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When working with SWIFT, you might come across a term called associated objects. These are a unique feature of the language that allow you to associate values with objects in a way that’s not possible with regular properties.
In SWIFT, objects are created from classes, and classes define the properties and methods that objects can have. But sometimes you might need to store additional information with an object that’s not part of the object’s type. This is where associated objects come in.
Associated objects are essentially key-value pairs that are attached to an object. The key is a unique identifier for the value, and the value can be of any type, such as a string, an integer, or even another object.
One of the main benefits of associated objects is that they don’t have to be declared in advance like regular properties. This means you can attach new values to objects as needed, without having to change the class definition.
Another advantage of associated objects is that they can be used to store values that are specific to a particular instance of an object, rather than being shared across all instances of the same type. This is useful when you want to keep track of information that’s unique to a single object, such as the date and time it was created, or the user who created it.
So if you’re just starting out with SWIFT, associated objects are a feature that’s definitely worth learning about. They provide a flexible way to store additional information with objects, and they can help you to create more sophisticated and dynamic applications.
Cookbook – SWIFT for Beginners – Chapter 31: Associated Objects
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