UIKit Catalog: Creating and customizing views and controls
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Customize your app’s user interface with views and controls. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegate → ActivityIndicatorViewController → UIKit APIs. |
| Main patterns | View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks |
| Project style | 35 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 | Source-visible mechanisms: NotificationCenter. |
| Key frameworks/packages | UIKit, WebKit; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
└── UIKitCatalog/
├── AlertControllerViewController.swift
├── AppDelegate.swift
├── MenuButtonViewController.swift
├── OutlineViewController.swift
├── PickerViewController.swift
├── PointerInteractionButtonViewController.swift
├── TextFieldViewController.swift
├── ActivityIndicatorViewController.swift
├── ButtonViewController.swift
├── ProgressViewController.swift
├── SegmentedControlViewController.swift
└── SliderViewController.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 36 project/configuration file(s) and 55 source declaration(s).
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
N1["AppDelegate"]
N2["ActivityIndicatorViewController"]
N3["UIKit APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
Reference code
UIKitCatalog/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor
@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
return true
}
}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
classDiagram
AlertControllerViewController o-- UIAlertAction : secureTextAlertAction
AlertControllerViewController o-- Any : textDidChangeObserver
OutlineItem *-- String : title
OutlineItem *-- Array : subitems
Ownership evidence
UIKitCatalog/AlertControllerViewController.swift:13 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor
class AlertControllerViewController: UITableViewController {
// ...
weak var secureTextAlertAction: UIAlertAction?
// ...
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
AlertControllerViewController |
UIAlertAction (secureTextAlertAction) |
holds a non-owning reference | The referenced object’s lifecycle is owned elsewhere |
AlertControllerViewController |
Any (textDidChangeObserver) |
stores or receives | Owning lexical scope |
OutlineItem |
String (title) |
owns value state | Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable |
OutlineItem |
Array (subitems) |
owns value state | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| State propagation | NotificationCenter |
NotificationCenter distributes named process-local events. | UIKitCatalog/AlertControllerViewController.swift:156 |
| Source import | UIKit |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | UIKitCatalog/ActivityIndicatorViewController.swift:8 |
| Source import | WebKit |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | UIKitCatalog/WebViewController.swift:9 |
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
UIKitCatalog/AppDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary
@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
// ...
return true
// ...
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate |
AlertControllerViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UITableViewController |
MenuButtonViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | BaseTableViewController |
OutlineViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UIViewController |
PickerViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UIViewController |
ColorComponent |
Stores entity-component data or behavior | Int |
PointerInteractionButtonViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | BaseTableViewController |
TextFieldViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | BaseTableViewController |
ActivityIndicatorViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | BaseTableViewController |
ButtonViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | BaseTableViewController |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
textDidChangeObserver (UIKitCatalog/AlertControllerViewController.swift:35) |
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. |
showDetailTargetChangeObserved (UIKitCatalog/OutlineViewController.swift:66) |
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. |
menuItems (UIKitCatalog/OutlineViewController.swift:185) |
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. |
configureCollectionView (UIKitCatalog/OutlineViewController.swift:199) |
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
UIKitCatalog/AlertControllerViewController.swift:35 — representative boundary
class AlertControllerViewController: UITableViewController {
// ...
private var textDidChangeObserver: Any? = nil
// ...
}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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stores entity-component data or behavior | ColorComponent |
The source’s Component suffix makes this role explicit. |
| View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | ActivityIndicatorViewController, AlertControllerViewController, BaseTableViewController, ButtonViewController |
The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Receives callback-driven events | AppDelegate, SceneDelegate |
The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| View-controller organization | UIKitCatalog/ActivityIndicatorViewController.swift:10 |
A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present. |
| Delegate or data-source callbacks | UIKitCatalog/AppDelegate.swift:11 |
Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner. |
Naming conventions
- Types: Component: ColorComponent; Controller: ActivityIndicatorViewController, AlertControllerViewController, BaseTableViewController, ButtonViewController, ColorPickerViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate.
- Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
- Methods:
showSimpleAlert,showOkayCancelAlert,showOtherAlert,showTextEntryAlert,showSecureTextEntryAlert,showOkayCancelActionSheet,showOtherActionSheet,tableView. - Files:
UIKitCatalog/AlertControllerViewController.swift,UIKitCatalog/AppDelegate.swift,UIKitCatalog/MenuButtonViewController.swift,UIKitCatalog/OutlineViewController.swift,UIKitCatalog/PickerViewController.swift,UIKitCatalog/PointerInteractionButtonViewController.swift.
Architecture takeaways
AppDelegateis the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.- Framework work reaches UIKit, WebKit 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 |
|---|---|
UIKitCatalog/AppDelegate.swift |
Cited implementation, AppDelegate |
UIKitCatalog/AlertControllerViewController.swift |
Cited implementation, NotificationCenter, AlertControllerViewController, StyleSections, AlertStyleTest, ActionSheetStyleTest |
UIKitCatalog/OutlineViewController.swift |
Cited implementation, OutlineViewController, Section, OutlineItem |
UIKitCatalog/ActivityIndicatorViewController.swift |
ActivityIndicatorViewController, UIKit, ActivityIndicatorKind |
UIKitCatalog/WebViewController.swift |
WebKit, WebViewController |
UIKitCatalog/MenuButtonViewController.swift |
MenuButtonViewController, MenuButtonKind, ButtonMenuActionIdentifiers |
UIKitCatalog/PickerViewController.swift |
PickerViewController, ColorComponent, RGB |
UIKitCatalog/PointerInteractionButtonViewController.swift |
PointerInteractionButtonViewController, PointerButtonKind, ButtonPointerEffectKind |
UIKitCatalog/TextFieldViewController.swift |
TextFieldViewController, TextFieldKind, CustomTextField |
UIKitCatalog/ButtonViewController.swift |
ButtonViewController, ButtonKind |
UIKitCatalog/ProgressViewController.swift |
ProgressViewController, ProgressViewKind |
UIKitCatalog/SegmentedControlViewController.swift |
SegmentedControlViewController, SegmentKind |
UIKitCatalog/SliderViewController.swift |
SliderViewController, SliderKind |
UIKitCatalog/StepperViewController.swift |
StepperViewController, StepperKind |
UIKitCatalog/SwitchViewController.swift |
SwitchViewController, SwitchKind |
UIKitCatalog/SymbolViewController.swift |
SymbolViewController, SymbolKind |