Embedding controls in an immersive space
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Keep controls visible throughout an immersive experience by displaying them in a window or a view attachment. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain SampleApp → ContentView → AppModel → SwiftUI / RealityKit APIs. |
| Main patterns | No named application pattern supported by the extracted structure |
| Project style | 17 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries. |
| Execution model | Source-visible boundaries: @MainActor, await suspension point, Task closure isolated to MainActor, Task; none alone proves a background thread. |
| State/event model | Source-visible mechanisms: @Observable, SwiftUI state property wrapper. |
| Key frameworks/packages | SwiftUI, RealityKit, Foundation, OSLog, RealityKitContent; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
├── SampleApp/
│ ├── SampleApp.swift
│ ├── AppModel.swift
│ ├── ScenePhaseMonitor.swift
│ ├── SphereModel.swift
│ ├── ContentView.swift
│ ├── ImmersiveView.swift
│ └── Control Views/
│ ├── ControlsAttachment.swift
│ ├── ControlsWindow.swift
│ ├── DebugMainSceneStates.swift
│ ├── ImmersiveControls.swift
│ └── OpenSpheresMenuButton.swift
└── Packages/
└── RealityKitContent/
└── Sources/
└── RealityKitContent/
└── RealityKitContent.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 4 project/configuration file(s) and 20 source declaration(s).
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
N1["SampleApp"]
N2["ContentView"]
N3["AppModel"]
N4["SwiftUI / RealityKit APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
N3 --> N4
Reference code
SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:17 — architecture anchor
@main
struct SampleApp: App {
@State private var appModel = AppModel()
// ...
}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 visionOS.
Ownership and state
classDiagram
SampleApp *-- AppModel : appModel
AppModel *-- Dictionary : mainSceneStates
ScenePhaseMonitor *-- Logger : state
SceneStateWindowViewModifier o-- ReferenceWritableKeyPath : keyPath
Ownership evidence
SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:19 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor
@main
struct SampleApp: App {
@State private var appModel = AppModel()
// ...
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
SampleApp |
AppModel (appModel) |
owns wrapper-managed state | Owning lexical scope |
AppModel |
Dictionary (mainSceneStates) |
owns value state | App/module collaborators |
ScenePhaseMonitor |
Logger (state) |
creates and retains | Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable |
SceneStateWindowViewModifier |
ReferenceWritableKeyPath (keyPath) |
stores or receives | 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.
| Concern | Source mechanism | Verified placement or handoff | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main isolation | @MainActor |
The cited annotation marks its attached declaration or closure as main-actor isolated. | SampleApp/AppModel.swift:11 |
| Suspension boundary | await suspension point |
The source declares or crosses an asynchronous boundary; it does not by itself establish background execution. | SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift:49 |
| Main isolation | Task closure isolated to MainActor |
The cited operation explicitly enters a main-actor-isolated region. | SampleApp/ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton.swift:51 |
| Task creation | Task |
The source creates an unstructured task; surrounding context determines inherited actor isolation. | SampleApp/ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton.swift:51 |
@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.
Reference code
SampleApp/AppModel.swift:11 — representative execution boundary
@MainActor
@Observable
class AppModel {
// ...
case closed
// ...
}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 | @Observable |
Observation macro publishes source-visible changes. | SampleApp/AppModel.swift:12 |
| State propagation | SwiftUI state property wrapper |
A SwiftUI property wrapper supplies or observes UI state. | SampleApp/ContentView.swift:13 |
| Source import | SwiftUI |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SampleApp/AppModel.swift:8 |
| Source import | RealityKit |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SampleApp/ContentView.swift:9 |
| Source import | Foundation |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | Packages/RealityKitContent/Sources/RealityKitContent/RealityKitContent.swift:8 |
| Source import | OSLog |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:8 |
| Source import | RealityKitContent |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SampleApp/ContentView.swift:10 |
| Source import | PackageDescription |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | Packages/RealityKitContent/Package.swift:11 |
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
SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:18 — representative type boundary
@main
struct SampleApp: App {
@State private var appModel = AppModel()
// ...
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
SampleApp |
Application entry and top-level composition | App |
AppModel |
Feature data or observable state | Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks |
SphereModel |
Feature data or observable state | Codable, CustomStringConvertible, Hashable, Identifiable |
ContentView |
User-interface presentation and input forwarding | View |
ImmersiveView |
User-interface presentation and input forwarding | View |
SceneID |
Defines a closed set of feature states or choices | String |
ImmersiveSpaceState |
Represents mutable feature state | Equatable |
WindowState |
Represents mutable feature state | Equatable |
SceneStateWindowViewModifier |
Represents a feature value or composable behavior | ViewModifier |
SceneStateWindowGroupViewModifier |
Represents a feature value or composable behavior | Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
realityKitContentBundle (Packages/RealityKitContent/Sources/RealityKitContent/RealityKitContent.swift:11) |
public |
The symbol is visible to importing modules. | Inference: make the declaration available across a module or target boundary. |
appModel (SampleApp/ContentView.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. |
selectedSphereID (SampleApp/ContentView.swift:19) |
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. |
navigationPath (SampleApp/ContentView.swift:31) |
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
Packages/RealityKitContent/Sources/RealityKitContent/RealityKitContent.swift:11 — representative boundary
public let realityKitContentBundle = Bundle.moduleSwift 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Application entry and top-level composition | SampleApp |
The source’s App suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Feature data or observable state | AppModel, SphereModel |
The source’s Model suffix makes this role explicit. |
| User-interface presentation and input forwarding | ContentView, ImmersiveView |
The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| No named application pattern | SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:17 |
The verified source directly composes concrete framework types; this document avoids forcing a pattern name. |
Naming conventions
- Types: App: SampleApp; Model: AppModel, SphereModel; View: ContentView, ImmersiveView.
- Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
- Methods:
updateWindowState,unregisterWindow,windowState,monitorScenePhase,body. - Files:
SampleApp/SampleApp.swift,SampleApp/AppModel.swift,SampleApp/SphereModel.swift,SampleApp/ContentView.swift,SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift,SampleApp/Control Views/ControlsAttachment.swift.
Architecture takeaways
SampleAppis the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.- Framework work reaches SwiftUI, RealityKit, RealityKitContent, PackageDescription 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 |
|---|---|
SampleApp/SampleApp.swift |
Cited implementation, SampleApp, OSLog, SceneID |
Packages/RealityKitContent/Sources/RealityKitContent/RealityKitContent.swift |
Cited implementation, Foundation, Feature implementation |
SampleApp/ContentView.swift |
Cited implementation, SwiftUI state property wrapper, RealityKit, RealityKitContent, ContentView |
SampleApp/AppModel.swift |
@MainActor, @Observable, SwiftUI, AppModel, ImmersiveSpaceState, WindowState |
SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift |
await suspension point, ImmersiveView |
SampleApp/ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton.swift |
Task closure isolated to MainActor, Task, ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton |
Packages/RealityKitContent/Package.swift |
PackageDescription, Feature implementation |
SampleApp/ScenePhaseMonitor.swift |
SceneStateWindowViewModifier, SceneStateWindowGroupViewModifier |
SampleApp/SphereModel.swift |
SphereModel, ColorOption |
SampleApp/Control Views/ControlsAttachment.swift |
ControlsAttachment |
SampleApp/Control Views/ControlsWindow.swift |
ControlsWindow |
SampleApp/Control Views/DebugMainSceneStates.swift |
DebugMainSceneStates |
SampleApp/Control Views/ImmersiveControls.swift |
ImmersiveControls |
SampleApp/Control Views/OpenSpheresMenuButton.swift |
OpenSpheresMenuButton |
SampleApp/SphereDetails.swift |
SphereDetails |
SampleApp/StorableTransform.swift |
StorableTransform |