How to use system icons in your app
Swift version: 5.1
iOS 13 lets us use icons from a range of over 1500 designed by Apple, all of which come in a variety of weights and sizes. These icons form part of new UIImage API, and they are vector-based so you can us them at a range of sizes without loss of quality.
Note: This is a stringly typed API, so you should download the new SF Symbols app that lists all variants – download it here.
To load a system icon you use the new UIImage(systemName:) initializer. In its most basic form it looks like this:
let paperPlane = UIImage(systemName: "paperplane.fill")
let action = UIImage(systemName: "square.and.arrow.down")You can request specific weights of your icon by creating an instance of UIImage.SymbolConfiguration like this:
let boldConfig = UIImage.SymbolConfiguration(weight: .bold)
let boldBell = UIImage(systemName: "bell", withConfiguration: boldConfig)More usefully, you can also tell UIKit what kind of text is being rendered nearby so it can ensure the icon is sized appropriately, like this:
let largeConfig = UIImage.SymbolConfiguration(textStyle: .largeTitle)
let largeBolt = UIImage(systemName: "bolt", withConfiguration: largeConfig)This ensures your icons work correctly alongside your other Dynamic Type code.
SPONSORED Building in-app subscriptions are hard. RevenueCat makes it simple. With their open source SDKs, you can painlessly implement subscriptions for your app in hours, not months.
Sponsor Hacking with Swift and reach the world's largest Swift community!
Available from iOS 13.0
Similar solutions…
- How to run code when your app is terminated
- How to change your app icon dynamically with setAlternateIconName()
- How to localize your iOS app
- SwiftUI tips and tricks
- How to configure Core Data to work with SwiftUI
About the Swift Knowledge Base
This is part of the Swift Knowledge Base, a free, searchable collection of solutions for common iOS questions.
