Attributes

Attributes

Attributes provide more information about a declaration or type. There are two kinds of attributes in Swift, those that apply to declarations and those that apply to types.

You specify an attribute by writing the @ symbol followed by the attribute’s name and any arguments that the attribute accepts:

@attribute name
@attribute name(attribute arguments)

Some declaration attributes accept arguments that specify more information about the attribute and how it applies to a particular declaration. These attribute arguments are enclosed in parentheses, and their format is defined by the attribute they belong to.

Declaration Attributes

You can apply a declaration attribute to declarations only.

available

Apply this attribute to indicate a declaration’s lifecycle relative to certain Swift language versions or certain platforms and operating system versions.

The available attribute always appears with a list of two or more comma-separated attribute arguments. These arguments begin with one of the following platform or language names:

• iOS

• iOSApplicationExtension

• macOS

• macOSApplicationExtension

• watchOS

• watchOSApplicationExtension

• tvOS

• tvOSApplicationExtension

• swift

You can also use an asterisk (*) to indicate the availability of the declaration on all of the platform names listed above. An available attribute specifying a Swift version availability can’t use the asterisk.

The remaining arguments can appear in any order and specify additional information about the declaration’s lifecycle, including important milestones.

• The unavailable argument indicates that the declaration isn’t available on the specified platform. This argument can’t be used when specifying Swift version availability.

• The introduced argument indicates the first version of the specified platform or language in which the declaration was introduced. It has the following form:

  introduced: version number

  The version number consists of one to three positive integers, separated by periods.

• The deprecated argument indicates the first version of the specified platform or language in which the declaration was deprecated. It has the following form:

  deprecated: version number

  The optional version number consists of one to three positive integers, separated by periods. Omitting the version number indicates that the declaration is currently deprecated, without giving any information about when the deprecation occurred. If you omit the version number, omit the colon (:) as well.

• The obsoleted argument indicates the first version of the specified platform or language in which the declaration was obsoleted. When a declaration is obsoleted, it’s removed from the specified platform or language and can no longer be used. It has the following form:

  obsoleted: version number

  The version number consists of one to three positive integers, separated by periods.

• The message argument is used to provide a textual message that’s displayed by the compiler when emitting a warning or error about the use of a deprecated or obsoleted declaration. It has the following form:

  message: message

  The message consists of a string literal.

• The renamed argument is used to provide a textual message that indicates the new name for a declaration that’s been renamed. The new name is displayed by the compiler when emitting an error about the use of a renamed declaration. It has the following form:

  renamed: new name

  The new name consists of a string literal.

  You can use the renamed argument in conjunction with the unavailable argument and a type alias declaration to indicate to clients of your code that a declaration has been renamed. For example, this is useful when the name of a declaration is changed between releases of a framework or library.

  // First release
  protocol MyProtocol {
      // protocol definition
  }

  // Subsequent release renames MyProtocol
  protocol MyRenamedProtocol {
      // protocol definition
  }
  @available(*, unavailable, renamed: "MyRenamedProtocol")
  typealias MyProtocol = MyRenamedProtocol

You can apply multiple available attributes on a single declaration to specify the declaration’s availability on different platforms and different versions of Swift. The declaration that the available attribute applies to is ignored if the attribute specifies a platform or language version that doesn’t match the current target. If you use multiple available attributes the effective availability is the combination of the platform and Swift availabilities.

If an available attribute only specifies an introduced argument in addition to a platform or language name argument, the following shorthand syntax can be used instead:

@available(platform name version number, *)
@available(swift version number)

The shorthand syntax for available attributes allows for availability for multiple platforms to be expressed concisely. Although the two forms are functionally equivalent, the shorthand form is preferred whenever possible.

@available(iOS 10.0, macOS 10.12, *)
class MyClass {
    // class definition
}

An available attribute specifying a Swift version availability can’t additionally specify a declaration’s platform availability. Instead, use separate available attributes to specify a Swift version availability and one or more platform availabilities.

@available(swift 3.0.2)
@available(macOS 10.12, *)
struct MyStruct {
    // struct definition
}

discardableResult

Apply this attribute to a function or method declaration to suppress the compiler warning when the function or method that returns a value is called without using its result.

dynamicMemberLookup

Apply this attribute to a class, structure, enumeration, or protocol to enable members to be looked up by name at runtime. The type must implement a subscript(dynamicMemberLookup:) subscript.

In an explicit member expression, if there isn’t a corresponding declaration for the named member, the expression is understood as a call to the type’s subscript(dynamicMemberLookup:) subscript, passing a string literal that contains the member’s name as the argument. The subscript’s parameter type can be any type that conforms to the ExpressibleByStringLiteral protocol, and its return type can be any type. In most cases, the subscript’s parameter is a String value. For example:

@dynamicMemberLookup
struct DynamicStruct {
    let dictionary = ["someDynamicMember": 325,
                      "someOtherMember": 787]
    subscript(dynamicMember member: String) -> Int {
        return dictionary[member] ?? 1054
    }
}
let s = DynamicStruct()
// Using dynamic member lookup
let dynamic = s.someDynamicMember
print(dynamic)
// Prints "325"
// Calling the underlying subscript directly
let equivalent = s[dynamicMember: "someDynamicMember"]
print(dynamic == equivalent)
// Prints "true"

GKInspectable

Apply this attribute to expose a custom GameplayKit component property to the SpriteKit editor UI. Applying this attribute also implies the objc attribute.

inlinable

Apply this attribute to a function, method, computed property, subscript, convenience initializer, or deinitializer declaration to expose that declaration’s implementation as part of the module’s public interface. The compiler is allowed to replace calls to an inlinable symbol with a copy of the symbol’s implementation at the call site.

Inlinable code can interact with public symbols declared in any module, and it can interact with internal symbols declared in the same module that are marked with the usableFromInline attribute. Inlinable code can’t interact with private or fileprivate symbols.

This attribute can’t be applied to declarations that are nested inside functions or to fileprivate or private declarations. Functions and closures that are defined inside an inlinable function are implicitly inlinable, even though they can’t be marked with this attribute.

nonobjc

Apply this attribute to a method, property, subscript, or initializer declaration to suppress an implicit objc attribute. The nonobjc attribute tells the compiler to make the declaration unavailable in Objective-C code, even though it’s possible to represent it in Objective-C.

Applying this attribute to an extension has the same effect as applying it to every member of that extension that isn’t explicitly marked with the objc attribute.

You use the nonobjc attribute to resolve circularity for bridging methods in a class marked with the objc attribute, and to allow overloading of methods and initializers in a class marked with the objc attribute.

A method marked with the nonobjc attribute can’t override a method marked with the objc attribute. However, a method marked with the objc attribute can override a method marked with the nonobjc attribute. Similarly, a method marked with the nonobjc attribute can’t satisfy a protocol requirement for a method marked with the objc attribute.

NSApplicationMain

Apply this attribute to a class to indicate that it’s the application delegate. Using this attribute is equivalent to calling the NSApplicationMain(_:_:) function.

If you don’t use this attribute, supply a main.swift file with code at the top level that calls the NSApplicationMain(_:_:) function as follows:

import AppKit
NSApplicationMain(CommandLine.argc, CommandLine.unsafeArgv)

NSCopying

Apply this attribute to a stored variable property of a class. This attribute causes the property’s setter to be synthesized with a copy of the property’s value—returned by the copyWithZone(_:) method—instead of the value of the property itself. The type of the property must conform to the NSCopying protocol.

The NSCopying attribute behaves in a way similar to the Objective-C copy property attribute.

NSManaged

Apply this attribute to an instance method or stored variable property of a class that inherits from NSManagedObject to indicate that Core Data dynamically provides its implementation at runtime, based on the associated entity description. For a property marked with the NSManaged attribute, Core Data also provides the storage at runtime. Applying this attribute also implies the objc attribute.

objc

Apply this attribute to any declaration that can be represented in Objective-C—for example, nonnested classes, protocols, nongeneric enumerations (constrained to integer raw-value types), properties and methods (including getters and setters) of classes, protocols and optional members of a protocol, initializers, and subscripts. The objc attribute tells the compiler that a declaration is available to use in Objective-C code.

Applying this attribute to an extension has the same effect as applying it to every member of that extension that isn’t explicitly marked with the nonobjc attribute.

The compiler implicitly adds the objc attribute to subclasses of any class defined in Objective-C. However, the subclass must not be generic, and must not inherit from any generic classes. You can explicitly add the objc attribute to a subclass that meets these criteria, to specify its Objective-C name as discussed below. Protocols that are marked with the objc attribute can’t inherit from protocols that aren’t marked with this attribute.

The objc attribute is also implicitly added in the following cases:

• The declaration is an override in a subclass, and the superclass’s declaration has the objc attribute.

• The declaration satisfies a requirement from a protocol that has the objc attribute.

• The declaration has the IBAction, IBOutlet, IBDesignable, IBInspectable, NSManaged, or GKInspectable attribute.

If you apply the objc attribute to an enumeration, each enumeration case is exposed to Objective-C code as the concatenation of the enumeration name and the case name. The first letter of the case name is capitalized. For example, a case named venus in a Swift Planet enumeration is exposed to Objective-C code as a case named PlanetVenus.

The objc attribute optionally accepts a single attribute argument, which consists of an identifier. The identifier specifies the name to be exposed to Objective-C for the entity that the objc attribute applies to. You can use this argument to name classes, enumerations, enumeration cases, protocols, methods, getters, setters, and initializers. If you specify the Objective-C name for a class, protocol, or enumeration, include a three-letter prefix on the name, as described in Conventions [https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ProgrammingWithObjectiveC/Conventions/Conventions.html#//apple\_ref/doc/uid/TP40011210-CH10-SW1\] in Programming with Objective-C [https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ProgrammingWithObjectiveC/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple\_ref/doc/uid/TP40011210\]. The example below exposes the getter for the enabled property of the ExampleClass to Objective-C code as isEnabled rather than just as the name of the property itself.

class ExampleClass: NSObject {
    @objc var enabled: Bool {
        @objc(isEnabled) get {
            // Return the appropriate value
        }
    }
}

objcMembers

Apply this attribute to any class declaration that can have the objc attribute. The objc attribute is implicitly added to Objective-C compatible members of the class, its extensions, its subclasses, and all of the extensions of its subclasses.

Most code should use the objc attribute instead, to expose only the declarations that are needed. If you need to expose many declarations, you can group them in an extension that has the objc attribute. The objcMembers attribute is a convenience for libraries that make heavy use of the introspection facilities of the Objective-C runtime. Applying the objc attribute when it isn’t needed can increase your binary size and adversely affect performance.

requires_stored_property_inits

Apply this attribute to a class declaration to require all stored properties within the class to provide default values as part of their definitions. This attribute is inferred for any class that inherits from NSManagedObject.

testable

Apply this attribute to import declarations for modules compiled with testing enabled to access any entities marked with the internal access-level modifier as if they were declared with the public access-level modifier. Tests can also access classes and class members that are marked with the internal or public access-level modifier as if they were declared with the open access-level modifier.

UIApplicationMain

Apply this attribute to a class to indicate that it’s the application delegate. Using this attribute is equivalent to calling the UIApplicationMain function and passing this class’s name as the name of the delegate class.

If you don’t use this attribute, supply a main.swift file with code at the top level that calls the UIApplicationMain(_:_:_:_:) [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/1622933-uiapplicationmain\] function. For example, if your app uses a custom subclass of UIApplication as its principal class, call the UIApplicationMain(_:_:_:_:) function instead of using this attribute.

usableFromInline

Apply this attribute to a function, method, computed property, subscript, initializer, or deinitializer declaration to allow that symbol to be used in inlinable code that’s defined in the same module as the declaration. The declaration must have the internal access level modifier.

Like the public access level modifier, this attribute exposes the declaration as part of the module’s public interface. Unlike public, the compiler doesn’t allow declarations marked with usableFromInline to be referenced by name in code outside the module, even though the declaration’s symbol is exported. However, code outside the module might still be able to interact with the declaration’s symbol by using runtime behavior.

Declarations marked with the inlinable attribute are implicitly usable from inlinable code. Although either inlinable or usableFromInline can be applied to internal declarations, applying both attributes is an error.

warn_unqualified_access

Apply this attribute to a top-level function, instance method, or class or static method to trigger warnings when that function or method is used without a preceding qualifier, such as a module name, type name, or instance variable or constant. Use this attribute to help discourage ambiguity between functions with the same name that are accessible from the same scope.

For example, the Swift standard library includes both a top-level min(_:_:) [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swift/1538339-min/\] function and a min() [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swift/sequence/1641174-min\] method for sequences with comparable elements. The sequence method is declared with the warn_unqualified_access attribute to help reduce confusion when attempting to use one or the other from within a Sequence extension.

Declaration Attributes Used by Interface Builder

Interface Builder attributes are declaration attributes used by Interface Builder to synchronize with Xcode. Swift provides the following Interface Builder attributes: IBAction, IBOutlet, IBDesignable, and IBInspectable. These attributes are conceptually the same as their Objective-C counterparts.

You apply the IBOutlet and IBInspectable attributes to property declarations of a class. You apply the IBAction attribute to method declarations of a class and the IBDesignable attribute to class declarations.

Applying the IBAction, IBOutlet, IBDesignable, or IBInspectable attribute also implies the objc attribute.

Type Attributes

You can apply type attributes to types only.

autoclosure

This attribute is used to delay the evaluation of an expression by automatically wrapping that expression in a closure with no arguments. Apply this attribute to a parameter’s type in a method or function declaration, for a parameter of a function type that takes no arguments and that returns a value of the type of the expression. For an example of how to use the autoclosure attribute, see Autoclosures and Function Type.

convention

Apply this attribute to the type of a function to indicate its calling conventions.

The convention attribute always appears with one of the attribute arguments below.

• The swift argument is used to indicate a Swift function reference. This is the standard calling convention for function values in Swift.

• The block argument is used to indicate an Objective-C compatible block reference. The function value is represented as a reference to the block object, which is an id-compatible Objective-C object that embeds its invocation function within the object. The invocation function uses the C calling convention.

• The c argument is used to indicate a C function reference. The function value carries no context and uses the C calling convention.

A function with C function calling conventions can be used as a function with Objective-C block calling conventions, and a function with Objective-C block calling conventions can be used as a function with Swift function calling conventions. However, only nongeneric global functions, and local functions or closures that don’t capture any local variables, can be used as a function with C function calling conventions.

escaping

Apply this attribute to a parameter’s type in a method or function declaration to indicate that the parameter’s value can be stored for later execution. This means that the value is allowed to outlive the lifetime of the call. Function type parameters with the escaping type attribute require explicit use of self. for properties or methods. For an example of how to use the escaping attribute, see Escaping Closures.

Grammar of an attribute

attribute → @ attribute-name attribute-argument-clause opt

attribute-name → identifier

attribute-argument-clause → ( balanced-tokens opt )

attributes → attribute attributes opt

balanced-tokens → balanced-token balanced-tokens opt

balanced-token → ( balanced-tokens opt )

balanced-token → [ balanced-tokens opt ]

balanced-token → { balanced-tokens opt }

balanced-token → Any identifier, keyword, literal, or operator

balanced-token → Any punctuation except (, ), [, ], {, or }