New IDE for Swift: Overview of Development Capabilities for iOS and macOS

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New IDE for Swift: A First Look at the Tool for iOS and macOS Development

The development ecosystem for iOS and macOS has gained a new tool. A team of enthusiasts has presented an alternative integrated development environment (IDE) for the Swift language. The project is aimed at developers of mobile applications and desktop software who are looking for a lighter or more specialized replacement for Xcode. This article provides a first look at the key features of this new tool.

Interface and Navigation

Unlike Xcode, the new IDE offers a minimalist interface reminiscent of code editors like VS Code. The main window is divided into three zones:

Code Editor — Swift syntax highlighting, support for multiple tabs, and split mode for parallel file viewing.
Navigator Panel — quick access to project files, class and function symbols, as well as view structure (for SwiftUI).
Terminal and Debugger — built-in console for log output and step-by-step debugging with breakpoints.

Project navigation is done via a tree structure, with symbol search supported (Cmd+Shift+O).

Swift and SwiftUI Support

The IDE fully supports current versions of Swift (5.x and 6.0). Autocompletion is based on SourceKit — the same engine used in Xcode. This provides accurate suggestions for the standard library, Foundation, and Apple frameworks.

For SwiftUI, real-time preview of changes is implemented: when editing code in the editor, the visual representation of the interface updates next to it. This speeds up UI development without constant project recompilation.

Debugging and Building

The tool uses LLDB for debugging. Developers have access to:

Step-by-step execution (step into, step over).
Viewing variable values and the call stack.
Conditional breakpoints.

Project building is done through built-in integration with Swift Package Manager. Debug and Release configurations are supported. For running on the iOS simulator, the emulator supplied with Xcode is used (Xcode must be installed for simulators and code signing).

Integration with Existing Projects

The new IDE can open Xcode projects (.xcodeproj) and Swift packages (.swiftpm). Upon first opening, a build configuration file is automatically generated. All settings are stored in JSON format, simplifying versioning in git.

Plugins are also supported: extensions can be added for linting (SwiftLint), code formatting (SwiftFormat), and Git integration.

First Impressions and Conclusions

The new IDE for Swift is a promising alternative to Xcode, especially for developers who need a fast and lightweight editor with a modern interface. It can work with real projects, debug code, and supports SwiftUI. However, at the moment, there is no support for Storyboards or a full-fledged Interface Builder — UI development is done only through code.

Nevertheless, for those who write in Swift and want to try something new, this IDE will be an excellent tool. The beta version is already available for macOS on the project's official website.

Stay tuned for updates on PythonLib — we will tell you about new features as soon as they appear.