SwiftUI Developer

Overview

Expert guidance for building professional SwiftUI applications targeting iOS 17+/macOS 14+ with modern patterns, accessibility compliance, and optimal performance.

Instructions

When writing SwiftUI code, follow this workflow:

1. Assess Requirements

• Target platform (iOS, macOS, visionOS, watchOS)
• Minimum OS version (determines available APIs)
• Complexity level (simple view vs. full feature)

2. Choose Architecture

For simple views:

• Use @State for local state
• No ViewModel needed for pure display views

For complex features:

• Use MVVM with @Observable macro (iOS 17+)
• Keep ViewModel logic separate from View
• Use @Environment for shared data

3. Apply State Management

// iOS 17+ Modern Pattern
@Observable
class FeatureViewModel {
    var items: [Item] = []
    @ObservationIgnored var cache: Cache? // Non-observed
}

struct FeatureView: View {
    @State private var viewModel = FeatureViewModel()
    var body: some View { ... }
}

Property Wrapper Selection:

Wrapper	Use Case
@State	Local value types, simple state, @Observable objects
@Binding	Two-way connection to parent state
@Environment	Shared app-wide data, system values
@Observable	Modern observable objects (iOS 17+)

4. Follow HIG Principles

• Touch targets: minimum 44×44 points
• Text: 17pt body minimum, support Dynamic Type
• Colors: use semantic colors (.primary, .secondary)
• Accessibility: add .accessibilityLabel, .accessibilityHint

5. Optimize Performance

• Extract reusable subviews
• Use LazyVStack/LazyHStack for lists
• Avoid heavy computation in body
• Keep state minimal and locally scoped

Examples

Example: Settings Screen with Toggle

Input: "Create a settings view with dark mode toggle and notification preferences"

Output:

import SwiftUI

@Observable
class SettingsViewModel {
    var isDarkMode: Bool {
        didSet { UserDefaults.standard.set(isDarkMode, forKey: "darkMode") }
    }
    var notificationsEnabled: Bool {
        didSet { UserDefaults.standard.set(notificationsEnabled, forKey: "notifications") }
    }

    init() {
        isDarkMode = UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: "darkMode")
        notificationsEnabled = UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: "notifications")
    }
}

struct SettingsView: View {
    @State private var viewModel = SettingsViewModel()

    var body: some View {
        Form {
            Section("Appearance") {
                Toggle("Dark Mode", isOn: $viewModel.isDarkMode)
                    .accessibilityHint("Switches between light and dark appearance")
            }

            Section("Notifications") {
                Toggle("Enable Notifications", isOn: $viewModel.notificationsEnabled)
                    .accessibilityHint("Allows the app to send you notifications")
            }
        }
        .navigationTitle("Settings")
    }
}

Example: List with Navigation

Input: "Create a list of items with detail navigation"

Output:

import SwiftUI

struct Item: Identifiable {
    let id = UUID()
    let title: String
    let subtitle: String
}

struct ItemListView: View {
    let items: [Item]

    var body: some View {
        List(items) { item in
            NavigationLink(value: item) {
                VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 4) {
                    Text(item.title)
                        .font(.headline)
                    Text(item.subtitle)
                        .font(.subheadline)
                        .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
                }
                .padding(.vertical, 4)
            }
            .accessibilityLabel("\(item.title), \(item.subtitle)")
        }
        .navigationTitle("Items")
        .navigationDestination(for: Item.self) { item in
            ItemDetailView(item: item)
        }
    }
}

Example: Async Data Loading

Input: "Create a view that loads data from an API"

Output:

import SwiftUI

@Observable
class DataViewModel {
    var items: [Item] = []
    var isLoading = false
    var errorMessage: String?

    func loadData() async {
        isLoading = true
        errorMessage = nil

        do {
            items = try await APIService.shared.fetchItems()
        } catch {
            errorMessage = error.localizedDescription
        }

        isLoading = false
    }
}

struct DataView: View {
    @State private var viewModel = DataViewModel()

    var body: some View {
        Group {
            if viewModel.isLoading {
                ProgressView("Loading...")
            } else if let error = viewModel.errorMessage {
                ContentUnavailableView(
                    "Error",
                    systemImage: "exclamationmark.triangle",
                    description: Text(error)
                )
            } else {
                List(viewModel.items) { item in
                    Text(item.title)
                }
            }
        }
        .task {
            await viewModel.loadData()
        }
        .refreshable {
            await viewModel.loadData()
        }
    }
}

Guidelines

Do

• Use @Observable for iOS 17+ projects (better performance)
• Support Dynamic Type with .font(.body) etc.
• Add accessibility labels to interactive elements
• Use LazyVStack/LazyHStack for large collections
• Extract complex subviews to prevent unnecessary redraws
• Use semantic colors for automatic dark mode support

Don't

• Use @State with reference types (causes memory leaks)
• Use @ObservedObject to create objects in view (use @StateObject or @State)
• Put heavy computation in body property
• Hardcode colors/sizes (breaks accessibility)
• Ignore the 44×44pt minimum touch target
• Skip accessibility labels on buttons/images

iOS 18+ Features

• Floating tab bar with sidebar flexibility
• .presentationSizing(.form) for sheets
• Zoom navigation transitions
• Control Center widgets
• @Entry macro for environment keys
• Mesh gradients

Additional Resources

See reference/ directory for:

• state-management.md - Property wrapper decision guide
• hig-checklist.md - HIG compliance checklist