Comment by dlachausse
7 days ago
Always great to see native macOS apps! Is there a reason you aren’t using SwiftUI for the whole thing and that you opted for Core Data instead of Swift Data?
7 days ago
Always great to see native macOS apps! Is there a reason you aren’t using SwiftUI for the whole thing and that you opted for Core Data instead of Swift Data?
Swift Data is CoreData in a wrapper.
Also, not OP, but I’m glad it’s written in AppKit vs SwiftUI purely; AppKit just feels better on the desktop. I can always “smell” a SwiftUI app just like I can an Electron app.
If the Settings app on current macOS is SwiftUI, then I can too. It's horrible.
Never thought of that. Is that why the Settings app is so slow? If I click on one of the menu items on the left, it takes half a second or more to load the screen.
9 replies →
Thanks! I’m glad to hear that.
It’s an AppKit-first app — I’ve used SwiftUI in parts where it fits well, but I’ve avoided relying on it entirely because it’s still maturing, especially on macOS. In certain areas, it can compromise the native look and feel, or introduce unexpected behaviour.
As for Core Data, it’s a proven and robust framework that already does everything I need. Swift Data is still relatively new and doesn’t yet offer the same level of flexibility or stability for more advanced use cases.
Towards the end of COVID lockdowns I wrote a small, native macOS replacement for Zotero and ended up having to go with AppKit. Bit disappointing to hear the look and feel of a Mac assed mac app still hasn’t been replicated in SwiftUI.
Do you write about your experience with macOS dev at all? I would love to hear about it. I still look back fondly on that experience and toss around the idea of revisiting it, Documentation Archive and all.