Building an NFC Tag-Reader App
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Read NFC tags with NDEF messages in your app. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegate → MessagesTableViewController → CoreNFC APIs. |
| Main patterns | View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks |
| Project style | 4 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
├── NFCTagReader/
│ ├── AppDelegate.swift
│ ├── MessagesTableViewController.swift
│ ├── PayloadsTableViewController.swift
│ ├── MessagesTableViewController+DataSource.swift
│ ├── Base.lproj/
│ │ ├── LaunchScreen.storyboard
│ │ └── Main.storyboard
│ ├── NFCTagReader.entitlements
│ └── Resources/
│ └── Info.plist
├── Configuration/
│ └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── NFCTagReader.xcodeproj/
├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
└── project.pbxproj
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 3 source declaration(s).
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
N1["AppDelegate"]
N2["MessagesTableViewController"]
N3["CoreNFC APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
Reference code
NFCTagReader/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor
@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
// ...
}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 Core NFC.
Ownership and state
classDiagram
AppDelegate o-- UIWindow : window
MessagesTableViewController o-- NFCNDEFReaderSession : session
PayloadsTableViewController o-- NFCNDEFMessage : message
PayloadsTableViewController o-- NFCNDEFReaderSession : session
Ownership evidence
NFCTagReader/AppDelegate.swift:12 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor
@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
// ...
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
UIWindow (window) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
MessagesTableViewController |
NFCNDEFReaderSession (session) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
PayloadsTableViewController |
NFCNDEFMessage (message) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
PayloadsTableViewController |
NFCNDEFReaderSession (session) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
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
NFCTagReader/AppDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
// ...
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate |
MessagesTableViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UITableViewController, NFCNDEFReaderSessionDelegate |
PayloadsTableViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UITableViewController, NFCNDEFReaderSessionDelegate |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
description (NFCTagReader/PayloadsTableViewController.swift:12) |
public |
The symbol is visible to importing modules. | Inference: make the declaration available across a module or target boundary. |
MessagesTableViewController (NFCTagReader/MessagesTableViewController.swift:8) |
implicit internal |
No explicit modifier means the Swift declaration is internal to the module. | Inference: app-target collaboration needs no exported library surface. |
Reference code
NFCTagReader/PayloadsTableViewController.swift:12 — representative boundary
public var description: String {
// ...
}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 | MessagesTableViewController, PayloadsTableViewController |
The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Receives callback-driven events | AppDelegate |
The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| View-controller organization | NFCTagReader/MessagesTableViewController.swift:12 |
A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present. |
| Delegate or data-source callbacks | NFCTagReader/AppDelegate.swift:11 |
Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner. |
Naming conventions
- Types: Controller: MessagesTableViewController, PayloadsTableViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate.
- Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
- Methods:
application,beginScanning,readerSession,readerSessionDidBecomeActive,addMessage,tableView,beginWrite,prepare. - Files:
NFCTagReader/AppDelegate.swift,NFCTagReader/MessagesTableViewController.swift,NFCTagReader/PayloadsTableViewController.swift.
Architecture takeaways
AppDelegateis the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.- Framework work reaches UIKit, CoreNFC 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 |
|---|---|
NFCTagReader/AppDelegate.swift |
AppDelegate |
NFCTagReader/MessagesTableViewController.swift |
MessagesTableViewController |
NFCTagReader/PayloadsTableViewController.swift |
PayloadsTableViewController |
NFCTagReader/MessagesTableViewController+DataSource.swift |
Feature implementation |