Issue 575

Comment

Apologies that this issue is a little late! I spent most of this week at the iOS Dev UK conference, and my week got compressed.

I wouldn’t change anything about this week, though. Being back at an in-person conference for the first time since the pandemic began was wonderful. I will admit that It felt a little odd being around so many people again at first, but it was so good to see old friends and meet plenty of new ones in beautiful (if a little rainy) west Wales. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Unfortunately, that's not the only conference news this week, with the sad announcement that this year’s 360 iDev would be the last. I never managed to attend a 360 iDev event, but I know they were well-loved by many. It’s also a tragedy that it left the organisers with a huge bill to pay. 😞

It’s also unbelievable that 360 iDev was the last community-run Swift conference in North America. The community thrives in many ways, but in-person events like conferences and local meetups are struggling. Organising a conference was challenging before the pandemic started, and it’s even harder now.

That said, it’s tough to recommend that everyone attend a conference right now. I decided that attending iOS Dev UK was worth the risk of getting ill, but everyone feels differently, and only you can make that choice.

It would be a tragedy to lose more conferences, though. So, if you feel comfortable being around people, I’d encourage you to check out upcoming Apple-platform conferences and consider a trip before the end of this year. I know the organisers will thank you.

The next one I’ll be attending is the Server-Side Swift Conference in December. Maybe I’ll see you there?

News

Get ready for iOS 16, tvOS 16, and watchOS 9

Here it is! iOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 are all releasing on Monday, and submissions opened just after this week’s event on Wednesday. Good luck to everyone releasing either a new app or an update for a day-one release! 👏

Tools

Exploring SwiftUI Redraw Behavior with Instruments

There are plenty of articles that explain how SwiftUI calculates what and when to redraw its views, but for something a little more visual and practical, Instruments is your friend. Here’s Leonardo Pugliese’s excellent tutorial on the SwiftUI template in Instruments.

Code

Introducing MarkCodable

This new package from Marin Todorov is wild. I thought using Markdown as a database was a joke at first, but it’s not. A Markdown table has just enough structure to be parsed reliably while at the same time remaining human-editable. I wouldn’t start replacing your SQLite databases yet, but there are certain situations where this could make sense!

How to build a configurable iOS widget

Widgets just became much more important with the always-on screen of the new iPhone 14 Pro models. What an excellent time for Natascha Fadeeva to follow up on her first WidgetKit article by tackling user customisation. It’s also worth reading Shaun Donnelly’s post on efficiently keeping widgets updated.

Expanded, Condensed, and Compressed

I love Apple's San Francisco font, and this year they made me very happy by adding three new variations on it. Sarun Wongpatcharapakorn is here to show us all how they look and demonstrate how we can use them in our apps.

Customizing toolbars in SwiftUI

Toolbars in SwiftUI are straightforward, right? Just add a modifier and a few toolbar items, and you’re done. That’s true, but there are other things you might want to consider, too. Majid Jabrayilov takes us through some visibility and styling options.

On Fixing vs Patching

You know what you could do this afternoon instead of working on that bug list? You could read Bas Broek’s thoughts on fixing or working around bugs! Doesn’t that sound much better? 👍

Jobs

iOS SDK Developer @ Stream – You will write and maintain our open-source SDKs that are used by hundreds of our customers and consumed by hundreds of millions of their users. – Remote (within US or European timezones)

macOS / iOS Developers @ Kagi Inc. – Orion browser is the newest macOS/iOS web browser ready take on the world! Create the future best browser on Apple devices with us. Flexible work conditions, remote work OK. Kagi Inc. がお届けする Orion ブラウザは、世界最新の macOS/iOS 用ブラウザです。私たちの目指す「Apple デバイス用の最高のブラウザ」を一緒に作りましょう。 – Remote (Anywhere)

Senior Software Engineer (iOS) @ Driver Technologies Inc. – Driver is dedicated to making life-saving driving technology available to everyone. We’re leveraging the power of computer vision and big data analysis to make collision alerts and driver assistance features available on common mobile devices. – Remote (Anywhere)

iOS Programmer @ 37signals – 37signals is hiring 2 iOS programmers to help build and maintain our mobile applications. We’re best known for making Basecamp and HEY, writing business and software books (Getting Real, REWORK, REMOTE, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work, and Shape Up), and inventing the Ruby on Rails framework. – Remote (Anywhere)

Senior iOS Engineer @ Polywork – Polywork is a well-funded startup looking for a second iOS developer to join the team. We’re building a modern professional social network that recognizes people as more than their job titles. – Remote (within US timezones)

Mobile Full Stack Engineer @ Expensify – Join our passionate team of top-notch engineers to solve a real-world problem, and help people spend less time managing expenses and more time pursuing their real goals. – Remote (Anywhere) with some on-site work (Australia, United Kingdom, or United States in CA, MI, NY, or OR)

Is your company hiring? Post your open positions for free at iOS Dev Jobs.

And finally...

Do you spend too much time in Xcode? Do nil disturb! 🕺

Issue 575 September 9th 2022