting only the minimum requirements that Pair needs to
conform to Loggable. For this reason, the default implementation provided by the
Loggable protocol is used instead.

1 func doSomething<T: Loggable>(with x: T) {

2 x.log()
3 }
4 doSomething(with: oneAndTwo)
5 // Prints "(one, two)"

When log() is called on the instance thatʼs passed to doSomething(_:), the

customized title is omitted from the logged string.

Protocol Conformance Must Not Be Redundant

A concrete type can conform to a particular protocol only once. Swift marks redundant
protocol conformances as an error. Youʼre likely to encounter this kind of error in two
kinds of situations. The first situation is when you explicitly conform to the same
protocol multiple times, but with different requirements. The second situation is when
you implicitly inherit from the same protocol multiple times. These situations are
discussed in the sections below.

Resolving Explicit Redundancy

Multiple extensions on a concrete type canʼt add conformance to the same protocol,
even if the extensionsʼ requirements are mutually exclusive. This restriction is
demonstrated in the example below. Two extension declarations attempt to add
conditional conformance to the Serializable protocol, one for for arrays with Int
elements, and one for arrays with String elements.

1 protocol Serializable {
2 func serialize() -> Any
3 }
4

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5 extension Array: Serializable where Element == Int {

6 func serialize() -> Any {
7 // implementation
8 }
9 }
10 extension Array: Serializable where Element == String {
11 func serialize() -> Any {
12 // implementation
13 }
14 }
15 // Error: redundant conformance of 'Array<Element>' to protocol
'Serializable'

If you need to add conditional conformance based on multiple concrete types, create a
new protocol that each type can conform to and use that protocol as the requirement
when declaring conditional conformance.

1 protocol SerializableInArray { }
2 extension Int: SerializableInArray { }
3 extension String: SerializableInArray { }
4
5 extension Array: Serializable where Element:
SerializableInArray {
6 func serialize() -> Any {
7 // implementation
8 }
9 }

Resolving Implicit Redundancy

When a concrete type conditionally conforms to a protocol, that type implicitly

conforms to any parent protocols with the same requirements.

If you need a type to conditionally conform to two protocols that inherit from a single
parent, explicitly declare conformance to the parent protocol. This avoids implicitly
conforming to the parent protocol twice with different requirements.

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The following example explicitly declares the conditional conformance of Array to

Loggable to avoid a conflict when declaring its conditional conformance to both
TitledLoggable and the new MarkedLoggable protocol.

1 protocol MarkedLoggable: Loggable {

2 func markAndLog()
3 }
4
5 extension MarkedLoggable {
6 func markAndLog() {
7 print("----------")
8 log()
9 }
10 }
11
12 extension Array: Loggable where Element: Loggable { }
13 extension Array: TitledLoggable where Element: TitledLoggable {
14 static var logTitle: String {
15 return "Array of '\(Element.logTitle)'"
16 }
17 }
18 extension Array: MarkedLoggable where Element: MarkedLoggable {
}

Without the extension to explicitly declare conditional conformance to Loggable, the

other Array extensions would implicitly create these declarations, resulting in an error:

1 extension Array: Loggable where Element: TitledLoggable { }

2 extension Array: Loggable where Element: MarkedLoggable { }
3 // Error: redundant conformance of 'Array<Element>' to protocol
'Loggable'

G R A M M A R O F A N E X T E N S I O N D E C L A R AT I O N

extension-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt extension type-identifier

type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt extension-body
extension-body → { extension-membersopt }

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extension-members → extension-member extension-membersopt

extension-member → declaration | compiler-control-statement

Subscript Declaration
A subscript declaration allows you to add subscripting support for objects of a
particular type and are typically used to provide a convenient syntax for accessing the
elements in a collection, list, or sequence. Subscript declarations are declared using
the subscript keyword and have the following form:

subscript ( parameters ) -> return type {

get {
statements
}
set( setter name ) {
statements
}
}

Subscript declarations can appear only in the context of a class, structure,

enumeration, extension, or protocol declaration.

The parameters specify one or more indexes used to access elements of the
corresponding type in a subscript expression (for example, the i in the expression
object[i]). Although the indexes used to access the elements can be of any type,
each parameter must include a type annotation to specify the type of each index. The
return type specifies the type of the element being accessed.

As with computed properties, subscript declarations support reading and writing the
value of the accessed elements. The getter is used to read the value, and the setter is
used to write the value. The setter clause is optional, and when only a getter is needed,
you can omit both clauses and simply return the requested value directly. That said, if
you provide a setter clause, you must also provide a getter clause.

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The setter name and enclosing parentheses are optional. If you provide a setter name,
it is used as the name of the parameter to the setter. If you do not provide a setter
name, the default parameter name to the setter is value. The type of the setter name
must be the same as the return type.

You can overload a subscript declaration in the type in which it is declared, as long as
the parameters or the return type differ from the one youʼre overloading. You can also
override a subscript declaration inherited from a superclass. When you do so, you must
mark the overridden subscript declaration with the override declaration modifier.

By default, the parameters used in subscripting donʼt have argument labels, unlike
functions, methods, and initializers. However, you can provide explicit argument labels
using the same syntax that functions, methods, and initializers use.

You can also declare subscripts in the context of a protocol declaration, as described in
Protocol Subscript Declaration.

For more information about subscripting and to see examples of subscript

declarations, see Subscripts.

G R A M M A R O F A S U B S C R I P T D E C L A R AT I O N

subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt code-block

subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt getter-
setter-block
subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt getter-
setter-keyword-block
subscript-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt subscript generic-parameter-
clauseopt parameter-clause
subscript-result → -> attributesopt type

Operator Declaration
An operator declaration introduces a new infix, prefix, or postfix operator into your
program and is declared using the operator keyword.

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You can declare operators of three different fixities: infix, prefix, and postfix. The fixity
of an operator specifies the relative position of an operator to its operands.

There are three basic forms of an operator declaration, one for each fixity. The fixity of
the operator is specified by marking the operator declaration with the infix, prefix, or
postfix declaration modifier before the operator keyword. In each form, the name of
the operator can contain only the operator characters defined in Operators.

The following form declares a new infix operator:

infix operator operator name : precedence group

An infix operator is a binary operator that is written between its two operands, such as
the familiar addition operator (+) in the expression 1 + 2.

Infix operators can optionally specify a precedence group. If you omit the precedence
group for an operator, Swift uses the default precedence group, DefaultPrecedence,
which specifies a precedence just higher than TernaryPrecedence. For more
information, see Precedence Group Declaration.

The following form declares a new prefix operator:

prefix operator operator name

A prefix operator is a unary operator that is written immediately before its operand,
such as the prefix logical NOT operator (!) in the expression !a.

Prefix operators declarations donʼt specify a precedence level. Prefix operators are
nonassociative.

The following form declares a new postfix operator:

postfix operator operator name

A postfix operator is a unary operator that is written immediately after its operand, such
as the postfix forced-unwrap operator (!) in the expression a!.

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As with prefix operators, postfix operator declarations donʼt specify a precedence level.
Postfix operators are nonassociative.

After declaring a new operator, you implement it by declaring a static method that has
the same name as the operator. The static method is a member of one of the types
whose values the operator takes as an argument—for example, an operator that
multiplies a Double by an Int is implemented as a static method on either the Double or
Int structure. If youʼre implementing a prefix or postfix operator, you must also mark
that method declaration with the corresponding prefix or postfix declaration
modifier. To see an example of how to create and implement a new operator, see
Custom Operators.

G R A M M A R O F A N O P E R AT O R D E C L A R AT I O N

operator-declaration → prefix-operator-declaration | postfix-operator-declaration | infix-

operator-declaration

prefix-operator-declaration → prefix operator operator

postfix-operator-declaration → postfix operator operator
infix-operator-declaration → infix operator operator infix-operator-groupopt

infix-operator-group → : precedence-group-name

Precedence Group Declaration

A precedence group declaration introduces a new grouping for infix operator
precedence into your program. The precedence of an operator specifies how tightly
the operator binds to its operands, in the absence of grouping parentheses.

A precedence group declaration has the following form:

precedencegroup precedence group name {

higherThan: lower group names
lowerThan: higher group names
associativity: associativity
assignment: assignment

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The lower group names and higher group names lists specify the new precedence
groupʼs relation to existing precedence groups. The lowerThan precedence group
attribute may only be used to refer to precedence groups declared outside of the
current module. When two operators compete with each other for their operands, such
as in the expression 2 + 3 * 5, the operator with the higher relative precedence binds
more tightly to its operands.

NOTE

Precedence groups related to each other using lower group names and higher group
names must fit into a single relational hierarchy, but they donʼt have to form a linear
hierarchy. This means it is possible to have precedence groups with undefined relative
precedence. Operators from those precedence groups canʼt be used next to each other
without grouping parentheses.

Swift defines numerous precedence groups to go along with the operators provided by
the standard library. For example, the addition (+) and subtraction (-) operators belong
to the AdditionPrecedence group, and the multiplication (*) and division (/) operators
belong to the MultiplicationPrecedence group. For a complete list of precedence
groups provided by the Swift standard library, see Operator Declarations.

The associativity of an operator specifies how a sequence of operators with the same
precedence level are grouped together in the absence of grouping parentheses. You
specify the associativity of an operator by writing one of the context-sensitive
keywords left, right, or none—if your omit the associativity, the default is none.
Operators that are left-associative group left-to-right. For example, the subtraction
operator (-) is left-associative, so the expression 4 - 5 - 6 is grouped as
(4 - 5) - 6 and evaluates to -7. Operators that are right-associative group right-to-
left, and operators that are specified with an associativity of none donʼt associate at all.
Nonassociative operators of the same precedence level canʼt appear adjacent to each
to other. For example, the < operator has an associativity of none, which means
1 < 2 < 3 is not a valid expression.

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The assignment of a precedence group specifies the precedence of an operator when

used in an operation that includes optional chaining. When set to true, an operator in
the corresponding precedence group uses the same grouping rules during optional
chaining as the assignment operators from the standard library. Otherwise, when set to
false or omitted, operators in the precedence group follows the same optional
chaining rules as operators that donʼt perform assignment.

G R A M M A R O F A P R E C E D E N C E G R O U P D E C L A R AT I O N

precedence-group-declaration → precedencegroup precedence-group-name {

precedence-group-attributesopt }

precedence-group-attributes → precedence-group-attribute precedence-group-attributesopt

precedence-group-attribute → precedence-group-relation
precedence-group-attribute → precedence-group-assignment
precedence-group-attribute → precedence-group-associativity

precedence-group-relation → higherThan : precedence-group-names

precedence-group-relation → lowerThan : precedence-group-names

precedence-group-assignment → assignment : boolean-literal

precedence-group-associativity → associativity : left

precedence-group-associativity → associativity : right
precedence-group-associativity → associativity : none

precedence-group-names → precedence-group-name | precedence-group-name ,

precedence-group-names
precedence-group-name → identifier

Declaration Modifiers
Declaration modifiers are keywords or context-sensitive keywords that modify the
behavior or meaning of a declaration. You specify a declaration modifier by writing the
appropriate keyword or context-sensitive keyword between a declarationʼs attributes (if
any) and the keyword that introduces the declaration.

dynamic

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Apply this modifier to any member of a class that can be represented by Objective-
C. When you mark a member declaration with the dynamic modifier, access to that
member is always dynamically dispatched using the Objective-C runtime. Access to
that member is never inlined or devirtualized by the compiler.

Because declarations marked with the dynamic modifier are dispatched using the
Objective-C runtime, they must be marked with the objc attribute.

final
Apply this modifier to a class or to a property, method, or subscript member of a
class. Itʼs applied to a class to indicate that the class canʼt be subclassed. Itʼs applied
to a property, method, or subscript of a class to indicate that a class member canʼt
be overridden in any subclass. For an example of how to use the final attribute, see
Preventing Overrides.

lazy
Apply this modifier to a stored variable property of a class or structure to indicate
that the propertyʼs initial value is calculated and stored at most once, when the
property is first accessed. For an example of how to use the lazy modifier, see Lazy
Stored Properties.

optional
Apply this modifier to a protocolʼs property, method, or subscript members to
indicate that a conforming type isnʼt required to implement those members.

You can apply the optional modifier only to protocols that are marked with the objc
attribute. As a result, only class types can adopt and conform to a protocol that
contains optional member requirements. For more information about how to use the
optional modifier and for guidance about how to access optional protocol members
—for example, when youʼre not sure whether a conforming type implements them—
see Optional Protocol Requirements.

required
Apply this modifier to a designated or convenience initializer of a class to indicate
that every subclass must implement that initializer. The subclassʼs implementation of
that initializer must also be marked with the required modifier.

unowned

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Apply this modifier to a stored variable, constant, or stored property to indicate that
the variable or property has an unowned reference to the object stored as its value. If
you try to access the variable or property after the object has been deallocated, a
runtime error is raised. Like a weak reference, the type of the property or value must
be a class type; unlike a weak reference, the type is non-optional. For an example
and more information about the unowned modifier, see Unowned References.

unowned(safe)
An explicit spelling of unowned.

unowned(unsafe)
Apply this modifier to a stored variable, constant, or stored property to indicate that
the variable or property has an unowned reference to the object stored as its value. If
you try to access the variable or property after the object has been deallocated,
youʼll access the memory at the location where the object used to be, which is a
memory-unsafe operation. Like a weak reference, the type of the property or value
must be a class type; unlike a weak reference, the type is non-optional. For an
example and more information about the unowned modifier, see Unowned
References.

weak
Apply this modifier to a stored variable or stored variable property to indicate that the
variable or property has a weak reference to the object stored as its value. The type
of the variable or property must be an optional class type. If you access the variable
or property after the object has been deallocated, its value is nil. For an example
and more information about the weak modifier, see Weak References.

Access Control Levels

Swift provides five levels of access control: open, public, internal, file private, and
private. You can mark a declaration with one of the access-level modifiers below to
specify the declarationʼs access level. Access control is discussed in detail in Access
Control.

open
Apply this modifier to a declaration to indicate the declaration can be accessed and

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subclassed by code in the same module as the declaration. Declarations marked

with the open access-level modifier can also be accessed and subclassed by code in
a module that imports the module that contains that declaration.

public
Apply this modifier to a declaration to indicate the declaration can be accessed and
subclassed by code in the same module as the declaration. Declarations marked
with the public access-level modifier can also be accessed (but not subclassed) by
code in a module that imports the module that contains that declaration.

internal
Apply this modifier to a declaration to indicate the declaration can be accessed only
by code in the same module as the declaration. By default, most declarations are
implicitly marked with the internal access-level modifier.

fileprivate
Apply this modifier to a declaration to indicate the declaration can be accessed only
by code in the same source file as the declaration.

private
Apply this modifier to a declaration to indicate the declaration can be accessed only
by code within the declarationʼs immediate enclosing scope.

For the purpose of access control, extensions to the same type that are in the same file
share an access-control scope. If the type they extend is also in the same file, they
share the typeʼs access-control scope. Private members declared in the typeʼs
declaration can be accessed from extensions, and private members declared in one
extension can be accessed from other extensions and from the typeʼs declaration.

Each access-level modifier above optionally accepts a single argument, which consists
of the set keyword enclosed in parentheses (for example, private(set)). Use this
form of an access-level modifier when you want to specify an access level for the
setter of a variable or subscript thatʼs less than or equal to the access level of the
variable or subscript itself, as discussed in Getters and Setters.

G R A M M A R O F A D E C L A R AT I O N M O D I F I E R

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declaration-modifier → class | convenience | dynamic | final | infix | lazy |

optional | override | postfix | prefix | required | static | unowned |
unowned ( safe ) | unowned ( unsafe ) | weak
declaration-modifier → access-level-modifier
declaration-modifier → mutation-modifier
declaration-modifiers → declaration-modifier declaration-modifiersopt

access-level-modifier → private | private ( set )

access-level-modifier → fileprivate | fileprivate ( set )
access-level-modifier → internal | internal ( set )
access-level-modifier → public | public ( set )
access-level-modifier → open | open ( set )

mutation-modifier → mutating | nonmutating

Statements Attributes

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ON THIS PAGE

Attributes
There are two kinds of attributes in Swift—those that apply to declarations and those
that apply to types. An attribute provides additional information about the declaration
or type. For example, the discardableResult attribute on a function declaration
indicates that, although the function returns a value, the compiler shouldnʼt generate a
warning if the return value is unused.

You specify an attribute by writing the @ symbol followed by the attributeʼs name and
any arguments that the attribute accepts:

@ attribute name
@ attribute name ( attribute arguments )

Some declaration attributes accept arguments that specify more information about the
attribute and how it applies to a particular declaration. These attribute arguments are
enclosed in parentheses, and their format is defined by the attribute they belong to.

Declaration Attributes
You can apply a declaration attribute to declarations only.

available

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Apply this attribute to indicate a declarationʼs life cycle relative to certain Swift
language versions or certain platforms and operating system versions.

The available attribute always appears with a list of two or more comma-separated
attribute arguments. These arguments begin with one of the following platform or
language names:

iOS
iOSApplicationExtension
macOS
macOSApplicationExtension
watchOS
watchOSApplicationExtension
tvOS
tvOSApplicationExtension
swift

You can also use an asterisk (*) to indicate the availability of the declaration on all of
the platform names listed above. An available attribute that specifies availability using
a Swift version number canʼt use the asterisk.

The remaining arguments can appear in any order and specify additional information
about the declarationʼs life cycle, including important milestones.

The unavailable argument indicates that the declaration isnʼt available on the
specified platform. This argument canʼt be used when specifying Swift version
availability.

The introduced argument indicates the first version of the specified platform or
language in which the declaration was introduced. It has the following form:

introduced: version number

The version number consists of one to three positive integers, separated by

periods.

The deprecated argument indicates the first version of the specified platform or
language in which the declaration was deprecated. It has the following form:

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deprecated: version number

The optional version number consists of one to three positive integers, separated
by periods. Omitting the version number indicates that the declaration is currently
deprecated, without giving any information about when the deprecation
occurred. If you omit the version number, omit the colon (:) as well.

The obsoleted argument indicates the first version of the specified platform or
language in which the declaration was obsoleted. When a declaration is
obsoleted, itʼs removed from the specified platform or language and can no
longer be used. It has the following form:

obsoleted: version number

The version number consists of one to three positive integers, separated by

periods.

The message argument provides a textual message that the compiler displays
when emitting a warning or error about the use of a deprecated or obsoleted
declaration. It has the following form:

message: message

The message consists of a string literal.

The renamed argument provides a textual message that indicates the new name
for a declaration thatʼs been renamed. The compiler displays the new name when
emitting an error about the use of a renamed declaration. It has the following
form:

renamed: new name

The new name consists of a string literal.

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You can apply the available attribute with the renamed and unavailable
arguments to a type alias declaration, as shown below, to indicate that the name
of a declaration changed between releases of a framework or library. This
combination results in a compile-time error that the declaration has been
renamed.

1 // First release
2 protocol MyProtocol {
3 // protocol definition
4 }

1 // Subsequent release renames MyProtocol

2 protocol MyRenamedProtocol {
3 // protocol definition
4 }
5
6 @available(*, unavailable, renamed: "MyRenamedProtocol")
7 typealias MyProtocol = MyRenamedProtocol

You can apply multiple available attributes on a single declaration to specify the
declarationʼs availability on different platforms and different versions of Swift. The
declaration that the available attribute applies to is ignored if the attribute specifies a
platform or language version that doesnʼt match the current target. If you use multiple
available attributes, the effective availability is the combination of the platform and
Swift availabilities.

If an available attribute only specifies an introduced argument in addition to a

platform or language name argument, you can use the following shorthand syntax
instead:

@available( platform name version number , *)

@available(swift version number )

The shorthand syntax for available attributes concisely expresses availability for
multiple platforms. Although the two forms are functionally equivalent, the shorthand
form is preferred whenever possible.

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1 @available(iOS 10.0, macOS 10.12, *)

2 class MyClass {
3 // class definition
4 }

An available attribute that specifies availability using a Swift version number canʼt
additionally specify a declarationʼs platform availability. Instead, use separate
available attributes to specify a Swift version availability and one or more platform
availabilities.

1 @available(swift 3.0.2)
2 @available(macOS 10.12, *)
3 struct MyStruct {
4 // struct definition
5 }

discardableResult
Apply this attribute to a function or method declaration to suppress the compiler
warning when the function or method that returns a value is called without using its
result.

dynamicCallable
Apply this attribute to a class, structure, enumeration, or protocol to treat instances of
the type as callable functions. The type must implement either a
dynamicallyCall(withArguments:) method, a
dynamicallyCall(withKeywordArguments:) method, or both.

You can call an instance of a dynamically callable type as if itʼs a function that takes any
number of arguments.

1 @dynamicCallable
2 struct TelephoneExchange {
3 func dynamicallyCall(withArguments phoneNumber: [Int]) {
4 if phoneNumber == [4, 1, 1] {

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5 print("Get Swift help on forums.swift.org")

6 } else {
7 print("Unrecognized number")
8 }
9 }
10 }
11
12 let dial = TelephoneExchange()
13
14 // Use a dynamic method call.
15 dial(4, 1, 1)
16 // Prints "Get Swift help on forums.swift.org".
17
18 dial(8, 6, 7, 5, 3, 0, 9)
19 // Prints "Unrecognized number".
20
21 // Call the underlying method directly.
22 dial.dynamicallyCall(withArguments: [4, 1, 1])

The declaration of the dynamicallyCall(withArguments:) method must have a single

parameter that conforms to the ExpressibleByArrayLiteral protocol—like [Int] in
the example above. The return type can be any type.

You can include labels in a dynamic method call if you implement the
dynamicallyCall(withKeywordArguments:) method.

1 @dynamicCallable
2 struct Repeater {
3 func dynamicallyCall(withKeywordArguments pairs:
KeyValuePairs<String, Int>) -> String {
4 return pairs
5 .map { label, count in
6 repeatElement(label, count:
count).joined(separator: " ")
7 }
8 .joined(separator: "\n")
9 }

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10 }
11
12 let repeatLabels = Repeater()
13 print(repeatLabels(a: 1, b: 2, c: 3, b: 2, a: 1))
14 // a
15 // b b
16 // c c c
17 // b b
18 // a

The declaration of the dynamicallyCall(withKeywordArguments:) method must have

a single parameter that conforms to the ExpressibleByDictionaryLiteral protocol,
and the return type can be any type. The parameterʼs Key must be
ExpressibleByStringLiteral. The previous example uses KeyValuePairs as the
parameter type so that callers can include duplicate parameter labels—a and b appear
multiple times in the call to repeat.

If you implement both dynamicallyCall methods,

dynamicallyCall(withKeywordArguments:) is called when the method call includes
keyword arguments. In all other cases, dynamicallyCall(withArguments:) is called.

You can only call a dynamically callable instance with arguments and a return value that
match the types you specify in one of your dynamicallyCall method implementations.
The call in the following example doesnʼt compile because there isnʼt an
implementation of dynamicallyCall(withArguments:) that takes
KeyValuePairs<String, String>.

repeatLabels(a: "four") // Error

dynamicMemberLookup
Apply this attribute to a class, structure, enumeration, or protocol to enable members
to be looked up by name at runtime. The type must implement a
subscript(dynamicMemberLookup:) subscript.

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In an explicit member expression, if there isnʼt a corresponding declaration for the

named member, the expression is understood as a call to the typeʼs
subscript(dynamicMemberLookup:) subscript, passing a string literal that contains the
memberʼs name as the argument. The subscriptʼs parameter type can be any type that
conforms to the ExpressibleByStringLiteral protocol, and its return type can be any
type. In most cases, the subscriptʼs parameter is a String value. For example:

1 @dynamicMemberLookup
2 struct DynamicStruct {
3 let dictionary = ["someDynamicMember": 325,
4 "someOtherMember": 787]
5 subscript(dynamicMember member: String) -> Int {
6 return dictionary[member] ?? 1054
7 }
8 }
9 let s = DynamicStruct()
10
11 // Use dynamic member lookup.
12 let dynamic = s.someDynamicMember
13 print(dynamic)
14 // Prints "325"
15
16 // Call the underlying subscript directly.
17 let equivalent = s[dynamicMember: "someDynamicMember"]
18 print(dynamic == equivalent)
19 // Prints "true"

GKInspectable
Apply this attribute to expose a custom GameplayKit component property to the
SpriteKit editor UI. Applying this attribute also implies the objc attribute.

inlinable

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Apply this attribute to a function, method, computed property, subscript, convenience

initializer, or deinitializer declaration to expose that declarationʼs implementation as part
of the moduleʼs public interface. The compiler is allowed to replace calls to an inlinable
symbol with a copy of the symbolʼs implementation at the call site.

Inlinable code can interact with public symbols declared in any module, and it can
interact with internal symbols declared in the same module that are marked with the
usableFromInline attribute. Inlinable code canʼt interact with private or fileprivate
symbols.

This attribute canʼt be applied to declarations that are nested inside functions or to
fileprivate or private declarations. Functions and closures that are defined inside
an inlinable function are implicitly inlinable, even though they canʼt be marked with this
attribute.

nonobjc
Apply this attribute to a method, property, subscript, or initializer declaration to
suppress an implicit objc attribute. The nonobjc attribute tells the compiler to make the
declaration unavailable in Objective-C code, even though itʼs possible to represent it in
Objective-C.

Applying this attribute to an extension has the same effect as applying it to every
member of that extension that isnʼt explicitly marked with the objc attribute.

You use the nonobjc attribute to resolve circularity for bridging methods in a class
marked with the objc attribute, and to allow overloading of methods and initializers in a
class marked with the objc attribute.

A method marked with the nonobjc attribute canʼt override a method marked with the
objc attribute. However, a method marked with the objc attribute can override a
method marked with the nonobjc attribute. Similarly, a method marked with the
nonobjc attribute canʼt satisfy a protocol requirement for a method marked with the
objc attribute.

NSApplicationMain

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Apply this attribute to a class to indicate that itʼs the application delegate. Using this
attribute is equivalent to calling the NSApplicationMain(_:_:) function.

If you donʼt use this attribute, supply a main.swift file with code at the top level that
calls the NSApplicationMain(_:_:) function as follows:

1 import AppKit
2 NSApplicationMain(CommandLine.argc, CommandLine.unsafeArgv)

NSCopying
Apply this attribute to a stored variable property of a class. This attribute causes the
propertyʼs setter to be synthesized with a copy of the propertyʼs value—returned by
the copyWithZone(_:) method—instead of the value of the property itself. The type of
the property must conform to the NSCopying protocol.

The NSCopying attribute behaves in a way similar to the Objective-C copy property
attribute.

NSManaged
Apply this attribute to an instance method or stored variable property of a class that
inherits from NSManagedObject to indicate that Core Data dynamically provides its
implementation at runtime, based on the associated entity description. For a property
marked with the NSManaged attribute, Core Data also provides the storage at runtime.
Applying this attribute also implies the objc attribute.

objc
Apply this attribute to any declaration that can be represented in Objective-C—for
example, nonnested classes, protocols, nongeneric enumerations (constrained to
integer raw-value types), properties and methods (including getters and setters) of
classes, protocols and optional members of a protocol, initializers, and subscripts. The
objc attribute tells the compiler that a declaration is available to use in Objective-C
code.

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Applying this attribute to an extension has the same effect as applying it to every
member of that extension that isnʼt explicitly marked with the nonobjc attribute.

The compiler implicitly adds the objc attribute to subclasses of any class defined in
Objective-C. However, the subclass must not be generic, and must not inherit from any
generic classes. You can explicitly add the objc attribute to a subclass that meets
these criteria, to specify its Objective-C name as discussed below. Protocols that are
marked with the objc attribute canʼt inherit from protocols that arenʼt marked with this
attribute.

The objc attribute is also implicitly added in the following cases:

The declaration is an override in a subclass, and the superclassʼs declaration has

the objc attribute.
The declaration satisfies a requirement from a protocol that has the objc
attribute.
The declaration has the IBAction, IBOutlet, IBDesignable, IBInspectable,
NSManaged, or GKInspectable attribute.

If you apply the objc attribute to an enumeration, each enumeration case is exposed to
Objective-C code as the concatenation of the enumeration name and the case name.
The first letter of the case name is capitalized. For example, a case named venus in a
Swift Planet enumeration is exposed to Objective-C code as a case named
PlanetVenus.

The objc attribute optionally accepts a single attribute argument, which consists of an
identifier. The identifier specifies the name to be exposed to Objective-C for the entity
that the objc attribute applies to. You can use this argument to name classes,
enumerations, enumeration cases, protocols, methods, getters, setters, and initializers.
If you specify the Objective-C name for a class, protocol, or enumeration, include a
three-letter prefix on the name, as described in Conventions in Programming with
Objective-C. The example below exposes the getter for the enabled property of the
ExampleClass to Objective-C code as isEnabled rather than just as the name of the
property itself.

1 class ExampleClass: NSObject {

2 @objc var enabled: Bool {

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3 @objc(isEnabled) get {
4 // Return the appropriate value
5 }
6 }
7 }

objcMembers
Apply this attribute to a class declaration, to implicitly apply the objc attribute to all
Objective-C compatible members of the class, its extensions, its subclasses, and all of
the extensions of its subclasses.

Most code should use the objc attribute instead, to expose only the declarations that
are needed. If you need to expose many declarations, you can group them in an
extension that has the objc attribute. The objcMembers attribute is a convenience for
libraries that make heavy use of the introspection facilities of the Objective-C runtime.
Applying the objc attribute when it isnʼt needed can increase your binary size and
adversely affect performance.

requires_stored_property_inits
Apply this attribute to a class declaration to require all stored properties within the
class to provide default values as part of their definitions. This attribute is inferred for
any class that inherits from NSManagedObject.

testable
Apply this attribute to an import declaration to import that module with changes to its
access control that simplify testing the moduleʼs code. Entities in the imported module
that are marked with the internal access-level modifier are imported as if they were
declared with the public access-level modifier. Classes and class members that are
marked with the internal or public access-level modifier are imported as if they were
declared with the open access-level modifier. The imported module must be compiled
with testing enabled.

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UIApplicationMain
Apply this attribute to a class to indicate that itʼs the application delegate. Using this
attribute is equivalent to calling the UIApplicationMain function and passing this
classʼs name as the name of the delegate class.

If you donʼt use this attribute, supply a main.swift file with code at the top level that
calls the UIApplicationMain(_:_:_:_:) function. For example, if your app uses a
custom subclass of UIApplication as its principal class, call the
UIApplicationMain(_:_:_:_:) function instead of using this attribute.

usableFromInline
Apply this attribute to a function, method, computed property, subscript, initializer, or
deinitializer declaration to allow that symbol to be used in inlinable code thatʼs defined
in the same module as the declaration. The declaration must have the internal access
level modifier.

Like the public access level modifier, this attribute exposes the declaration as part of
the moduleʼs public interface. Unlike public, the compiler doesnʼt allow declarations
marked with usableFromInline to be referenced by name in code outside the module,
even though the declarationʼs symbol is exported. However, code outside the module
might still be able to interact with the declarationʼs symbol by using runtime behavior.

Declarations marked with the inlinable attribute are implicitly usable from inlinable
code. Although either inlinable or usableFromInline can be applied to internal
declarations, applying both attributes is an error.

warn_unqualified_access
Apply this attribute to a top-level function, instance method, or class or static method
to trigger warnings when that function or method is used without a preceding qualifier,
such as a module name, type name, or instance variable or constant. Use this attribute
to help discourage ambiguity between functions with the same name that are
accessible from the same scope.

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For example, the Swift standard library includes both a top-level min(_:_:) function
and a min() method for sequences with comparable elements. The sequence method
is declared with the warn_unqualified_access attribute to help reduce confusion
when attempting to use one or the other from within a Sequence extension.

Declaration Attributes Used by Interface Builder

Interface Builder attributes are declaration attributes used by Interface Builder to
synchronize with Xcode. Swift provides the following Interface Builder attributes:
IBAction, IBOutlet, IBDesignable, and IBInspectable. These attributes are
conceptually the same as their Objective-C counterparts.

You apply the IBOutlet and IBInspectable attributes to property declarations of a

class. You apply the IBAction attribute to method declarations of a class and the
IBDesignable attribute to class declarations.

Applying the IBAction, IBOutlet, IBDesignable, or IBInspectable attribute also

implies the objc attribute.

Type Attributes
You can apply type attributes to types only.

autoclosure
Apply this attribute to delay the evaluation of an expression by automatically wrapping
that expression in a closure with no arguments. You apply it to a parameterʼs type in a
method or function declaration, for a parameter whose type is a function type that
takes no arguments and that returns a value of the type of the expression. For an
example of how to use the autoclosure attribute, see Autoclosures and Function Type.

convention
Apply this attribute to the type of a function to indicate its calling conventions.

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The convention attribute always appears with one of the following arguments:

The swift argument indicates a Swift function reference. This is the standard
calling convention for function values in Swift.
The block argument indicates an Objective-C compatible block reference. The
function value is represented as a reference to the block object, which is an id-
compatible Objective-C object that embeds its invocation function within the
object. The invocation function uses the C calling convention.
The c argument indicates a C function reference. The function value carries no
context and uses the C calling convention.

With a few exceptions, a function of any calling convention can be used when a
function any other calling convention is needed. A nongeneric global function, a local
function that doesnʼt capture any local variables or a closure that doesnʼt capture any
local variables can be converted to the C calling convention. Other Swift functions canʼt
be converted to the C calling convention. A function with the Objective-C block calling
convention canʼt be converted to the C calling convention.

escaping
Apply this attribute to a parameterʼs type in a method or function declaration to
indicate that the parameterʼs value can be stored for later execution. This means that
the value is allowed to outlive the lifetime of the call. Function type parameters with the
escaping type attribute require explicit use of self. for properties or methods. For an
example of how to use the escaping attribute, see Escaping Closures.

Switch Case Attributes

You can apply switch case attributes to switch cases only.

unknown

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Apply this attribute to a switch case to indicate that it isnʼt expected to be matched by
any case of the enumeration thatʼs known at the time the code is compiled. For an
example of how to use the unknown attribute, see Switching Over Future Enumeration
Cases.

G R A M M A R O F A N AT T R I B U T E

attribute → @ attribute-name attribute-argument-clauseopt

attribute-name → identifier
attribute-argument-clause → ( balanced-tokens opt )
attributes → attribute attributesopt

balanced-tokens → balanced-token balanced-tokens opt

balanced-token → ( balanced-tokens opt )
balanced-token → [ balanced-tokens opt ]
balanced-token → { balanced-tokens opt }
balanced-token → Any identifier, keyword, literal, or operator
balanced-token → Any punctuation except ( , ) , [ , ] , { , or }

Declarations Patterns

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ON THIS PAGE

Patterns
A pattern represents the structure of a single value or a composite value. For example,
the structure of a tuple (1, 2) is a comma-separated list of two elements. Because
patterns represent the structure of a value rather than any one particular value, you can
match them with a variety of values. For instance, the pattern (x, y) matches the tuple
(1, 2) and any other two-element tuple. In addition to matching a pattern with a value,
you can extract part or all of a composite value and bind each part to a constant or
variable name.

In Swift, there are two basic kinds of patterns: those that successfully match any kind
of value, and those that may fail to match a specified value at runtime.

The first kind of pattern is used for destructuring values in simple variable, constant,
and optional bindings. These include wildcard patterns, identifier patterns, and any
value binding or tuple patterns containing them. You can specify a type annotation for
these patterns to constrain them to match only values of a certain type.

The second kind of pattern is used for full pattern matching, where the values youʼre
trying to match against may not be there at runtime. These include enumeration case
patterns, optional patterns, expression patterns, and type-casting patterns. You use
these patterns in a case label of a switch statement, a catch clause of a do statement,
or in the case condition of an if, while, guard, or for-in statement.

G R A M M A R O F A PAT T E R N

pattern → wildcard-pattern type-annotationopt

pattern → identifier-pattern type-annotationopt

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pattern → value-binding-pattern
pattern → tuple-pattern type-annotationopt
pattern → enum-case-pattern
pattern → optional-pattern
pattern → type-casting-pattern
pattern → expression-pattern

Wildcard Pattern
A wildcard pattern matches and ignores any value and consists of an underscore (_).
Use a wildcard pattern when you donʼt care about the values being matched against.
For example, the following code iterates through the closed range 1...3, ignoring the
current value of the range on each iteration of the loop:

1 for _ in 1...3 {
2 // Do something three times.
3 }

G R A M M A R O F A W I L D C A R D PAT T E R N

wildcard-pattern → _

Identifier Pattern
An identifier pattern matches any value and binds the matched value to a variable or
constant name. For example, in the following constant declaration, someValue is an
identifier pattern that matches the value 42 of type Int:

let someValue = 42

When the match succeeds, the value 42 is bound (assigned) to the constant name
someValue.

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When the pattern on the left-hand side of a variable or constant declaration is an

identifier pattern, the identifier pattern is implicitly a subpattern of a value-binding
pattern.

G R A M M A R O F A N I D E N T I F I E R PAT T E R N

identifier-pattern → identifier

Value-Binding Pattern
A value-binding pattern binds matched values to variable or constant names. Value-
binding patterns that bind a matched value to the name of a constant begin with the
let keyword; those that bind to the name of variable begin with the var keyword.

Identifiers patterns within a value-binding pattern bind new named variables or

constants to their matching values. For example, you can decompose the elements of a
tuple and bind the value of each element to a corresponding identifier pattern.

1 let point = (3, 2)

2 switch point {
3 // Bind x and y to the elements of point.
4 case let (x, y):
5 print("The point is at (\(x), \(y)).")
6 }
7 // Prints "The point is at (3, 2)."

In the example above, let distributes to each identifier pattern in the tuple pattern
(x, y). Because of this behavior, the switch cases case let (x, y): and
case (let x, let y): match the same values.

G R A M M A R O F A VA L U E - B I N D I N G PAT T E R N

value-binding-pattern → var pattern | let pattern

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Tuple Pattern
A tuple pattern is a comma-separated list of zero or more patterns, enclosed in
parentheses. Tuple patterns match values of corresponding tuple types.

You can constrain a tuple pattern to match certain kinds of tuple types by using type
annotations. For example, the tuple pattern (x, y): (Int, Int) in the constant
declaration let (x, y): (Int, Int) = (1, 2) matches only tuple types in which
both elements are of type Int.

When a tuple pattern is used as the pattern in a for-in statement or in a variable or

constant declaration, it can contain only wildcard patterns, identifier patterns, optional
patterns, or other tuple patterns that contain those. For example, the following code
isnʼt valid because the element 0 in the tuple pattern (x, 0) is an expression pattern:

1 let points = [(0, 0), (1, 0), (1, 1), (2, 0), (2, 1)]
2 // This code isn't valid.
3 for (x, 0) in points {
4 /* ... */
5 }

The parentheses around a tuple pattern that contains a single element have no effect.
The pattern matches values of that single elementʼs type. For example, the following
are equivalent:

1 let a = 2 // a: Int = 2
2 let (a) = 2 // a: Int = 2
3 let (a): Int = 2 // a: Int = 2

G R A M M A R O F A T U P L E PAT T E R N

tuple-pattern → ( tuple-pattern-element-listopt )
tuple-pattern-element-list → tuple-pattern-element | tuple-pattern-element , tuple-pattern-
element-list
tuple-pattern-element → pattern | identifier : pattern

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Enumeration Case Pattern

An enumeration case pattern matches a case of an existing enumeration type.
Enumeration case patterns appear in switch statement case labels and in the case
conditions of if, while, guard, and for-in statements.

If the enumeration case youʼre trying to match has any associated values, the
corresponding enumeration case pattern must specify a tuple pattern that contains
one element for each associated value. For an example that uses a switch statement
to match enumeration cases containing associated values, see Associated Values.

G R A M M A R O F A N E N U M E R AT I O N C A S E PAT T E R N

enum-case-pattern → type-identifieropt . enum-case-name tuple-patternopt

Optional Pattern
An optional pattern matches values wrapped in a some(Wrapped) case of an
Optional<Wrapped> enumeration. Optional patterns consist of an identifier pattern
followed immediately by a question mark and appear in the same places as
enumeration case patterns.

Because optional patterns are syntactic sugar for Optional enumeration case patterns,
the following are equivalent:

1 let someOptional: Int? = 42

2 // Match using an enumeration case pattern.
3 if case .some(let x) = someOptional {
4 print(x)
5 }
6
7 // Match using an optional pattern.
8 if case let x? = someOptional {
9 print(x)

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10 }

The optional pattern provides a convenient way to iterate over an array of optional
values in a for-in statement, executing the body of the loop only for non-nil
elements.

1 let arrayOfOptionalInts: [Int?] = [nil, 2, 3, nil, 5]

2 // Match only non-nil values.
3 for case let number? in arrayOfOptionalInts {
4 print("Found a \(number)")
5 }
6 // Found a 2
7 // Found a 3
8 // Found a 5

G R A M M A R O F A N O P T I O N A L PAT T E R N

optional-pattern → identifier-pattern ?

Type-Casting Patterns
There are two type-casting patterns, the is pattern and the as pattern. The is pattern
appears only in switch statement case labels. The is and as patterns have the
following form:

is type
pattern as type

The is pattern matches a value if the type of that value at runtime is the same as the
type specified in the right-hand side of the is pattern—or a subclass of that type. The
is pattern behaves like the is operator in that they both perform a type cast but
discard the returned type.

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The as pattern matches a value if the type of that value at runtime is the same as the
type specified in the right-hand side of the as pattern—or a subclass of that type. If the
match succeeds, the type of the matched value is cast to the pattern specified in the
right-hand side of the as pattern.

For an example that uses a switch statement to match values with is and as patterns,
see Type Casting for Any and AnyObject.

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E C A S T I N G PAT T E R N

type-casting-pattern → is-pattern | as-pattern

is-pattern → is type
as-pattern → pattern as type

Expression Pattern
An expression pattern represents the value of an expression. Expression patterns
appear only in switch statement case labels.

The expression represented by the expression pattern is compared with the value of an
input expression using the Swift standard library ~= operator. The matches succeeds if
the ~= operator returns true. By default, the ~= operator compares two values of the
same type using the == operator. It can also match a value with a range of values, by
checking whether the value is contained within the range, as the following example
shows.

1 let point = (1, 2)

2 switch point {
3 case (0, 0):
4 print("(0, 0) is at the origin.")
5 case (-2...2, -2...2):
6 print("(\(point.0), \(point.1)) is near the origin.")
7 default:
8 print("The point is at (\(point.0), \(point.1)).")
9 }
10 // Prints "(1, 2) is near the origin."

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You can overload the ~= operator to provide custom expression matching behavior. For
example, you can rewrite the above example to compare the point expression with a
string representations of points.

1 // Overload the ~= operator to match a string with an integer.

2 func ~= (pattern: String, value: Int) -> Bool {
3 return pattern == "\(value)"
4 }
5 switch point {
6 case ("0", "0"):
7 print("(0, 0) is at the origin.")
8 default:
9 print("The point is at (\(point.0), \(point.1)).")
10 }
11 // Prints "The point is at (1, 2)."

G R A M M A R O F A N E X P R E S S I O N PAT T E R N

expression-pattern → expression

Attributes Generic Parameters and Arguments

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ON THIS PAGE

Generic Parameters and

Arguments
This chapter describes parameters and arguments for generic types, functions, and
initializers. When you declare a generic type, function, subscript, or initializer, you
specify the type parameters that the generic type, function, or initializer can work with.
These type parameters act as placeholders that are replaced by actual concrete type
arguments when an instance of a generic type is created or a generic function or
initializer is called.

For an overview of generics in Swift, see Generics.

Generic Parameter Clause

A generic parameter clause specifies the type parameters of a generic type or
function, along with any associated constraints and requirements on those parameters.
A generic parameter clause is enclosed in angle brackets (<>) and has the following
form:

< generic parameter list >

The generic parameter list is a comma-separated list of generic parameters, each of

which has the following form:

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type parameter : constraint

A generic parameter consists of a type parameter followed by an optional constraint. A

type parameter is simply the name of a placeholder type (for example, T, U, V, Key,
Value, and so on). You have access to the type parameters (and any of their associated
types) in the rest of the type, function, or initializer declaration, including in the
signature of the function or initializer.

The constraint specifies that a type parameter inherits from a specific class or
conforms to a protocol or protocol composition. For example, in the generic function
below, the generic parameter T: Comparable indicates that any type argument
substituted for the type parameter T must conform to the Comparable protocol.

1 func simpleMax<T: Comparable>(_ x: T, _ y: T) -> T {

2 if x < y {
3 return y
4 }
5 return x
6 }

Because Int and Double, for example, both conform to the Comparable protocol, this
function accepts arguments of either type. In contrast with generic types, you donʼt
specify a generic argument clause when you use a generic function or initializer. The
type arguments are instead inferred from the type of the arguments passed to the
function or initializer.

1 simpleMax(17, 42) // T is inferred to be Int

2 simpleMax(3.14159, 2.71828) // T is inferred to be Double

Generic Where Clauses

You can specify additional requirements on type parameters and their associated types
by including a generic where clause right before the opening curly brace of a type or
functionʼs body. A generic where clause consists of the where keyword, followed by a
comma-separated list of one or more requirements.

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where requirements

The requirements in a generic where clause specify that a type parameter inherits from
a class or conforms to a protocol or protocol composition. Although the generic where
clause provides syntactic sugar for expressing simple constraints on type parameters
(for example, <T: Comparable> is equivalent to <T> where T: Comparable and so on),
you can use it to provide more complex constraints on type parameters and their
associated types. For example, you can constrain the associated types of type
parameters to conform to protocols. For example,
<S: Sequence> where S.Iterator.Element: Equatable specifies that S conforms to
the Sequence protocol and that the associated type S.Iterator.Element conforms to
the Equatable protocol. This constraint ensures that each element of the sequence is
equatable.

You can also specify the requirement that two types be identical, using the == operator.
For example,
<S1: Sequence, S2: Sequence> where S1.Iterator.Element == S2.Iterator.Element
expresses the constraints that S1 and S2 conform to the Sequence protocol and that
the elements of both sequences must be of the same type.

Any type argument substituted for a type parameter must meet all the constraints and
requirements placed on the type parameter.

You can overload a generic function or initializer by providing different constraints,

requirements, or both on the type parameters. When you call an overloaded generic
function or initializer, the compiler uses these constraints to resolve which overloaded
function or initializer to invoke.

For more information about generic where clauses and to see an example of one in a
generic function declaration, see Generic Where Clauses.

GRAMMAR OF A GENERIC PARAMETER CLAUSE

generic-parameter-clause → < generic-parameter-list >

generic-parameter-list → generic-parameter | generic-parameter , generic-parameter-list
generic-parameter → type-name
generic-parameter → type-name : type-identifier

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generic-parameter → type-name : protocol-composition-type

generic-where-clause → where requirement-list

requirement-list → requirement | requirement , requirement-list
requirement → conformance-requirement | same-type-requirement

conformance-requirement → type-identifier : type-identifier

conformance-requirement → type-identifier : protocol-composition-type
same-type-requirement → type-identifier == type

Generic Argument Clause

A generic argument clause specifies the type arguments of a generic type. A generic
argument clause is enclosed in angle brackets (<>) and has the following form:

< generic argument list >

The generic argument list is a comma-separated list of type arguments. A type

argument is the name of an actual concrete type that replaces a corresponding type
parameter in the generic parameter clause of a generic type. The result is a specialized
version of that generic type. The example below shows a simplified version of the Swift
standard libraryʼs generic dictionary type.

1 struct Dictionary<Key: Hashable, Value>: Collection,

ExpressibleByDictionaryLiteral {
2 /* ... */
3 }

The specialized version of the generic Dictionary type, Dictionary<String, Int> is

formed by replacing the generic parameters Key: Hashable and Value with the
concrete type arguments String and Int. Each type argument must satisfy all the
constraints of the generic parameter it replaces, including any additional requirements
specified in a generic where clause. In the example above, the Key type parameter is
constrained to conform to the Hashable protocol and therefore String must also
conform to the Hashable protocol.

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You can also replace a type parameter with a type argument that is itself a specialized
version of a generic type (provided it satisfies the appropriate constraints and
requirements). For example, you can replace the type parameter Element in
Array<Element> with a specialized version of an array, Array<Int>, to form an array
whose elements are themselves arrays of integers.

let arrayOfArrays: Array<Array<Int>> = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6],

[7, 8, 9]]

As mentioned in Generic Parameter Clause, you donʼt use a generic argument clause to
specify the type arguments of a generic function or initializer.

GRAMMAR OF A GENERIC ARGUMENT CLAUSE

generic-argument-clause → < generic-argument-list >

generic-argument-list → generic-argument | generic-argument , generic-argument-list
generic-argument → type

Patterns Summary of the Grammar

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Summary of the Grammar

Lexical Structure
GRAMMAR OF WHITESPACE

whitespace → whitespace-item whitespaceopt

whitespace-item → line-break
whitespace-item → comment
whitespace-item → multiline-comment
whitespace-item → U+0000, U+0009, U+000B, U+000C, or U+0020

line-break → U+000A
line-break → U+000D
line-break → U+000D followed by U+000A

comment → // comment-text line-break

multiline-comment → /* multiline-comment-text */

comment-text → comment-text-item comment-text opt

comment-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except U+000A or U+000D

multiline-comment-text → multiline-comment-text-item multiline-comment-text opt

multiline-comment-text-item → multiline-comment
multiline-comment-text-item → comment-text-item
multiline-comment-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except /* or */

GRAMMAR OF AN IDENTIFIER

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identifier → identifier-head identifier-charactersopt

identifier → ` identifier-head identifier-charactersopt `
identifier → implicit-parameter-name
identifier-list → identifier | identifier , identifier-list

identifier-head → Upper- or lowercase letter A through Z

identifier-head → _
identifier-head → U+00A8, U+00AA, U+00AD, U+00AF, U+00B2–U+00B5, or U+00B7–U+00BA
identifier-head → U+00BC–U+00BE, U+00C0–U+00D6, U+00D8–U+00F6, or U+00F8–U+00FF
identifier-head → U+0100–U+02FF, U+0370–U+167F, U+1681–U+180D, or U+180F–U+1DBF
identifier-head → U+1E00–U+1FFF
identifier-head → U+200B–U+200D, U+202A–U+202E, U+203F–U+2040, U+2054, or U+2060–
U+206F
identifier-head → U+2070–U+20CF, U+2100–U+218F, U+2460–U+24FF, or U+2776–U+2793
identifier-head → U+2C00–U+2DFF or U+2E80–U+2FFF
identifier-head → U+3004–U+3007, U+3021–U+302F, U+3031–U+303F, or U+3040–U+D7FF
identifier-head → U+F900–U+FD3D, U+FD40–U+FDCF, U+FDF0–U+FE1F, or U+FE30–U+FE44
identifier-head → U+FE47–U+FFFD
identifier-head → U+10000–U+1FFFD, U+20000–U+2FFFD, U+30000–U+3FFFD, or U+40000–
U+4FFFD
identifier-head → U+50000–U+5FFFD, U+60000–U+6FFFD, U+70000–U+7FFFD, or U+80000–
U+8FFFD
identifier-head → U+90000–U+9FFFD, U+A0000–U+AFFFD, U+B0000–U+BFFFD, or U+C0000–
U+CFFFD
identifier-head → U+D0000–U+DFFFD or U+E0000–U+EFFFD

identifier-character → Digit 0 through 9

identifier-character → U+0300–U+036F, U+1DC0–U+1DFF, U+20D0–U+20FF, or U+FE20–
U+FE2F
identifier-character → identifier-head
identifier-characters → identifier-character identifier-charactersopt

implicit-parameter-name → $ decimal-digits

GRAMMAR OF A LITERAL

literal → numeric-literal | string-literal | boolean-literal | nil-literal

numeric-literal → -opt integer-literal | -opt floating-point-literal

boolean-literal → true | false
nil-literal → nil

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GRAMMAR OF AN INTEGER LITERAL

integer-literal → binary-literal
integer-literal → octal-literal
integer-literal → decimal-literal
integer-literal → hexadecimal-literal

binary-literal → 0b binary-digit binary-literal-charactersopt

binary-digit → Digit 0 or 1
binary-literal-character → binary-digit | _
binary-literal-characters → binary-literal-character binary-literal-charactersopt

octal-literal → 0o octal-digit octal-literal-charactersopt

octal-digit → Digit 0 through 7
octal-literal-character → octal-digit | _
octal-literal-characters → octal-literal-character octal-literal-charactersopt

decimal-literal → decimal-digit decimal-literal-charactersopt

decimal-digit → Digit 0 through 9
decimal-digits → decimal-digit decimal-digitsopt
decimal-literal-character → decimal-digit | _
decimal-literal-characters → decimal-literal-character decimal-literal-charactersopt

hexadecimal-literal → 0x hexadecimal-digit hexadecimal-literal-charactersopt

hexadecimal-digit → Digit 0 through 9, a through f, or A through F
hexadecimal-literal-character → hexadecimal-digit | _
hexadecimal-literal-characters → hexadecimal-literal-character hexadecimal-literal-
charactersopt

G R A M M A R O F A F L O AT I N G - P O I N T L I T E R A L

floating-point-literal → decimal-literal decimal-fraction opt decimal-exponentopt

floating-point-literal → hexadecimal-literal hexadecimal-fraction opt hexadecimal-exponent

decimal-fraction → . decimal-literal
decimal-exponent → floating-point-e signopt decimal-literal

hexadecimal-fraction → . hexadecimal-digit hexadecimal-literal-charactersopt

hexadecimal-exponent → floating-point-p signopt decimal-literal

floating-point-e → e | E
floating-point-p → p | P
sign → + | -

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GRAMMAR OF A STRING LITERAL

string-literal → static-string-literal | interpolated-string-literal

string-literal-opening-delimiter → extended-string-literal-delimiteropt "

string-literal-closing-delimiter → " extended-string-literal-delimiteropt

static-string-literal → string-literal-opening-delimiter quoted-text opt string-literal-closing-

delimiter
static-string-literal → multiline-string-literal-opening-delimiter multiline-quoted-text opt
multiline-string-literal-closing-delimiter

multiline-string-literal-opening-delimiter → extended-string-literal-delimiter """

multiline-string-literal-closing-delimiter → """ extended-string-literal-delimiter
extended-string-literal-delimiter → # extended-string-literal-delimiteropt

quoted-text → quoted-text-item quoted-text opt

quoted-text-item → escaped-character
quoted-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except " , \ , U+000A, or U+000D

multiline-quoted-text → multiline-quoted-text-item multiline-quoted-text opt

multiline-quoted-text-item → escaped-character
multiline-quoted-text-item → Any Unicode scalar value except \
multiline-quoted-text-item → escaped-newline

interpolated-string-literal → string-literal-opening-delimiter interpolated-text opt string-literal-

closing-delimiter
interpolated-string-literal → multiline-string-literal-opening-delimiter interpolated-text opt
multiline-string-literal-closing-delimiter

interpolated-text → interpolated-text-item interpolated-text opt

interpolated-text-item → \( expression ) | quoted-text-item

multiline-interpolated-text → multiline-interpolated-text-item multiline-interpolated-text opt

multiline-interpolated-text-item → \( expression ) | multiline-quoted-text-item

escape-sequence → \ extended-string-literal-delimiter
escaped-character → escape-sequence 0 | escape-sequence \ | escape-sequence t |
escape-sequence n | escape-sequence r | escape-sequence " | escape-sequence '
escaped-character → escape-sequence u { unicode-scalar-digits }
unicode-scalar-digits → Between one and eight hexadecimal digits

escaped-newline → escape-sequence whitespaceopt line-break

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G R A M M A R O F O P E R AT O R S

operator → operator-head operator-charactersopt

operator → dot-operator-head dot-operator-characters

operator-head → / | = | - | + | ! | * | % | < | > | & | | | ^ | ~ | ?

operator-head → U+00A1–U+00A7
operator-head → U+00A9 or U+00AB
operator-head → U+00AC or U+00AE
operator-head → U+00B0–U+00B1
operator-head → U+00B6, U+00BB, U+00BF, U+00D7, or U+00F7
operator-head → U+2016–U+2017
operator-head → U+2020–U+2027
operator-head → U+2030–U+203E
operator-head → U+2041–U+2053
operator-head → U+2055–U+205E
operator-head → U+2190–U+23FF
operator-head → U+2500–U+2775
operator-head → U+2794–U+2BFF
operator-head → U+2E00–U+2E7F
operator-head → U+3001–U+3003
operator-head → U+3008–U+3020
operator-head → U+3030

operator-character → operator-head
operator-character → U+0300–U+036F
operator-character → U+1DC0–U+1DFF
operator-character → U+20D0–U+20FF
operator-character → U+FE00–U+FE0F
operator-character → U+FE20–U+FE2F
operator-character → U+E0100–U+E01EF
operator-characters → operator-character operator-charactersopt

dot-operator-head → .
dot-operator-character → . | operator-character
dot-operator-characters → dot-operator-character dot-operator-charactersopt

binary-operator → operator
prefix-operator → operator
postfix-operator → operator

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Types
GRAMMAR OF A TYPE

type → array-type
type → dictionary-type
type → function-type
type → type-identifier
type → tuple-type
type → optional-type
type → implicitly-unwrapped-optional-type
type → protocol-composition-type
type → metatype-type
type → Any
type → Self
type → ( type )

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E A N N O TAT I O N

type-annotation → : attributesopt inoutopt type

GRAMMAR OF A TYPE IDENTIFIER

type-identifier → type-name generic-argument-clauseopt | type-name generic-argument-

clauseopt . type-identifier
type-name → identifier

GRAMMAR OF A TUPLE TYPE

tuple-type → ( ) | ( tuple-type-element , tuple-type-element-list )

tuple-type-element-list → tuple-type-element | tuple-type-element , tuple-type-element-list
tuple-type-element → element-name type-annotation | type
element-name → identifier

GRAMMAR OF A FUNCTION TYPE

function-type → attributesopt function-type-argument-clause throwsopt -> type

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function-type → attributesopt function-type-argument-clause rethrows -> type

function-type-argument-clause → ( )
function-type-argument-clause → ( function-type-argument-list ...opt )

function-type-argument-list → function-type-argument | function-type-argument , function-

type-argument-list
function-type-argument → attributesopt inoutopt type | argument-label type-annotation
argument-label → identifier

G R A M M A R O F A N A R R AY T Y P E

array-type → [ type ]

GRAMMAR OF A DICTIONARY TYPE

dictionary-type → [ type : type ]

GRAMMAR OF AN OPTIONAL TYPE

optional-type → type ?

G R A M M A R O F A N I M P L I C I T LY U N W R A P P E D O P T I O N A L T Y P E

implicitly-unwrapped-optional-type → type !

GRAMMAR OF A PROTOCOL COMPOSITION TYPE

protocol-composition-type → type-identifier & protocol-composition-continuation

protocol-composition-continuation → type-identifier | protocol-composition-type

G R A M M A R O F A M E TAT Y P E T Y P E

metatype-type → type . Type | type . Protocol

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E I N H E R I TA N C E C L A U S E

type-inheritance-clause → : type-inheritance-list
type-inheritance-list → type-identifier | type-identifier , type-inheritance-list

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Expressions
GRAMMAR OF AN EXPRESSION

expression → try-operatoropt prefix-expression binary-expressionsopt

expression-list → expression | expression , expression-list

GRAMMAR OF A PREFIX EXPRESSION

prefix-expression → prefix-operatoropt postfix-expression

prefix-expression → in-out-expression
in-out-expression → & identifier

GRAMMAR OF A TRY EXPRESSION

try-operator → try | try ? | try !

GRAMMAR OF A BINARY EXPRESSION

binary-expression → binary-operator prefix-expression

binary-expression → assignment-operator try-operatoropt prefix-expression
binary-expression → conditional-operator try-operatoropt prefix-expression
binary-expression → type-casting-operator
binary-expressions → binary-expression binary-expressionsopt

G R A M M A R O F A N A S S I G N M E N T O P E R AT O R

assignment-operator → =

G R A M M A R O F A C O N D I T I O N A L O P E R AT O R

conditional-operator → ? expression :

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E - C A S T I N G O P E R AT O R

type-casting-operator → is type
type-casting-operator → as type
type-casting-operator → as ? type

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type-casting-operator → as ! type

GRAMMAR OF A PRIMARY EXPRESSION

primary-expression → identifier generic-argument-clauseopt

primary-expression → literal-expression
primary-expression → self-expression
primary-expression → superclass-expression
primary-expression → closure-expression
primary-expression → parenthesized-expression
primary-expression → tuple-expression
primary-expression → implicit-member-expression
primary-expression → wildcard-expression
primary-expression → key-path-expression
primary-expression → selector-expression
primary-expression → key-path-string-expression

GRAMMAR OF A LITERAL EXPRESSION

literal-expression → literal
literal-expression → array-literal | dictionary-literal | playground-literal
literal-expression → #file | #line | #column | #function | #dsohandle

array-literal → [ array-literal-itemsopt ]
array-literal-items → array-literal-item ,opt | array-literal-item , array-literal-items
array-literal-item → expression

dictionary-literal → [ dictionary-literal-items ] | [ : ]
dictionary-literal-items → dictionary-literal-item ,opt | dictionary-literal-item , dictionary-
literal-items
dictionary-literal-item → expression : expression

playground-literal → #colorLiteral ( red : expression , green : expression ,

blue : expression , alpha : expression )
playground-literal → #fileLiteral ( resourceName : expression )
playground-literal → #imageLiteral ( resourceName : expression )

GRAMMAR OF A SELF EXPRESSION

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self-expression → self | self-method-expression | self-subscript-expression | self-initializer-

expression

self-method-expression → self . identifier

self-subscript-expression → self [ function-call-argument-list ]
self-initializer-expression → self . init

GRAMMAR OF A SUPERCLASS EXPRESSION

superclass-expression → superclass-method-expression | superclass-subscript-expression |

superclass-initializer-expression

superclass-method-expression → super . identifier

superclass-subscript-expression → super [ function-call-argument-list ]
superclass-initializer-expression → super . init

GRAMMAR OF A CLOSURE EXPRESSION

closure-expression → { closure-signatureopt statementsopt }

closure-signature → capture-listopt closure-parameter-clause throwsopt function-resultopt

in
closure-signature → capture-list in

closure-parameter-clause → ( ) | ( closure-parameter-list ) | identifier-list

closure-parameter-list → closure-parameter | closure-parameter , closure-parameter-list
closure-parameter → closure-parameter-name type-annotationopt
closure-parameter → closure-parameter-name type-annotation ...
closure-parameter-name → identifier

capture-list → [ capture-list-items ]
capture-list-items → capture-list-item | capture-list-item , capture-list-items
capture-list-item → capture-specifieropt expression
capture-specifier → weak | unowned | unowned(safe) | unowned(unsafe)

GRAMMAR OF A IMPLICIT MEMBER EXPRESSION

implicit-member-expression → . identifier

GRAMMAR OF A PARENTHESIZED EXPRESSION

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parenthesized-expression → ( expression )

GRAMMAR OF A TUPLE EXPRESSION

tuple-expression → ( ) | ( tuple-element , tuple-element-list )

tuple-element-list → tuple-element | tuple-element , tuple-element-list
tuple-element → expression | identifier : expression

GRAMMAR OF A WILDCARD EXPRESSION

wildcard-expression → _

G R A M M A R O F A K E Y- PAT H E X P R E S S I O N

key-path-expression → \ typeopt . key-path-components

key-path-components → key-path-component | key-path-component . key-path-
components
key-path-component → identifier key-path-postfixesopt | key-path-postfixes

key-path-postfixes → key-path-postfix key-path-postfixesopt

key-path-postfix → ? | ! | self | [ function-call-argument-list ]

GRAMMAR OF A SELECTOR EXPRESSION

selector-expression → #selector ( expression )

selector-expression → #selector ( getter: expression )
selector-expression → #selector ( setter: expression )

G R A M M A R O F A K E Y- PAT H S T R I N G E X P R E S S I O N

key-path-string-expression → #keyPath ( expression )

GRAMMAR OF A POSTFIX EXPRESSION

postfix-expression → primary-expression
postfix-expression → postfix-expression postfix-operator
postfix-expression → function-call-expression
postfix-expression → initializer-expression
postfix-expression → explicit-member-expression
postfix-expression → postfix-self-expression

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postfix-expression → subscript-expression
postfix-expression → forced-value-expression
postfix-expression → optional-chaining-expression

GRAMMAR OF A FUNCTION CALL EXPRESSION

function-call-expression → postfix-expression function-call-argument-clause

function-call-expression → postfix-expression function-call-argument-clauseopt trailing-
closure

function-call-argument-clause → ( ) | ( function-call-argument-list )
function-call-argument-list → function-call-argument | function-call-argument , function-
call-argument-list
function-call-argument → expression | identifier : expression
function-call-argument → operator | identifier : operator

trailing-closure → closure-expression

GRAMMAR OF AN INITIALIZER EXPRESSION

initializer-expression → postfix-expression . init

initializer-expression → postfix-expression . init ( argument-names )

GRAMMAR OF AN EXPLICIT MEMBER EXPRESSION

explicit-member-expression → postfix-expression . decimal-digits

explicit-member-expression → postfix-expression . identifier generic-argument-clauseopt
explicit-member-expression → postfix-expression . identifier ( argument-names )

argument-names → argument-name argument-namesopt

argument-name → identifier :

GRAMMAR OF A POSTFIX SELF EXPRESSION

postfix-self-expression → postfix-expression . self

GRAMMAR OF A SUBSCRIPT EXPRESSION

subscript-expression → postfix-expression [ function-call-argument-list ]

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G R A M M A R O F A F O R C E D -VA LU E E X P R E S S I O N

forced-value-expression → postfix-expression !

G R A M M A R O F A N O P T I O N A L- C H A I N I N G E X P R E S S I O N

optional-chaining-expression → postfix-expression ?

Statements
G R A M M A R O F A S TAT E M E N T

statement → expression ;opt

statement → declaration ;opt
statement → loop-statement ;opt
statement → branch-statement ;opt
statement → labeled-statement ;opt
statement → control-transfer-statement ;opt
statement → defer-statement ;opt
statement → do-statement ;opt
statement → compiler-control-statement
statements → statement statementsopt

G R A M M A R O F A L O O P S TAT E M E N T

loop-statement → for-in-statement
loop-statement → while-statement
loop-statement → repeat-while-statement

G R A M M A R O F A F O R - I N S TAT E M E N T

for-in-statement → for caseopt pattern in expression where-clauseopt code-block

G R A M M A R O F A W H I L E S TAT E M E N T

while-statement → while condition-list code-block

condition-list → condition | condition , condition-list

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condition → expression | availability-condition | case-condition | optional-binding-condition

case-condition → case pattern initializer

optional-binding-condition → let pattern initializer | var pattern initializer

G R A M M A R O F A R E P E AT-W H I L E S TAT E M E N T

repeat-while-statement → repeat code-block while expression

G R A M M A R O F A B R A N C H S TAT E M E N T

branch-statement → if-statement
branch-statement → guard-statement
branch-statement → switch-statement

G R A M M A R O F A N I F S TAT E M E N T

if-statement → if condition-list code-block else-clauseopt

else-clause → else code-block | else if-statement

G R A M M A R O F A G U A R D S TAT E M E N T

guard-statement → guard condition-list else code-block

G R A M M A R O F A S W I T C H S TAT E M E N T

switch-statement → switch expression { switch-casesopt }

switch-cases → switch-case switch-casesopt
switch-case → case-label statements
switch-case → default-label statements
switch-case → conditional-switch-case

case-label → attributesopt case case-item-list :

case-item-list → pattern where-clauseopt | pattern where-clauseopt , case-item-list
default-label → attributesopt default :

where-clause → where where-expression

where-expression → expression

conditional-switch-case → switch-if-directive-clause switch-elseif-directive-clausesopt

switch-else-directive-clauseopt endif-directive

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switch-if-directive-clause → if-directive compilation-condition switch-casesopt

switch-elseif-directive-clauses → elseif-directive-clause switch-elseif-directive-clausesopt
switch-elseif-directive-clause → elseif-directive compilation-condition switch-casesopt
switch-else-directive-clause → else-directive switch-casesopt

G R A M M A R O F A L A B E L E D S TAT E M E N T

labeled-statement → statement-label loop-statement

labeled-statement → statement-label if-statement
labeled-statement → statement-label switch-statement
labeled-statement → statement-label do-statement

statement-label → label-name :
label-name → identifier

G R A M M A R O F A C O N T R O L T R A N S F E R S TAT E M E N T

control-transfer-statement → break-statement
control-transfer-statement → continue-statement
control-transfer-statement → fallthrough-statement
control-transfer-statement → return-statement
control-transfer-statement → throw-statement

G R A M M A R O F A B R E A K S TAT E M E N T

break-statement → break label-nameopt

G R A M M A R O F A C O N T I N U E S TAT E M E N T

continue-statement → continue label-nameopt

G R A M M A R O F A F A L LT H R O U G H S TAT E M E N T

fallthrough-statement → fallthrough

G R A M M A R O F A R E T U R N S TAT E M E N T

return-statement → return expressionopt

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G R A M M A R O F A T H R O W S TAT E M E N T

throw-statement → throw expression

G R A M M A R O F A D E F E R S TAT E M E N T

defer-statement → defer code-block

G R A M M A R O F A D O S TAT E M E N T

do-statement → do code-block catch-clausesopt

catch-clauses → catch-clause catch-clausesopt
catch-clause → catch patternopt where-clauseopt code-block

G R A M M A R O F A C O M P I L E R C O N T R O L S TAT E M E N T

compiler-control-statement → conditional-compilation-block
compiler-control-statement → line-control-statement
compiler-control-statement → diagnostic-statement

G R A M M A R O F A C O N D I T I O N A L C O M P I L AT I O N B L O C K

conditional-compilation-block → if-directive-clause elseif-directive-clausesopt else-

directive-clauseopt endif-directive

if-directive-clause → if-directive compilation-condition statementsopt

elseif-directive-clauses → elseif-directive-clause elseif-directive-clausesopt
elseif-directive-clause → elseif-directive compilation-condition statementsopt
else-directive-clause → else-directive statementsopt
if-directive → #if
elseif-directive → #elseif
else-directive → #else
endif-directive → #endif

compilation-condition → platform-condition
compilation-condition → identifier
compilation-condition → boolean-literal
compilation-condition → ( compilation-condition )
compilation-condition → ! compilation-condition
compilation-condition → compilation-condition && compilation-condition

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compilation-condition → compilation-condition || compilation-condition

platform-condition → os ( operating-system )
platform-condition → arch ( architecture )
platform-condition → swift ( >= swift-version ) | swift ( < swift-version )
platform-condition → compiler ( >= swift-version ) | compiler ( < swift-version )
platform-condition → canImport ( module-name )
platform-condition → targetEnvironment ( environment )

operating-system → macOS | iOS | watchOS | tvOS

architecture → i386 | x86_64 | arm | arm64
swift-version → decimal-digits swift-version-continuation opt
swift-version-continuation → . decimal-digits swift-version-continuation opt
module-name → identifier
environment → simulator

G R A M M A R O F A L I N E C O N T R O L S TAT E M E N T

line-control-statement → #sourceLocation ( file: file-name , line: line-number

)
line-control-statement → #sourceLocation ( )
line-number → A decimal integer greater than zero
file-name → static-string-literal

G R A M M A R O F A C O M P I L E -T I M E D I A G N O S T I C S TAT E M E N T

diagnostic-statement → #error ( diagnostic-message )

diagnostic-statement → #warning ( diagnostic-message )

diagnostic-message → static-string-literal

G R A M M A R O F A N AVA I L A B I L I T Y C O N D I T I O N

availability-condition → #available ( availability-arguments )

availability-arguments → availability-argument | availability-argument , availability-arguments
availability-argument → platform-name platform-version
availability-argument → *

platform-name → iOS | iOSApplicationExtension

platform-name → macOS | macOSApplicationExtension

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platform-name → watchOS
platform-name → tvOS
platform-version → decimal-digits
platform-version → decimal-digits . decimal-digits
platform-version → decimal-digits . decimal-digits . decimal-digits

Declarations
G R A M M A R O F A D E C L A R AT I O N

declaration → import-declaration
declaration → constant-declaration
declaration → variable-declaration
declaration → typealias-declaration
declaration → function-declaration
declaration → enum-declaration
declaration → struct-declaration
declaration → class-declaration
declaration → protocol-declaration
declaration → initializer-declaration
declaration → deinitializer-declaration
declaration → extension-declaration
declaration → subscript-declaration
declaration → operator-declaration
declaration → precedence-group-declaration
declarations → declaration declarationsopt

G R A M M A R O F A T O P - L E V E L D E C L A R AT I O N

top-level-declaration → statementsopt

GRAMMAR OF A CODE BLOCK

code-block → { statementsopt }

G R A M M A R O F A N I M P O R T D E C L A R AT I O N

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import-declaration → attributesopt import import-kindopt import-path

import-kind → typealias | struct | class | enum | protocol | let | var | func

import-path → import-path-identifier | import-path-identifier . import-path
import-path-identifier → identifier | operator

G R A M M A R O F A C O N S TA N T D E C L A R AT I O N

constant-declaration → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt let pattern-initializer-list

pattern-initializer-list → pattern-initializer | pattern-initializer , pattern-initializer-list

pattern-initializer → pattern initializeropt
initializer → = expression

G R A M M A R O F A VA R I A B L E D E C L A R AT I O N

variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head pattern-initializer-list

variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation code-block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation getter-setter-
block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation getter-setter-
keyword-block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name initializer willSet-didSet-block
variable-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation initializeropt
willSet-didSet-block

variable-declaration-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt var

variable-name → identifier

getter-setter-block → code-block
getter-setter-block → { getter-clause setter-clauseopt }
getter-setter-block → { setter-clause getter-clause }
getter-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt get code-block
setter-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt set setter-nameopt code-block
setter-name → ( identifier )

getter-setter-keyword-block → { getter-keyword-clause setter-keyword-clauseopt }

getter-setter-keyword-block → { setter-keyword-clause getter-keyword-clause }
getter-keyword-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt get
setter-keyword-clause → attributesopt mutation-modifieropt set

willSet-didSet-block → { willSet-clause didSet-clauseopt }

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willSet-didSet-block → { didSet-clause willSet-clauseopt }

willSet-clause → attributesopt willSet setter-nameopt code-block
didSet-clause → attributesopt didSet setter-nameopt code-block

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E A L I A S D E C L A R AT I O N

typealias-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt typealias typealias-name

generic-parameter-clauseopt typealias-assignment
typealias-name → identifier
typealias-assignment → = type

G R A M M A R O F A F U N C T I O N D E C L A R AT I O N

function-declaration → function-head function-name generic-parameter-clauseopt function-

signature generic-where-clause opt function-bodyopt

function-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt func

function-name → identifier | operator

function-signature → parameter-clause throwsopt function-resultopt

function-signature → parameter-clause rethrows function-resultopt
function-result → -> attributesopt type
function-body → code-block

parameter-clause → ( ) | ( parameter-list )
parameter-list → parameter | parameter , parameter-list
parameter → external-parameter-nameopt local-parameter-name type-annotation default-
argument-clauseopt
parameter → external-parameter-nameopt local-parameter-name type-annotation
parameter → external-parameter-nameopt local-parameter-name type-annotation ...
external-parameter-name → identifier
local-parameter-name → identifier
default-argument-clause → = expression

G R A M M A R O F A N E N U M E R AT I O N D E C L A R AT I O N

enum-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt union-style-enum

enum-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt raw-value-style-enum

union-style-enum → indirectopt enum enum-name generic-parameter-clauseopt type-

inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt { union-style-enum-membersopt }

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union-style-enum-members → union-style-enum-member union-style-enum-membersopt

union-style-enum-member → declaration | union-style-enum-case-clause | compiler-control-
statement
union-style-enum-case-clause → attributesopt indirectopt case union-style-enum-
case-list
union-style-enum-case-list → union-style-enum-case | union-style-enum-case , union-
style-enum-case-list
union-style-enum-case → enum-case-name tuple-type opt
enum-name → identifier
enum-case-name → identifier

raw-value-style-enum → enum enum-name generic-parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-

clause generic-where-clause opt { raw-value-style-enum-members }
raw-value-style-enum-members → raw-value-style-enum-member raw-value-style-enum-
membersopt
raw-value-style-enum-member → declaration | raw-value-style-enum-case-clause |
compiler-control-statement
raw-value-style-enum-case-clause → attributesopt case raw-value-style-enum-case-list
raw-value-style-enum-case-list → raw-value-style-enum-case | raw-value-style-enum-case
, raw-value-style-enum-case-list
raw-value-style-enum-case → enum-case-name raw-value-assignment opt
raw-value-assignment → = raw-value-literal
raw-value-literal → numeric-literal | static-string-literal | boolean-literal

G R A M M A R O F A S T R U C T U R E D E C L A R AT I O N

struct-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt struct struct-name generic-

parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt struct-body
struct-name → identifier
struct-body → { struct-membersopt }

struct-members → struct-member struct-membersopt

struct-member → declaration | compiler-control-statement

G R A M M A R O F A C L A S S D E C L A R AT I O N

class-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt finalopt class class-name

generic-parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt class-
body

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class-declaration → attributesopt final access-level-modifieropt class class-name

generic-parameter-clauseopt type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt class-
body
class-name → identifier
class-body → { class-membersopt }

class-members → class-member class-membersopt

class-member → declaration | compiler-control-statement

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt protocol protocol-name

type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt protocol-body
protocol-name → identifier
protocol-body → { protocol-membersopt }

protocol-members → protocol-member protocol-membersopt

protocol-member → protocol-member-declaration | compiler-control-statement

protocol-member-declaration → protocol-property-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-method-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-initializer-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-subscript-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → protocol-associated-type-declaration
protocol-member-declaration → typealias-declaration

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L P R O P E R T Y D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-property-declaration → variable-declaration-head variable-name type-annotation

getter-setter-keyword-block

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L M E T H O D D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-method-declaration → function-head function-name generic-parameter-clauseopt

function-signature generic-where-clause opt

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L I N I T I A L I Z E R D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-

clause throwsopt generic-where-clause opt

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protocol-initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-

clause rethrows generic-where-clause opt

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L S U B S C R I P T D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt

getter-setter-keyword-block

G R A M M A R O F A P R O T O C O L A S S O C I AT E D T Y P E D E C L A R AT I O N

protocol-associated-type-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt

associatedtype typealias-name type-inheritance-clauseopt typealias-assignmentopt
generic-where-clause opt

G R A M M A R O F A N I N I T I A L I Z E R D E C L A R AT I O N

initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-clause

throwsopt generic-where-clause opt initializer-body
initializer-declaration → initializer-head generic-parameter-clauseopt parameter-clause
rethrows generic-where-clause opt initializer-body
initializer-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt init
initializer-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt init ?
initializer-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt init !
initializer-body → code-block

G R A M M A R O F A D E I N I T I A L I Z E R D E C L A R AT I O N

deinitializer-declaration → attributesopt deinit code-block

G R A M M A R O F A N E X T E N S I O N D E C L A R AT I O N

extension-declaration → attributesopt access-level-modifieropt extension type-identifier

type-inheritance-clauseopt generic-where-clause opt extension-body
extension-body → { extension-membersopt }

extension-members → extension-member extension-membersopt

extension-member → declaration | compiler-control-statement

G R A M M A R O F A S U B S C R I P T D E C L A R AT I O N

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subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt code-block

subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt getter-
setter-block
subscript-declaration → subscript-head subscript-result generic-where-clause opt getter-
setter-keyword-block
subscript-head → attributesopt declaration-modifiersopt subscript generic-parameter-
clauseopt parameter-clause
subscript-result → -> attributesopt type

G R A M M A R O F A N O P E R AT O R D E C L A R AT I O N

operator-declaration → prefix-operator-declaration | postfix-operator-declaration | infix-

operator-declaration

prefix-operator-declaration → prefix operator operator

postfix-operator-declaration → postfix operator operator
infix-operator-declaration → infix operator operator infix-operator-groupopt

infix-operator-group → : precedence-group-name

G R A M M A R O F A P R E C E D E N C E G R O U P D E C L A R AT I O N

precedence-group-declaration → precedencegroup precedence-group-name {

precedence-group-attributesopt }

precedence-group-attributes → precedence-group-attribute precedence-group-attributesopt

precedence-group-attribute → precedence-group-relation
precedence-group-attribute → precedence-group-assignment
precedence-group-attribute → precedence-group-associativity

precedence-group-relation → higherThan : precedence-group-names

precedence-group-relation → lowerThan : precedence-group-names

precedence-group-assignment → assignment : boolean-literal

precedence-group-associativity → associativity : left

precedence-group-associativity → associativity : right
precedence-group-associativity → associativity : none

precedence-group-names → precedence-group-name | precedence-group-name ,

precedence-group-names
precedence-group-name → identifier

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G R A M M A R O F A D E C L A R AT I O N M O D I F I E R

declaration-modifier → class | convenience | dynamic | final | infix | lazy |

optional | override | postfix | prefix | required | static | unowned |
unowned ( safe ) | unowned ( unsafe ) | weak
declaration-modifier → access-level-modifier
declaration-modifier → mutation-modifier
declaration-modifiers → declaration-modifier declaration-modifiersopt

access-level-modifier → private | private ( set )

access-level-modifier → fileprivate | fileprivate ( set )
access-level-modifier → internal | internal ( set )
access-level-modifier → public | public ( set )
access-level-modifier → open | open ( set )

mutation-modifier → mutating | nonmutating

Attributes
G R A M M A R O F A N AT T R I B U T E

attribute → @ attribute-name attribute-argument-clauseopt

attribute-name → identifier
attribute-argument-clause → ( balanced-tokens opt )
attributes → attribute attributesopt

balanced-tokens → balanced-token balanced-tokens opt

balanced-token → ( balanced-tokens opt )
balanced-token → [ balanced-tokens opt ]
balanced-token → { balanced-tokens opt }
balanced-token → Any identifier, keyword, literal, or operator
balanced-token → Any punctuation except ( , ) , [ , ] , { , or }

Patterns
G R A M M A R O F A PAT T E R N

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pattern → wildcard-pattern type-annotationopt

pattern → identifier-pattern type-annotationopt
pattern → value-binding-pattern
pattern → tuple-pattern type-annotationopt
pattern → enum-case-pattern
pattern → optional-pattern
pattern → type-casting-pattern
pattern → expression-pattern

G R A M M A R O F A W I L D C A R D PAT T E R N

wildcard-pattern → _

G R A M M A R O F A N I D E N T I F I E R PAT T E R N

identifier-pattern → identifier

G R A M M A R O F A VA L U E - B I N D I N G PAT T E R N

value-binding-pattern → var pattern | let pattern

G R A M M A R O F A T U P L E PAT T E R N

tuple-pattern → ( tuple-pattern-element-listopt )
tuple-pattern-element-list → tuple-pattern-element | tuple-pattern-element , tuple-pattern-
element-list
tuple-pattern-element → pattern | identifier : pattern

G R A M M A R O F A N E N U M E R AT I O N C A S E PAT T E R N

enum-case-pattern → type-identifieropt . enum-case-name tuple-patternopt

G R A M M A R O F A N O P T I O N A L PAT T E R N

optional-pattern → identifier-pattern ?

G R A M M A R O F A T Y P E C A S T I N G PAT T E R N

type-casting-pattern → is-pattern | as-pattern

is-pattern → is type

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as-pattern → pattern as type

G R A M M A R O F A N E X P R E S S I O N PAT T E R N

expression-pattern → expression

Generic Parameters and Arguments

GRAMMAR OF A GENERIC PARAMETER CLAUSE

generic-parameter-clause → < generic-parameter-list >

generic-parameter-list → generic-parameter | generic-parameter , generic-parameter-list
generic-parameter → type-name
generic-parameter → type-name : type-identifier
generic-parameter → type-name : protocol-composition-type

generic-where-clause → where requirement-list

requirement-list → requirement | requirement , requirement-list
requirement → conformance-requirement | same-type-requirement

conformance-requirement → type-identifier : type-identifier

conformance-requirement → type-identifier : protocol-composition-type
same-type-requirement → type-identifier == type

GRAMMAR OF A GENERIC ARGUMENT CLAUSE

generic-argument-clause → < generic-argument-list >

generic-argument-list → generic-argument | generic-argument , generic-argument-list
generic-argument → type

Generic Parameters and Arguments Revision History

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Document Revision History

2019-03-25

Updated for Swift 5.0.

Added the Extended String Delimiters section and updated the String Literals
section with information about extended string delimiters.
Added the dynamicCallable section with information about dynamically calling
instances as functions using the dynamicCallable attribute.
Added the unknown and Switching Over Future Enumeration Cases sections with
information about handling future enumeration cases in switch statements using
the unknown switch case attribute.
Added information about the identity key path (\.self) to the Key-Path
Expression section.
Added information about using the less than (<) operator in platform conditions to
the Conditional Compilation Block section.

2018-09-17

Updated for Swift 4.2.

Added information about accessing all of an enumerationʼs cases to the Iterating
over Enumeration Cases section.
Added information about #error and #warning to the Compile-Time Diagnostic
Statement section.
Added information about inlining to the Declaration Attributes section under the
inlinable and usableFromInline attributes.
Added information about members that are looked up by name at runtime to the

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Declaration Attributes section under the dynamicMemberLookup attribute.

Added information about the requires_stored_property_inits and
warn_unqualified_access attributes to the Declaration Attributes section.
Added information about how to conditionally compile code depending on the
Swift compiler version being used to the Conditional Compilation Block section.
Added information about #dsohandle to the Literal Expression section.

2018-03-29

Updated for Swift 4.1.

Added information about synthesized implementations of equivalence operators
to the Equivalence Operators section.
Added information about conditional protocol conformance to the Extension
Declaration section of the Declarations chapter, and to the Conditionally
Conforming to a Protocol section of the Protocols chapter.
Added information about recursive protocol constraints to the Using a Protocol in
Its Associated Typeʼs Constraints section.
Added information about the canImport() and targetEnvironment() platform
conditions to Conditional Compilation Block.

2017-12-04

Updated for Swift 4.0.3.

Updated the Key-Path Expression section, now that key paths support subscript
components.

2017-09-19

Updated for Swift 4.0.

Added information about exclusive access to memory to the Memory Safety
chapter.
Added the Associated Types with a Generic Where Clause section, now that you
can use generic where clauses to constrain associated types.
Added information about multiline string literals to the String Literals section of
the Strings and Characters chapter, and to the String Literals section of the
Lexical Structure chapter.
Updated the discussion of the objc attribute in Declaration Attributes, now that

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this attribute is inferred in fewer places.

Added the Generic Subscripts section, now that subscripts can be generic.
Updated the discussion in the Protocol Composition section of the Protocols
chapter, and in the Protocol Composition Type section of the Types chapter, now
that protocol composition types can contain a superclass requirement.
Updated the discussion of protocol extensions in Extension Declaration now that
final isnʼt allowed in them.
Added information about preconditions and fatal errors to the Assertions and
Preconditions section.

2017-03-27

Updated for Swift 3.1.

Added the Extensions with a Generic Where Clause section with information
about extensions that include requirements.
Added examples of iterating over a range to the For-In Loops section.
Added an example of failable numeric conversions to the Failable Initializers
section.
Added information to the Declaration Attributes section about using the
available attribute with a Swift language version.
Updated the discussion in the Function Type section to note that argument labels
are not allowed when writing a function type.
Updated the discussion of Swift language version numbers in the Conditional
Compilation Block section, now that an optional patch number is allowed.
Updated the discussion in the Function Type section, now that Swift distinguishes
between functions that take multiple parameters and functions that take a single
parameter of a tuple type.
Removed the Dynamic Type Expression section from the Expressions chapter,
now that type(of:) is a Swift standard library function.

2016-10-27

Updated for Swift 3.0.1.

Updated the discussion of weak and unowned references in the Automatic
Reference Counting chapter.
Added information about the unowned, unowned(safe), and unowned(unsafe)
declaration modifiers in the Declaration Modifiers section.

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Added a note to the Type Casting for Any and AnyObject section about using an
optional value when a value of type Any is expected.
Updated the Expressions chapter to separate the discussion of parenthesized
expressions and tuple expressions.

2016-09-13

Updated for Swift 3.0.

Updated the discussion of functions in the Functions chapter and the Function
Declaration section to note that all parameters get an argument label by default.
Updated the discussion of operators in the Advanced Operators chapter, now
that you implement them as type methods instead of as global functions.
Added information about the open and fileprivate access-level modifiers to the
Access Control chapter.
Updated the discussion of inout in the Function Declaration section to note that
it appears in front of a parameterʼs type instead of in front of a parameterʼs name.
Updated the discussion of the @noescape and @autoclosure attributes in the
Escaping Closures and Autoclosures sections and the Attributes chapter now that
they are type attributes, rather than declaration attributes.
Added information about operator precedence groups to the Precedence for
Custom Infix Operators section of the Advanced Operators chapter, and to the
Precedence Group Declaration section of the Declarations chapter.
Updated discussion throughout to use macOS instead of OS X, Error instead of
ErrorProtocol, and protocol names such as ExpressibleByStringLiteral
instead of StringLiteralConvertible.
Updated the discussion in the Generic Where Clauses section of the Generics
chapter and in the Generic Parameters and Arguments chapter, now that generic
where clauses are written at the end of a declaration.
Updated the discussion in the Escaping Closures section, now that closures are
nonescaping by default.
Updated the discussion in the Optional Binding section of the The Basics chapter
and the While Statement section of the Statements chapter, now that if, while,
and guard statements use a comma-separated list of conditions without where
clauses.
Added information about switch cases that have multiple patterns to the Switch
section of the Control Flow chapter and the Switch Statement section of the

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Statements chapter.
Updated the discussion of function types in the Function Type section now that
function argument labels are no longer part of a functionʼs type.
Updated the discussion of protocol composition types in the Protocol
Composition section of the Protocols chapter and in the Protocol Composition
Type section of the Types chapter to use the new Protocol1 & Protocol2
syntax.
Updated the discussion in the Dynamic Type Expression section to use the new
type(of:) syntax for dynamic type expressions.
Updated the discussion of line control statements to use the
#sourceLocation(file:line:) syntax in the Line Control Statement section.
Updated the discussion in Functions that Never Return to use the new Never
type.
Added information about playground literals to the Literal Expression section.
Updated the discussion in the In-Out Parameters section to note that only
nonescaping closures can capture in-out parameters.
Updated the discussion about default parameters in the Default Parameter Values
section, now that they canʼt be reordered in function calls.
Updated attribute arguments to use a colon in the Attributes chapter.
Added information about throwing an error inside the catch block of a rethrowing
function to the Rethrowing Functions and Methods section.
Added information about accessing the selector of an Objective-C propertyʼs
getter or setter to the Selector Expression section.
Added information to the Type Alias Declaration section about generic type
aliases and using type aliases inside of protocols.
Updated the discussion of function types in the Function Type section to note
that parentheses around the parameter types are required.
Updated the Attributes chapter to note that the @IBAction, @IBOutlet, and
@NSManaged attributes imply the @objc attribute.
Added information about the @GKInspectable attribute to the Declaration
Attributes section.
Updated the discussion of optional protocol requirements in the Optional Protocol
Requirements section to clarify that they are used only in code that interoperates
with Objective-C.
Removed the discussion of explicitly using let in function parameters from the

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Function Declaration section.

Removed the discussion of the Boolean protocol from the Statements chapter,
now that the protocol has been removed from the Swift standard library.
Corrected the discussion of the @NSApplicationMain attribute in the Declaration
Attributes section.

2016-03-21

Updated for Swift 2.2.

Added information about how to conditionally compile code depending on the
version of Swift being used to the Conditional Compilation Block section.
Added information about how to distinguish between methods or initializers
whose names differ only by the names of their arguments to the Explicit Member
Expression section.
Added information about the #selector syntax for Objective-C selectors to the
Selector Expression section.
Updated the discussion of associated types to use the associatedtype keyword
in the Associated Types and Protocol Associated Type Declaration sections.
Updated information about initializers that return nil before the instance is fully
initialized in the Failable Initializers section.
Added information about comparing tuples to the Comparison Operators section.
Added information about using keywords as external parameter names to the
Keywords and Punctuation section.
Updated the discussion of the @objc attribute in the Declaration Attributes
section to note that enumerations and enumeration cases can use this attribute.
Updated the Operators section with discussion of custom operators that contain
a dot.
Added a note to the Rethrowing Functions and Methods section that rethrowing
functions canʼt directly throw errors.
Added a note to the Property Observers section about property observers being
called when you pass a property as an in-out parameter.
Added a section about error handling to the A Swift Tour chapter.
Updated figures in the Weak References section to show the deallocation
process more clearly.
Removed discussion of C-style for loops, the ++ prefix and postfix operators, and
the -- prefix and postfix operators.

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Removed discussion of variable function arguments and the special syntax for
curried functions.

2015-10-20

Updated for Swift 2.1.

Updated the String Interpolation and String Literals sections now that string
interpolations can contain string literals.
Added the Escaping Closures section with information about the @noescape
attribute.
Updated the Declaration Attributes and Conditional Compilation Block sections
with information about tvOS.
Added information about the behavior of in-out parameters to the In-Out
Parameters section.
Added information to the Capture Lists section about how values specified in
closure capture lists are captured.
Updated the Accessing Properties Through Optional Chaining section to clarify
how assignment through optional chaining behaves.
Improved the discussion of autoclosures in the Autoclosures section.
Added an example that uses the ?? operator to the A Swift Tour chapter.

2015-09-16

Updated for Swift 2.0.

Added information about error handling to the Error Handling chapter, the Do
Statement section, the Throw Statement section, the Defer Statement section,
and the Try Operator section.
Updated the Representing and Throwing Errors section, now that all types can
conform to the ErrorType protocol.
Added information about the new try? keyword to the Converting Errors to
Optional Values section.
Added information about recursive enumerations to the Recursive Enumerations
section of the Enumeration chapter and the Enumerations with Cases of Any Type
section of the Declarations chapter.
Added information about API availability checking to the Checking API Availability
section of the Control Flow chapter and the Availability Condition section of the
Statements chapter.

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Added information about the new guard statement to the Early Exit section of the
Control Flow chapter and the Guard Statement section of the Statements
chapter.
Added information about protocol extensions to the Protocol Extensions section
of the Protocols chapter.
Added information about access control for unit testing to the Access Levels for
Unit Test Targets section of the Access Control chapter.
Added information about the new optional pattern to the Optional Pattern section
of the Patterns chapter.
Updated the Repeat-While section with information about the repeat-while loop.
Updated the Strings and Characters chapter, now that String no longer
conforms to the CollectionType protocol from the Swift standard library.
Added information about the new Swift standard library
print(_:separator:terminator) function to the Printing Constants and
Variables section.
Added information about the behavior of enumeration cases with String raw
values to the Implicitly Assigned Raw Values section of the Enumeration chapter
and the Enumerations with Cases of a Raw-Value Type section of the
Declarations chapter.
Added information about the @autoclosure attribute—including its
@autoclosure(escaping) form—to the Autoclosures section.
Updated the Declaration Attributes section with information about the
@available and @warn_unused_result attributes.
Updated the Type Attributes section with information about the @convention
attribute.
Added an example of using multiple optional bindings with a where clause to the
Optional Binding section.
Added information to the String Literals section about how concatenating string
literals using the + operator happens at compile time.
Added information to the Metatype Type section about comparing metatype
values and using them to construct instances with initializer expressions.
Added a note to the Debugging with Assertions section about when user-defined
assertions are disabled.
Updated the discussion of the @NSManaged attribute in the Declaration Attributes
section, now that the attribute can be applied to certain instance methods.

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Updated the Variadic Parameters section, now that variadic parameters can be
declared in any position in a functionʼs parameter list.
Added information to the Overriding a Failable Initializer section about how a
nonfailable initializer can delegate up to a failable initializer by force-unwrapping
the result of the superclassʼs initializer.
Added information about using enumeration cases as functions to the
Enumerations with Cases of Any Type section.
Added information about explicitly referencing an initializer to the Initializer
Expression section.
Added information about build configuration and line control statements to the
Compiler Control Statements section.
Added a note to the Metatype Type section about constructing class instances
from metatype values.
Added a note to the Weak References section about weak references being
unsuitable for caching.
Updated a note in the Type Properties section to mention that stored type
properties are lazily initialized.
Updated the Capturing Values section to clarify how variables and constants are
captured in closures.
Updated the Declaration Attributes section to describe when you can apply the
@objc attribute to classes.
Added a note to the Handling Errors section about the performance of executing
a throw statement. Added similar information about the do statement in the Do
Statement section.
Updated the Type Properties section with information about stored and
computed type properties for classes, structures, and enumerations.
Updated the Break Statement section with information about labeled break
statements.
Updated a note in the Property Observers section to clarify the behavior of
willSet and didSet observers.
Added a note to the Access Levels section with information about the scope of
private access.
Added a note to the Weak References section about the differences in weak
references between garbage collected systems and ARC.
Updated the Special Characters in String Literals section with a more precise

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definition of Unicode scalars.

2015-04-08

Updated for Swift 1.2.

Swift now has a native Set collection type. For more information, see Sets.
@autoclosure is now an attribute of the parameter declaration, not its type. There
is also a new @noescape parameter declaration attribute. For more information,
see Declaration Attributes.
Type methods and properties now use the static keyword as a declaration
modifier. For more information see Type Variable Properties.
Swift now includes the as? and as! failable downcast operators. For more
information, see Checking for Protocol Conformance.
Added a new guide section about String Indices.
Removed the overflow division (&/) and overflow remainder (&%) operators from
Overflow Operators.
Updated the rules for constant and constant property declaration and
initialization. For more information, see Constant Declaration.
Updated the definition of Unicode scalars in string literals. See Special Characters
in String Literals.
Updated Range Operators to note that a half-open range with the same start and
end index will be empty.
Updated Closures Are Reference Types to clarify the capturing rules for variables.
Updated Value Overflow to clarify the overflow behavior of signed and unsigned
integers
Updated Protocol Declaration to clarify protocol declaration scope and members.
Updated Defining a Capture List to clarify the syntax for weak and unowned
references in closure capture lists.
Updated Operators to explicitly mention examples of supported characters for
custom operators, such as those in the Mathematical Operators, Miscellaneous
Symbols, and Dingbats Unicode blocks.
Constants can now be declared without being initialized in local function scope.
They must have a set value before first use. For more information, see Constant
Declaration.
In an initializer, constant properties can now only assign a value once. For more
information, see Assigning Constant Properties During Initialization.

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Multiple optional bindings can now appear in a single if statement as a comma-

separated list of assignment expressions. For more information, see Optional
Binding.
An Optional-Chaining Expression must appear within a postfix expression.
Protocol casts are no longer limited to @objc protocols.
Type casts that can fail at runtime now use the as? or as! operator, and type
casts that are guaranteed not to fail use the as operator. For more information,
see Type-Casting Operators.

2014-10-16

Updated for Swift 1.1.

Added a full guide to Failable Initializers.
Added a description of Failable Initializer Requirements for protocols.
Constants and variables of type Any can now contain function instances. Updated
the example in Type Casting for Any and AnyObject to show how to check for and
cast to a function type within a switch statement.
Enumerations with raw values now have a rawValue property rather than a
toRaw() method and a failable initializer with a rawValue parameter rather than a
fromRaw() method. For more information, see Raw Values and Enumerations with
Cases of a Raw-Value Type.
Added a new reference section about Failable Initializers, which can trigger
initialization failure.
Custom operators can now contain the ? character. Updated the Operators
reference to describe the revised rules. Removed a duplicate description of the
valid set of operator characters from Custom Operators.

2014-08-18

New document that describes Swift 1.0, Appleʼs new programming language for
building iOS and OS X apps.
Added a new section about Initializer Requirements in protocols.
Added a new section about Class-Only Protocols.
Assertions and Preconditions can now use string interpolation. Removed a note to
the contrary.
Updated the Concatenating Strings and Characters section to reflect the fact that
String and Character values can no longer be combined with the addition

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operator (+) or addition assignment operator (+=). These operators are now used
only with String values. Use the String typeʼs append(_:) method to append a
single Character value onto the end of a string.
Added information about the availability attribute to the Declaration Attributes
section.
Optionals no longer implicitly evaluate to true when they have a value and false
when they do not, to avoid confusion when working with optional Bool values.
Instead, make an explicit check against nil with the == or != operators to find out
if an optional contains a value.
Swift now has a Nil-Coalescing Operator (a ?? b), which unwraps an optionalʼs
value if it exists, or returns a default value if the optional is nil.
Updated and expanded the Comparing Strings section to reflect and
demonstrate that string and character comparison and prefix / suffix comparison
are now based on Unicode canonical equivalence of extended grapheme
clusters.
You can now try to set a propertyʼs value, assign to a subscript, or call a mutating
method or operator through Optional Chaining. The information about Accessing
Properties Through Optional Chaining has been updated accordingly, and the
examples of checking for method call success in Calling Methods Through
Optional Chaining have been expanded to show how to check for property setting
success.
Added a new section about Accessing Subscripts of Optional Type through
optional chaining.
Updated the Accessing and Modifying an Array section to note that you can no
longer append a single item to an array with the += operator. Instead, use the
append(_:) method, or append a single-item array with the += operator.
Added a note that the start value a for the Range Operators a...b and a..<b
must not be greater than the end value b.
Rewrote the Inheritance chapter to remove its introductory coverage of initializer
overrides. This chapter now focuses more on the addition of new functionality in
a subclass, and the modification of existing functionality with overrides. The
chapterʼs example of Overriding Property Getters and Setters has been rewritten
to show how to override a description property. (The examples of modifying an
inherited propertyʼs default value in a subclass initializer have been moved to the
Initialization chapter.)

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Updated the Initializer Inheritance and Overriding section to note that overrides of
a designated initializer must now be marked with the override modifier.
Updated the Required Initializers section to note that the required modifier is
now written before every subclass implementation of a required initializer, and
that the requirements for required initializers can now be satisfied by
automatically inherited initializers.
Infix Operator Methods no longer require the @infix attribute.
The @prefix and @postfix attributes for Prefix and Postfix Operators have been
replaced by prefix and postfix declaration modifiers.
Added a note about the order in which Prefix and Postfix Operators are applied
when both a prefix and a postfix operator are applied to the same operand.
Operator functions for Compound Assignment Operators no longer use the
@assignment attribute when defining the function.
The order in which modifiers are specified when defining Custom Operators has
changed. You now write prefix operator rather than operator prefix, for
example.
Added information about the dynamic declaration modifier in Declaration
Modifiers.
Added information about how type inference works with Literals.
Added more information about curried functions.
Added a new chapter about Access Control.
Updated the Strings and Characters chapter to reflect the fact that Swiftʼs
Character type now represents a single Unicode extended grapheme cluster.
Includes a new section on Extended Grapheme Clusters and more information
about Unicode Scalar Values and Comparing Strings.
Updated the String Literals section to note that Unicode scalars inside string
literals are now written as \u{n}, where n is a hexadecimal number between 0
and 10FFFF, the range of Unicodeʼs codespace.
The NSString length property is now mapped onto Swiftʼs native String type as
utf16Count, not utf16count.
Swiftʼs native String type no longer has an uppercaseString or
lowercaseString property. The corresponding section in Strings and Characters
has been removed, and various code examples have been updated.
Added a new section about Initializer Parameters Without Argument Labels.
Added a new section about Required Initializers.

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Added a new section about Optional Tuple Return Types.

Updated the Type Annotations section to note that multiple related variables can
be defined on a single line with one type annotation.
The @optional, @lazy, @final, and @required attributes are now the optional,
lazy, final, and required Declaration Modifiers.
Updated the entire book to refer to ..< as the Half-Open Range Operator (rather
than the “half-closed range operator”).
Updated the Accessing and Modifying a Dictionary section to note that
Dictionary now has a Boolean isEmpty property.
Clarified the full list of characters that can be used when defining Custom
Operators.
nil and the Booleans true and false are now Literals.
Swiftʼs Array type now has full value semantics. Updated the information about
Mutability of Collections and Arrays to reflect the new approach. Also clarified the
assignment and copy behavior for strings arrays and dictionaries.
Array Type Shorthand Syntax is now written as [SomeType] rather than
SomeType[].
Added a new section about Dictionary Type Shorthand Syntax, which is written as
[KeyType: ValueType].
Added a new section about Hash Values for Set Types.
Examples of Closure Expressions now use the global sorted(_:_:) function
rather than the global sort(_:_:) function, to reflect the new array value
semantics.
Updated the information about Memberwise Initializers for Structure Types to
clarify that the memberwise structure initializer is made available even if a
structureʼs stored properties do not have default values.
Updated to ..< rather than .. for the Half-Open Range Operator.
Added an example of Extending a Generic Type.

Summary of the Grammar

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