Updating collection views using diffable data sources

At a glance

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── DiffableDataSourceSample/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── SidebarViewController.swift
│   ├── RecipeSplitViewController.swift
│   ├── RecipeListViewController.swift
│   ├── RecipeDetailViewController.swift
│   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   ├── Models/
│   │   ├── Data.swift
│   │   └── Recipe.swift
│   └── NotificationName.swift
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── DiffableDataSourceSample.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 17 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

flowchart LR
    N1["AppDelegate"]
    N2["RecipeDetailViewController"]
    N3["DataStore"]
    N4["UIKit APIs"]
    N1 --> N2
    N2 --> N3
    N3 --> N4

Reference code

DiffableDataSourceSample/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor

@main
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

    func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
        return true
    }

    func application(_ application: UIApplication,
                     configurationForConnecting connectingSceneSession: UISceneSession,
                     options: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) -> UISceneConfiguration {
        return UISceneConfiguration(name: "Default Configuration", sessionRole: connectingSceneSession.role)
    }

}

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
    SidebarItem *-- String : title
    SidebarItem o-- SidebarItemType : type
    SidebarItem o-- UICollectionViewDiffableDataSource : sidebarDataSource
    SelectedRecipes o-- SelectedRecipeType : type

Ownership evidence

DiffableDataSourceSample/SidebarViewController.swift:34 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

    private struct SidebarItem: Hashable {
        let title: String
        // ...
    }

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.

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

DiffableDataSourceSample/AppDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary

@main
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
        return true
    // ...
}

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

Access control

Reference code

DiffableDataSourceSample/Models/Data.swift:43 — representative boundary

final class ImageStore {
    // ...
    fileprivate var images: _ImageDictionary = [:]
    // ...
}

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

Design patterns

Naming conventions

• Types: Controller: RecipeDetailViewController, RecipeListViewController, RecipeSplitViewController, SidebarViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate; Store: DataStore, ImageStore.
• Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
• Methods: application, viewDidLoad, recipeCollectionsDidChange, configureCollectionView, configureDataSource, createSnapshotOfStandardItems, createSnapshotOfRecipeCollections, createSidebarItemSnapshot.
• Files: DiffableDataSourceSample/AppDelegate.swift, DiffableDataSourceSample/SidebarViewController.swift, DiffableDataSourceSample/RecipeSplitViewController.swift, DiffableDataSourceSample/RecipeListViewController.swift, DiffableDataSourceSample/RecipeDetailViewController.swift, DiffableDataSourceSample/SceneDelegate.swift.

Architecture takeaways

• AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
• Framework work reaches UIKit, ImageIO 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

• Official Apple documentation