Adopting App Intents to support system experiences

At a glance

Project structure

Source bundle/
└── AppIntentsTravelTracking/
    ├── AppIntentsTravelTracking/
    │   ├── AppIntentsTravelTracking.swift
    │   └── Views/
    │       ├── ContentView.swift
    │       └── Photos/
    │           └── Photo/
    │               ├── PhotoDetailInspectorView.swift
    │               └── PhotoDetailView.swift
    ├── TravelTrackingShared/
    │   └── Sources/
    │       ├── TravelTrackingCore/
    │       │   └── Persistence/
    │       │       └── SharedDataStore.swift
    │       ├── TravelTrackingIntents/
    │       │   └── Entities/
    │       │       ├── PhotoEntity.swift
    │       │       ├── PhotoAlbumEntity.swift
    │       │       ├── LandmarkCollectionEntity.swift
    │       │       └── LandmarkEntity.swift
    │       └── TravelTrackingSnippets/
    │           └── FindTickets/
    │               ├── SearchEngine.swift
    │               └── SearchRequestEntity.swift
    └── TravelGalleryWidget/
        └── TravelGalleryWidgetBundle.swift

Structure observations

• Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
• Primary languages: Swift.
• The verified tree contains 7 project/configuration file(s) and 123 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

flowchart LR
    N1["AppIntentsTravelTracking"]
    N2["ContentView"]
    N3["SharedDataStore"]
    N4["GalleryTimelineProvider"]
    N5["AppIntents APIs"]
    N1 --> N2
    N2 --> N3
    N3 --> N4
    N4 --> N5

Reference code

AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking.swift:15 — architecture anchor

@main
struct AppIntentsTravelTrackingApp: App {
    @State private var modelData = ModelData()
    // ...
}

Interpretation

The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into App Intents.

Ownership and state

classDiagram
    AppIntentsTravelTrackingApp *-- ModelData : modelData
    CollectionsSectionPicker o-- CollectionsSection : selection
    CollectionsTab *-- CollectionsSection : section
    PhotoDetailInspectorView o-- TravelPhoto : photo

Ownership evidence

AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking.swift:17 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

@main
struct AppIntentsTravelTrackingApp: App {
    @State private var modelData = ModelData()
    // ...
}

Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.

Concurrency, scheduling, and thread safety

Evidence limit: actor isolation, async/await, or Task creation does not by itself prove background-thread execution; Sendable conformance alone does not prove thread-safe mutation.

@MainActor/MainActor.run, DispatchQueue.main, and RunLoop.main are reported as distinct isolation, queue, and event-loop mechanisms. A plain Task is kept separate from Task.detached; neither is labeled as a background thread.

Reference code

AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking.swift:36 — representative execution boundary

@main
struct AppIntentsTravelTrackingApp: App {
    // ...
                    try? await EntityDonator.donateLandmarks(modelData: modelData)
    // ...
}

State propagation, frameworks, and dependencies

Evidence limit: an import proves a source-level compilation dependency at the cited line; it does not prove runtime use, architectural adoption, or whether a Swift package is a direct application dependency.

receive(on:) describes downstream delivery scheduling, while subscribe(on:) describes upstream subscription/request/cancel scheduling. An import Combine alone establishes neither behavior nor a Store, reducer, Redux, or other application architecture.

Class and protocol design

AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelTrackingShared/Sources/TravelTrackingCore/Models/GalleryItem.swift:12 — representative type boundary

public protocol GalleryItem: Hashable {
    var displayName: String { get }
    var displayImageName: String { get }
    var displayThumbnailName: String { get }
}

The source explicitly defines local protocol relationships: Landmark → GalleryItem, TravelPhoto → GalleryItem, LandmarkCollection → TravelCollection, PhotoAlbum → TravelCollection.

Access control

Reference code

AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntents/TravelTrackingAppShortcuts.swift:13 — representative boundary

    public static var appShortcuts: [AppShortcut] {
        // ...
            shortTitle: "Navigate",
            systemImageName: "arrowshape.forward"
        // ...
    }

Swift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.

Logic ownership and placement

Design patterns

Main application flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant GetCrowdStatusIntent
    participant modelData
    participant navigator
    GetCrowdStatusIntent->>modelData: isLandmarkOpen()
    GetCrowdStatusIntent->>GetCrowdStatusIntent: continueInForeground()
    GetCrowdStatusIntent->>navigator: navigate()
    GetCrowdStatusIntent->>modelData: crowdStatus()

Reference code

AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelTrackingShared/Sources/TravelTrackingIntents/Intents/Landmarks/GetCrowdStatusIntent.swift:44 — perform()

    public func perform() async throws -> some ReturnsValue<Int> & ProvidesDialog {

        guard await modelData.isLandmarkOpen(landmark) else { /* Exit early... */
            return .result(value: 0, dialog: "\(landmark.name) is closed.")
        }

        if systemContext.currentMode.canContinueInForeground {
            do {
                try await continueInForeground(alwaysConfirm: false)
                #if os(iOS)
                // You don't need to add code here to open the app
                // and navigate to the scene that matches the intent.
                // Instead, ContentView` uses `.onAppIntentExecution()` view modifiers
                // for navigation.
                #elseif os(macOS)
                await navigator.navigate(to: landmark)
                #endif
            } catch {
                // Open app denied.
            }
        }

        // Retrieve status and return dialog...

        let status = await modelData.crowdStatus(for: landmark)

        return .result(
            value: status,
            dialog: IntentDialog(crowdStatusDescription(for: status))
        )
    }

Naming conventions

• Types: App: AppIntentsTravelTrackingApp; Engine: SearchEngine; Provider: GalleryTimelineProvider; Store: SharedDataStore; View: CollectionDetailContainerView, CollectionTileView, CollectionsGridView, ContentView, FeaturedItemView.
• Protocols: GalleryItem, TravelCollection.
• Methods: tags, widgetGalleryIndex, setLandmarkFavorite, setPhotoFavorite, setTags, setHasSeededFavorites, setWidgetGalleryIndex, setFeaturedLandmarkID.
• Files: AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelTrackingShared/Sources/TravelTrackingCore/Persistence/SharedDataStore.swift, AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelGalleryWidget/TravelGalleryWidgetBundle.swift, AppIntentsTravelTracking/AppIntentsTravelTracking/Views/ContentView.swift, AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelTrackingShared/Sources/TravelTrackingIntents/Entities/PhotoEntity.swift, AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelTrackingShared/Sources/TravelTrackingIntents/Entities/PhotoAlbumEntity.swift, AppIntentsTravelTracking/TravelTrackingShared/Sources/TravelTrackingSnippets/FindTickets/SearchEngine.swift.

Architecture takeaways

• AppIntentsTravelTracking is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
• Framework work reaches TravelTrackingCore, AppIntents, SwiftUI, TravelTrackingIntents through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
• Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
• Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
• Local protocol relationships provide an explicit substitution boundary.

Source map

• Official Apple documentation