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

Enhancing your iPad app with pointer interactions

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Provide a great user experience with pointing devices, by incorporating pointer content effects and shape customizations.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateThreadPickerViewControllerUIKit APIs.
Main patterns View-controller organization, Protocol-oriented abstraction, Delegate or data-source callbacks
Project style 7 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.
Execution model No structured execution marker indexed; callback threading requires source review.
State/event model No structured observation or publisher-scheduling marker indexed.
Key frameworks/packages UIKit; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── QuiltSimulator/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── ThreadPickerViewController.swift
│   ├── ColorBlockView.swift
│   ├── PatchworkView.swift
│   ├── QuiltView.swift
│   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   ├── ViewController.swift
│   └── Base.lproj/
│       ├── LaunchScreen.storyboard
│       └── Main.storyboard
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── QuiltSimulator.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 6 project/configuration file(s) and 9 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

QuiltSimulator/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        // Override point for customization after application launch.
        return true
    }

    // MARK: UISceneSession Lifecycle

    func application(_ application: UIApplication,
                     configurationForConnecting connectingSceneSession: UISceneSession,
                     options: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) -> UISceneConfiguration {
        /** Called when a new scene session is being created.
            Use this method to select a configuration to create the new scene with.
        */
        return UISceneConfiguration(name: "Default Configuration", sessionRole: connectingSceneSession.role)
    }

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didDiscardSceneSessions sceneSessions: Set<UISceneSession>) {
        /** Called when the user discards a scene session.
            If any sessions were discarded while the application was not running,
            this will be called shortly after application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions.
            Use this method to release any resources that were specific to the discarded scenes, as they will not return.
        */
    }

}

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 UIKit.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

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

class ThreadPickerViewController: UICollectionViewController {
    // ...
    weak var delegate: ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate?
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
ThreadPickerViewController ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate (delegate) holds a non-owning reference The referenced object’s lifecycle is owned elsewhere
ThreadPickerViewController Colors (colors) stores or receives Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
ThreadCell UIView (swatch) holds a non-owning reference The referenced object’s lifecycle is owned elsewhere
ColorBlockView UIStackView (stackView) creates and retains 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.

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.

No source-visible execution, scheduling, or synchronization boundary was found in the indexed source.

@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.

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.

Category Mechanism or module Verified role Evidence
Source import UIKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. QuiltSimulator/AppDelegate.swift:8

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

QuiltSimulator/ThreadPickerViewController.swift:10 — representative type boundary

protocol ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate: NSObjectProtocol {

    func threadPickerDidPickColor(_ threadPicker: ThreadPickerViewController, color: UIColor)
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate
ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate Defines a capability or collaboration contract NSObjectProtocol
ThreadPickerViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination UICollectionViewController
ColorBlockView User-interface presentation and input forwarding UIView
PatchworkView User-interface presentation and input forwarding UIView
QuiltView User-interface presentation and input forwarding UIView, UIPointerInteractionDelegate
SceneDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate
ViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination UIViewController, UIScrollViewDelegate, ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate
ThreadCell Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle UICollectionViewCell, UIPointerInteractionDelegate

The source explicitly defines local protocol relationships: ViewControllerThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate.

Access control

Symbol Access Verified effect Likely rationale
straightLineStitchUserDefaultsKey (QuiltSimulator/QuiltView.swift:12) 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.
colorUserDefaultsKey (QuiltSimulator/QuiltView.swift:13) 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.
ColorBlockView (QuiltSimulator/ColorBlockView.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

QuiltSimulator/QuiltView.swift:12 — representative boundary

class QuiltView: UIView, UIPointerInteractionDelegate {
    // ...
    private static let straightLineStitchUserDefaultsKey = "useStrightLineStitch"
    private static let colorUserDefaultsKey = "threadColor"

    // ...
}

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 ThreadPickerViewController, ViewController The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit.
Receives callback-driven events AppDelegate, SceneDelegate, ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
User-interface presentation and input forwarding ColorBlockView, PatchworkView, QuiltView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization QuiltSimulator/ThreadPickerViewController.swift:15 A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present.
Protocol-oriented abstraction QuiltSimulator/ViewController.swift:10 A local protocol and concrete conformance create an explicit capability boundary.
Delegate or data-source callbacks QuiltSimulator/AppDelegate.swift:11 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: ThreadPickerViewController, ViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate, ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate; View: ColorBlockView, PatchworkView, QuiltView.
  • Protocols: ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate.
  • Methods: application, threadPickerDidPickColor, numberOfSections, collectionView, sharedInit, layoutSubviews, pointerInteraction, crosshairBezierPath.
  • Files: QuiltSimulator/AppDelegate.swift, QuiltSimulator/ThreadPickerViewController.swift, QuiltSimulator/ColorBlockView.swift, QuiltSimulator/PatchworkView.swift, QuiltSimulator/QuiltView.swift, QuiltSimulator/SceneDelegate.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches UIKit 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
QuiltSimulator/AppDelegate.swift Cited implementation, UIKit, AppDelegate
QuiltSimulator/ThreadPickerViewController.swift Cited implementation, ThreadPickerViewControllerDelegate, ThreadPickerViewController, ThreadCell
QuiltSimulator/QuiltView.swift Cited implementation, QuiltView
QuiltSimulator/ColorBlockView.swift ColorBlockView
QuiltSimulator/ViewController.swift Cited implementation, ViewController
QuiltSimulator/PatchworkView.swift PatchworkView
QuiltSimulator/SceneDelegate.swift SceneDelegate