CODEWITHSUNDEEP
swiftclasspropertiespass-by-reference
Matt
Matt

Reputation: 2722

Custom swift class properties passed by reference?

I have a custom class that I've written an equal/not equal function test for. I'm trying to test if an object I've modified is equal to the original object, but whenever I modify the second object, the original object seems to be modified as well. Here's some sample code (you can run this in a Playground):

// Custom class
class MyClass {
    var foo: Bool = false

    static func ==(a: MyClass, b: MyClass) -> Bool {
       return (a.foo == b.foo)
    }
    static func !=(a: MyClass, b: MyClass) -> Bool {
        return !(a==b)
    }

    required init() {
        // do nothing
    }
}

let originalObj: MyClass = MyClass()
var tempObj: MyClass = MyClass()

tempObj = originalObj

tempObj.foo = true

print(originalObj.foo) // Output: "true" (?!?!)
print(tempObj == originalObj) // Output: "true" (?!?!)

Why does changing the value of tempObj change the value of originalObj, and how can I prevent this behavior?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 120

Answers (1)

Malik
Malik

Reputation: 3802

Classes in swift are Reference Types whereas Structs are Value Types. There are two ways to achieve what you want. You can either use struct instead of class or write a copy method for this class and use that method. Something like this

class MyClass {
    var foo: Bool = false

    static func ==(a: MyClass, b: MyClass) -> Bool {
       return (a.foo == b.foo)
    }
    static func !=(a: MyClass, b: MyClass) -> Bool {
        return !(a==b)
    }
    required init() {
        // do nothing
    }
    func copy() -> MyClass {
        let temp = MyClass()
        temp.foo = foo
        return temp
    }
}

let originalObj: MyClass = MyClass()
var tempObj: MyClass = originalObj.copy()

Upvotes: 2

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