NSDataAsset
Asset catalogs in Xcode let you store not just images but also data files like JSON. This helps apps load faster on first launch by avoiding network calls.
Swift
221 posts
NLLanguageRecognizer
Apple’s Natural Language framework (iOS 12+) finally lets developers use the same powerful language-detection technology that powers Siri and system features.
UITextInputPasswordRules
Automatic Strong Passwords (iOS 12 / macOS Mojave) let Safari and your app generate truly random, high-entropy passwords that actually satisfy the site’s rules, no more “password too weak” after AutoFill.
Introducing Related Projects to Swift Forums
The Swift community continues to expand, with developers increasingly relying on ecosystem projects to streamline app development for specific tasks. To foster better interaction, Swift Forums has introduced a new top-level category called Related Projects.
Swift Community-Hosted Continuous Integration
Swift.org has expanded its continuous integration testing system to include community-hosted nodes for additional platforms.
Reimplementation of Implicitly Unwrapped Optionals
Swift 4.1 reimplements implicitly unwrapped optionals (IUOs) so they act as regular optionals with a flag that allows automatic unwrapping when needed, rather than as a distinct type.
Swift 4.1 Released!
Apple released Swift 4.1 as a minor update that maintains source compatibility with Swift 4.0. It adds generics features such as conditional conformance and synthesised Equatable and Hashable support.
Swift 4.2 Release Process
Swift 4.2 serves as a step towards ABI stability in Swift 5, incorporating ABI changes for performance, bug fixes, and targeted improvements to compile-time speed.
Code Size Optimization Mode in Swift 4.1
Swift 4.1 adds a new optimisation mode called -Osize. This mode helps reduce code size by 5 to 30 percent in some projects.
Swift Forums Now Open!
The Swift project has moved its main discussions from mailing lists to Swift Forums. The old mailing lists are shut down and archived, with their content imported into the new system.
Conditional Conformance in the Standard Library
Swift 4.1 adds conditional conformances, which let generic types like Array and Optional conform to protocols such as Equatable or Hashable only when their elements do.
Swift 4.1 Release Process
Swift 4.1 is a source-compatible update to Swift 4.0 that adds minor language enhancements, improves the Swift Package Manager and Linux support, and includes quality fixes to the compiler and standard library, but it lacks binary compatibility due to ABI stabilisation work for Swift 5.
Xcode 9.1 Improves Display of Fatal Errors
Swift has features that let you set expectations in your code. If these are not met at runtime, the program stops.
Dictionary and Set Improvements in Swift 4.0
Swift 4 adds new methods and initialisers to dictionaries and sets that simplify tasks like grouping, filtering, and transforming data.
Swift 4.0 Released!
Apple released Swift 4 as a major update that builds on Swift 3 with better robustness, stability, source compatibility, standard library improvements, and new features like archival and serialisation.
Swift Local Refactoring
Xcode 9 features a new refactoring engine that transforms Swift code either locally in one file or globally across files and languages.
Swift Package Manager Manifest API Redesign
Swift 4 redesigned the Package.swift manifest API in the Package Manager to make it simpler and match the design rules.
Swift Source Compatibility Test Suite Now Available
Apple announced a new Swift source compatibility test suite to help keep source compatibility in future releases.
Swift 3.1 Released!
Apple released Swift 3.1 as a minor update that keeps source compatibility with Swift 3.0.
Swift 4 Release Process
Swift 4 is a major release set for fall 2017. It focuses on source stability for Swift 3 code and essential features for binary stability, with big updates to generics and the String type.
Faster Mix-and-Match Builds with Precompiled Bridging Headers
Build times in Xcode projects that mix Objective-C and Swift rise due to the Swift compiler re-processing large bridging headers for each Swift file.
Swift Evolution Status Page Now Available
Apple announced the new Swift Evolution status page as a central spot for details on proposed changes to Swift.
Swift 3.1 Release Process
Swift 3.1 aims to maintain source compatibility with Swift 3.0 while adding minor language enhancements, improvements to the Swift Package Manager, better Linux support, and general fixes to the compiler and standard library, with a planned release in spring 2017.
Server APIs Work Group
Swift grew popular for server use after its Linux port, sparking frameworks like Kitura, Vapor, Perfect, and Zewo.
Whole-Module Optimization in Swift 3
Whole-module optimisation boosts Swift code performance by compiling all files in a module together, which allows the compiler to inline functions, specialise generics for specific types, and remove unused code across files.