Using Transactions Instead of Save in SwiftData and Core Data
Ensuring data consistency and integrity is crucial in data persistence operations. The SwiftData framework introduces the `transaction` method in `ModelContext`, providing developers with a more elegant way to organize and manage data operations. This article explores how to use the concept of transactions to build more reliable and efficient persistence operations.
Mastering Data Tracking and Notifications in Core Data and SwiftData
Core Data and SwiftData, as powerful persistence frameworks in the Apple ecosystem, not only provide declarative data listening tools like @FetchRequest and @Query, but also have a complete set of data tracking and notification mechanisms built-in. Understanding and mastering these mechanisms is crucial for building robust data-driven applications. This article will take you through multi-layered solutions—from simple custom notifications to the powerful Persistent History Tracking and SwiftData History—to help you handle various complex data synchronization scenarios.
Starting with Project Refactoring: Sharing Five Swift Modules
Recently, I embarked on the reconstruction of an app that had not received significant updates for four years. During the process, I extracted some functional modules and shared them as open-source projects. This article provides a brief introduction to the libraries I have open-sourced over the past two months.
Reinventing Core Data Development with SwiftData Principles
In modern application development, an efficient persistence framework is crucial. The emergence of SwiftData once caught the eyes of many Core Data developers, who anticipated the advent of a new era integrating modern programming concepts. This article will explore how to apply SwiftData's way of thinking within Core Data, focusing on data modeling and concurrent programming.
NSManagedObjectID and PersistentIdentifier: Mastering Data Identifiers in Core Data and SwiftData
Core Data and SwiftData are powerful data management frameworks designed by Apple for developers, capable of efficiently handling complex object relationships, hence known as object graph management frameworks. In these two frameworks, NSManagedObjectID and PersistentIdentifier serve similar functions and are both extremely important. This article will delve into their features, usage methods, and important considerations.
Considerations for Using Codable and Enums in SwiftData Models
Compared to Core Data, SwiftData has fundamentally revolutionized the way data models are constructed. It not only supports a purely code-based declaration method but also allows the direct use of types conforming to the Codable protocol and enum types within models, which are its significant new features. Many developers are inclined to leverage these new capabilities because they seem to fit very well with the Swift language's declaration style. However, a lack of understanding of the implementation details and potential limitations of these new features may lead to various issues in the future. This article aims to discuss several key points to consider when using Codable and enums in SwiftData models, helping developers avoid common pitfalls.
SwiftData in WWDC 2024: The Revolution Continues, Stability Still Awaits
Since its debut last year, SwiftData has become a focal framework that has garnered significant attention from developers. With the arrival of WWDC 2024, there is widespread anticipation for breakthroughs in functionality, performance, and stability in SwiftData. This article will review the performance of the latest version of SwiftData and share the complex emotions I experienced during my first encounter with the new version: shock, joy, disheartened, and perplexed.
Before WWDC 2024: The Future Potential and Real Challenges of SwiftData
At the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple launched the highly anticipated new generation data management framework — SwiftData. As the successor to Core Data, can SwiftData play a key role in the Apple ecosystem? With WWDC 2024 approaching, this article will evaluate the overall performance of SwiftData since its initial release during the Xcode 15 period (i.e., its first major version), and provide a forecast of its future development.
Core Data Reform: Achieving Elegant Concurrency Operations like SwiftData
SwiftData, as the successor to Core Data, has introduced a multitude of innovative and modern design ideas. Despite its availability for some time now, many developers have yet to adopt it in their projects. This situation is partly due to SwiftData's higher requirements for the operating system version. Additionally, because SwiftData is not yet mature enough in some functionalities, developers might choose to continue using Core Data even if their operating system version meets SwiftData’s requirements. Can we integrate some of SwiftData's excellent design philosophies and ingenious implementations into the practical use of Core Data? This article aims to explore how to introduce elegant and safe concurrency operations similar to those of SwiftData into Core Data, implementing a Core Data version of @ModelActor.
New Frameworks, New Mindset: Unveiling the Observation and SwiftData Frameworks
This content was presented at Let's VisionOS 2024. For easier reading, I have simplified the original material and adjusted it for a more formal written expression. The core message of this share is to convey the following central idea: Although these new frameworks were designed to address issues in existing frameworks, we should not be constrained by past experiences and conventions. It is necessary to learn and use these new tools with an open mind and a fresh perspective. Adopting new frameworks should be seen as an excellent opportunity to refactor projects towards greater safety and modernization.
Practical SwiftData: Building SwiftUI Applications with Modern Approaches
In the previous article "Concurrent Programming in SwiftData", we delved into the innovative concurrent programming model proposed by SwiftData, including its principles, core operations, and related considerations. This elegant programming solution has earned considerable praise. However, as more developers attempt to use SwiftData in actual SwiftUI applications, they have encountered some challenges, especially after enabling Swift's strict concurrency checks. They found that SwiftData's actor-based concurrency model is difficult to integrate with traditional application construction methods. This article will explain, in a tutorial-like manner, how to integrate SwiftData with modern programming concepts smoothly into SwiftUI applications and provide strategies to address the current challenges faced by developers.
How to Dynamically Construct Complex Predicates for SwiftData
NSCompoundPredicate allows developers to combine multiple NSPredicate objects into a single compound predicate. This mechanism is particularly suited for scenarios that require data filtering based on multiple criteria. However, in the new Foundation framework restructured with Swift, the direct functionality corresponding to NSCompoundPredicate is missing. This change poses a significant challenge for developers who wish to build applications using SwiftData. This article aims to explore how to dynamically construct complex predicates that meet the requirements of SwiftData, utilizing PredicateExpression, under the current technical conditions.
Swift Predicate: Usage, Composition, and Considerations
NSPredicate has always been a powerful tool provided by Apple, allowing developers to filter and evaluate data collections in a natural and efficient way by defining complex logical conditions. Over time, with the continuous maturation and development of the Swift language, in 2023, the Swift community undertook the task of reconstructing the Foundation framework using pure Swift language. In this significant update, a new Predicate feature based on Swift coding was introduced, marking a new stage in data processing and evaluation. This article aims to explore the usage, structure, and key considerations of Swift Predicate in practical development.
How to Handle Optional Values in SwiftData Predicates
SwiftData has revamped the mechanism for creating data models, incorporating a type-safe mode for predicate creation based on model code. As a result, developers encounter numerous operations involving optional values when constructing predicates for SwiftData. This article will explore some techniques and considerations for handling optional values while building predicates.
Relationships in SwiftData: Changes and Considerations
In previous two articles, "Mastering Relationships in Core Data - Fundamentals" and "Mastering Relationships in Core Data - Practical Application", we explored in detail the concepts and techniques of relationships in Core Data. While much of this knowledge is also applicable to SwiftData, Core Data's successor, SwiftData introduces several significant changes in handling relationships. This article focuses on the changes that have occurred in the aspect of relationships within SwiftData, as well as the potential challenges and noteworthy details arising from these changes.
How to Observe Data Changes in SwiftData using Persistent History Tracking
This article will explain how to observe specific data changes through Persistent History Tracking in SwiftData.
Concurrent Programming in SwiftData
As the successor to Core Data, SwiftData provides a more elegant and secure mechanism for concurrent programming. This article will introduce how SwiftData addresses these issues and offers developers a better experience with concurrent programming.
Unveiling the Data Modeling Principles of SwiftData
This article will explore how SwiftData creates data models using code, the new language features it uses, and show how to create PersistentModel by declaring code.
SwiftDataKit: Unleashing Advanced Core Data Features in SwiftData
This article will discuss how developers can call the advanced features provided by Core Data in SwiftData without using the Core Data stack, in order to extend the current capabilities of SwiftData.
WWDC 23, First Impressions of SwiftUI 5 and SwiftData
WWDC 2023 is in full swing. Apple has not only introduced new hardware products but has also launched several quite shocking new frameworks. This article will discuss my initial impressions of SwiftUI 5.0 and SwiftData at this year's WWDC.