iOS Ref

Swift 4 guide: dispatch

This page has moved to swiftly.dev/dispatch! The archive below will not be updated.

Dispatch is a framework that allows you to run code on different threads. By default, all code on iOS is run on the main thread (also known as the UI thread).

Run code on a background thread

Time-intensive work can run on a background thread.1

// Code in the main thread
DispatchQueue.global(qos: .background).async {
  // Some code that takes a long time to execute
}

Run code on the main thread from a background thread

When background thread work done, the UI can be updated on the main thread.2

// Code in the main thread
DispatchQueue.global(qos: .background).async {
  // Some code that takes a long time to execute
  DispatchQueue.main.async {
    // More code in the main thread
  }
}

Practical example

@objc func didTapOnGenerateImageButton() {
  DispatchQueue.global(qos: .background).async {
  let newImage = ImageManager.generateImage() // This could take a long time
  DispatchQueue.main.async {
    self.imageView = newImage // The UI can only be updated on the main thread
  }
}

Further reading

Notes

  1. If a very long function that takes 5 seconds is run on the main thread, the app freezes for 5 seconds, and the user cannot use the app. 

  2. This way, for the 5 seconds it takes for the function to run, the app UI does not freeze.