8/31/23, 10:38 PM Introduction to Model-View-Controller (MVC) Architecture Pattern in iOS | by Rashad Shirizada | Medium

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Introduction to Model-View-Controller (MVC)

Architecture Pattern in iOS
Rashad Shirizada · Follow
5 min read · Mar 21

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Photo by Nate Grant on Unsplash

MVC (Model-View-Controller) is a design pattern that is widely used in iOS app

development. It is a popular way to organize code and separate concerns in an iOS app.
In this post, we will take a closer look at MVC and how it is used in iOS app
development.
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What is MVC?
MVC stands for Model-View-Controller. It is a design pattern that is used to separate the
concerns of an application into three distinct components:

1. Model: The model is responsible for representing the data and the business logic of
the application. It is an object that stores and manages data and provides methods
to interact with that data.

2. View: The view is responsible for displaying the data to the user. It is an object that
defines the user interface of the application.

Open in app
3. Controller: The controller is responsible for managing the communication
between the model and the view. It is an object that receives user input from
1
the
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view, updates the model accordingly, and updates the view to reflect the changes in
the model.
Model Layer:
The model is responsible for managing the data and the business logic of the
application. It can include objects that represent the data, such as Core Data models or
network data models. The advantages of using a model in iOS app development
include:

Advantages:

1. Reusability: The model layer can be reused in different parts of the application,
making it easier to develop and maintain the code.

2. Testability: The model layer is easier to test since it contains the data and the
business logic of the application.

3. Separation of concerns: The model layer separates the data from the user interface,
making the code easier to understand, maintain, and modify.

Example of a model class in Swift:

class User {
var name: String
var age: Int

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8/31/23, 10:38 PM Introduction to Model-View-Controller (MVC) Architecture Pattern in iOS | by Rashad Shirizada | Medium

init(name: String, age: Int) {

self.name = name
self.age = age
}
}

In this example, we have a User class that represents a user object. It has two
properties: name and age . The init method is used to initialize the object with a name
and an age.
View:
The view is responsible for displaying the data to the user. It includes objects that
define the user interface of the application, such as UIViews or UITableViews. The
advantages of using a view in iOS app development include:

Advantages:

1. Customization: The view layer can be customized to match the design and
branding of the application.

2. Separation of concerns: The view layer separates the user interface from the data
and the business logic of the application, making the code easier to understand,
maintain, and modify.

Disadvantages:

1. Code complexity: The view layer can become complex and difficult to manage as
the number of views and their interactions increase.

Example of a view class in Swift:

class UserView: UIView {

var nameLabel: UILabel
var ageLabel: UILabel

init(frame: CGRect, name: String, age: Int) {

super.init(frame: frame)

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8/31/23, 10:38 PM Introduction to Model-View-Controller (MVC) Architecture Pattern in iOS | by Rashad Shirizada | Medium

nameLabel = UILabel(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: frame.width, height: 30))

nameLabel.text = name
addSubview(nameLabel)

ageLabel = UILabel(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 30, width: frame.width, height: 30))

ageLabel.text = "Age: \(age)"
addSubview(ageLabel)
}

required init?(coder: NSCoder) {

fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented")
}
}

In this example, we have a UserView class that represents a view object for displaying a
user's name and age. It has two UILabel properties: nameLabel and ageLabel . The init

method is used to initialize the object with a frame, a name, and an age. It sets the text
of the labels to the name and age values, and adds them to the view.

Controller:
The controller is responsible for managing the communication between the model and
the view. It includes objects that receive user input from the view, update the model
accordingly, and update the view to reflect the changes in the model. The advantages of
using a controller in iOS app development include:

Advantages:

1. Flexibility: The controller layer allows for changes to one layer without affecting
the other layers, making it easier to modify the application over time.

2. Separation of concerns: The controller layer separates the user interface from the
data and the business logic of the application, making the code easier to
understand, maintain, and modify.

Disadvantages:

1. Code complexity: The controller layer can become complex and difficult to manage
as the number of views and their interactions increase.

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Example of a controller class in Swift:

class UserController: UIViewController {

var user: User
var userView: UserView

init(user: User) {
self.user = user
self.userView = UserView(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 200, height: 60), na

super.init(nibName: nil, bundle: nil)

view.addSubview(userView)
}

required init?(coder: NSCoder) {

fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented")
}
}

In this example, we have a UserController class that represents a controller object for
managing a user object and its view. It has two properties: user and userView . The

init method is used to initialize the object with a user object. It creates a UserView

object with the user's name and age, and adds it to the view.

Conclusion:
The MVC design pattern is a popular way to organize code in iOS app development.
Each component of the MVC pattern has its own advantages and disadvantages. The
model layer manages the data and business logic of the application, the view layer is
responsible for displaying the data to the user, and the controller layer manages the
communication between the model and the view. By separating the code into these
three layers, it is easier to understand, maintain, and modify the code. However, as the
number of views and their interactions increase, the code can become more complex
and difficult to manage.

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