Apple Platforms Cheat Sheets

This section’s material is split across three printable A4 sheets rather than one, because a single Apple Platforms cheat sheet would not fit on a page: about 80% of the content applies across all five platforms (SwiftUI, concurrency, data, system integration, security, quality and distribution), with the rest specific to one platform or another. Each sheet groups what you look up together — writing SwiftUI views, wiring up data and system services, or checking a platform-specific detail — so you can print just the one you need at your desk.

For the full explanation, every option, and additional examples, see the dedicated pages:

Foundations & tooling — Getting Started with Apple Platforms, Xcode Projects, Targets, Schemes and Previews, Swift Packages and Modularizing an App, App Structure and Life Cycle (SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit), App Architecture the Apple Way, Swift Concurrency in Apps, One Codebase for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and visionOS, and Mixing Swift, Objective-C and C++ in an App.

SwiftUI, UI & design — SwiftUI Views and Modifiers, SwiftUI Layout, State and Data Flow with Observation, Lists, Tables and Collections, Navigation and Presentation, Controls, Forms, Text, Images and SF Symbols, Drawing, Animation and Gestures, Liquid Glass, Materials and Icons, UIKit and AppKit Essentials, and Mixing Them with SwiftUI, Human Interface Guidelines in Practice, Accessibility, and Localization with String Catalogs.

Data & networking — Persisting Models with SwiftData, Core Data, CloudKit and iCloud, Preferences, Files and Document-Based Apps, and Networking: URLSession, Network Framework and ATS.

Background work & system integration — Background Execution, Notifications, APNs and Live Activities, Widgets, Complications and Controls (WidgetKit), and App Intents, Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, Deep Links and Extensions.

Intelligence & devices — Apple Intelligence and Machine Learning, Location and Maps, Camera, Media and Photos, and Health, Motion and Accessories.

Security & commerce — Security and Privacy, In-App Purchases and Subscriptions with StoreKit 2, and Augmented Reality with ARKit and RealityKit.

Platform specifics — iPadOS: Windows, Multitasking, Pointer and Apple Pencil, macOS: Windows, Menus, Commands, Settings and Menu Bar Extras, watchOS: App Structure, Connectivity, Workouts and the Smart Stack, and visionOS: Windows, Volumes, Immersive Spaces and RealityKit.

Quality — Unit Testing with Swift Testing, UI Tests, Test Plans, Performance Tests and Coverage, Debugging with Xcode and LLDB, Logging, MetricKit, Crash Reports and Organizer, and Performance and Instruments.

Distribution — Membership, Signing, Capabilities and Info.plist, App Store Connect, TestFlight and App Review, Distributing Mac Apps with Developer ID and Notarization, and CI/CD with Xcode Cloud and the Command Line.