SWIFT - Apples Next-Gen Programming Language - Some Features to know

Swift, the innovative programming language of Apple is the result of four years of hard work as well as dedication of developers. It is touted to replace Objective-C so that it becomes the main language for the development of apps on OSX as well as iOS platforms. Swift boasts of incorporating features from several modern languages such as Haskell, C# and Python so that the end result proves to be appealing to young developers. There is full binary compatibility between the language and the current Objective-C libraries; it also works well with Cocoa frameworks. Some distinctive features of the language are given here.

Accessibility- New programmers found it really hard to master the notorious Objective-C which is a far-cry from Swift. The coding is easy as well as interactive with expressive but concise syntax. APIs are easily legible as well as maintainable. The code is cleaner with fewer tendencies for mistakes. Headers are eliminated by modules which provide namespaces. Memory can be managed automatically with no need for typing of semi-colons.

Functions- With functions almost every imaginable feature can be incorporated such as default types, optional types, optional arguments, named arguments, varargs along with awkward parameters which may be altered from the function’s inside. Functions may be used as substitutes for types as well as variables.

Safe designing- With Swift, if the code is unsafe then the entire class will be eliminated. Before the variables are used they are initialized, memory management is done automatically with integers as well as arrays checked for overflow. The safe patterns are minutely tuned. It is really easy to understand and handle cases with nil objects properly. The compiler can stop bugs that are type-related so that certain sites are optimized. The use of vtable dispatch makes a faster running code. All these make the building of apps not only easy but safe as well.

Interactive playgrounds- With playgrounds, writing of Swift code becomes fun as well as simple. Just by typing a single line of code you will get the result immediately. In case, the running of a code is over time like through loops, its progress may be observed in timeline assistant which displays each step with details as well as precision. Playgrounds help in designing of new algorithm and creating new tests which can be verified before they are promoted in the test suite; you can also experiment with APIs so that the coding skills can be honed.

String templating- The templating system of the language becomes sleek with escaped open parenthesis which is then followed by an expression for evaluation. A closed parenthesis is what follows it after. This functionality is in fact offered by just a few keystrokes. This feature is reminiscent of templating system of JSP as well as Cold Fusion.

Extensions- Extensions are quite similar to prototypes in C# or Javascript extension since an existing class can be retrofit with new properties or methods.

Switch statement- The zero default fall through makes switch statement really powerful. This statement can help developers switch on several kinds of conditions that include list of elements, enums, ranges, Boolean expression, etc.

Generics- The feature named by Apple as Generics is a really powerful one that allows the creation of functions which perform generic tasks that may work for several variable types. The programmer can now have a piece of generic code that performs same operation no matter what the type of variable is passed to it; the function is not limited to accept a single variable type.

Since the language has been unleashed recently, the features are still very new to most developers. But since Apple has worked very hard to ensure that developers find everything smooth and easy, adopting it should not pose much problem. Overall, the new methods and tools incorporated in the language certainly allow easy performance of actions with more concise, shorter codes. To get maximum benefits of mobile apps, you may consider hiring services of a certified iPhone app development company.

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