Using Coding Standards to Aide in Learning Swift

“Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Conventional wisdom would say that reading other people’s good code will help you become a more proficient software developer. I know this practice has improved and influenced my software development skills. But before diving into the depths of GitHub to try to improve your Swift understanding, I would like to suggest that you start with some coding standards from reputable companies and learn what professionals consider to be best practice. I have compiled a list of some of the most influential coding standards to help you in your iOS and Swift learning journey.

• Apple’s API Design Guidelines https://swift.org/documentation/api-design-guidelines/
• Airbnb Swift Style Guide https://github.com/airbnb/swift
• The Official raywenderlich.com Swift Style Guide https://github.com/raywenderlich/swift-style-guide
• Google’s Swift Style Guide https://google.github.io/swift/

The style and design guides provided above should help less seasoned Swift developers discover the do’s and don’ts involved in crafting readable Swift code as they explore common Swift coding challenges and the best practices that address them. These practical, powerful, and opinionated guides offer the best practices you need to know to work successfully in this equally opinionated programming language.