How to create a custom debug description
Swift version: 5.1
Swift lets you print all types of data, but some data is more useful than others thanks to the CustomDebugStringConvertible protocol. If you write a type conforming to that protocol, you must include a debugDescription string property that describes how instances of this type should be represented while debugging.
To test this out, we’re going to create a Player struct that stores a player’s name. When we try to debug an instance of this struct – i.e., print it out, or hover over it in the debugger – we just want the player’s name to come back, for easier debugging.
Try adding this struct to a playground:
struct Player: CustomDebugStringConvertible {
var name: String = "@twostraws"
var debugDescription: String {
return name
}
}You can now create instances of that struct and print them out to see the player name:
let player = Player()
print(player)
SPONSORED Catch bugs as soon as they happen and know exactly why a crash occurred by integrating Instabug's SDK in one minute. You will automatically receive device data, network logs, and reproduction steps with every bug and crash report.
Sponsor Hacking with Swift and reach the world's largest Swift community!
Available from iOS 8.0 – learn more in my book Pro Swift
Similar solutions…
- How to create live playgrounds in Xcode
- SwiftUI tips and tricks
- How to create a random terrain tile map using SKTileMapNode and GKPerlinNoiseSource
- Composing views to create a list row
- How to modify haptic events over time using CHHapticParameterCurve
About the Swift Knowledge Base
This is part of the Swift Knowledge Base, a free, searchable collection of solutions for common iOS questions.
