Swift (programming language): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 05:18, 16 February 2025

A programming language developed by Apple Inc.

Swift is a general-purpose programming language developed by Apple Inc. for its platforms and beyond. It was first introduced at Apple's 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Swift is designed to work with Apple's Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks and the large body of existing Objective-C code written for Apple products.

History[edit]

Swift was announced by Apple at the 2014 WWDC and was made available for developers to use in Xcode 6 beta. The language was designed to be a modern replacement for Objective-C, with a focus on performance and safety. Swift 1.0 was released in September 2014, and it has since undergone several major updates.

Features[edit]

Swift is known for its modern features, which include:

Safety: Swift eliminates entire classes of unsafe code. Variables are always initialized before use, arrays and integers are checked for overflow, and memory is managed automatically.
Performance: Swift is designed to be fast. The language is optimized for performance and the compiler is designed to make the most of modern hardware.
Syntax: Swift has a clean and expressive syntax that is easy to read and write. It includes features like type inference, generics, and closures.
Interoperability: Swift is fully interoperable with Objective-C, allowing developers to use both languages in the same project.

Development Environment[edit]

Swift is primarily developed using Xcode, Apple's integrated development environment (IDE). Xcode provides a suite of tools for developing software for Apple's platforms, including a code editor, a debugger, and an interface builder.

Adoption[edit]

Since its release, Swift has been adopted by many developers and companies. It is used to develop applications for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Swift is also used in server-side development and has been adopted by companies like IBM and Google.

Open Source[edit]

In December 2015, Apple made Swift open source under the Apache License 2.0. The source code is hosted on GitHub, and the community has contributed to its development. The open-source nature of Swift has allowed it to be ported to other platforms, including Linux.

Related pages[edit]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Swift''' is a powerful and intuitive [[programming language]] created by [[Apple Inc.]] for building apps for [[iOS]], [[iPadOS]], [[macOS]], [[watchOS]], and [[tvOS]]. It’s designed to give developers more freedom than ever. Swift is easy to use and open source, so anyone with an idea can create something incredible.
+{{Short description|A programming language developed by Apple Inc.}}
+{{About|the programming language|other uses|Swift (disambiguation)}}
-== Overview ==
+[[File:Swift logo.svg|thumb|right|The logo of the Swift programming language]]
-Swift was introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2014 as a replacement for [[Objective-C]], which had been Apple's primary programming language for [[iOS]] and [[macOS]] development. Swift aims to be easy for beginners to learn while also providing powerful features for experienced developers. Its syntax encourages developers to write clean and consistent code. Swift incorporates safe programming patterns and adds modern features to make programming easier, more flexible, and more fun.
-== Features ==
+'''Swift''' is a [[general-purpose programming language]] developed by [[Apple Inc.]] for its platforms and beyond. It was first introduced at Apple's 2014 [[Worldwide Developers Conference]] (WWDC). Swift is designed to work with Apple's [[Cocoa (API)|Cocoa]] and [[Cocoa Touch]] frameworks and the large body of existing [[Objective-C]] code written for Apple products.
-Swift's syntax is concise yet expressive. It includes modern programming features such as closures, generics, and type inference that make it possible to write complex apps in fewer lines of code. Swift also offers advanced features like optional types and error handling to help developers write more robust and error-free code.
-=== Safety ===
+==History==
-Swift was designed with safety in mind. It eliminates entire classes of unsafe code. Variables are always initialized before use, arrays and integers are checked for overflow, and memory is managed automatically. Swift's optional type system helps developers deal with the absence of value more explicitly, reducing the chances of a [[null pointer exception]].
+Swift was announced by Apple at the 2014 WWDC and was made available for developers to use in [[Xcode]] 6 beta. The language was designed to be a modern replacement for Objective-C, with a focus on performance and safety. Swift 1.0 was released in September 2014, and it has since undergone several major updates.
-=== Performance ===
+==Features==
-Swift is designed to be fast. Apple claims that Swift code is optimized to perform at its best on modern hardware. The syntax and standard library have been designed based on the premise that the way to make programs faster is to make them better: more clearly written, easier to reason about, and more straightforward to maintain.
+Swift is known for its modern features, which include:
-=== Swift Playgrounds ===
+* '''Safety''': Swift eliminates entire classes of unsafe code. Variables are always initialized before use, arrays and integers are checked for overflow, and memory is managed automatically.
-An innovative feature of Swift is [[Swift Playgrounds]], an app for [[iPad]] and [[macOS]] that makes learning Swift interactive and fun. It allows users to write Swift code in a sandbox environment, where they can see immediate results of their code, without the need for compiling or setting up a project.
+* '''Performance''': Swift is designed to be fast. The language is optimized for performance and the compiler is designed to make the most of modern hardware.
+* '''Syntax''': Swift has a clean and expressive syntax that is easy to read and write. It includes features like [[type inference]], [[generics]], and [[closures]].
+* '''Interoperability''': Swift is fully interoperable with Objective-C, allowing developers to use both languages in the same project.
-== Swift and Open Source ==
+==Development Environment==
-In December 2015, Apple announced that Swift would become open source, and it has since garnered a large and active community of developers. The source code is available on [[GitHub]], where developers can contribute to its development. Being open source has accelerated Swift's growth and adoption across different platforms and technologies.
+Swift is primarily developed using [[Xcode]], Apple's integrated development environment (IDE). Xcode provides a suite of tools for developing software for Apple's platforms, including a code editor, a debugger, and an interface builder.
-== Adoption and Usage ==
+==Adoption==
-Swift has seen rapid adoption among developers and companies around the world. It is used by startups and established companies alike for developing a wide range of apps due to its performance, safety features, and ease of use. Swift's ability to work alongside Objective-C has made it easier for developers to adopt it in existing projects.
+Since its release, Swift has been adopted by many developers and companies. It is used to develop applications for [[iOS]], [[macOS]], [[watchOS]], and [[tvOS]]. Swift is also used in server-side development and has been adopted by companies like [[IBM]] and [[Google]].
-== Future of Swift ==
+==Open Source==
-Swift continues to evolve, with Apple and the open-source community working together to make it even more powerful and easier to use. Swift's focus on safety, performance, and software design patterns make it an attractive choice for future app development.
+In December 2015, Apple made Swift open source under the Apache License 2.0. The source code is hosted on [[GitHub]], and the community has contributed to its development. The open-source nature of Swift has allowed it to be ported to other platforms, including [[Linux]].
+==Related pages==
+* [[Objective-C]]
+* [[Xcode]]
+* [[Cocoa (API)]]
+* [[Programming language]]
 [[Category:Programming languages]]
 [[Category:Apple Inc. software]]
-[[Category:Software using the Apache license]]
+[[Category:2014 software]]
-{{software-stub}}