Swift Uikit

UIKit Skill

Comprehensive UIKit framework knowledge for building traditional iOS user interfaces.

Prerequisites

• Xcode 15+ installed
• iOS 15+ deployment target recommended
• Understanding of MVC/MVVM patterns

Parameters

parameters:
  layout_approach:
    type: string
    enum: [programmatic, storyboard, xib]
    default: programmatic
  accessibility_enabled:
    type: boolean
    default: true
  dynamic_type_support:
    type: boolean
    default: true

Topics Covered

View Controllers

Auto Layout

Table & Collection Views

Code Examples

Programmatic View Controller

final class ProfileViewController: UIViewController {
    // MARK: - UI Components

    private lazy var avatarImageView: UIImageView = {
        let imageView = UIImageView()
        imageView.contentMode = .scaleAspectFill
        imageView.clipsToBounds = true
        imageView.layer.cornerRadius = 50
        imageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        imageView.accessibilityLabel = "Profile picture"
        return imageView
    }()

    private lazy var nameLabel: UILabel = {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.font = .preferredFont(forTextStyle: .title1)
        label.adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory = true
        label.textAlignment = .center
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return label
    }()

    private lazy var bioLabel: UILabel = {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.font = .preferredFont(forTextStyle: .body)
        label.adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory = true
        label.numberOfLines = 0
        label.textAlignment = .center
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return label
    }()

    // MARK: - Lifecycle

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        setupUI()
        setupConstraints()
    }

    // MARK: - Setup

    private func setupUI() {
        view.backgroundColor = .systemBackground
        view.addSubview(avatarImageView)
        view.addSubview(nameLabel)
        view.addSubview(bioLabel)
    }

    private func setupConstraints() {
        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            avatarImageView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.safeAreaLayoutGuide.topAnchor, constant: 32),
            avatarImageView.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerXAnchor),
            avatarImageView.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 100),
            avatarImageView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 100),

            nameLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: avatarImageView.bottomAnchor, constant: 16),
            nameLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadingAnchor, constant: 20),
            nameLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trailingAnchor, constant: -20),

            bioLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: nameLabel.bottomAnchor, constant: 8),
            bioLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadingAnchor, constant: 20),
            bioLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trailingAnchor, constant: -20)
        ])
    }

    // MARK: - Configuration

    func configure(with user: User) {
        nameLabel.text = user.name
        bioLabel.text = user.bio
        // Load avatar image
    }
}

Modern Collection View with Diffable Data Source

final class ProductGridViewController: UIViewController {
    enum Section { case main }

    private var collectionView: UICollectionView!
    private var dataSource: UICollectionViewDiffableDataSource<Section, Product>!

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        configureCollectionView()
        configureDataSource()
    }

    private func configureCollectionView() {
        let layout = createCompositionalLayout()
        collectionView = UICollectionView(frame: view.bounds, collectionViewLayout: layout)
        collectionView.autoresizingMask = [.flexibleWidth, .flexibleHeight]
        collectionView.backgroundColor = .systemBackground
        view.addSubview(collectionView)
    }

    private func createCompositionalLayout() -> UICollectionViewLayout {
        let itemSize = NSCollectionLayoutSize(
            widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(0.5),
            heightDimension: .estimated(200)
        )
        let item = NSCollectionLayoutItem(layoutSize: itemSize)
        item.contentInsets = NSDirectionalEdgeInsets(top: 8, leading: 8, bottom: 8, trailing: 8)

        let groupSize = NSCollectionLayoutSize(
            widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(1.0),
            heightDimension: .estimated(200)
        )
        let group = NSCollectionLayoutGroup.horizontal(layoutSize: groupSize, subitems: [item])

        let section = NSCollectionLayoutSection(group: group)
        return UICollectionViewCompositionalLayout(section: section)
    }

    private func configureDataSource() {
        let cellRegistration = UICollectionView.CellRegistration<ProductCell, Product> { cell, indexPath, product in
            cell.configure(with: product)
        }

        dataSource = UICollectionViewDiffableDataSource<Section, Product>(collectionView: collectionView) {
            collectionView, indexPath, product in
            collectionView.dequeueConfiguredReusableCell(using: cellRegistration, for: indexPath, item: product)
        }
    }

    func applySnapshot(products: [Product], animatingDifferences: Bool = true) {
        var snapshot = NSDiffableDataSourceSnapshot<Section, Product>()
        snapshot.appendSections([.main])
        snapshot.appendItems(products)
        dataSource.apply(snapshot, animatingDifferences: animatingDifferences)
    }
}

Custom UIView with Intrinsic Size

final class TagView: UIView {
    private let label: UILabel = {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.font = .preferredFont(forTextStyle: .caption1)
        label.adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory = true
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return label
    }()

    private let padding = UIEdgeInsets(top: 4, left: 8, bottom: 4, right: 8)

    override var intrinsicContentSize: CGSize {
        let labelSize = label.intrinsicContentSize
        return CGSize(
            width: labelSize.width + padding.left + padding.right,
            height: labelSize.height + padding.top + padding.bottom
        )
    }

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)
        setup()
    }

    required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
        super.init(coder: coder)
        setup()
    }

    private func setup() {
        backgroundColor = .systemBlue
        layer.cornerRadius = 8

        addSubview(label)
        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            label.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: topAnchor, constant: padding.top),
            label.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchor, constant: padding.left),
            label.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: trailingAnchor, constant: -padding.right),
            label.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: bottomAnchor, constant: -padding.bottom)
        ])
    }

    func configure(text: String, color: UIColor = .systemBlue) {
        label.text = text
        label.textColor = .white
        backgroundColor = color
        invalidateIntrinsicContentSize()
    }
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Debug Commands

// Print view hierarchy
po view.recursiveDescription()

// Print Auto Layout issues
po view.constraintsAffectingLayout(for: .horizontal)

// Check if on main thread
assert(Thread.isMainThread, "UI updates must be on main thread")

Validation Rules

validation:
  - rule: accessibility_labels
    severity: warning
    check: All interactive elements must have accessibility labels
  - rule: dynamic_type_support
    severity: warning
    check: Use preferredFont and adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory
  - rule: safe_area_constraints
    severity: info
    check: Content should respect safe area layout guides

Usage

Skill("swift-uikit")

Related Skills

• swift-ios-basics - iOS fundamentals
• swift-swiftui - Modern alternative
• swift-architecture - App architecture

UIKit Guide

Auto Layout Programmatically

// Anchors
view.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
    view.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: superview.safeAreaLayoutGuide.topAnchor, constant: 16),
    view.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: superview.leadingAnchor, constant: 16),
    view.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: superview.trailingAnchor, constant: -16)
])

Table View

class MyTableViewController: UITableViewController {
    override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {
        return items.count
    }
    
    override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {
        let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "Cell", for: indexPath)
        cell.textLabel?.text = items[indexPath.row]
        return cell
    }
}

Swift Uikit Patterns

Design Patterns

Pattern 1: Input Validation

Always validate input before processing:

def validate_input(data):
    if data is None:
        raise ValueError("Data cannot be None")
    if not isinstance(data, dict):
        raise TypeError("Data must be a dictionary")
    return True

Pattern 2: Error Handling

Use consistent error handling:

try:
    result = risky_operation()
except SpecificError as e:
    logger.error(f"Operation failed: {e}")
    handle_error(e)
except Exception as e:
    logger.exception("Unexpected error")
    raise

Pattern 3: Configuration Loading

Load and validate configuration:

import yaml

def load_config(config_path):
    with open(config_path) as f:
        config = yaml.safe_load(f)
    validate_config(config)
    return config

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Don't: Swallow Exceptions

# BAD
try:
    do_something()
except:
    pass

✅ Do: Handle Explicitly

# GOOD
try:
    do_something()
except SpecificError as e:
    logger.warning(f"Expected error: {e}")
    return default_value

Category-Specific Patterns: Frontend

Recommended Approach

1. Start with the simplest implementation 2. Add complexity only when needed 3. Test each addition 4. Document decisions

Common Integration Points

• Configuration: assets/config.yaml
• Validation: scripts/validate.py
• Documentation: references/GUIDE.md

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