Swift Functions are self-contained chunks of code that perform a specific task. You give a function a name that identifies what it does, and this name is used to “call” the function to perform its task when needed.
A Swift 4 function can be as simple as a simple C function to as complex as an Objective C language function. It allows us to pass local and global parameter values inside the function calls.
In Swift, there are two types of function:
- User-defined Function – We can create our own functions based on our requirements.
- Standard Library Functions – These are built-in functions in Swift that are available to use.
Defining and Calling Functions
When you define a function, you can optionally define one or more named, typed values that the function takes as input, known as parameters.
func - keyword used to declare a function
functionName - any name given to the function
parameters - any value passed to function
returnType - specifies the type of value returned by the function
func greet(person: String) -> String {
let greeting = "Hello, " + person + "!"
return greeting
}
Function Parameters and Return Values
Function parameters and return values are extremely flexible in Swift.
Functions Without Parameters
Functions aren’t required to define input parameters. Here’s a function with no input parameters, which always returns the same String message whenever it’s called:
func sayHelloWorld() -> String {
return "hello, world"
}
print(sayHelloWorld())
// Prints "hello, world"Functions With Multiple Parameters
Functions can have multiple input parameters, which are written within the function’s parentheses, separated by commas.
func greet(person: String, alreadyGreeted: Bool) -> String {
if alreadyGreeted {
return greetAgain(person: person)
} else {
return greet(person: person)
}
}
print(greet(person: "Tim", alreadyGreeted: true))
// Prints "Hello again, Tim!"Functions Without Return Values
Functions aren’t required to define a return type. Here’s a version of the greet(person:) function, which prints its own String value rather than returning it:
func greet(person: String) {
print("Hello, \(person)!")
}
greet(person: "Dave")
// Prints "Hello, Dave!"
Because it doesn’t need to return a value, the function’s definition doesn’t include the return arrow (->) or a return type.
The return value of a function can be ignored when it’s called:
func printAndCount(string: String) -> Int {
print(string)
return string.count
}
func printWithoutCounting(string: String) {
let _ = printAndCount(string: string)
}
printAndCount(string: "hello, world")
// prints "hello, world" and returns a value of 12
printWithoutCounting(string: "hello, world")
// prints "hello, world" but doesn't return a valueFunctions with Multiple Return Values
You can use a tuple type as the return type for a function to return multiple values as part of one compound return value.
func minMax(array: [Int]) -> (min: Int, max: Int) {
var currentMin = array[0]
var currentMax = array[0]
for value in array[1..<array.count] {
if value < currentMin {
currentMin = value
} else if value > currentMax {
currentMax = value
}
}
return (currentMin, currentMax)
}
Optional Tuple Return Types
If the tuple type to be returned from a function has the potential to have “no value” for the entire tuple, you can use an optional tuple return type to reflect the fact that the entire tuple can be nil. You write an optional tuple return type by placing a question mark after the tuple type’s closing parenthesis, such as (Int, Int)? or (String, Int, Bool)?.
- The minMax(array:) function above returns a tuple containing two Int values.
- The minMax(array:) function, as defined above, will trigger a runtime error when attempting to access array[0].
func minMax(array: [Int]) -> (min: Int, max: Int)? {
if array.isEmpty { return nil }
var currentMin = array[0]
var currentMax = array[0]
for value in array[1..<array.count] {
if value < currentMin {
currentMin = value
} else if value > currentMax {
currentMax = value
}
}
return (currentMin, currentMax)
}Functions With an Implicit Return
If the entire body of the function is a single expression, the function implicitly returns that expression.
func greeting(for person: String) -> String {
"Hello, " + person + "!"
}
print(greeting(for: "Dave"))
// Prints "Hello, Dave!"Function Argument Labels and Parameter Names
Each function parameter has both an argument label and a parameter name. The argument label is used when calling the function; each argument is written in the function call with its argument label before it.
func someFunction(firstParameterName: Int, secondParameterName: Int) {
// In the function body, firstParameterName and secondParameterName
// refer to the argument values for the first and second parameters.
}
someFunction(firstParameterName: 1, secondParameterName: 2)Specifying Argument Labels
func someFunction(argumentLabel parameterName: Int) {
// In the function body, parameterName refers to the argument value
// for that parameter.
}Omitting Argument Labels
If you don’t want an argument label for a parameter, write an underscore (_) instead of an explicit argument label for that parameter.
func someFunction(_ firstParameterName: Int, secondParameterName: Int) {
// In the function body, firstParameterName and secondParameterName
// refer to the argument values for the first and second parameters.
}
someFunction(1, secondParameterName: 2)Default Parameter Values
You can define a default value for any parameter in a function by assigning a value to the parameter after that parameter’s type.
func someFunction(parameterWithoutDefault: Int, parameterWithDefault: Int = 12) {
// If you omit the second argument when calling this function, then
// the value of parameterWithDefault is 12 inside the function body.
}
someFunction(parameterWithoutDefault: 3, parameterWithDefault: 6) // parameterWithDefault is 6
someFunction(parameterWithoutDefault: 4) // parameterWithDefault is 12Variadic Parameters
A variadic parameter accepts zero or more values of a specified type. You use a variadic parameter to specify that the parameter can be passed a varying number of input values when the function is called.
func arithmeticMean(_ numbers: Double...) -> Double {
var total: Double = 0
for number in numbers {
total += number
}
return total / Double(numbers.count)
}
arithmeticMean(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
// returns 3.0, which is the arithmetic mean of these five numbers
arithmeticMean(3, 8.25, 18.75)
// returns 10.0, which is the arithmetic mean of these three numbers
In-Out Parameters
Function parameters are constants by default. Trying to change the value of a function parameter from within the body of that function results in a compile-time error. This means that you can’t change the value of a parameter by mistake.
func swapTwoInts(_ a: inout Int, _ b: inout Int) {
let temporaryA = a
a = b
b = temporaryA
}Function Types
Every function has a specific function type, made up of the parameter types and the return type of the function.
func addTwoInts(_ a: Int, _ b: Int) -> Int {
return a + b
}
func multiplyTwoInts(_ a: Int, _ b: Int) -> Int {
return a * b
}Using Function Types
You use function types just like any other types in Swift.
var mathFunction: (Int, Int) -> Int = addTwoIntsFunction Types as Parameter Types
You can use a function type such as (Int, Int) -> Int as a parameter type for another function.
func printMathResult(_ mathFunction: (Int, Int) -> Int, _ a: Int, _ b: Int) {
print("Result: \(mathFunction(a, b))")
}
printMathResult(addTwoInts, 3, 5)
// Prints "Result: 8"Function Types as Return Types
You can use a function type as the return type of another function. You do this by writing a complete function type immediately after the return arrow (->) of the returning function.
func stepForward(_ input: Int) -> Int {
return input + 1
}
func stepBackward(_ input: Int) -> Int {
return input - 1
}Nested Functions
All of the functions you have encountered so far in this chapter have been examples of global functions, which are defined at a global scope. You can also define functions inside the bodies of other functions, known as nested functions.
func chooseStepFunction(backward: Bool) -> (Int) -> Int {
func stepForward(input: Int) -> Int { return input + 1 }
func stepBackward(input: Int) -> Int { return input - 1 }
return backward ? stepBackward : stepForward
}
var currentValue = -4
let moveNearerToZero = chooseStepFunction(backward: currentValue > 0)
// moveNearerToZero now refers to the nested stepForward() function
while currentValue != 0 {
print("\(currentValue)... ")
currentValue = moveNearerToZero(currentValue)
}
print("zero!")
// -4...
// -3...
// -2...
// -1...
// zero!Swift Library Functions
In Swift, standard library functions are the built-in functions that can be used directly in our program. For example,
print() – prints the string inside the quotation marks
sqrt() – returns the square root of a number
pow() – returns the power of a number
These library functions are defined inside the framework. And, to use them we must include the framework inside our program.
Benefits of Using Functions
- Code Reusable – We can use the same function multiple times in our program which makes our code reusable.
- Code Readability – Functions help us break our code into chunks to make our program readable and easy to understand.
Happy Swift Coding 🙂