How to use swift ui previews in big apps?

Asked on 2024-08-03

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To use SwiftUI previews effectively in large applications, you can leverage several new features and improvements introduced at WWDC 2024. Here are some key points:

  1. Dynamic Linking Architecture: Xcode Previews now use the same build artifacts for previews and when you build and run your app. This avoids the need to rebuild your project when switching between the two, making the workflow smoother and more productive. This feature is highlighted in the Platforms State of the Union.

  2. Previewable Macro: This new macro allows you to use dynamic properties like state directly in an Xcode preview, reducing the amount of boilerplate code. This makes it easier to set up previews and integrate them with your model. You can see an example of this in the What's new in Xcode 16 session.

  3. Preview Modifier: This API helps in sharing environment or data for previews, reducing duplicate code and enabling the preview system to cache the data. This is also covered in the What's new in Xcode 16 session.

  4. Sample Data for Previews: You can create sample data structures and use them in your previews to make it easier to work on different views of your app. This is particularly useful for views that rely on models being passed to them. This feature is discussed in the What's new in SwiftData session.

  5. Interactive Previews: SwiftUI previews are interactive and can be used directly on the device, allowing you to understand exactly how a feature will feel as you build it. This is mentioned in the SwiftUI essentials session.

By utilizing these features, you can significantly improve your development workflow and make it easier to manage and preview your SwiftUI views in large applications.