Sample CodeiOS, iPadOS, Mac CatalystReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Sharing CloudKit Data with Other iCloud Users

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Create and share private CloudKit data with other users by implementing the sharing UI.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateMainViewControllerCloudKit APIs.
Main patterns View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks
Project style 22 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.

Project structure

Source bundle/
└── CloudKitShare/
    ├── AppDelegate.swift
    ├── Caches/
    │   ├── BaseLocalCache.swift
    │   ├── TopicLocalCache+ViewController.swift
    │   ├── TopicLocalCache.swift
    │   └── ZoneLocalCache+ViewController.swift
    ├── ViewControllers/
    │   ├── SpinnerViewController.swift
    │   ├── TopicSectionTitleView.swift
    │   ├── MainViewController.swift
    │   ├── NoteViewController.swift
    │   ├── ZoneViewController.swift
    │   └── MainViewController+SharingController.swift
    └── SceneDelegate.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 8 project/configuration file(s) and 27 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:12 — architecture anchor

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate {
    // ...
}

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 CloudKit.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:14 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate {
    private var currentUserRecordID: CKRecord.ID?
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
AppDelegate ID (currentUserRecordID) stores or receives Owning lexical scope
AppDelegate ZoneLocalCache (zoneCacheOrNil) stores or receives Owning type writes; wider scope can read
AppDelegate TopicLocalCache (topicCacheOrNil) stores or receives Owning type writes; wider scope can read
AppDelegate CKContainer (container) stores or receives Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable

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.

Class and protocol design

CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:13 — representative type boundary

class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate {
    // ...
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate
SpinnerViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination UITableViewController
TopicSectionTitleView User-interface presentation and input forwarding UIView
SceneDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate
MainViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination SpinnerViewController
NoteViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination SpinnerViewController
ZoneViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination SpinnerViewController
UserInfoKey Defines a closed set of feature states or choices String
TopicCacheChanges Represents a feature value or composable behavior Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
ZoneCacheChanges Represents a feature value or composable behavior Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks

No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.

Access control

Symbol Access Verified effect Likely rationale
currentUserRecordID (CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:14) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation.
zoneCacheOrNil (CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:15) private(set) Read access follows the declaration; writes remain in the private scope. Inference: allow observation while reserving invariant-changing writes for the owner.
topicCacheOrNil (CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:16) private(set) Read access follows the declaration; writes remain in the private scope. Inference: allow observation while reserving invariant-changing writes for the owner.
updateWithNotificationUserInfo (CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:56) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface.

Reference code

CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:14 — representative boundary

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate, UNUserNotificationCenterDelegate {
    private var currentUserRecordID: CKRecord.ID?
    // ...
}

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

Logic Owning type or file Placement rationale
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination MainViewController, NoteViewController, SpinnerViewController, ZoneViewController The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit.
Receives callback-driven events AppDelegate, SceneDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
User-interface presentation and input forwarding TopicSectionTitleView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/MainViewController.swift:11 A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present.
Delegate or data-source callbacks CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift:13 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: MainViewController, NoteViewController, SpinnerViewController, ZoneViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate; View: TopicSectionTitleView.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: application, updateWithNotificationUserInfo, userNotificationCenter, topicCacheForFirstZone, invalidateCurrentUser, buildZoneCacheIfNeed, zoneCacheDidChange, zoneDidSwitch.
  • Files: CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift, CloudKitShare/Caches/BaseLocalCache.swift, CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/SpinnerViewController.swift, CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/TopicSectionTitleView.swift, CloudKitShare/SceneDelegate.swift, CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/MainViewController.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches CloudKit, UIKit, UserNotifications 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.
  • The source does not justify labeling the design protocol-oriented.

Source map

Source file Relevant symbols
CloudKitShare/AppDelegate.swift AppDelegate
CloudKitShare/Caches/BaseLocalCache.swift UserInfoKey, TopicCacheChanges, ZoneCacheChanges, ZoneSwitched, Schema, RecordType, Topic, Note, BaseLocalCache
CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/SpinnerViewController.swift TableCellReusableID, SegueID, SpinnerViewController
CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/TopicSectionTitleView.swift TopicSectionTitleButton, TopicSectionTitleView, EditingStyle
CloudKitShare/SceneDelegate.swift SceneDelegate
CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/MainViewController.swift MainViewController
CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/NoteViewController.swift NoteViewController
CloudKitShare/ViewControllers/ZoneViewController.swift ZoneViewController
CloudKitShare/Caches/TopicLocalCache+ViewController.swift Feature implementation
CloudKitShare/Caches/TopicLocalCache.swift Note, Topic, TopicLocalCache