Swiftui Expert Skill

SwiftUI Expert Skill

Overview

Use this skill to build, review, or improve SwiftUI features with correct state management, modern API usage, Swift concurrency best practices, optimal view composition, and iOS 26+ Liquid Glass styling. Prioritize native APIs, Apple design guidance, and performance-conscious patterns. This skill focuses on facts and best practices without enforcing specific architectural patterns.

Workflow Decision Tree

1) Review existing SwiftUI code

• Check property wrapper usage against the selection guide (see references/state-management.md)
• Verify modern API usage (see references/modern-apis.md)
• Verify view composition follows extraction rules (see references/view-structure.md)
• Check performance patterns are applied (see references/performance-patterns.md)
• Verify list patterns use stable identity (see references/list-patterns.md)
• Check animation patterns for correctness (see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md)
• Inspect Liquid Glass usage for correctness and consistency (see references/liquid-glass.md)
• Validate iOS 26+ availability handling with sensible fallbacks

2) Improve existing SwiftUI code

• Audit state management for correct wrapper selection (prefer @Observable over ObservableObject)
• Replace deprecated APIs with modern equivalents (see references/modern-apis.md)
• Extract complex views into separate subviews (see references/view-structure.md)
• Refactor hot paths to minimize redundant state updates (see references/performance-patterns.md)
• Ensure ForEach uses stable identity (see references/list-patterns.md)
• Improve animation patterns (use value parameter, proper transitions, see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md)
• Suggest image downsampling when UIImage(data:) is used (as optional optimization, see references/image-optimization.md)
• Adopt Liquid Glass only when explicitly requested by the user

3) Implement new SwiftUI feature

• Design data flow first: identify owned vs injected state (see references/state-management.md)
• Use modern APIs (no deprecated modifiers or patterns, see references/modern-apis.md)
• Use @Observable for shared state (with @MainActor if not using default actor isolation)
• Structure views for optimal diffing (extract subviews early, keep views small, see references/view-structure.md)
• Separate business logic into testable models (see references/layout-best-practices.md)
• Use correct animation patterns (implicit vs explicit, transitions, see references/animation-basics.md, references/animation-transitions.md, references/animation-advanced.md)
• Apply glass effects after layout/appearance modifiers (see references/liquid-glass.md)
• Gate iOS 26+ features with #available and provide fallbacks

Core Guidelines

State Management

• Always prefer @Observable over ObservableObject for new code
• Mark @Observable classes with @MainActor unless using default actor isolation
• Always mark @State and @StateObject as private (makes dependencies clear)
• Never declare passed values as @State or @StateObject (they only accept initial values)
• Use @State with @Observable classes (not @StateObject)
• @Binding only when child needs to modify parent state
• @Bindable for injected @Observable objects needing bindings
• Use let for read-only values; var + .onChange() for reactive reads
• Legacy: @StateObject for owned ObservableObject; @ObservedObject for injected
• Nested ObservableObject doesn't work (pass nested objects directly); @Observable handles nesting fine

Modern APIs

• Use foregroundStyle() instead of foregroundColor()
• Use clipShape(.rect(cornerRadius:)) instead of cornerRadius()
• Use Tab API instead of tabItem()
• Use Button instead of onTapGesture() (unless need location/count)
• Use NavigationStack instead of NavigationView
• Use navigationDestination(for:) for type-safe navigation
• Use two-parameter or no-parameter onChange() variant
• Use ImageRenderer for rendering SwiftUI views
• Use .sheet(item:) instead of .sheet(isPresented:) for model-based content
• Sheets should own their actions and call dismiss() internally
• Use ScrollViewReader for programmatic scrolling with stable IDs
• Avoid UIScreen.main.bounds for sizing
• Avoid GeometryReader when alternatives exist (e.g., containerRelativeFrame())

Swift Best Practices

• Use modern Text formatting (.format parameters, not String(format:))
• Use localizedStandardContains() for user-input filtering (not contains())
• Prefer static member lookup (.blue vs Color.blue)
• Use .task modifier for automatic cancellation of async work
• Use .task(id:) for value-dependent tasks

View Composition

• Prefer modifiers over conditional views for state changes (maintains view identity)
• Extract complex views into separate subviews for better readability and performance
• Keep views small for optimal performance
• Keep view body simple and pure (no side effects or complex logic)
• Use @ViewBuilder functions only for small, simple sections
• Prefer @ViewBuilder let content: Content over closure-based content properties
• Separate business logic into testable models (not about enforcing architectures)
• Action handlers should reference methods, not contain inline logic
• Use relative layout over hard-coded constants
• Views should work in any context (don't assume screen size or presentation style)

Performance

• Pass only needed values to views (avoid large "config" or "context" objects)
• Eliminate unnecessary dependencies to reduce update fan-out
• Check for value changes before assigning state in hot paths
• Avoid redundant state updates in onReceive, onChange, scroll handlers
• Minimize work in frequently executed code paths
• Use LazyVStack/LazyHStack for large lists
• Use stable identity for ForEach (never .indices for dynamic content)
• Ensure constant number of views per ForEach element
• Avoid inline filtering in ForEach (prefilter and cache)
• Avoid AnyView in list rows
• Consider POD views for fast diffing (or wrap expensive views in POD parents)
• Suggest image downsampling when UIImage(data:) is encountered (as optional optimization)
• Avoid layout thrash (deep hierarchies, excessive GeometryReader)
• Gate frequent geometry updates by thresholds
• Use Self._printChanges() to debug unexpected view updates

Animations

• Use .animation(_:value:) with value parameter (deprecated version without value is too broad)
• Use withAnimation for event-driven animations (button taps, gestures)
• Prefer transforms (offset, scale, rotation) over layout changes (frame) for performance
• Transitions require animations outside the conditional structure
• Custom Animatable implementations must have explicit animatableData
• Use .phaseAnimator for multi-step sequences (iOS 17+)
• Use .keyframeAnimator for precise timing control (iOS 17+)
• Animation completion handlers need .transaction(value:) for reexecution
• Implicit animations override explicit animations (later in view tree wins)

Liquid Glass (iOS 26+)

Only adopt when explicitly requested by the user.

• Use native glassEffect, GlassEffectContainer, and glass button styles
• Wrap multiple glass elements in GlassEffectContainer
• Apply .glassEffect() after layout and visual modifiers
• Use .interactive() only for tappable/focusable elements
• Use glassEffectID with @Namespace for morphing transitions

Quick Reference

Property Wrapper Selection (Modern)

Legacy (Pre-iOS 17):