SwiftUI State Management Reference

SwiftUI State Management Reference

Property Wrapper Selection Guide

Legacy (Pre-iOS 17):

@State

Always mark @State properties as private. Use for internal view state that triggers UI updates.

// Correct
@State private var isAnimating = false
@State private var selectedTab = 0

Why Private? Marking state as private makes it clear what's created by the view versus what's passed in. It also prevents accidentally passing initial values that will be ignored (see "Don't Pass Values as @State" below).

iOS 17+ with @Observable (Preferred)

Always prefer @Observable over ObservableObject. With iOS 17's @Observable macro, use @State instead of @StateObject:

@Observable
@MainActor  // Always mark @Observable classes with @MainActor
final class DataModel {
    var name = "Some Name"
    var count = 0
}

struct MyView: View {
    @State private var model = DataModel()  // Use @State, not @StateObject

    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            TextField("Name", text: $model.name)
            Stepper("Count: \(model.count)", value: $model.count)
        }
    }
}

Note: You may want to mark @Observable classes with @MainActor to ensure thread safety with SwiftUI, unless your project or package uses Default Actor Isolation set to MainActor—in which case, the explicit attribute is redundant and can be omitted.

@Binding

Use only when child view needs to modify parent's state. If child only reads the value, use let instead.

// Parent
struct ParentView: View {
    @State private var isSelected = false

    var body: some View {
        ChildView(isSelected: $isSelected)
    }
}

// Child - will modify the value
struct ChildView: View {
    @Binding var isSelected: Bool

    var body: some View {
        Button("Toggle") {
            isSelected.toggle()
        }
    }
}

When NOT to use @Binding

// Bad - child only displays, doesn't modify
struct DisplayView: View {
    @Binding var title: String  // Unnecessary
    var body: some View {
        Text(title)
    }
}

// Good - use let for read-only
struct DisplayView: View {
    let title: String
    var body: some View {
        Text(title)
    }
}

@StateObject vs @ObservedObject (Legacy - Pre-iOS 17)

Note: These are legacy patterns. Always prefer @Observable with @State for iOS 17+.

The key distinction is ownership:

• @StateObject: View creates and owns the object
• @ObservedObject: View receives the object from outside

// Legacy pattern - use @Observable instead
class MyViewModel: ObservableObject {
    @Published var items: [String] = []
}

// View creates it → @StateObject
struct OwnerView: View {
    @StateObject private var viewModel = MyViewModel()

    var body: some View {
        ChildView(viewModel: viewModel)
    }
}

// View receives it → @ObservedObject
struct ChildView: View {
    @ObservedObject var viewModel: MyViewModel

    var body: some View {
        List(viewModel.items, id: \.self) { Text($0) }
    }
}

Common Mistake

Never create an ObservableObject inline with @ObservedObject:

// WRONG - creates new instance on every view update
struct BadView: View {
    @ObservedObject var viewModel = MyViewModel()  // BUG!
}

// CORRECT - owned objects use @StateObject
struct GoodView: View {
    @StateObject private var viewModel = MyViewModel()
}

@StateObject instantiation in View's initializer

If you need to create a @StateObject with initialization parameters in your view's custom initializer, be aware of redundant allocations and hidden side effects.

// WRONG - creates a new ViewModel instance each time the view's initializer is called
// (which can happen multiple times during SwiftUI's structural identity evaluation)
struct MovieDetailsView: View {
    
    @StateObject private var viewModel: MovieDetailsViewModel
    
    init(movie: Movie) {
        let viewModel = MovieDetailsViewModel(movie: movie)
        _viewModel = StateObject(wrappedValue: viewModel)      
    }
    
    var body: some View {
        // ...
    }
}

// CORRECT - creation in @autoclosure prevents multiple instantiations
struct MovieDetailsView: View {
    
    @StateObject private var viewModel: MovieDetailsViewModel
    
    init(movie: Movie) {
        _viewModel = StateObject(
            wrappedValue: MovieDetailsViewModel(movie: movie)
        )      
    }
    
    var body: some View {
        // ...
    }
}

Modern Alternative: Use @Observable with @State instead of ObservableObject patterns.

Don't Pass Values as @State

Critical: Never declare passed values as @State or @StateObject. The value you provide is only an initial value and won't update.

// Parent
struct ParentView: View {
    @State private var item = Item(name: "Original")
    
    var body: some View {
        ChildView(item: item)
        Button("Change") {
            item.name = "Updated"  // Child won't see this!
        }
    }
}

// Wrong - child ignores updates from parent
struct ChildView: View {
    @State var item: Item  // Accepts initial value only!
    
    var body: some View {
        Text(item.name)  // Shows "Original" forever
    }
}

// Correct - child receives updates
struct ChildView: View {
    let item: Item  // Or @Binding if child needs to modify
    
    var body: some View {
        Text(item.name)  // Updates when parent changes
    }
}

Why: @State and @StateObject retain values between view updates. That's their purpose. When a parent passes a new value, the child reuses its existing state.

Prevention: Always mark @State and @StateObject as private. This prevents them from appearing in the generated initializer.

@Bindable (iOS 17+)

Use when receiving an @Observable object from outside and needing bindings:

@Observable
final class UserModel {
    var name = ""
    var email = ""
}

struct ParentView: View {
    @State private var user = UserModel()

    var body: some View {
        EditUserView(user: user)
    }
}

struct EditUserView: View {
    @Bindable var user: UserModel  // Received from parent, needs bindings

    var body: some View {
        Form {
            TextField("Name", text: $user.name)
            TextField("Email", text: $user.email)
        }
    }
}

let vs var for Passed Values

Use let for read-only display

struct ProfileHeader: View {
    let username: String
    let avatarURL: URL

    var body: some View {
        HStack {
            AsyncImage(url: avatarURL)
            Text(username)
        }
    }
}

Use var when reacting to changes with .onChange()

struct ReactiveView: View {
    var externalValue: Int  // Watch with .onChange()
    @State private var displayText = ""

    var body: some View {
        Text(displayText)
            .onChange(of: externalValue) { oldValue, newValue in
                displayText = "Changed from \(oldValue) to \(newValue)"
            }
    }
}

Environment and Preferences

@Environment

Access environment values provided by SwiftUI or parent views:

struct MyView: View {
    @Environment(\.colorScheme) private var colorScheme
    @Environment(\.dismiss) private var dismiss

    var body: some View {
        Button("Done") { dismiss() }
            .foregroundStyle(colorScheme == .dark ? .white : .black)
    }
}

@Environment with @Observable (iOS 17+ - Preferred)

Always prefer this pattern for sharing state through the environment:

@Observable
@MainActor
final class AppState {
    var isLoggedIn = false
}

// Inject
ContentView()
    .environment(AppState())

// Access
struct ChildView: View {
    @Environment(AppState.self) private var appState
}

@EnvironmentObject (Legacy - Pre-iOS 17)

Legacy pattern for sharing observable objects through the environment:

// Legacy pattern - use @Observable with @Environment instead
class AppState: ObservableObject {
    @Published var isLoggedIn = false
}

// Inject at root
ContentView()
    .environmentObject(AppState())

// Access in child
struct ChildView: View {
    @EnvironmentObject var appState: AppState
}

Decision Flowchart

Is this value owned by this view?
├─ YES: Is it a simple value type?
│       ├─ YES → @State private var
│       └─ NO (class):
│           ├─ Use @Observable → @State private var (mark class @MainActor)
│           └─ Legacy ObservableObject → @StateObject private var
│
└─ NO (passed from parent):
    ├─ Does child need to MODIFY it?
    │   ├─ YES → @Binding var
    │   └─ NO: Does child need BINDINGS to its properties?
    │       ├─ YES (@Observable) → @Bindable var
    │       └─ NO: Does child react to changes?
    │           ├─ YES → var + .onChange()
    │           └─ NO → let
    │
    └─ Is it a legacy ObservableObject from parent?
        └─ YES → @ObservedObject var (consider migrating to @Observable)

State Privacy Rules

All view-owned state should be private:

// Correct - clear what's created vs passed
struct MyView: View {
    // Created by view - private
    @State private var isExpanded = false
    @State private var viewModel = ViewModel()
    @AppStorage("theme") private var theme = "light"
    @Environment(\.colorScheme) private var colorScheme
    
    // Passed from parent - not private
    let title: String
    @Binding var isSelected: Bool
    @Bindable var user: User
    
    var body: some View {
        // ...
    }
}

Why: This makes dependencies explicit and improves code completion for the generated initializer.

Avoid Nested ObservableObject

Note: This limitation only applies to ObservableObject. @Observable fully supports nested observed objects.

// Avoid - breaks animations and change tracking
class Parent: ObservableObject {
    @Published var child: Child  // Nested ObservableObject
}

class Child: ObservableObject {
    @Published var value: Int
}

// Workaround - pass child directly to views
struct ParentView: View {
    @StateObject private var parent = Parent()
    
    var body: some View {
        ChildView(child: parent.child)  // Pass nested object directly
    }
}

struct ChildView: View {
    @ObservedObject var child: Child
    
    var body: some View {
        Text("\(child.value)")
    }
}

Why: SwiftUI can't track changes through nested ObservableObject properties. Manual workarounds break animations. With @Observable, this isn't an issue.

Key Principles

1. Always prefer @Observable over ObservableObject for new code
2. Mark @Observable classes with @MainActor for thread safety (unless using default actor isolation)`
3. Use @State with @Observable classes (not @StateObject)
4. Use @Bindable for injected @Observable objects that need bindings
5. Always mark @State and @StateObject as private
6. Never declare passed values as @State or @StateObject
7. With @Observable, nested objects work fine; with ObservableObject, pass nested objects directly to child views