Sample CodemacOSReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Creating a Slideshow Project Extension for Photos

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Augment the macOS Photos app with extensions that support project creation.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateGridViewControllerAssetModelPhotosUI / Photos APIs.
Main patterns View-controller organization, Protocol-oriented abstraction, Delegate or data-source callbacks
Project style 14 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── Photos Project Slideshow/
│   └── AppDelegate.swift
└── Slideshow Sample/
    ├── Model/
    │   ├── ProjectModel.swift
    │   ├── AssetModel.swift
    │   └── ProjectModel+Persistence.swift
    ├── Grid/
    │   ├── CollectionViewDataSource.swift
    │   ├── GridViewController.swift
    │   └── AssetCollectionViewItem.swift
    ├── PhotoProjectViewController.swift
    └── Slides/
        ├── SimpleImageView.swift
        ├── SlideViewController.swift
        ├── SlideshowViewController.swift
        └── Animator.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 13 project/configuration file(s) and 13 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

Photos Project Slideshow/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor

@NSApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
}

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 PhotosUI.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

Photos Project Slideshow/AppDelegate.swift:13 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

@NSApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
    @IBOutlet weak var window: NSWindow!
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
AppDelegate NSWindow (window) holds a non-owning reference The referenced object’s lifecycle is owned elsewhere
ProjectModel PHProjectInfo (projectInfo) stores or receives Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
CollectionViewDataSource NSUserInterfaceItemIdentifier (reuseIdentifier) creates and retains Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
GridViewController NSCollectionView (collectionView) 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

Slideshow Sample/Slides/Animator.swift:11 — representative type boundary

protocol AnimatableSlide {
    var contentAspectRatio: CGFloat? { get }
    var preferredZoomRect: CGRect? { get }
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate
ProjectModel Feature data or observable state NSObject, NSSecureCoding
CollectionViewDataSource Supplies data through a callback contract NSObject, NSCollectionViewDataSource
GridViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination NSViewController
AssetModel Feature data or observable state Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
PhotoProjectViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination NSViewController, PHProjectExtensionController, PHPhotoLibraryChangeObserver
SimpleImageView User-interface presentation and input forwarding NSView
SlideViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination NSViewController
SlideshowViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination NSViewController
AnimatableSlide Defines a capability or collaboration contract Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks

The source explicitly defines local protocol relationships: RoiZoomAnimatorAnimator, SlideViewControllerAnimatableSlide.

Access control

Symbol Access Verified effect Likely rationale
contentMode (Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideViewController.swift:15) 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.
imageManager (Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideViewController.swift:16) 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.
requestID (Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideViewController.swift:17) 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.
modelIterator (Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideshowViewController.swift:20) 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.

Reference code

Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideViewController.swift:15 — representative boundary

    private var contentMode: PHImageContentMode = .aspectFit
    private let imageManager = PHImageManager.default()
    private var requestID = PHInvalidImageRequestID

    var assetModel: AssetModel?

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 GridViewController, PhotoProjectViewController, SlideViewController, SlideshowViewController The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit.
Supplies data through a callback contract CollectionViewDataSource The source’s DataSource suffix makes this role explicit.
Receives callback-driven events AppDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
Feature data or observable state AssetModel, ProjectModel The source’s Model suffix makes this role explicit.
User-interface presentation and input forwarding SimpleImageView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization Slideshow Sample/Grid/GridViewController.swift:11 A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present.
Protocol-oriented abstraction Slideshow Sample/Slides/Animator.swift:26 A local protocol and concrete conformance create an explicit capability boundary.
Delegate or data-source callbacks Photos Project Slideshow/AppDelegate.swift:11 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: GridViewController, PhotoProjectViewController, SlideViewController, SlideshowViewController; DataSource: CollectionViewDataSource; Delegate: AppDelegate; Model: AssetModel, ProjectModel; View: SimpleImageView.
  • Protocols: AnimatableSlide, Animator.
  • Methods: applicationDidFinishLaunching, applicationWillTerminate, encode, collectionView, viewDidLoad, loadCollectionView, models, viewDidAppear.
  • Files: Photos Project Slideshow/AppDelegate.swift, Slideshow Sample/Model/ProjectModel.swift, Slideshow Sample/Grid/CollectionViewDataSource.swift, Slideshow Sample/Grid/GridViewController.swift, Slideshow Sample/Model/AssetModel.swift, Slideshow Sample/PhotoProjectViewController.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches Cocoa, PhotosUI, CoreGraphics, Photos 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

Source file Relevant symbols
Photos Project Slideshow/AppDelegate.swift AppDelegate
Slideshow Sample/Model/ProjectModel.swift ProjectModel, CodingKeys
Slideshow Sample/Grid/CollectionViewDataSource.swift CollectionViewDataSource
Slideshow Sample/Grid/GridViewController.swift GridViewController
Slideshow Sample/Model/AssetModel.swift AssetModel
Slideshow Sample/PhotoProjectViewController.swift PhotoProjectViewController
Slideshow Sample/Slides/SimpleImageView.swift SimpleImageView
Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideViewController.swift SlideViewController
Slideshow Sample/Slides/SlideshowViewController.swift SlideshowViewController
Slideshow Sample/Slides/Animator.swift AnimatableSlide, Animator, RoiZoomAnimator