Swift Data Structure and Algorithms

Erik Azar, Mario Eguiluz Alebicto

• Verlag: Packt Publishing
• Jahr: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781785884504
• Auflage: 1
• Thema: Computer Science
• Thema: Open Source Programming

Master the most common algorithms and data structures, and learn how to implement them efficiently using the most up-to-date features of Swift 3

About This Book

• Develop a deep understanding of the collections in the Swift Standard Library with this step-by-step guide
• Develop native Swift data structures and algorithms for use in mobile, desktop, and server-based applications
• Learn about performance efficiency between different data structures and algorithms

Who This Book Is For

This book is for developers who want to learn how to implement and use common data structures and algorithms natively in Swift. Whether you are a self-taught developer without a formal technical background or you have a degree in Computer Science, this book will provide with the knowledge you need to develop advanced data structures and algorithms in Swift using the latest language features.

What You Will Learn

• Get to know about the basic data structures and how to use the Swift REPL
• Use the Swift Standard Library collections bridging to Objective-C collections, and find out about protocol-oriented programming
• Find out about Swift generators and sequences, and see how to use them to implement advanced data structures such as Stack, StackList, Queue, and LinkedList
• Implement sorting algorithms such as Insertion Sort, Merge Sort, and Quick Sort and understand the performance trade-offs between them
• See how to implement various binary trees, B-Tree, and Splay Trees
• Perform advanced searching methods using Red-Black trees, AVL trees, and Trie trees, and take a look at several substring search algorithms
• Get to know about the data structures used in graphs and how to implement graphs such as depth-first search, breadth-first search, directed graphs, spanning tree, and shortest path
• Explore algorithm efficiency and see how to measure it

In Detail

Apple's Swift language has expressive features that are familiar to those working with modern functional languages, but also provides backward support for Objective-C and Apple's legacy frameworks. These features are attracting many new developers to start creating applications for OS X and iOS using Swift.

Designing an application to scale while processing large amounts of data or provide fast and efficient searching can be complex, especially running on mobile devices with limited memory and bandwidth. Learning about best practices and knowing how to select the best data structure and algorithm in Swift is crucial to the success of your application and will help ensure your application is a success. That's what this book will teach you.

Starting at the beginning, this book will cover the basic data structures and Swift types, and introduce asymptotic analysis. You'll learn about the standard library collections and bridging between Swift and Objective-C collections. You will see how to implement advanced data structures, sort algorithms, work with trees, advanced searching methods, use graphs, and performance and algorithm efficiency. You'll also see how to choose the perfect algorithm for your problem.

Style and approach

This easy-to-follow yet comprehensive guide can either be read from beginning to end, or depending on your current knowledge level, you can jump to the specific chapter that interests you. Each chapter topic starts with an introduction to the topic and algorithm before moving on to the hands-on implementation and analysis.

Swift Data Structure and Algorithms

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Swift Data Structure and Algorithms

Copyright © 2016 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: November 2016

Production reference: 1111116

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

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B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78588-450-4

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Credits

Authors Erik Azar Mario Eguiluz Alebicto	Copy Editor Safis Editing
Reviewer Doug Sparling	Project Coordinator Ritika Manoj
Commissioning Editor Kunal Parikh	Proofreader Safis Editing
Acquisition Editor Shweta Pant	Indexer Rekha Nair
Content Development Editor Divij Kotian	Graphics Jason Monteiro
Technical Editor Prashant Mishra	Production Coordinator Shraddha Falebhai

About the Authors

Erik Azar is a computer scientist with over 20 years of professional experience of architecting and developing scalable, high-performance desktop, web, and mobile applications in the areas of network engineering, system management and security, and enterprise business services, having worked in diverse positions in companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. He has been developing applications on macOS and iOS since attending his first WWDC in 2007, when Apple announced the initial iPhone.

Erik is an expert developer and architect for Availity, LLC, based in Jacksonville, Florida, where he works with teams to deliver software solutions in the healthcare industry.

Erik has performed technical reviews for several Packt Publishing books on Java RESTful APIs and security, enjoying the experience so much he decided to write his first book for Packt Publishing.

When Erik is not being a geek, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Rebecca, and his three kids, and getting out to ride his motorcycle up and down the Florida coast.

I want to thank my children, Patrick, Kyra, and Cassandra; my parents; and especially my wife, Rebecca, for their support and encouragement while writing this book. I’d also like to thank Michael Privat and Robert Warner for their support, encouragement, and guidance on this project as well. Lastly, I want to thank Mario, Divij, Prashant, and our technical reviewers for all of their hard work and guidance working on this book. It’s been a great experience working with all of you.

Mario Eguiluz Alebicto is a software engineer with over 10 years of experience in development. He started developing software with Java, switched later to Objective-C when the first iPhone delighted the world, and now he is also working with Swift. He founded his own startup to develop mobile applications for small companies and local shops. He has developed apps for different Fortune 500 companies and also for new disrupting startups since 2011. Now, he is working as a contractor in mobile applications, while writing technical and teaching materials whenever possible.

Apart from software development, Mario loves to travel, learn new things, play sports, and has considered himself a hardcore gamer since he was a child.

I want to thank my mother and sister for their love and unconditional support. Borja, you helped me so much when I needed it. Gloria, thanks for keeping me positive beyond my limits. Also want to thank Divij, Erik, and the entire team for their guidance and work on this book. You guys are awesome!

About the Reviewers

Doug Sparling works as a technical architect and software developer for Andrews McMeel Universal, a publishing and syndication company in Kansas City, MO. At AMU, he uses Go for web services, Python for backend services, Ruby on Rails and WordPress for website development, and Objective-C, Swift, and Java for native iOS and Android development. AMU’s sites include www.gocomics.com, www.uexpress.com, www.puzzlesociety.com, and www.dilbert.com.

He also was the co-author of a Perl book, Instant Perl Modules, for McGraw-Hill, and a reviewer for other Packt Publishing books, including jQuery 2.0 Animation Techniques: Beginner’s Guide and WordPress Web Application Development. Doug has also played various roles for Manning Publications as a reviewer, technical development editor, and proofer, working on books such as Go in Action, The Well-Grounded Rubyist 2nd Edition, iOS Development with Swift, and Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists.

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Preface

This book aims to teach experienced developers how to leverage the latest Swift language features. With Swift, Apple's new programming language for macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux, you can write software that is fast and helps promote safer coding practices. With Swift and Xcode playgrounds, Apple has made it easy for developers to learn about the best practices and new programming concepts. Apple has open sourced the Swift language, that is, they have made it available on a wide range of platforms now, not just the Apple ecosystem. By doing this, developers are now able to develop server-side code on multiple platforms, in addition to developing code for the traditional line of Apple products.

Today, so many consumers are dependent on their smartphones and Internet access, the effect being the amount of data is growing exponentially, and being able to process, sort, and search that data as quick...