What's the difference between these two declarations? Which one is better? Why?
... error = some NSError ...
1.
var newUserInfo: [NSObject: NSObject] = [:]
if let tempUserInfo = error.userInfo as? [NSObject: NSObject] {
newUserInfo = tempUserInfo
}
2.
var newUserInfo: [NSObject: NSObject]
if let tempUserInfo = error.userInfo as? [NSObject: NSObject] {
newUserInfo = tempUserInfo
} else {
newUserInfo = [:]
}
As of Swift 1.2, you can now use let with deferred assignment so you can use your if/else version:
let newUserInfo: [NSObject: NSObject]
if let tempUserInfo = error.userInfo as? [NSObject: NSObject] {
newUserInfo = tempUserInfo
} else {
newUserInfo = [:]
}
However, option 1 will not work, since there is a path where newUserInfo may not be set.
(note, as of 1.2b1, this doesn't work with global variables, only member and local variables, in case you try this out in a playground)
Alternatively, you could use the nil-coalescing operator to do it in one go, like this:
let newUserInfo = (error.userInfo as? [NSObject:NSObject]) ?? [:]
edit: Swift 1.2 added deferred assignment of let, enabling option 2 to be used with let now, but also changed the precedence of as? vs ??, requiring parens.
Pre-1.2 answer in case you have similar code you need to migrate:
Neither are particularly appealing if you ask me. In both cases, you have to have to declare newUserInfo with var, because you're not declaring and assigning it in one go.
I'd suggest:
let newUserInfo = error.userInfo as? [NSObject:NSObject] ?? [:]
In 1. newUserInfo is assigned twice if the if branch is executed. 2. is better in terms of performance
In 1. it's clearly visible that newUserInfo is initialized as an empty array. 2. makes the code less readable because you have to browse the code to know if it has a default value
If newUserInfo can be set in several places (such as if it can be initialized it in several if statements), you should duplicate the else branch in 2., so 1. looks better
So: in solution no. 1 code is more readable, but solution no. 2 is slightly more performant.
Besides using #AirspeedVelocity solution (which is better than yours, no offence :)), I'd rather prefer to use an optional, setting newUserInfo to nil to indicate absence of value - after all, that's what optionals are for, isn't it? But of course that depends on your specific needs.
My preferred pattern for this is:
struct TryUnrap<T> {
typealias Tryee = () -> T?
typealias Catchee = () -> T
private var tryee: Tryee
init(tryee: Tryee) {
self.tryee = tryee
}
func catch(catchee: Catchee) -> T {
if let result = tryee() {
return result
}
return catchee()
}
}
let error: NSError? = NSError()
let newUserInfo = TryUnrap {
error?.userInfo as? [NSObject : NSObject]
}.catch {
[:]
}
println("newUserInfo = \(newUserInfo)")
I prefer the above because I find it reads better for me. Also see answer 4 of Error-Handling in Swift-Language for general error handling using the same pattern.
Related
In my iOS app, I have two Firebase-related functions that I want to call within viewDidLoad(). The first picks a random child with .queryOrderedByKey() and outputs the child's key as a string. The second uses that key and observeEventType to retrieve child values and store it in a dict. When I trigger these functions with a button in my UI, they work as expected.
However, when I put both functions inside viewDidLoad(), I get this error:
Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'InvalidPathValidation', reason: '(child:) Must be a non-empty string and not contain '.' '#' '$' '[' or ']''
The offending line of code is in my AppDelegate.swift, highlighted in red:
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UITextFieldDelegate
When I comment out the second function and leave the first inside viewDidLoad, the app loads fine, and subsequent calls of both functions (triggered by the button action) work as expected.
I added a line at the end of the first function to print out the URL string, and it doesn't have any offending characters: https://mydomain.firebaseio.com/myStuff/-KO_iaQNa-bIZpqe5xlg
I also added a line between the functions in viewDidLoad to hard-code the string, and I ran into the same InvalidPathException issue.
Here is my viewDidLoad() func:
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
let tap: UITapGestureRecognizer = UITapGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: #selector(ViewController.dismissKeyboard))
view.addGestureRecognizer(tap)
pickRandomChild()
getChildValues()
}
Here is the first function:
func pickRandomChild () -> String {
var movieCount = 0
movieRef.queryOrderedByKey().observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { (snapshot) in
for movie in snapshot.children {
let movies = movie as! FIRDataSnapshot
movieCount = Int(movies.childrenCount)
movieIDArray.append(movies.key)
}
repeat {
randomIndex = Int(arc4random_uniform(UInt32(movieCount)))
} while excludeIndex.contains(randomIndex)
movieToGuess = movieIDArray[randomIndex]
excludeIndex.append(randomIndex)
if excludeIndex.count == movieIDArray.count {
excludeIndex = [Int]()
}
let arrayLength = movieIDArray.count
})
return movieToGuess
}
Here is the second function:
func getChildValues() -> [String : AnyObject] {
let movieToGuessRef = movieRef.ref.child(movieToGuess)
movieToGuessRef.observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { (snapshot) in
movieDict = snapshot.value as! [String : AnyObject]
var plot = movieDict["plot"] as! String
self.moviePlot.text = plot
movieValue = movieDict["points"] as! Int
})
return movieDict
)
And for good measure, here's the relevant portion of my AppDelegate.swift:
import UIKit
import Firebase
#UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UITextFieldDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [NSObject: AnyObject]?) -> Bool {
FIRApp.configure()
return true
}
I'm guessing Swift is executing the code not in the order I expect. Does Swift not automatically wait for the first function to finish before running the second? If that's the case, why does this pairing work elsewhere in the app but not in viewDidLoad?
Edit: The issue is that closures are not called in order.
I'm not sure what your pickRandomChild() and getChildValues() methods are, so please post them as well, but the way I fixed this type issue was by sending the data through a closure that can be called in your ViewController.
For example when I wanted to grab data for a Full Name and Industry I used this. This method takes a Firebase User, and contains a closure that will be called upon completion. This was defined in a class specifically for pulling data.
func grabDataDict(fromUser user: FIRUser, completion: (data: [String: String]) -> ()) {
var myData = [String: String]()
let uid = user.uid
let ref = Constants.References.users.child(uid)
ref.observeEventType(.Value) { (snapshot, error) in
if error != nil {
ErrorHandling.defaultErrorHandler(NSError.init(coder: NSCoder())!)
return
}
let fullName = snapshot.value!["fullName"] as! String
let industry = snapshot.value!["industry"] as! String
myData["fullName"] = fullName
myData["industry"] = industry
completion(data: myData)
}
}
Then I defined an empty array of strings in the Viewcontroller and called the method, setting the variable to my data inside the closure.
messages.grabRecentSenderIds(fromUser: currentUser!) { (userIds) in
self.userIds = userIds
print(self.userIds)
}
If you post your methods, however I can help you with those specifically.
Edit: Fixed Methods
1.
func pickRandomChild (completion: (movieToGuess: String) -> ()) {
var movieCount = 0
movieRef.queryOrderedByKey().observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { (snapshot) in
for movie in snapshot.children {
let movies = movie as! FIRDataSnapshot
movieCount = Int(movies.childrenCount)
movieIDArray.append(movies.key)
}
repeat {
randomIndex = Int(arc4random_uniform(UInt32(movieCount)))
} while excludeIndex.contains(randomIndex)
movieToGuess = movieIDArray[randomIndex]
excludeIndex.append(randomIndex)
if excludeIndex.count == movieIDArray.count {
excludeIndex = [Int]()
}
let arrayLength = movieIDArray.count
// Put whatever you want to return here.
completion(movieToGuess)
})
}
2.
func getChildValues(completion: (movieDict: [String: AnyObject]) -> ()) {
let movieToGuessRef = movieRef.ref.child(movieToGuess)
movieToGuessRef.observeEventType(.Value, withBlock: { (snapshot) in
movieDict = snapshot.value as! [String : AnyObject]
var plot = movieDict["plot"] as! String
self.moviePlot.text = plot
movieValue = movieDict["points"] as! Int
// Put whatever you want to return here.
completion(movieDict)
})
}
Define these methods in some model class, and when you call them in your viewcontroller, you should be able to set your View Controller variables to movieDict and movieToGuess inside each closure. I made these in playground, so let me know if you get any errors.
Your functions pickRandomChild() and getChildValues() are asynchronous, therefore they only get executed at a later stage, so if getChildValues() needs the result of pickRandomChild(), it should be called in pickRandomChild()'s completion handler / delegate callback instead, because when one of those are called it is guaranteed that the function has finished.
It works when you comment out the second function and only trigger it with a button press because there has been enough time between the app loading and you pushing the button for the asynchronous pickRandomChild() to perform it action entirely, allowing getChildValues() to use its returned value for its request.
I am trying to dyanmically cast to a class in Swift. Is this possible? Here is the code I am trying to use:
let stringClass: AnyClass = NSString.self
let anyObject: AnyObject = "foo"
let string = anyObject as! stringClass
The code fails to compile at the cast. Is this possible and if so, why is the right syntax?
Real use case
Here is the real issue. I am attempting to refactor this code:
switch (value) {
case "valueOne":
viewController = storyboard.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "foo") as! FirstViewController
case "valueTwo":
viewController = storyboard.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "bar") as! SecondViewController
default:
return nil
}
into:
let controllersDictionary: [String: (String, UIViewController.Type)] = [
"valueOne" : ("bar", FirstViewController.self),
"valueTwo" : ("foo", SecondViewController.self)
]
let tuple = controllersDictionary[value]!
let identifier = tuple.0
let cast = tuple.1
let viewController = storyboard.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: identifier) as! cast
I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to achieve, but here's a working version of your example:
func cast<T>(value: Any, to type: T) -> T? {
return castedValue as? T
}
let inputValue: Any = "this is a test"
let inputType = String.self()
let casted = cast(value: inputValue, to: inputType)
print(casted)
I'm not seeing what the cast at this point is for. You can write:
let controllersDictionary: [String: String] = [
"valueOne" : "bar",
"valueTwo" : "foo"
]
let identifier = controllersDictionary[value]!
let viewController = storyboard.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: identifier)
The cast does nothing for you in the code that you have shown. viewController is typed as UIViewController, but it is the correct underlying view controller subclass thanks to polymorphism; whatever the class is in the storyboard, that's the class of this instance.
The only time you need to cast down is when you have to message an instance with a message belonging only to the subclass, and you have not shown any such need at this point in your code.
While there are/will be ways to make this kind of thing work, the Swifty solution (IMO) is to have your desired classes adhere to a protocol that defines the shared behavior you're trying to use, or simply use a super class they have in common
This allows the dynamism requried (in most cases at least) while still allowing the compile-time checks that prevent run time errors.
For your example,
protocol Stringable {
func toString() -> String
}
extension String: Stringable {
func toString() -> String {
return self
}
}
let thing = "foo"
let anything: Any = thing
let test: String? = (anything as? Stringable)?.toString()
Note that this requires "Any" rather than "AnyObject" since you need to cast to a protocol
Since you mentioned ViewControllers, I thought this might help:
static func createViewController<T: UIViewController>(storyboard: String, scene: String) -> T? {
return UIStoryboard(name: storyboard, bundle: nil).instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier(scene) as? T
}
The x as! Y.Type syntax only works when Y is explicitly stated.
So, the compiler wants x as! NSString. The compiler crash is a bug, I suggest that you file a report.
And just think about it for a second, how would that even help you? stringClass is of type AnyClass, and you're force casting an AnyObject which already conforms to AnyClass. You should cast when you have a static type in mind, because casting doesn't really make any sense otherwise.
If you want to check, however, whether your object's class is a subclass of a particular type, you'd use:
x is Y.Type
Its possible so long as you can provide "a hint" to the compiler about the type of... T. So in the example below one must use : String?.
func cast<T>(_ value: Any) -> T? {
return value as? T
}
let inputValue: Any = "this is a test"
let casted: String? = cast(inputValue)
print(casted) // Optional("this is a test")
print(type(of: casted)) // Optional<String>
Why Swift doesn't just allow us to let casted = cast<String>(inputValue) I'll never know.
One annoying scenerio is when your func has no return value. Then its not always straightford to provide the necessary "hint". Lets look at this example...
func asyncCast<T>(_ value: Any, completion: (T?) -> Void) {
completion(value as? T)
}
The following client code DOES NOT COMPILE. It gives a "Generic parameter 'T' could not be inferred" error.
let inputValue: Any = "this is a test"
asyncCast(inputValue) { casted in
print(casted)
print(type(of: casted))
}
But you can solve this by providing a "hint" to compiler as follows:
asyncCast(inputValue) { (casted: String?) in
print(casted) // Optional("this is a test")
print(type(of: casted)) // Optional<String>
}
I'm new in the swift2 world and I currently struggle with a simple function :
// Get all moves for the first category
func getMuscles() -> BodyPart {
let bpart:BodyPart?
if let managedObjectContext = (UIApplication.sharedApplication().delegate as! AppDelegate).managedObjectContext {
do{
let fetchRequest = NSFetchRequest(entityName: "BodyPart")
let fetchResults = try managedObjectContext.executeFetchRequest(fetchRequest) as! [BodyPart]
bpart = fetchResults[0]
} catch let error as NSError {
print(error)
bpart = nil
}
}
return bpart
}
How can I solve this issue ? And what are the 'best-practices' in swift2 for defining a function ?
Thank you
EDIT 1
I've tried to change the signature of the method, but error is still here :
The question you should be asking yourself is whether getMuscles() must always return an object or if it's fine for it to return a nil.
By changing the method signature to func getMuscles() -> BodyPart?,
you're basically stating that a nil might be returned from that method,
thus solving your immediate compile time issue.
In that particular context, because you're fetching objects from CoreData,
it might be wise to allow getMuscles() to return a nil.
The way you define your functions (if they return optionals ?, or not) entirely depends on the calling code.
Change your method signature to :
func getMuscles() -> BodyPart?
But be careful while unwrapping the return value when the this function is being called.
Just return:
func getMuscles() -> BodyPart? { }
Thats nothing to do with SWIFT2.. The return type is expecting some value BodyPart not an optional value BodyPart?...But you are returning a optional value bpart
func getMuscles() -> BodyPart {
let bpart:BodyPart?
....
return bpart
}
If you want to return bpart as it is you need to create the return type as optional
func getMuscles() -> BodyPart? {
let bpart:BodyPart?
....
return bpart
}
or if you want to just return the value try this
func getMuscles() -> BodyPart {
let bpart:BodyPart = ()//initialize here dont make optional
....
return bpart
}
In Swift guide that as published on ibooks, as! operator was not mentioned. But in online reference and in some example code, they (i mean Apple in both cases) used as! operator.
Is there a difference between as and as! operators? If there are, can you explain please?
edit: Im so tired that i wrongly typed "is", instead of "as". That is now corrected...
as? will do an optional downcast - meaning if it fails it will return nil
so "Blah" as? Int will return Int? and will be a nil value if it fails or an Int if it does not.
as! forces the downcast attempt and will throw an exception if the cast fails. Generally you will want to favour the as? downcast
//ex optional as?
let nine = "9"
if let attemptedNumber = nine as? Int {
println("It converted to an Int")
}
//ex as!
let notNumber = "foo"
let badAttempt = notNumber as! Int // crash!
( You may find that you that an update is sitting there for the swift guide. It is mentioned for sure in the online version https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/Swift/Conceptual/Swift_Programming_Language/TypeCasting.html )
operator is the forcefully unwrapped optional form of the as? operator. As with any force unwrapping though, these risk runtime errors that will crash your app should the unwrapping not succeed.
Further, We should use as to upcast if you wish to not write the type on the left side, but it is probably best practice to write it with normal typing as shown above for upcasting.
Example:
You use the as keyword to cast data types. UIWindow rootViewController is of type UIViewController. You downcast it to UISplitViewController.
Another better example can be taken as follows.
var shouldBeButton: UIView = UIButton()
var myButton: UIButton = shouldBeButton as UIButton
The as? operator returns an optional, and then we use optional binding to assign it to a temporary constant, and then use that in the if condition, like we are doing in the below example.
let myControlArray = [UILabel(), UIButton(), UIDatePicker()]
for item in myControlArray
{
if let myLabel = item as? UILabel
{
var storeText = myLabel.text
}
else if let someDatePicker = item as? UIDatePicker
{
var storeDate = someDatePicker.date
}
}
In Swift, I have a custom NSError, I need to get the error userInfo dictionary and add things later, but it is nil in the assign line, but then error.userInfo have an object...
With error.userInfo as nil:
class MyError: NSError {
init(error: NSError) {
var newUserInfo = error.userInfo
...newUserInfo is nil...
super.init(...)
}
}
If I assign it 2 times it works ( I know there's something missing but what?)
init(error: NSError) {
var newUserInfo = error.userInfo
newUserInfo = error.userInfo
...newUserInfo now contains a dictionary...
}
Why?
This looks maybe compiler bug-ey to me, but it's hard to tell without seeing more of your code. At any rate, this sort of thing is easier to debug if you use conditional cast. userInfo in swift is a Dictionary<NSObject: AnyObject>?; if you're getting this from a Cocoa API you can do something like:
if let userInfo = error.userInfo as? [NSObject: NSObject] {
// modify and assign values as necessary
}
this will at least make it clearer where things are breaking.