Understanding Swift - Tuples

What Are Tuples in Swift?

A tuple in Swift allows you to store multiple values in a single variable. Unlike arrays, tuples can hold different data types, making them useful for grouping related values without defining a custom structure.

For example, this is a tuple:

let user = (32, "Swift Programming")

Here, the tuple contains an integer (32) and a string ("Swift Programming").

Why Use Tuples?

Store multiple values in a single variable
Group related data without creating a custom struct
Return multiple values from functions efficiently
Maintain type safety with mixed data types

How to Create and Access Tuples in Swift

Declaring a Tuple in Swift

The general syntax for tuples:

var myTuple = (value1, value2, value3, …, valueN)

You can access tuple elements using dot notation (.index):

var result = tupleName.indexValue

Tuples can store values of different data types, such as Int, String, Float, or Bool.

Example: Creating and Accessing a Tuple

import Foundation

// Creating a tuple
var employee = ("Romin", 321, "Delhi")

// Accessing elements using index positions
var name = employee.0
var id = employee.1
var city = employee.2

// Displaying results
print("Employee Name =", name)
print("Employee ID =", id)
print("Employee City =", city)

Output

Employee Name = Romin
Employee ID = 321
Employee City = Delhi

Assigning Tuple Values to Separate Variables

Instead of accessing elements with dot notation, you can assign tuple values to variables directly.

Example: Assigning Tuple Values to Constants

import Foundation

// Creating a tuple
var student = ( "Mickey" , 21 , "Pune" )

// Assigning tuple values to variables
let (name, age, city) = student

// Printing the values
print( "Student Name =", name )
print( "Student Age =", age )
print( "Student City =", city )

Output

Student Name = Mickey
Student Age = 21
Student City = Pune

Ignoring Tuple Elements Using Underscore (_)

If you only need specific values from a tuple, use underscore (_) to ignore the rest.

Example: Skipping Tuple Values

import Foundation

// Creating a tuple
var student = ( "Mickey" , 21 , "Pune" )

// Ignoring the second value
let (name, _, city) = student

// Printing the values
print( "Student name =", name )
print( "Student City =", city )

Output

Student Name = Mickey
Student City = Pune

Named Tuples in Swift

You can assign custom names to tuple elements instead of using index numbers.

Example: Creating Named Tuples

import Foundation

// Creating a tuple
var student = (name: "Mickey" ,age: 21 , city : "Pune" )

// Printing the values
print( "Student name =", student.name )
print( "Student Age =", student.age )
print( "Student City =", student.city )

Output

Student Name = Mickey
Student Age = 21
Student City = Pune