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How to move focus across multiple textfields using arrow keys/enter key in iOS
Hi. I have an iOS application with multiple input fields. I have to design an experience such that whenever the user presses enter key on a textfield, it should move focus to the next input field. Similarly, consider a stack of 3 textfields, I want to cycle the focus as and when the user presses up/down arrow keys. Other platforms like Android, have this feature out-of-the-box. I wanted to understand if iOS also supports this kind of behavior. I know how to manually code such UX, but just wanted to confirm whether there is some inherent feature like on android which i can leverage? Thanks.
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4d
Alternatives to exports file for using Xcode frameworks in iOS
Hi, I have an iOS project with the following app targets: main iOS application a notification service extension 5 static libs containing some swift files with public methods 1 dynamic framework with above static libs as dependencies. The framework only contains 2 files - a default .h file and 1 .exp file. This exports file contains mangled-names of all the public methods that are exposed by the 5 static libs present as framework's dependencies. I obtained these symbols using the nm command for each static lib. The main iOS app target has 2 dependencies - the framework and the notification extension. The notification extension only depends on the framework. This setup works perfectly fine. I wanted to understand: If using the exports file is the only way to make this setup work? If not, what else can I do? What way does Apple recommend? According to my requirements, I only need at-most 2-3 functions to be exposed by the framework - thus using a exports file just for that seems to bug me. Thank you.
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1w
How to create a dylib for iOS project?
I want to create a dynamic library for my iOS project, which would be loaded at runtime. In Xcode, there are templates available for creating a static/dynamic lib for MacOS. But under the iOS tab, there is only a "static library" template. So, I used the "static library" template and in its build settings I changed the Mach-O type to "dynamic library". Now after building it, I use the file command on the generated file and it tells me it is a dynamic lib. But the generated file still has .a extension, which is usually for static libs. I'm aware we can tell Xcode in build settings to change the .a extension to something else, say .dylib but this seems like a hacky way to create a dynamic library. What is the correct way? I am aware that standalone dylibs are not supported on iOS, and we need to wrap them in a framework. For my use case, the framework will literally be a wrapper, it won't have any source files of its own. It should only contain the dynamic lib generated from some independent codebase. I am not sure how to place the dylib in the framework.
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1w
How to consume a dynamic Xcode framework?
I have an Xcode project setup as follows: 3 static libraries 1 framework target, whose Mach-O type is set to Dynamic Library main app target (iOS app) The target dependencies are as follows: In framework's build phase [Link with libraries], I have the 3 libs statically linked. In the main app's build phase [Link with libraries], I have only the framework, which is dynamically linked. As per my understanding: The libs are statically linked to the framework. So, the framework binary would contain code from all the libs. The framework is dynamically linked to the main app (iOS app in this case). So, the main app's binary only has a reference to the framework's binary, which would be loaded in the memory at runtime. Assuming my understanding is correct, I'm stuck with the following problem: All 3 libs build successfully The framework builds successfully The main app target doesn't build. The compilation is successful, but the build fails with linker errors. Please let me know if I am doing something incorrectly, or if a configuration is missing. Below are more details: The linker gives the following error: Undefined symbols for architecture arm64: "StringUtils.GetStr() -> Swift.String", referenced from: dynamic_fw.AppDelegate.application(_: __C.UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: [__C.UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey : Any]?) -> Swift.Bool in AppDelegate.o "TWUtils.GetNum() -> Swift.Int", referenced from: dynamic_fw.AppDelegate.application(_: __C.UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: [__C.UIApplicationLaunchOptionsKey : Any]?) -> Swift.Bool in AppDelegate.o ld: symbol(s) not found for architecture arm64 clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation) And the command shown in the logs for linking phase is: Ld /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.app/dynamic-fw normal (in target 'dynamic-fw' from project 'dynamic-fw') cd /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Desktop/dynamic-fw /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/clang -Xlinker -reproducible -target arm64-apple-ios17.5-simulator -isysroot /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneSimulator17.5.sdk -O0 -L/Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/EagerLinkingTBDs/Debug-iphonesimulator -L/Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator -L. -L./StringUtils -L./TWFramework -L./TWUtils -L./dynamic-fw -F/Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/EagerLinkingTBDs/Debug-iphonesimulator -F/Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator -F. -F./StringUtils -F./TWFramework -F./TWUtils -F./dynamic-fw -filelist /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/dynamic-fw.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.build/Objects-normal/arm64/dynamic-fw.LinkFileList -Xlinker -rpath -Xlinker @executable_path/Frameworks -Xlinker -rpath -Xlinker ./\*\* -dead_strip -Xlinker -object_path_lto -Xlinker /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/dynamic-fw.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.build/Objects-normal/arm64/dynamic-fw_lto.o -Xlinker -export_dynamic -Xlinker -no_deduplicate -Xlinker -objc_abi_version -Xlinker 2 -fobjc-link-runtime -L/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/lib/swift/iphonesimulator -L/usr/lib/swift -Xlinker -add_ast_path -Xlinker /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/dynamic-fw.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.build/Objects-normal/arm64/dynamic_fw.swiftmodule -Xlinker -sectcreate -Xlinker __TEXT -Xlinker __entitlements -Xlinker /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/dynamic-fw.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.build/dynamic-fw.app-Simulated.xcent -Xlinker -sectcreate -Xlinker __TEXT -Xlinker __ents_der -Xlinker /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/dynamic-fw.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.build/dynamic-fw.app-Simulated.xcent.der -framework TWFramework -Xlinker -no_adhoc_codesign -Xlinker -dependency_info -Xlinker /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Intermediates.noindex/dynamic-fw.build/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.build/Objects-normal/arm64/dynamic-fw_dependency_info.dat -o /Users/raunit.shrivastava/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/dynamic-fw-foqtqhpopkmoapfufzxbfloamnpr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/dynamic-fw.app/dynamic-fw
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Oct ’25
Embed/Do Not Embed & Mach-O type
My Xcode project has the following configuration: 1 iOS app target 1 Xcode framework target (mach-o-type "Dynamic Library") 5 static libraries Dependencies: All the static libraries are target dependencies of the framework. The framework is the only target dependency of the iOS app. For the iOS app target, within the General tab > Frameworks, Libraries & Embedded content, I've set the framework as "Do not embed" So now I have a dynamic framework which won't be copied to the .app bundle in the build output. As per my understanding, this should result in a runtime error, dyld should not be able to find the framework files as they were not embedded in the final .app bundle. But regardless, my app runs without any errors, using all the methods exposed by the framework. What is the correct understanding here? What exactly does Embed/Do not embed mean (apart from excluding the files from .app bundle) When both settings are specified, is there any priority or precedence of one setting over the other?
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Oct ’25
What exactly an Xcode framework does?
I created 2 iOS projects in Xcode: Project 1: 4 targets (main app + 3 app extensions) 4 static libraries the main app's target dependencies include - 3 app extensions and the 4 libs. the main app's binary is linked to all 4 libs similarly, each extension is linked to all 4 libs Project 2: 5 targets (main app + 3 app extensions + 1 framework) 4 static libraries the main app's target dependencies include - 3 app extensions and the framework each extension is dependent only on the framework the framework's target dependencies include all the 4 static libs As per my understanding, the app bundle size for Project 2 should be less than that of Project 1, since we eliminate duplicating the static libs for each target by using a framework instead. However, I have found that the bundle size is more for Project 2 as compared to the bundle size of project 1. I do not understand, why?
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Sep ’25
How to speed-up initial UI rendering faster in AppKit?
I am developing an AppKit application in MacOS with Swift. Our application requires a complex, multi-windowed interface and must deliver a very fast, responsive experience. As a performance test, I built a sample app that creates 3 windows programmatically, each containing 500 NSTextFields (with each text-field assigned 35 different properties). Code flow: https://gist.github.com/Raunit-TW/5ac58ac9c6584f93e2ee201aa8118139 This takes around 77 milliseconds to render the windows - I need to find a way to reduce this time, as low as possible. Thanks.
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Aug ’25
Passing string between Swift and C++
I want to understand what the recommended way is for string interoperability between swift and c++. Below are the 3 ways to achieve it. Approach 2 is not allowed at work due to restrictions with using std libraries. Approach 1: In C++: char arr[] = "C++ String"; void * cppstring = arr; std::cout<<"before:"<<(char*)cppstring<<std::endl;           // C++ String // calling swift function and passing the void buffer to it, so that swift can update the buffer content Module1::SwiftClass:: ReceiveString (cppstring, length);   std::cout<<"after:"<<(char*)cppstring<<std::endl;             // SwiftStr      In Swift: func ReceiveString (pBuffer : UnsafeMutableRawPointer , pSize : UInt ) -> Void { // to convert cpp-str to swift-str: let swiftStr = String (cString: pBuffer.assumingMemoryBound(to: Int8.self)); print("pBuffer content: \(bufferAsString)"); // to modify cpp-str without converting: let swiftstr:String = "SwiftStr"      _ =  swiftstr.withCString { (cString: UnsafePointer<Int8>) in pBuffer.initializeMemory(as: Int8.self, from: cString, count: swiftstr.count+1) } }  Approach 2:  The ‘String’ type returned from a swift function is received as ‘swift::String’ type in cpp. This is implicitly casted to std::string type. The std::string has the method available to convert it to char *. void TWCppClass::StringConversion () {     // GetSwiftString() is a swift call that returns swift::String which can be received in std::string type     std::string stdstr = Module1::SwiftClass::GetSwiftString ();     char * cstr = stdstr.data ();     const char * conststr= stdstr.c_str (); }    Approach 3: The swift::String type that is obtained from a swift function can be received in char * by directly casting the address of the swift::String. We cannot directly receive a swift::String into a char *. void TWCppClass::StringConversion () {    // GetSwiftString() is a swift call that returns swift::String    swift::String swiftstr = Module1::SwiftClass::GetSwiftString ();    // obtaining the address of swift string and casting it into char *    char * cstr = (char*)&swiftstr; }
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Jul ’25
How to set accessibility-label to NSTextAttachment ?
I have the following method to insert @mentions to a text field: func insertMention(user: Token, at range: NSRange) -> Void { let tokenImage: UIImage = renderMentionToken(text: "@\(user.username)") let attachment: NSTextAttachment = NSTextAttachment() attachment.image = tokenImage attachment.bounds = CGRect(x: 0, y: -3, width: tokenImage.size.width, height: tokenImage.size.height) attachment.accessibilityLabel = user.username attachment.accessibilityHint = "Mention of \(user.username)" let attachmentString: NSMutableAttributedString = NSMutableAttributedString(attributedString: NSAttributedString(attachment: attachment)) attachmentString.addAttribute(.TokenID, value: user.id, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: 1)) attachmentString.addAttribute(.Tokenname, value: user.username, range: NSRange(location: 0, length: 1)) let mutableText: NSMutableAttributedString = NSMutableAttributedString(attributedString: textView.attributedText) mutableText.replaceCharacters(in: range, with: attachmentString) mutableText.append(NSAttributedString(string: " ")) textView.attributedText = mutableText textView.selectedRange = NSRange(location: range.location + 2, length: 0) mentionRange = nil tableView.isHidden = true } When I use XCode's accessibility inspector to inspect the text input, the inserted token is not read by the inspector - instead a whitespace is shown for the token. I want to set the accessibility-label to the string content of the NSTextAttachment. How?
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Jul ’25
Creating UI instance using 'XML' like data at runtime
In windows there is a support for generating Xaml strings at runtime for the UI artefact and use it on the main thread for loading the Xaml strings with properties and creating the UI artefact. Below is a code example for it. static void createxaml(hstring & str) { str = LR"( <Button xmlns=http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation Name="MyButton" Content="Click Me" Width="200" Height="60" HorizontalAlignment="Center" VerticalAlignment="Center" FontSize="18" FontFamily="Segoe UI" Foreground="White" )"; } { hstring xaml; createxaml(xaml); Button obj = XamlReader::Load(xaml).as<Button>(); } My question is, Is there similar support available in uikit to create ui instances like UIButton. Is there some native support from apple that allows us to create a button object using an XML like string?
Topic: UI Frameworks SubTopic: General Tags:
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Jun ’25
How to listen for Locale change event in iOS using NSLocale.currentLocaleDidChangeNotification?
I have the following function private func SetupLocaleObserver () { NotificationCenter.default.addObserver ( forName: NSLocale.currentLocaleDidChangeNotification, object: nil, queue: .main ) {_ in print ("Locale changed to: \(Locale.current.identifier)"); } } I call this function inside the viewDidLoad () method of my view controller. The expectation was that whenever I change the system or app-specific language preference, the locale gets changed, and this change triggers my closure which should print "Locale changed to: " on the console. However, the app gets terminated with a SIGKILL whenever I change the language from the settings. So, it is observed that sometimes my closure runs, while most of the times it does not run - maybe the app dies even before the closure is executed. So, the question is, what is the use of this particular notification if the corresponding closure isn't guaranteed to be executed before the app dies? Or am I using it the wrong way?
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Jun ’25
How to prevent iOS VoiceOver from speaking accessibility-labels and traits?
I have a button with the following properties: accessibilityLabel: "Action Button", traits: "Button", accessibilityHint: "Performs the main action". The voiceover reads the button as follows: Action Button, Button, Performs the main action. I want to understand how to configure it to only speak the accessibilityHint or only the accessibilityLabel and never speak the traits. In another example, a switch has the traits: Button, and Toggle. So these traits are a part of what the voiceover speaks. I want only the accessibilityLabel or accessibilityHint to be spoken in this case. Please let me know how. Thanks
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May ’25
How to capture the currently pressed key when a TextField is in focus?
In the attached code snippet: struct ContentView: View { @State private var vText: String = "" var body: some View { TextField("Enter text", text: Binding( get: { vText }, set: { newValue in print("Text will change to: \(newValue)") vText = newValue } )) } } I have access to the newValue of the text-field whenever the text-field content changes, but how do I detect which key was pressed? I can manually get the diff between previous state and the new value to get the last pressed char but is there a simpler way? Also this approach won't let me detect any modifier keys (such as Alt, Ctrl etc) that the user may have pressed. Is there a pure swift-ui approach to detect these key presses?
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95
Apr ’25
How to programmatically set cursor position of a text field in SwiftUI
I would like to understand how to programmatically set the position of a cursor in a SwiftUI TextField. In UIKit this can be done using the selectedTextRange property, but I couldn't find a similar way to achieve this with pure SwiftUI. I want to figure out something like setCursorPosition (index:) - maybe by tracking the position in a @State or any other way. I understand that I can do this using UIViewRepresentable but I am looking for a pure SwiftUI solution and wanted to know if there is any.
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400
Mar ’25
How to determine which ui control is found first in the view hierarchy, when I assign the same keyboardShortcut () to 2 buttons?
import SwiftUI struct ContentView: View { var body: some View { VStack { Button ("Button 1") { print ("Button 1"); } .keyboardShortcut("k", modifiers: .command) Button ("Button 2") { print ("Button 2"); } .keyboardShortcut("k", modifiers: .command) } } } I the above snippet, I have assigned the same keyboard shortcut (cmd +k) to 2 different buttons. According to the docs, if multiple controls are associated with the same shortcut, the first one found is used. How do I figure out if Button 1 would be found first during the traversal or Button 2 ? Is it based on the order of declaration? Is it always the case that Button 1 would be found first since it was declared before Button 2 ?
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94
Mar ’25