struct String.UTF8View

A view of a string's contents as a collection of UTF-8 code units.

You can access a string's view of UTF-8 code units by using its utf8 property. A string's UTF-8 view encodes the string's Unicode scalar values as 8-bit integers.

let flowers = "Flowers 💐"
for v in flowers.utf8 {
    print(v)
}
// 70
// 108
// 111
// 119
// 101
// 114
// 115
// 32
// 240
// 159
// 146
// 144

A string's Unicode scalar values can be up to 21 bits in length. To represent those scalar values using 8-bit integers, more than one UTF-8 code unit is often required.

let flowermoji = "💐"
for v in flowermoji.unicodeScalars {
    print(v, v.value)
}
// 💐 128144
 
for v in flowermoji.utf8 {
    print(v)
}
// 240
// 159
// 146
// 144

In the encoded representation of a Unicode scalar value, each UTF-8 code unit after the first is called a continuation byte.

UTF8View Elements Match Encoded C Strings

Swift streamlines interoperation with C string APIs by letting you pass a String instance to a function as an Int8 or UInt8 pointer. When you call a C function using a String, Swift automatically creates a buffer of UTF-8 code units and passes a pointer to that buffer. The code units of that buffer match the code units in the string's utf8 view.

The following example uses the C strncmp function to compare the beginning of two Swift strings. The strncmp function takes two const char* pointers and an integer specifying the number of characters to compare. Because the strings are identical up to the 14th character, comparing only those characters results in a return value of 0.

let s1 = "They call me 'Bell'"
let s2 = "They call me 'Stacey'"
 
print(strncmp(s1, s2, 14))
// Prints "0"
print(String(s1.utf8.prefix(14)))
// Prints "They call me '"

Extending the compared character count to 15 includes the differing characters, so a nonzero result is returned.

print(strncmp(s1, s2, 15))
// Prints "-17"
print(String(s1.utf8.prefix(15)))
// Prints "They call me 'B"

Inheritance	`Collection, CustomDebugStringConvertible, CustomPlaygroundQuickLookable, CustomReflectable, CustomStringConvertible, Indexable, IndexableBase, Sequence` View Protocol Hierarchy →
Associated Types	`IndexDistance` `=` `Int` A type that can represent the number of steps between a pair of indices. `Iterator` `=` `IndexingIterator<String.UTF8View>` Type alias inferred. `Element` `=` `UTF8.CodeUnit` Type alias inferred. `Index` `=` `String.UTF8View.Index` Type alias inferred. `SubSequence` `=` `String.UTF8View` Type alias inferred.
Nested Types	`String.UTF8View.Index`
Import	`import` `Swift`

Instance Variables

var count: String.UTF8View.IndexDistance

The number of elements in the collection.

Complexity: O(1) if the collection conforms to RandomAccessCollection; otherwise, O(n), where n is the length of the collection.

Declaration

var count: String.UTF8View.IndexDistance { get }

Declared In

Collection

var customMirror: Mirror

Returns a mirror that reflects the UTF-8 view of a string.

Declaration

var customMirror: Mirror { get }

var customPlaygroundQuickLook: PlaygroundQuickLook

A custom playground Quick Look for this instance.

If this type has value semantics, the PlaygroundQuickLook instance should be unaffected by subsequent mutations.

Declaration

var customPlaygroundQuickLook: PlaygroundQuickLook { get }

var debugDescription: String

A textual representation of this instance, suitable for debugging.

Declaration

var debugDescription: String { get }

var description: String

A textual representation of this instance.

Instead of accessing this property directly, convert an instance of any type to a string by using the String(describing:) initializer. For example:

struct Point: CustomStringConvertible {
    let x: Int, y: Int
 
    var description: String {
        return "(\(x), \(y))"
    }
}
 
let p = Point(x: 21, y: 30)
let s = String(describing: p)
print(s)
// Prints "(21, 30)"

The conversion of p to a string in the assignment to s uses the Point type's description property.

Declaration

var description: String { get }

var endIndex: String.UTF8View.Index

The "past the end" position---that is, the position one greater than the last valid subscript argument.

In an empty UTF-8 view, endIndex is equal to startIndex.

Declaration

var endIndex: String.UTF8View.Index { get }

var first: UTF8.CodeUnit?

The first element of the collection.

If the collection is empty, the value of this property is nil.

let numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
if let firstNumber = numbers.first {
    print(firstNumber)
}
// Prints "10"

Declaration

var first: UTF8.CodeUnit? { get }

Declared In

Collection

var isEmpty: Bool

A Boolean value indicating whether the collection is empty.

When you need to check whether your collection is empty, use the isEmpty property instead of checking that the count property is equal to zero. For collections that don't conform to RandomAccessCollection, accessing the count property iterates through the elements of the collection.

let horseName = "Silver"
if horseName.characters.isEmpty {
    print("I've been through the desert on a horse with no name.")
} else {
    print("Hi ho, \(horseName)!")
}
// Prints "Hi ho, Silver!")

Complexity: O(1)

Declaration

var isEmpty: Bool { get }

Declared In

Collection

var lazy: LazyCollection<String.UTF8View>

A view onto this collection that provides lazy implementations of normally eager operations, such as map and filter.

Use the lazy property when chaining operations to prevent intermediate operations from allocating storage, or when you only need a part of the final collection to avoid unnecessary computation.

See Also: LazySequenceProtocol, LazyCollectionProtocol.

Declaration

var lazy: LazyCollection<String.UTF8View> { get }

Declared In

Collection

var startIndex: String.UTF8View.Index

The position of the first code unit if the UTF-8 view is nonempty.

If the UTF-8 view is empty, startIndex is equal to endIndex.

Declaration

var startIndex: String.UTF8View.Index { get }

var underestimatedCount: Int

A value less than or equal to the number of elements in the collection.

Complexity: O(1) if the collection conforms to RandomAccessCollection; otherwise, O(n), where n is the length of the collection.

Declaration

var underestimatedCount: Int { get }

Declared In

Collection , Sequence

5 inherited items hidden. (Show all)

Subscripts

subscript(_: ClosedRange<String.UTF8View.Index>)

Accesses a contiguous subrange of the collection's elements.

The accessed slice uses the same indices for the same elements as the original collection. Always use the slice's startIndex property instead of assuming that its indices start at a particular value.

This example demonstrates getting a slice of an array of strings, finding the index of one of the strings in the slice, and then using that index in the original array.

let streets = ["Adams", "Bryant", "Channing", "Douglas", "Evarts"]
let streetsSlice = streets[2 ..< streets.endIndex]
print(streetsSlice)
// Prints "["Channing", "Douglas", "Evarts"]"
 
let index = streetsSlice.index(of: "Evarts")    // 4
print(streets[index!])
// Prints "Evarts"

bounds: A range of the collection's indices. The bounds of the range must be valid indices of the collection.

Declaration

subscript(bounds: ClosedRange<String.UTF8View.Index>) -> String.UTF8View { get }

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

subscript(_: Range<String.UTF8View.Index>)

Accesses the contiguous subrange of elements enclosed by the specified range.

Complexity: O(n) if the underlying string is bridged from Objective-C, where n is the length of the string; otherwise, O(1).

Declaration

subscript(bounds: Range<String.UTF8View.Index>) -> String.UTF8View { get }

subscript(_: String.UTF8View.Index)

Accesses the code unit at the given position.

The following example uses the subscript to print the value of a string's first UTF-8 code unit.

let greeting = "Hello, friend!"
let i = greeting.utf8.startIndex
print("First character's UTF-8 code unit: \(greeting.utf8[i])")
// Prints "First character's UTF-8 code unit: 72"

position: A valid index of the view. position must be less than the view's end index.

Declaration

subscript(position: String.UTF8View.Index) -> UTF8.CodeUnit { get }

1 inherited item hidden. (Show all)

Instance Methods

func contains(where:)

Returns a Boolean value indicating whether the sequence contains an element that satisfies the given predicate.

You can use the predicate to check for an element of a type that doesn't conform to the Equatable protocol, such as the HTTPResponse enumeration in this example.

enum HTTPResponse {
    case ok
    case error(Int)
}
 
let lastThreeResponses: [HTTPResponse] = [.ok, .ok, .error(404)]
let hadError = lastThreeResponses.contains { element in
    if case .error = element {
        return true
    } else {
        return false
    }
}
// 'hadError' == true

Alternatively, a predicate can be satisfied by a range of Equatable elements or a general condition. This example shows how you can check an array for an expense greater than $100.

let expenses = [21.37, 55.21, 9.32, 10.18, 388.77, 11.41]
let hasBigPurchase = expenses.contains { $0 > 100 }
// 'hasBigPurchase' == true

predicate: A closure that takes an element of the sequence as its argument and returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the passed element represents a match. Returns: true if the sequence contains an element that satisfies predicate; otherwise, false.

Declaration

func contains(where predicate: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> Bool

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func distance(from:to:)

Returns the distance between two indices.

Unless the collection conforms to the BidirectionalCollection protocol, start must be less than or equal to end.

Parameters: start: A valid index of the collection. end: Another valid index of the collection. If end is equal to start, the result is zero. Returns: The distance between start and end. The result can be negative only if the collection conforms to the BidirectionalCollection protocol.

Complexity: O(1) if the collection conforms to RandomAccessCollection; otherwise, O(n), where n is the resulting distance.

Declaration

func distance(from start: String.UTF8View.Index, to end: String.UTF8View.Index) -> String.UTF8View.IndexDistance

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

func dropFirst()

Returns a subsequence containing all but the first element of the sequence.

The following example drops the first element from an array of integers.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(numbers.dropFirst())
// Prints "[2, 3, 4, 5]"

If the sequence has no elements, the result is an empty subsequence.

let empty: [Int] = []
print(empty.dropFirst())
// Prints "[]"

Returns: A subsequence starting after the first element of the sequence.

Complexity: O(1)

Declaration

func dropFirst() -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func dropFirst(_:)

Returns a subsequence containing all but the given number of initial elements.

If the number of elements to drop exceeds the number of elements in the collection, the result is an empty subsequence.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(numbers.dropFirst(2))
// Prints "[3, 4, 5]"
print(numbers.dropFirst(10))
// Prints "[]"

n: The number of elements to drop from the beginning of the collection. n must be greater than or equal to zero. Returns: A subsequence starting after the specified number of elements.

Complexity: O(n), where n is the number of elements to drop from the beginning of the collection.

Declaration

func dropFirst(_ n: Int) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func dropLast()

Returns a subsequence containing all but the last element of the sequence.

The sequence must be finite. If the sequence has no elements, the result is an empty subsequence.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(numbers.dropLast())
// Prints "[1, 2, 3, 4]"

If the sequence has no elements, the result is an empty subsequence.

let empty: [Int] = []
print(empty.dropLast())
// Prints "[]"

Returns: A subsequence leaving off the last element of the sequence.

Complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the sequence.

Declaration

func dropLast() -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func dropLast(_:)

Returns a subsequence containing all but the specified number of final elements.

If the number of elements to drop exceeds the number of elements in the collection, the result is an empty subsequence.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(numbers.dropLast(2))
// Prints "[1, 2, 3]"
print(numbers.dropLast(10))
// Prints "[]"

n: The number of elements to drop off the end of the collection. n must be greater than or equal to zero. Returns: A subsequence that leaves off the specified number of elements at the end.

Complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the collection.

Declaration

func dropLast(_ n: Int) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func elementsEqual(_:by:)

Returns a Boolean value indicating whether this sequence and another sequence contain equivalent elements, using the given predicate as the equivalence test.

At least one of the sequences must be finite.

The predicate must be a equivalence relation over the elements. That is, for any elements a, b, and c, the following conditions must hold:

areEquivalent(a, a) is always true. (Reflexivity)
areEquivalent(a, b) implies areEquivalent(b, a). (Symmetry)
If areEquivalent(a, b) and areEquivalent(b, c) are both true, then areEquivalent(a, c) is also true. (Transitivity)

Parameters: other: A sequence to compare to this sequence. areEquivalent: A predicate that returns true if its two arguments are equivalent; otherwise, false. Returns: true if this sequence and other contain equivalent items, using areEquivalent as the equivalence test; otherwise, false.

See Also: elementsEqual(_:)

Declaration

func elementsEqual<OtherSequence where OtherSequence : Sequence, OtherSequence.Iterator.Element == Iterator.Element>(_ other: OtherSequence, by areEquivalent: (UTF8.CodeUnit, UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> Bool

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func enumerated()

Returns a sequence of pairs (n, x), where n represents a consecutive integer starting at zero, and x represents an element of the sequence.

This example enumerates the characters of the string "Swift" and prints each character along with its place in the string.

for (n, c) in "Swift".characters.enumerated() {
    print("\(n): '\(c)'")
}
// Prints "0: 'S'"
// Prints "1: 'w'"
// Prints "2: 'i'"
// Prints "3: 'f'"
// Prints "4: 't'"

When enumerating a collection, the integer part of each pair is a counter for the enumeration, not necessarily the index of the paired value. These counters can only be used as indices in instances of zero-based, integer-indexed collections, such as Array and ContiguousArray. For other collections the counters may be out of range or of the wrong type to use as an index. To iterate over the elements of a collection with its indices, use the zip(_:_:) function.

This example iterates over the indices and elements of a set, building a list of indices of names with five or fewer letters.

let names: Set = ["Sofia", "Camilla", "Martina", "Mateo", "Nicolás"]
var shorterIndices: [SetIndex<String>] = []
for (i, name) in zip(names.indices, names) {
    if name.characters.count <= 5 {
        shorterIndices.append(i)
    }
}

Now that the shorterIndices array holds the indices of the shorter names in the names set, you can use those indices to access elements in the set.

for i in shorterIndices {
    print(names[i])
}
// Prints "Sofia"
// Prints "Mateo"

Returns: A sequence of pairs enumerating the sequence.

Declaration

func enumerated() -> EnumeratedSequence<String.UTF8View>

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func filter(_:)

Returns an array containing, in order, the elements of the sequence that satisfy the given predicate.

In this example, filter is used to include only names shorter than five characters.

let cast = ["Vivien", "Marlon", "Kim", "Karl"]
let shortNames = cast.filter { $0.characters.count < 5 }
print(shortNames)
// Prints "["Kim", "Karl"]"

shouldInclude: A closure that takes an element of the sequence as its argument and returns a Boolean value indicating whether the element should be included in the returned array. Returns: An array of the elements that includeElement allowed.

Declaration

func filter(_ isIncluded: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> [UTF8.CodeUnit]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func first(where:)

Returns the first element of the sequence that satisfies the given predicate or nil if no such element is found.

predicate: A closure that takes an element of the sequence as its argument and returns a Boolean value indicating whether the element is a match. Returns: The first match or nil if there was no match.

Declaration

func first(where predicate: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> UTF8.CodeUnit?

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func flatMap<ElementOfResult>(_: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> ElementOfResult?)

Returns an array containing the non-nil results of calling the given transformation with each element of this sequence.

Use this method to receive an array of nonoptional values when your transformation produces an optional value.

In this example, note the difference in the result of using map and flatMap with a transformation that returns an optional Int value.

let possibleNumbers = ["1", "2", "three", "///4///", "5"]
 
let mapped: [Int?] = numbers.map { str in Int(str) }
// [1, 2, nil, nil, 5]
 
let flatMapped: [Int] = numbers.flatMap { str in Int(str) }
// [1, 2, 5]

transform: A closure that accepts an element of this sequence as its argument and returns an optional value. Returns: An array of the non-nil results of calling transform with each element of the sequence.

Complexity: O(m + n), where m is the length of this sequence and n is the length of the result.

Declaration

func flatMap<ElementOfResult>(_ transform: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> ElementOfResult?) rethrows -> [ElementOfResult]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func flatMap<SegmentOfResult : Sequence>(_: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> SegmentOfResult)

Returns an array containing the concatenated results of calling the given transformation with each element of this sequence.

Use this method to receive a single-level collection when your transformation produces a sequence or collection for each element.

In this example, note the difference in the result of using map and flatMap with a transformation that returns an array.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
 
let mapped = numbers.map { Array(count: $0, repeatedValue: $0) }
// [[1], [2, 2], [3, 3, 3], [4, 4, 4, 4]]
 
let flatMapped = numbers.flatMap { Array(count: $0, repeatedValue: $0) }
// [1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4]

In fact, s.flatMap(transform) is equivalent to Array(s.map(transform).joined()).

transform: A closure that accepts an element of this sequence as its argument and returns a sequence or collection. Returns: The resulting flattened array.

Complexity: O(m + n), where m is the length of this sequence and n is the length of the result. See Also: joined(), map(_:)

Declaration

func flatMap<SegmentOfResult : Sequence>(_ transform: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> SegmentOfResult) rethrows -> [SegmentOfResult.Iterator.Element]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func forEach(_:)

Calls the given closure on each element in the sequence in the same order as a for-in loop.

The two loops in the following example produce the same output:

let numberWords = ["one", "two", "three"]
for word in numberWords {
    print(word)
}
// Prints "one"
// Prints "two"
// Prints "three"
 
numberWords.forEach { word in
    print(word)
}
// Same as above

Using the forEach method is distinct from a for-in loop in two important ways:

You cannot use a break or continue statement to exit the current call of the body closure or skip subsequent calls.
Using the return statement in the body closure will exit only from the current call to body, not from any outer scope, and won't skip subsequent calls.

body: A closure that takes an element of the sequence as a parameter.

Declaration

func forEach(_ body: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Swift.Void) rethrows

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func formIndex(_:offsetBy:)

Offsets the given index by the specified distance.

The value passed as n must not offset i beyond the endIndex or before the startIndex of this collection.

Parameters: i: A valid index of the collection. n: The distance to offset i. n must not be negative unless the collection conforms to the BidirectionalCollection protocol.

See Also: index(_:offsetBy:), formIndex(_:offsetBy:limitedBy:) Complexity: O(1) if the collection conforms to RandomAccessCollection; otherwise, O(n), where n is the absolute value of n.

Declaration

func formIndex(_ i: inout String.UTF8View.Index, offsetBy n: String.UTF8View.IndexDistance)

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

func formIndex(_:offsetBy:limitedBy:)

Offsets the given index by the specified distance, or so that it equals the given limiting index.

The value passed as n must not offset i beyond the endIndex or before the startIndex of this collection, unless the index passed as limit prevents offsetting beyond those bounds.

Parameters: i: A valid index of the collection. n: The distance to offset i. n must not be negative unless the collection conforms to the BidirectionalCollection protocol. Returns: true if i has been offset by exactly n steps without going beyond limit; otherwise, false. When the return value is false, the value of i is equal to limit.

Declaration

func formIndex(_ i: inout String.UTF8View.Index, offsetBy n: String.UTF8View.IndexDistance, limitedBy limit: String.UTF8View.Index) -> Bool

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

func formIndex(after:)

Replaces the given index with its successor.

i: A valid index of the collection. i must be less than endIndex.

Declaration

func formIndex(after i: inout String.UTF8View.Index)

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

func index(_:offsetBy:)

Returns an index that is the specified distance from the given index.

The following example obtains an index advanced four positions from a string's starting index and then prints the character at that position.

let s = "Swift"
let i = s.index(s.startIndex, offsetBy: 4)
print(s[i])
// Prints "t"

The value passed as n must not offset i beyond the endIndex or before the startIndex of this collection.

Parameters: i: A valid index of the collection. n: The distance to offset i. n must not be negative unless the collection conforms to the BidirectionalCollection protocol. Returns: An index offset by n from the index i. If n is positive, this is the same value as the result of n calls to index(after:). If n is negative, this is the same value as the result of -n calls to index(before:).

See Also: index(_:offsetBy:limitedBy:), formIndex(_:offsetBy:) Complexity: O(1) if the collection conforms to RandomAccessCollection; otherwise, O(n), where n is the absolute value of n.

Declaration

func index(_ i: String.UTF8View.Index, offsetBy n: String.UTF8View.IndexDistance) -> String.UTF8View.Index

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

func index(_:offsetBy:limitedBy:)

Returns an index that is the specified distance from the given index, unless that distance is beyond a given limiting index.

The following example obtains an index advanced four positions from a string's starting index and then prints the character at that position. The operation doesn't require going beyond the limiting s.endIndex value, so it succeeds.

let s = "Swift"
if let i = s.index(s.startIndex, offsetBy: 4, limitedBy: s.endIndex) {
    print(s[i])
}
// Prints "t"

The next example attempts to retrieve an index six positions from s.startIndex but fails, because that distance is beyond the index passed as limit.

let j = s.index(s.startIndex, offsetBy: 6, limitedBy: s.endIndex)
print(j)
// Prints "nil"

The value passed as n must not offset i beyond the endIndex or before the startIndex of this collection, unless the index passed as limit prevents offsetting beyond those bounds.

Parameters: i: A valid index of the collection. n: The distance to offset i. n must not be negative unless the collection conforms to the BidirectionalCollection protocol. limit: A valid index of the collection to use as a limit. If n > 0, a limit that is less than i has no effect. Likewise, if n < 0, a limit that is greater than i has no effect. Returns: An index offset by n from the index i, unless that index would be beyond limit in the direction of movement. In that case, the method returns nil.

Declaration

func index(_ i: String.UTF8View.Index, offsetBy n: String.UTF8View.IndexDistance, limitedBy limit: String.UTF8View.Index) -> String.UTF8View.Index?

Declared In

Collection, Indexable

func index(after:)

Returns the next consecutive position after i.

Precondition: The next position is representable.

Declaration

func index(after i: String.UTF8View.Index) -> String.UTF8View.Index

func index(where:)

Returns the first index in which an element of the collection satisfies the given predicate.

You can use the predicate to find an element of a type that doesn't conform to the Equatable protocol or to find an element that matches particular criteria. Here's an example that finds a student name that begins with the letter "A":

let students = ["Kofi", "Abena", "Peter", "Kweku", "Akosua"]
if let i = students.index(where: { $0.hasPrefix("A") }) {
    print("\(students[i]) starts with 'A'!")
}
// Prints "Abena starts with 'A'!"

predicate: A closure that takes an element as its argument and returns a Boolean value that indicates whether the passed element represents a match. Returns: The index of the first element for which predicate returns true. If no elements in the collection satisfy the given predicate, returns nil.

See Also: index(of:)

Declaration

func index(where predicate: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> String.UTF8View.Index?

Declared In

Collection

func lexicographicallyPrecedes(_:by:)

Returns a Boolean value indicating whether the sequence precedes another sequence in a lexicographical (dictionary) ordering, using the given predicate to compare elements.

The predicate must be a strict weak ordering over the elements. That is, for any elements a, b, and c, the following conditions must hold:

areInIncreasingOrder(a, a) is always false. (Irreflexivity)
If areInIncreasingOrder(a, b) and areInIncreasingOrder(b, c) are both true, then areInIncreasingOrder(a, c) is also true. (Transitive comparability)
Two elements are incomparable if neither is ordered before the other according to the predicate. If a and b are incomparable, and b and c are incomparable, then a and c are also incomparable. (Transitive incomparability)

Parameters: other: A sequence to compare to this sequence. areInIncreasingOrder: A predicate that returns true if its first argument should be ordered before its second argument; otherwise, false. Returns: true if this sequence precedes other in a dictionary ordering as ordered by areInIncreasingOrder; otherwise, false.

Note: This method implements the mathematical notion of lexicographical ordering, which has no connection to Unicode. If you are sorting strings to present to the end user, use String APIs that perform localized comparison instead. See Also: lexicographicallyPrecedes(_:)

Declaration

func lexicographicallyPrecedes<OtherSequence where OtherSequence : Sequence, OtherSequence.Iterator.Element == Iterator.Element>(_ other: OtherSequence, by areInIncreasingOrder: (UTF8.CodeUnit, UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> Bool

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func makeIterator()

Returns an iterator over the elements of the collection.

Declaration

func makeIterator() -> IndexingIterator<String.UTF8View>

Declared In

Collection

func map(_:)

Returns an array containing the results of mapping the given closure over the sequence's elements.

In this example, map is used first to convert the names in the array to lowercase strings and then to count their characters.

let cast = ["Vivien", "Marlon", "Kim", "Karl"]
let lowercaseNames = cast.map { $0.lowercaseString }
// 'lowercaseNames' == ["vivien", "marlon", "kim", "karl"]
let letterCounts = cast.map { $0.characters.count }
// 'letterCounts' == [6, 6, 3, 4]

transform: A mapping closure. transform accepts an element of this sequence as its parameter and returns a transformed value of the same or of a different type. Returns: An array containing the transformed elements of this sequence.

Declaration

func map<T>(_ transform: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> T) rethrows -> [T]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

@warn_unqualified_access func max(by:)

Returns the maximum element in the sequence, using the given predicate as the comparison between elements.

The predicate must be a strict weak ordering over the elements. That is, for any elements a, b, and c, the following conditions must hold:

areInIncreasingOrder(a, a) is always false. (Irreflexivity)
If areInIncreasingOrder(a, b) and areInIncreasingOrder(b, c) are both true, then areInIncreasingOrder(a, c) is also true. (Transitive comparability)
Two elements are incomparable if neither is ordered before the other according to the predicate. If a and b are incomparable, and b and c are incomparable, then a and c are also incomparable. (Transitive incomparability)

This example shows how to use the max(by:) method on a dictionary to find the key-value pair with the highest value.

let hues = ["Heliotrope": 296, "Coral": 16, "Aquamarine": 156]
let greatestHue = hues.max { a, b in a.value < b.value }
print(greatestHue)
// Prints "Optional(("Heliotrope", 296))"

areInIncreasingOrder: A predicate that returns true if its first argument should be ordered before its second argument; otherwise, false. Returns: The sequence's maximum element if the sequence is not empty; otherwise, nil.

See Also: max()

Declaration

@warn_unqualified_access
func max(by areInIncreasingOrder: (UTF8.CodeUnit, UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> UTF8.CodeUnit?

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

@warn_unqualified_access func min(by:)

Returns the minimum element in the sequence, using the given predicate as the comparison between elements.

The predicate must be a strict weak ordering over the elements. That is, for any elements a, b, and c, the following conditions must hold:

areInIncreasingOrder(a, a) is always false. (Irreflexivity)
If areInIncreasingOrder(a, b) and areInIncreasingOrder(b, c) are both true, then areInIncreasingOrder(a, c) is also true. (Transitive comparability)
Two elements are incomparable if neither is ordered before the other according to the predicate. If a and b are incomparable, and b and c are incomparable, then a and c are also incomparable. (Transitive incomparability)

This example shows how to use the min(by:) method on a dictionary to find the key-value pair with the lowest value.

let hues = ["Heliotrope": 296, "Coral": 16, "Aquamarine": 156]
let leastHue = hues.min { a, b in a.value < b.value }
print(leastHue)
// Prints "Optional(("Coral", 16))"

areInIncreasingOrder: A predicate that returns true if its first argument should be ordered before its second argument; otherwise, false. Returns: The sequence's minimum element, according to areInIncreasingOrder. If the sequence has no elements, returns nil.

See Also: min()

Declaration

@warn_unqualified_access
func min(by areInIncreasingOrder: (UTF8.CodeUnit, UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> UTF8.CodeUnit?

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

mutating func popFirst()

Removes and returns the first element of the collection.

Returns: The first element of the collection if the collection is not empty; otherwise, nil.

Complexity: O(1)

Declaration

mutating func popFirst() -> UTF8.CodeUnit?

Declared In

Collection

func prefix(_:)

Returns a subsequence, up to the specified maximum length, containing the initial elements of the collection.

If the maximum length exceeds the number of elements in the collection, the result contains all the elements in the collection.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(numbers.prefix(2))
// Prints "[1, 2]"
print(numbers.prefix(10))
// Prints "[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]"

maxLength: The maximum number of elements to return. maxLength must be greater than or equal to zero. Returns: A subsequence starting at the beginning of this collection with at most maxLength elements.

Declaration

func prefix(_ maxLength: Int) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func prefix(through:)

Returns a subsequence from the start of the collection through the specified position.

The resulting subsequence includes the element at the position end. The following example searches for the index of the number 40 in an array of integers, and then prints the prefix of the array up to, and including, that index:

let numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60]
if let i = numbers.index(of: 40) {
    print(numbers.prefix(through: i))
}
// Prints "[10, 20, 30, 40]"

end: The index of the last element to include in the resulting subsequence. end must be a valid index of the collection that is not equal to the endIndex property. Returns: A subsequence up to, and including, the end position.

Complexity: O(1) See Also: prefix(upTo:)

Declaration

func prefix(through position: String.UTF8View.Index) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection

func prefix(upTo:)

Returns a subsequence from the start of the collection up to, but not including, the specified position.

The resulting subsequence does not include the element at the position end. The following example searches for the index of the number 40 in an array of integers, and then prints the prefix of the array up to, but not including, that index:

let numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60]
if let i = numbers.index(of: 40) {
    print(numbers.prefix(upTo: i))
}
// Prints "[10, 20, 30]"

Passing the collection's starting index as the end parameter results in an empty subsequence.

print(numbers.prefix(upTo: numbers.startIndex))
// Prints "[]"

end: The "past the end" index of the resulting subsequence. end must be a valid index of the collection. Returns: A subsequence up to, but not including, the end position.

Complexity: O(1) See Also: prefix(through:)

Declaration

func prefix(upTo end: String.UTF8View.Index) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection

func reduce(_:_:)

Returns the result of calling the given combining closure with each element of this sequence and an accumulating value.

The nextPartialResult closure is called sequentially with an accumulating value initialized to initialResult and each element of the sequence. This example shows how to find the sum of an array of numbers.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
let addTwo: (Int, Int) -> Int = { x, y in x + y }
let numberSum = numbers.reduce(0, addTwo)
// 'numberSum' == 10

When numbers.reduce(_:_:) is called, the following steps occur:

The nextPartialResult closure is called with the initial result and the first element of numbers, returning the sum: 1.
The closure is called again repeatedly with the previous call's return value and each element of the sequence.
When the sequence is exhausted, the last value returned from the closure is returned to the caller.

Parameters: initialResult: the initial accumulating value. nextPartialResult: A closure that combines an accumulating value and an element of the sequence into a new accumulating value, to be used in the next call of the nextPartialResult closure or returned to the caller. Returns: The final accumulated value.

Declaration

func reduce<Result>(_ initialResult: Result, _ nextPartialResult: (Result, UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Result) rethrows -> Result

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

mutating func removeFirst()

Removes and returns the first element of the collection.

The collection must not be empty.

Returns: The first element of the collection.

Complexity: O(1) See Also: popFirst()

Declaration

mutating func removeFirst() -> UTF8.CodeUnit

Declared In

Collection

mutating func removeFirst(_:)

Removes the specified number of elements from the beginning of the collection.

n: The number of elements to remove. n must be greater than or equal to zero, and must be less than or equal to the number of elements in the collection.

Complexity: O(1) if the collection conforms to RandomAccessCollection; otherwise, O(n).

Declaration

mutating func removeFirst(_ n: Int)

Declared In

Collection

func reversed()

Returns an array containing the elements of this sequence in reverse order.

The sequence must be finite.

Complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the sequence.

Returns: An array containing the elements of this sequence in reverse order.

Declaration

func reversed() -> [UTF8.CodeUnit]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func sorted(by:)

Returns the elements of the sequence, sorted using the given predicate as the comparison between elements.

When you want to sort a sequence of elements that don't conform to the Comparable protocol, pass a predicate to this method that returns true when the first element passed should be ordered before the second. The elements of the resulting array are ordered according to the given predicate.

The predicate must be a strict weak ordering over the elements. That is, for any elements a, b, and c, the following conditions must hold:

areInIncreasingOrder(a, a) is always false. (Irreflexivity)
If areInIncreasingOrder(a, b) and areInIncreasingOrder(b, c) are both true, then areInIncreasingOrder(a, c) is also true. (Transitive comparability)
Two elements are incomparable if neither is ordered before the other according to the predicate. If a and b are incomparable, and b and c are incomparable, then a and c are also incomparable. (Transitive incomparability)

The sorting algorithm is not stable. A nonstable sort may change the relative order of elements for which areInIncreasingOrder does not establish an order.

In the following example, the predicate provides an ordering for an array of a custom HTTPResponse type. The predicate orders errors before successes and sorts the error responses by their error code.

enum HTTPResponse {
    case ok
    case error(Int)
}
 
let responses: [HTTPResponse] = [.error(500), .ok, .ok, .error(404), .error(403)]
let sortedResponses = responses.sorted {
    switch ($0, $1) {
    // Order errors by code
    case let (.error(aCode), .error(bCode)):
        return aCode < bCode
 
    // All successes are equivalent, so none is before any other
    case (.ok, .ok): return false
 
    // Order errors before successes
    case (.error, .ok): return true
    case (.ok, .error): return false
    }
}
print(sortedResponses)
// Prints "[.error(403), .error(404), .error(500), .ok, .ok]"

You also use this method to sort elements that conform to the Comparable protocol in descending order. To sort your sequence in descending order, pass the greater-than operator (>) as the areInIncreasingOrder parameter.

let students: Set = ["Kofi", "Abena", "Peter", "Kweku", "Akosua"]
let descendingStudents = students.sorted(by: >)
print(descendingStudents)
// Prints "["Peter", "Kweku", "Kofi", "Akosua", "Abena"]"

Calling the related sorted() method is equivalent to calling this method and passing the less-than operator (<) as the predicate.

print(students.sorted())
// Prints "["Abena", "Akosua", "Kofi", "Kweku", "Peter"]"
print(students.sorted(by: <))
// Prints "["Abena", "Akosua", "Kofi", "Kweku", "Peter"]"

areInIncreasingOrder: A predicate that returns true if its first argument should be ordered before its second argument; otherwise, false. Returns: A sorted array of the sequence's elements.

See Also: sorted()

Declaration

func sorted(by areInIncreasingOrder: (UTF8.CodeUnit, UTF8.CodeUnit) -> Bool) -> [UTF8.CodeUnit]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func split(_:omittingEmptySubsequences:whereSeparator:)

Returns the longest possible subsequences of the collection, in order, that don't contain elements satisfying the given predicate.

The resulting array consists of at most maxSplits + 1 subsequences. Elements that are used to split the sequence are not returned as part of any subsequence.

The following examples show the effects of the maxSplits and omittingEmptySubsequences parameters when splitting a string using a closure that matches spaces. The first use of split returns each word that was originally separated by one or more spaces.

let line = "BLANCHE:   I don't want realism. I want magic!"
print(line.characters.split(whereSeparator: { $0 == " " })
                     .map(String.init))
// Prints "["BLANCHE:", "I", "don\'t", "want", "realism.", "I", "want", "magic!"]"

The second example passes 1 for the maxSplits parameter, so the original string is split just once, into two new strings.

print(
    line.characters.split(
        maxSplits: 1, whereSeparator: { $0 == " " }
        ).map(String.init))
// Prints "["BLANCHE:", "  I don\'t want realism. I want magic!"]"

The final example passes false for the omittingEmptySubsequences parameter, so the returned array contains empty strings where spaces were repeated.

print(line.characters.split(omittingEmptySubsequences: false, whereSeparator: { $0 == " " })
                      .map(String.init))
// Prints "["BLANCHE:", "", "", "I", "don\'t", "want", "realism.", "I", "want", "magic!"]"

Parameters: maxSplits: The maximum number of times to split the collection, or one less than the number of subsequences to return. If maxSplits + 1 subsequences are returned, the last one is a suffix of the original collection containing the remaining elements. maxSplits must be greater than or equal to zero. The default value is Int.max. omittingEmptySubsequences: If false, an empty subsequence is returned in the result for each pair of consecutive elements satisfying the isSeparator predicate and for each element at the start or end of the collection satisfying the isSeparator predicate. The default value is true. isSeparator: A closure that takes an element as an argument and returns a Boolean value indicating whether the collection should be split at that element. Returns: An array of subsequences, split from this collection's elements.

Declaration

func split(maxSplits: Int = default, omittingEmptySubsequences: Bool = default, whereSeparator isSeparator: (UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> [String.UTF8View]

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func starts(with:by:)

Returns a Boolean value indicating whether the initial elements of the sequence are equivalent to the elements in another sequence, using the given predicate as the equivalence test.

The predicate must be a equivalence relation over the elements. That is, for any elements a, b, and c, the following conditions must hold:

areEquivalent(a, a) is always true. (Reflexivity)
areEquivalent(a, b) implies areEquivalent(b, a). (Symmetry)
If areEquivalent(a, b) and areEquivalent(b, c) are both true, then areEquivalent(a, c) is also true. (Transitivity)

Parameters: possiblePrefix: A sequence to compare to this sequence. areEquivalent: A predicate that returns true if its two arguments are equivalent; otherwise, false. Returns: true if the initial elements of the sequence are equivalent to the elements of possiblePrefix; otherwise, false. If possiblePrefix has no elements, the return value is true.

See Also: starts(with:)

Declaration

func starts<PossiblePrefix where PossiblePrefix : Sequence, PossiblePrefix.Iterator.Element == Iterator.Element>(with possiblePrefix: PossiblePrefix, by areEquivalent: (UTF8.CodeUnit, UTF8.CodeUnit) throws -> Bool) rethrows -> Bool

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func suffix(_:)

Returns a subsequence, up to the given maximum length, containing the final elements of the collection.

If the maximum length exceeds the number of elements in the collection, the result contains all the elements in the collection.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(numbers.suffix(2))
// Prints "[4, 5]"
print(numbers.suffix(10))
// Prints "[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]"

maxLength: The maximum number of elements to return. The value of maxLength must be greater than or equal to zero. Returns: A subsequence terminating at the end of the collection with at most maxLength elements.

Complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the collection.

Declaration

func suffix(_ maxLength: Int) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection, Sequence

func suffix(from:)

Returns a subsequence from the specified position to the end of the collection.

The following example searches for the index of the number 40 in an array of integers, and then prints the suffix of the array starting at that index:

let numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60]
if let i = numbers.index(of: 40) {
    print(numbers.suffix(from: i))
}
// Prints "[40, 50, 60]"

Passing the collection's endIndex as the start parameter results in an empty subsequence.

print(numbers.suffix(from: numbers.endIndex))
// Prints "[]"

start: The index at which to start the resulting subsequence. start must be a valid index of the collection. Returns: A subsequence starting at the start position.

Complexity: O(1)

Declaration

func suffix(from start: String.UTF8View.Index) -> String.UTF8View

Declared In

Collection

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Conditionally Inherited Items

The initializers, methods, and properties listed below may be available on this type under certain conditions (such as methods that are available on Array when its elements are Equatable) or may not ever be available if that determination is beyond SwiftDoc.org's capabilities. Please open an issue on GitHub if you see something out of place!

Where Indices == DefaultIndices

var indices: DefaultIndices<String.UTF8View>

The indices that are valid for subscripting the collection, in ascending order.

A collection's indices property can hold a strong reference to the collection itself, causing the collection to be non-uniquely referenced. If you mutate the collection while iterating over its indices, a strong reference can cause an unexpected copy of the collection. To avoid the unexpected copy, use the index(after:) method starting with startIndex to produce indices instead.

var c = MyFancyCollection([10, 20, 30, 40, 50])
var i = c.startIndex
while i != c.endIndex {
    c[i] /= 5
    i = c.index(after: i)
}
// c == MyFancyCollection([2, 4, 6, 8, 10])

Declaration

var indices: DefaultIndices<String.UTF8View> { get }

Declared In

Collection

1 inherited item hidden. (Show all)

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