Playgrounds (Xcode feature)

The Playgrounds feature of the Xcode IDE provides an environment for rapid experimentation and development in the Swift programming language. The original version of the feature was announced and released by Apple Inc on June 2, 2014 during WWDC 2014.[1][2]

For the Swift Playgrounds application for iPad and Mac, see Swift Playgrounds.
Playgrounds
Developer(s)Developer Tools Department
Apple Inc
Initial releasemacOS
June 2, 2014 (2014-06-02)
PlatformmacOS
TypeDeveloper Tool

Overview

Playgrounds provide a testing ground that renders developer code in real time. They has the capability of evaluating and displaying the results of single expressions as they are coded (in line or on a side bar), providing rapid feedback to the programmer. This type of development environment, known as a read-eval-print loop (or REPL) is useful for learning, experimenting and fast prototyping.[3][4][5] Playgrounds was used by Apple to publish Swift tutorials and guided tours where the REPL advantages are noticeable.[6][7]

The Playgrounds feature was developed by the Developer Tools department at Apple. According to Chris Lattner, the inventor of Swift Programming Language and Senior Director and Architect at the Developer Tools Department, Playgrounds was "heavily influenced by Bret Victor's ideas, by Light Table and by many other interactive systems".[8] Playgrounds was announced by Apple Inc. on June 2, 2014 during WWDC 2014 as part of Xcode 6 and released in September.

In September 2016, the Swift Playgrounds application for iPad (also available on macOS starting in February 2020) was released, incorporating these ideas into an educational tool. Xcode's Playgrounds feature continued development, with a new step-by-step execution feature introduced in Xcode 10 at WWDC 2018.[9]

References
  1. "Keynote - WWDC 2014 - Videos". Apple Developer. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  2. "Apple's new Swift language explained: A clever move to boost iOS, while holding Android apps back - ExtremeTech". www.extremetech.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  3. "Swift: Apple's next-generation programming language 4 years in the making". iMore. June 4, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  4. Mayo, Benjamin (June 2, 2014). "Apple announces new Xcode, 'Swift' programming language". 9to5Mac. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  5. "Swift Resources - Apple Developer". developer.apple.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  6. "A Swift Tour — The Swift Programming Language (Swift 5)". docs.swift.org. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  7. Swift.org. "A Swift Tour".
  8. Victor, Bret (September 2012). "Learnable Programming". worrydream.com.
  9. "Getting the Most out of Playgrounds in Xcode - WWDC 2018 - Videos". Apple Developer. Retrieved November 25, 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.