[swift-users] Should a queue be value type or reference type?

[Quinn "The Eskimo!"]

On 25 Jul 2016, at 15:10, 褚 晓敏 via swift-users <swift-users at swift.org> wrote:

> So what should it be, according to API design guidelines?

It’s hard to answer this question without more information about your specific context.  However, I think it’s safe to say that Swift expresses a preference for value types.  OTOH, reference types exist for a reason: sometimes you really do want to model shared mutable state.

My approach to this is to design the data structure as a value type and see how that works out for clients.  If the client code looks good, you’re set.  OTOH, if the client code is painful, you need to rethink.

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Quinn "The Eskimo!"                    <http://www.apple.com/developer/>
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware