Swift has become a very popular programming language since it was announced by Apple in 2014. Swift is a safe, fast and expressive programming language with a bundle of low-level optimizations to improve the runtime performance. Being open source, iOS developers have freedom in what they do with it while using Swift for app development. Since Swift went open source, a new version has also appeared for Linux computers. Hence Swift for app development has opened up Swift to server developers, as well as app coders. Swift being a modern language has lowered the barrier to entry for many people, making it easier to focus on concepts than on extraneous syntax. Swift for app development includes Xcode basics, Core iOS and Cocoa Touch Framework, simple user interface creation, ASP.NET MVC architecture and much more. Swift for app development requires a basic understanding of the iOS ecosystem to utilize its advanced features.
Though it is very easy to get attracted by the modern language features that Swift provides to an iOS developer, one has to consider few things before choosing the same. There are many other reasons that iOS developers should keep in mind before using Swift app development.
1. Learn the Fundamentals of Programming First
As an iOS developer, you need to try your hand especially at Swift for app development, and have to take programming seriously - start with some structured material. Once you have mastered the basics of Swift, the next step is to get some hands-on experience. Swift benefits from the fact, that unlike the C family, iOS developers are not required to use functions.
2. Swift is Safe
Swift is just a language, the most important things to understand will be the Cocoa Framework (Cocoa Touch for iOS programming) and the MVC pattern. If iOS developers are familiar using iOS development – Swift would make it very easy to comprehend and properly handle cases in which objects are nil. Bugs and vulnerabilities usually come from the program's logic being faulty and it has nothing to do with the language you're using because Swift is safer.
3. Know your Tools
Most iOS developers use Xcode as the primary tool for development. Xcode comes with several powerful features like Storyboards, Auto Layout, which if excelled can increase the productivity of iOS developers to a great extent. Built to succeed Objective-C, Swift for app development has taken off in popularity – thanks to Apple’s decision to open-source the language. Swift has spawned by the language reaching a sufficient level of maturity – which offers tools for server side Swift deployment and enabled development for web services using the language. The huge community around Objective-C, most of them moved to Swift because of its benefit – as Swift for app development is a growing ecosystem.
4. Legacy Code
Unfortunately Swift code does not support the flexibility of directly using the existing code base that is written using the C++ in the swift file. But there are some workarounds to create an Objective C++ wrapper for legacy libraries. But as an iOS developer, you need to spend additional time for creating a wrapper, which might be tedious and time-consuming. Hence a prior programming experience in Swift would be an added advantage.
5. Swift Binary Size, for Fast App Installation
If you want to keep your application binary size small so that end users can download and use your application fast, an iOS developer needs to understand how the bundle is structured and what additional components are embedded. Swift application size is big as compared to the Objective-C projects. Though app size optimization is not seriously required for iPhone and iPad applications, but it is must for applications for WatchOS.
6. Swift Looks Good but Comes with Immature Compiler
Swift is a great language but the language is evolving and the compiler is immature. It is expected that compile times are going to be longer in Swift compared to Objective-C – since Swift compiler does so much more in terms of assuring runtime safety. Hence Swift for mobile app development should strive to develop concise code or compiler friendly code.
Through Swift is a new programming language it provides an expressive yet concise syntax to make writing code interactive and simpler. The Swift code works alongside Objective-C code and can be added to you current apps. If you have spent enough time with the language, you will have a broader understanding of iOS development as a whole and know how to move seamlessly between the two languages. To easily dive into the language itself an iOS developer would require a fully functional iPhone App developer
setup. Whether you are new to programming or a seasoned professional, tackling a new programming language can be challenging at times. Hope the above-discussed points give a basic understanding of the twists in the Swift language and you would be ready to move on to creating your own iOS app or games