Async/await is a new language feature that will ship with Swift 5.5 this year. There’s no doubt it will have a significant impact on how we write asynchronous code. In this talk, we’re going to look at some use cases for async/await, how we can call existing Swift APIs using this new feature, and why your decision to write your SDK in Objective-C might turn out to have been a very clever move. We’ll also have a look at the refactoring support Apple is adding to Xcode and how it will help you migrate your existing code base.

1. async/await in Swi!
Photo by Stephen H on Unsplash
Peter Friese | Firebase Developer Advocate | @pete!riese

2. let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: “https:!"yourapi/path“)!)
let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
!" do stuff once data arrives
}
task.resume()
Asynchronous code is everywhere
completion handler

3. func process(url: String, completion: @escaping (Article) !# Void) {
self.fetchArticle(from: url) { html in
self.extractTitle(from: html) { title in
self.extractText(from: html) { text in
self.extractImage(from: url) { imageUrl in
self.inferTags(from: text) { tags in
let article = Article(url: url,
title: title,
tags: tags,
imageUrlString: imageUrl)
completion(article)
}
}
}
}
}
}
A more complex example

4. extension ArticleAnalyser {
func process(url: String, completion: @escaping (Article) !# Void) {
self.fetchArticle(from: url) { result in
switch result {
case .failure(let error):
print(error.localizedDescription)
case .success(let html):
self.extractTitle(from: html) { result in
switch result {
case .failure(let error):
print(error.localizedDescription)
case .success(let title):
self.extractText(from: html) { result in
switch result {
case .failure(let error):
print(error.localizedDescription)
case .success(let text):
Let’s add some error handling…
!

5. extension AsyncArticleAnalyser {
func process(url: String) async throws !# Article {
let htmlText = try await fetchArticle(from: url)
let text = try await extractText(from: htmlText)
let title = try await extractTitle(from: htmlText)
let imageUrl = try await extractImage(from: url)
let tags = await inferTags(from: text)
return Article(url: url,
title: title,
tags: tags,
imageUrlString: imageUrl)
}
}
How about this?
Swift 5.5

6. This is just the toolchain, really

7. Select toolchain here
Toolchain is active

8. func helloWorld(name: String, completion: (String) !# Void) {
completion("Hello, (name)")
}
Let’s convert a callback-based function!
func greeting() {
helloWorld(name: "Peter") { result in
print(result)
}
}

9. func helloWorld(name: String, completion: (String) !# Void) {
completion("Hello, (name)")
}
Let’s convert a callback-based function!
func helloWorld(name: String) async !# String {
return "Hello, (name)"
}
Before
After

10. func helloWorld(name: String, completion: (String) !# Void) {
completion("Hello, (name)")
}
Let’s convert a callback-based function!
let result = await helloWorld(name: "Peter")
func helloWorld(name: String) async !# String {
return "Hello, (name)"
}
Before
After
Call site

11. Sometimes, it’s more complicated, though
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
func greeting() {
getUser(id: 1) { result in
if let userName = result!$name {
print("Hello, (userName)")
}
}
}

12. Sometimes, it’s more complicated, though
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
Let’s keep this entire function
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) { !!% }

13. func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
Sometimes, it’s more complicated, though
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) { !!% }
func getUser(id: Int) async !# User? {
return await withCheckedContinuation { cont in
getUser(id: id) { result in
cont.resume(returning: result)
}
}
}
Introduce this wrapper

14. func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
Sometimes, it’s more complicated, though
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) { !!% }
func getUser(id: Int) async !# User? {
return await withCheckedContinuation { cont in
getUser(id: id) { result in
cont.resume(returning: result)
}
}
}
Call the original here

15. func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
Sometimes, it’s more complicated, though
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) { !!% }
func getUser(id: Int) async !# User? {
return await withCheckedContinuation { cont in
getUser(id: id) { result in
cont.resume(returning: result)
}
}
}
Create a continuation
Resume once we receive a result

16. func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
Sometimes, it’s more complicated, though
func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) { !!% }
func getUser(id: Int) async !# User? {
return await withCheckedContinuation { cont in
getUser(id: id) { result in
cont.resume(returning: result)
}
}
}
let result = await getUser(id: 1)
Call site

18. await: only from within async context

19. func getUser(id: Int, _ completion: @escaping (User?) !# Void) {
let req = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https:!"jsonplaceholder./users/(id)")!)
URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: req) { data, response, error in
guard let data = data else { return }
do {
let user = try JSONDecoder().decode(User.self, from: data)
completion(user)
} catch { completion(nil) }
}.resume()
}
await: only from within async context
struct AddArticleView: View {
@ObservedObject var viewModel: ArticlesViewModel
@State var newUrl: String = ""
func addUrl(url: String) {
Task.detached {
await viewModel.addNewArticle(from: url)
}
presentationMode.wrappedValue.dismiss()
}
var body: some View {
}
}
Previously: @asyncHandler

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22. Run with confidence
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Auth
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Functions
Cloud
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Realtime
Database
Cloud
Storage
bit.ly/what-is-firebase
Extensions
Machine
Learning

23. auth!$signInAnonymously()
let user = auth!$currentUser
print("User signed in with user ID: (user!$uid)")
This might be nil

24. auth!$signInAnonymously()
let user = auth!$currentUser
print("User signed in with user ID: (user!$uid)")
auth!$signInAnonymously { result, error in
guard let result = result else {
return
}
print("User signed in with user ID: (result.user.uid)")
}
Use callbacks instead

25. auth!$signInAnonymously()
let user = auth!$currentUser
print("User signed in with user ID: (user!$uid)")
auth!$signInAnonymously { result, error in
guard let result = result else {
return
}
print("User signed in with user ID: (result.user.uid)")
}
@Published var user: User?
!!%
auth!$signInAnonymously()
.map { $0.user }
.replaceError(with: nil)
.assign(to: &$user)
Combine

26. auth!$signInAnonymously { result, error in
guard let result = result else {
return
}
print("User signed in with user ID: (result.user.uid)")
}
Firebase and async/await

27. auth!$signInAnonymously { result, error in
guard let result = result else {
return
}
print("User signed in with user ID: (result.user.uid)")
}
Firebase and async/await
do {
let result = try await auth!$signInAnonymously()
print("User signed in with user ID: (result.user.uid)")
}
catch {
print(error)
}
Callback-style
Async/await

28. Here is how much work it was
to implement for Firebase:
.
(yep - it came almost for free)

31. Learn more
h!ps://pete"riese.dev/async-await-in-swi#
h!ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEKw2BMcQtQ

32. Thanks!
Peter Friese
h!p://pete"riese.dev
@pete"riese
youtube.com/c/PeterFriese/
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