Swift for the Really Impatient (eBook)

Swift for the Really Impatient is the perfect jumpstart to the Swift language for every experienced Objective-C developer. Leading iOS and OS X developers Matt Henderson and Dave Wood help you take full advantage of Swift's powerful innovations, without wasting time on basics you already know.

Through expert code examples and crystal-clear explanations, Henderson and Wood reveal how Swift features improve on Objective-C and show how to make the most of them. You'll quickly master 'Swift-er' techniques for using objects, classes, optionals, generics, functions, closures, and more. Each chapter includes hands-on exercises designed to reinforce and deepen your skills.

You'll learn how to re-implement common Objective-C programming solutions in Swift, improving code clarity, power, and performance on both desktop and mobile devices. And, because you probably won't (or can't) abandon Objective-C anytime soon, you'll discover how to use both languages together, smoothly integrate Swift into existing projects and workflows, and gradually move your current code base into the future. Coverage includes

Using Swift's new patterns and concise, expressive syntax to produce safer, more reliable code

Leveraging the surprising power of Swift's data structures

Utilizing Swift's type system to help prevent errors common in other languages

Using optionals to correctly handle invalid, missing, or unknown values

Implementing generics to reduce duplication, improve power, and simplify maintenance

Interacting with C and Objective-C APIs

Abstracting functionality for reusable code while maintaining type safety

Isolating code in clean, flexible, low-overhead closures

Combining Swift with Objective-C in the same project

Avoiding gotchas when importing Objective-C classes in Swift projects

Nesting types to improve code clarity

Creating shared objects with singletons

Managing threading and concurrency with Swift's advanced Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) patterns

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Swift for the Really Impatient is the perfect jumpstart to the Swift language for every experienced Objective-C developer. Leading iOS and OS X developers Matt Henderson and Dave Wood help you take full advantage of Swift's powerful innovations, without wasting time on basics you already know. Through expert code examples and crystal-clear explanations, Henderson and Wood reveal how Swift features improve on Objective-C and show how to make the most of them. You'll quickly master "e;Swift-er"e; techniques for using objects, classes, optionals, generics, functions, closures, and more. Each chapter includes hands-on exercises designed to reinforce and deepen your skills. You'll learn how to re-implement common Objective-C programming solutions in Swift, improving code clarity, power, and performance on both desktop and mobile devices. And, because you probably won't (or can't) abandon Objective-C anytime soon, you'll discover how to use both languages together, smoothly integrate Swift into existing projects and workflows, and gradually move your current code base into the future. Coverage includes Using Swift's new patterns and concise, expressive syntax to produce safer, more reliable code Leveraging the surprising power of Swift's data structures Utilizing Swift's type system to help prevent errors common in other languages Using optionals to correctly handle invalid, missing, or unknown values Implementing generics to reduce duplication, improve power, and simplify maintenance Interacting with C and Objective-C APIs Abstracting functionality for reusable code while maintaining type safety Isolating code in clean, flexible, low-overhead closures Combining Swift with Objective-C in the same project Avoiding gotchas when importing Objective-C classes in Swift projects Nesting types to improve code clarity Creating shared objects with singletons Managing threading and concurrency with Swift's advanced Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) patterns