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@MemberwiseInit

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A Swift Macro for enhanced automatic memberwise initializers, greatly reducing manual boilerplate:

swift-memberwise-init-hero04

Informed by explicit developer cues, MemberwiseInit can more often automatically provide your intended memberwise init, while maintaining a safe-by-default standard in line with Swift’s memberwise initializers.

[!IMPORTANT] @MemberwiseInit is a Swift Macro requiring swift-tools-version: 5.9 or later (Xcode 15 onwards).

Quick start

To use MemberwiseInit:

  1. Installation <br> In Xcode, add MemberwiseInit with: File → Add Package Dependencies… and input the package URL:

    https://github.com/gohanlon/swift-memberwise-init-macro

    Or, for SPM-based projects, add it to your package dependencies:

    dependencies: [
  .package(url: "https://github.com/gohanlon/swift-memberwise-init-macro", from: "0.5.1")
]

    And then add the product to all targets that use MemberwiseInit:

    .product(name: "MemberwiseInit", package: "swift-memberwise-init-macro"),

  2. Import & basic usage <br> After importing MemberwiseInit, add @MemberwiseInit(.public) before your struct definition. This provides an initializer with public access, or, if any properties are more restrictive, the macro will not compile and will emit an error diagnostic. Here, age being private makes the macro emit an error:

    @MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  private var age: Int? = nil
//┬──────
//╰─ 🛑 @MemberwiseInit(.public) would leak access to 'private' property
//   ✏️ Add '@Init(.public)'
//   ✏️ Replace 'private' access with 'public'
//   ✏️ Add '@Init(.ignore)'
}

    Tell MemberwiseInit to ignore age with @Init(.ignore):

    @MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  @Init(.ignore) private var age: Int? = nil
}

    Alternatively, you can use @Init(.public) to include and expose age publicly in the init:

    @MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  @Init(.public) private var age: Int? = nil
}

Quick reference

MemberwiseInit includes three macros:

@MemberwiseInit

Attach to a struct to automatically provide it with a memberwise initializer.

@Init

Attach to the property declarations of a struct that @MemberwiseInit is providing an init for.

@InitWrapper(type:)

Etcetera

Features and limitations

Custom init parameter labels

To control the naming of parameters in the provided initializer, use @Init(label: String). Tip: For a label-less/wildcard parameter, use @Init(label: "_").

Explanation

Customize your initializer parameter labels with @Init(label: String):

  1. Label-less/wildcard parameters

    @MemberwiseInit
struct Point2D {
  @Init(label: "_") let x: Int
  @Init(label: "_") let y: Int
}

    Yields:

    init(
  _ x: Int,
  _ y: Int
) {
  self.x = x
  self.y = y
}

  2. Custom parameter labels

    @MemberwiseInit
struct Receipt {
  @Init(label: "for") let item: String
}

    Yields:

    init(
  for item: String  // 👈
) {
  self.item = item
}

Infer type from property initialization expressions

Explicit type annotations are not required when properties are initialized with an expression whose syntax implies type information, e.g., most Swift literals:

@MemberwiseInit
struct Example {
  var count = 0  // 👈 `Int` is inferred
}

Explanation

Explicit type specification can feel redundant. Helpfully, Swift’s memberwise initializer infers type from arbitrary expressions.

MemberwiseInit, as a Swift Macro, operates at the syntax level and doesn’t inherently understand type information. Still, many expressions which imply type from their syntax alone are supported, including all of the following:

@MemberwiseInit
public struct Example<T: CaseIterable> {
  var string = "", int = 0
  var boolTrue = true

  var mixedDivide = 8.0 / 4  // Double
  var halfOpenRange = 1.0..<5  // Range<Double>

  var arrayTypeInit = [T]()
  var arrayIntLiteral = [1, 2, 3]
  var arrayPromoted = [1, 2.0]  // [Double]
  var nestedArray = [[1, 2], [20, 30]]  // [[Int]]

  var dictionaryTypeInit = [String: T]()
  var dictionaryLiteral = ["key1": 1, "key2": 2]
  var dictionaryPromoted = [1: 2.0, 3.0: 4]  // [Double: Double]
  var nestedDictionary = ["key1": ["subkey1": 10], "key2": ["subkey2": 20]]  // [String: [String: Int]]

  var tuple = (1, ("Hello", true))
  var value = T.allCases.first as T?

  var nestedMixed = ((1 + 2) * 3) >= (4 / 2) && ((true || false) && !(false))  // Bool

  var bitwiseAnd = 0b1010 & 0b0101
  var leftShift = 1 << 2
  var bitwiseNotInt = ~0b0011

  var intBinary = 0b01010101
  var intOctal = 0o21
  var intHex = 0x1A
  var floatExponential = 1.25e2  // Double
  var floatHex = 0xC.3p0  // Double

  var arrayAs = [1, "foo", 3] as [Any]
  var dictionaryAs = ["foo": 1, 3: "bar"] as [AnyHashable: Any]
}

Default values, even for let properties

Use @Init(default: Any) to set default parameter values in the initializer. This is particularly useful for let properties, which otherwise cannot be defaulted after declaration. For var properties, consider using a declaration initializer (e.g., var number = 0) as a best practice.

Explanation

MemberwiseInit, like Swift, utilizes variable initializers to assign default values to var properties:

@MemberwiseInit
struct UserSettings {
  var theme = "Light"
  var notificationsEnabled = true
}

This yields:

internal init(
  theme: String = "Light",
  notificationsEnabled: Bool = true
) {
  self.theme = theme
  self.notificationsEnabled = notificationsEnabled
}

For let properties, @Init(default:) enables setting default values in the initializer:

@MemberwiseInit
struct ButtonStyle {
  @Init(default: Color.blue) let backgroundColor: Color
  @Init(default: Font.system(size: 16)) let font: Font
}

This yields:

internal init(
  backgroundColor: Color = Color.blue,
  font: Font = Font.system(size: 16)
) {
  self.backgroundColor = backgroundColor
  self.font = font
}

Explicitly ignore properties

Use @Init(.ignore) to exclude a property from MemberwiseInit’s initializer; ensure ignored properties are otherwise initialized to avoid compiler errors.

Explanation

The @Init(.ignore) attribute excludes properties from the initializer, potentially allowing MemberwiseInit to produce a more accessible initializer for the remaining properties.

For example:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  @Init(.ignore) private var age: Int? = nil  // 👈 Ignored and given a default value
}

By marking age as ignored, MemberwiseInit creates a public initializer without the age parameter:

public init(
  name: String
) {
  self.name = name
}

If age weren't marked as ignored, MemberwiseInit would fail to compile and provide a diagnostic.

Note In line with Swift’s memberwise initializer, MemberwiseInit automatically ignores let properties with assigned default values, as reassigning such properties within the initializer would be invalid.

Attributed properties are ignored by default, but includable

If MemberwiseInit ignores an attributed property and causes a compiler error, you have two immediate remedies:

  1. Assign a default value to the property.
  2. Explicitly include the property in the initializer using the @Init annotation.

Explanation

Unlike the compiler’s default behavior, MemberwiseInit takes a more cautious approach when dealing with member properties that have attributes attached.

For a SwiftUI-based illustration, let’s look at a view without MemberwiseInit:

import SwiftUI
struct MyView: View {
  @State var isOn: Bool

  var body: some View { … }
}

Swift provides the following internal memberwise init:

internal init(
  isOn: Bool
) {
  self.isOn = isOn
}

However, initializing @State properties in this manner is a common pitfall in SwiftUI. The isOn state is only assigned upon the initial rendering of the view, and this assignment doesn’t occur on subsequent renders. To safeguard against this, MemberwiseInit defaults to ignoring attributed properties:

import SwiftUI
@MemberwiseInit(.internal)  // 👈
struct MyView: View {
  @State var isOn: Bool

  var body: some View { … }
}

This leads MemberwiseInit to provided the following initializer:

internal init() {
}  // 🛑 Compiler error:↵
// Return from initializer without initializing all stored properties

From here, you have two alternatives:

  1. Assign a default value <br> Defaulting the property to a value makes the provided init valid, as the provided init no longer needs to initialize the property.

    import SwiftUI
@MemberwiseInit(. internal)
struct MyView: View {
  @State var isOn: Bool = false  // 👈 Default value provided

  var body: some View { … }
}

    The resulting init is:

    internal init() {
}  // 🎉 No error, all stored properties are initialized

  2. Use @Init annotation <br> If you understand the behavior the attribute imparts, you can explicitly mark the property with @Init to include it in the initializer.

    import SwiftUI
@MemberwiseInit(.internal)
struct MyView: View {
  @Init @State var isOn: Bool  // 👈 `@Init`

  var body: some View { … }
}

    This yields:

    internal init(
  isOn: Bool
) {
  self.isOn = isOn
}

Support for property wrappers

Apply @InitWrapper to properties that are wrapped by a property wrapper and require direct initialization using the property wrapper’s type. For example, here’s a simple usage with SwiftUI’s @Binding:

import SwiftUI

@MemberwiseInit
struct CounterView: View {
  @InitWrapper(type: Binding<Int>)
  @Binding var count: Int

  var body: some View { … }
}

This yields:

internal init(
  count: Binding<Int>
) {
  self._count = count
}

Automatic @escaping for closure types (usually)

MemberwiseInit automatically marks closures in initializer parameters as @escaping. If using a typealias for a closure, explicitly annotate the property with @Init(escaping: true).

Explanation

Swift Macros operate at the syntax level and don’t inherently understand type information. MemberwiseInit will add @escaping for closure types, provided that the closure type is directly declared as part of the property. Fortunately, this is the typical scenario.

In contrast, Swift’s memberwise initializer has the advantage of working with type information. This allows it to recognize and add @escaping even when the closure type is “obscured” within a typealias.

Consider the following struct:

public struct TaskRunner {
  public let onCompletion: () -> Void
}

Through observation (or by delving into the compiler’s source code), we can see that Swift automatically provides the following internal init:

internal init(
  onCompletion: @escaping () -> Void  // 🎉 `@escaping` automatically
) {
  self.onCompletion = onCompletion
}

Now, with MemberwiseInit:

@MemberwiseInit  // 👈
public struct TaskRunner {
  public let onCompletion: () -> Void
}

we get the same init, which we can inspect using Xcode’s “Expand Macro” command:

internal init(
  onCompletion: @escaping () -> Void  // 🎉 `@escaping` automatically
) {
  self.onCompletion = onCompletion
}

And we can have MemberwiseInit provide a public init:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)  // 👈 `.public`
public struct TaskRunner {
  public let onCompletion: () -> Void
}

This yields:

public init(  // 🎉 `public`
  onCompletion: @escaping () -> Void
) {
  self.onCompletion = onCompletion
}

Now, suppose the type of onCompletion got more complex and we decided to extract a typealias:

public typealias CompletionHandler = @Sendable () -> Void

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct TaskRunner: Sendable {
  public let onCompletion: CompletionHandler
}

Because Swift Macros don’t inherently understand type information, MemberwiseInit cannot “see” that CompletionHandler represents a closure type that needs to be marked @escaping. This leads to a compiler error:

public init(
  onCompletion: CompletionHandler  // 👈 Missing `@escaping`!
) {
  self.onCompletion = onCompletion  // 🛑 Compiler error:↵
  // Assigning non-escaping parameter 'onCompletion' to an @escaping closure
}

To address this, when using a typealias for closures, you must explicitly mark the property with @Init(escaping: true):

public typealias CompletionHandler = @Sendable () -> Void

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct TaskRunner: Sendable {
  @Init(escaping: true) public let onCompletion: CompletionHandler  // 👈
}

which results in the following valid and inspectable public init:

public init(
  onCompletion: @escaping CompletionHandler  // 🎉 Correctly `@escaping`
) {
  self.onCompletion = onCompletion
}

Experimental: Unchecked memberwise initialization

@_UncheckedMemberwiseInit is an experimental macro that bypasses compile-time safety checks and strict access control enforcement. It generates an initializer for all properties of a type, regardless of their declared access levels. Use it judiciously.

Key characteristics:

Example:

@_UncheckedMemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct APIResponse: Codable {
  public let id: String
  @Monitored internal var statusCode: Int
  private var rawResponse: Data

  // Computed properties and methods...
}

This yields a public initializer that includes all properties, regardless of their access level or attributes. Unlike @MemberwiseInit, this macro doesn't require @Init annotations or any other explicit opt-ins. The resulting initializer is:

public init(
  id: String,
  statusCode: Int,
  rawResponse: Data
) {
  self.id = id
  self.statusCode = statusCode
  self.rawResponse = rawResponse
}

Experimental: Deunderscore parameter names

Note Prefer using @Init(label:) at the property level to explicitly specify non-underscored names—@MemberwiseInit(_deunderscoreParmeters:) may be deprecated soon.

Set @MemberwiseInit(_deunderscoreParmeters: true) to strip the underscore prefix from properties when generating initializer parameter names. If you wish to maintain the underscore or provide a custom label on a particular property, use @Init(label: String).

If the removal of the underscore would lead to a naming conflict among the properties included in the initializer, MemberwiseInit will not strip the underscore. (Ignored properties won’t contribute to conflicts.)

Explanation

In Swift, properties prefixed with an underscore are conventionally used as internal storage or backing properties. Setting _deunderscoreParameters: true respects this convention, producing initializer parameter names that omit the underscore:

@MemberwiseInit(.public, _deunderscoreParmeters: true)
public struct Review {
  @Init(.public) private let _rating: Int

  public var rating: String {
    String(repeating: "⭐️", count: self._rating)
  }
}

This yields:

public init(
  rating: Int  // 👈 Non-underscored parameter
) {
  self._rating = rating
}

To override the deunderscore behavior at the property level, use @Init(label: String):

@MemberwiseInit(.public, _deunderscoreParameters: true)
public struct Review {
  @Init(.public, label: "_rating") private let _rating: Int
}

This yields:

public init(
  _rating: Int  // 👈 Underscored parameter
) {
  self._rating = _rating
}

Experimental: Defaulting optionals to nil

Use @MemberwiseInit(_optionalsDefaultNil: Bool) to explicitly control whether optional properties are defaulted to nil in the provided initializer:

The default behavior of MemberwiseInit regarding optional properties aligns with Swift’s memberwise initializer:

Note Use @Init(default:) to generally specify default values — it’s a safer, more explicit alternative to _optionalsDefaultNil.

Explanation

With _optionalsDefaultNil, you gain control over a default behavior of Swift’s memberwise init. And, it allows you to explicitly opt-in to your public initializer defaulting optional properties to nil.

Easing instantiation is the primary purpose of _optionalsDefaultNil, and is especially useful when your types mirror a loosely structured external dependency, e.g. Codable structs that mirror HTTP APIs. However, _optionalsDefaultNil has a drawback: when properties change, the compiler won’t flag outdated instantiations, risking unintended nil assignments and potential runtime errors.

In Swift:

For instance, var property declarations can be initialized to nil:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct User {
  public var name: String? = nil  // 👈
}
_ = User()  // 'name' defaults to 'nil'

Yields:

public init(
  name: String? = nil  // 👈
) {
  self.name = name
}

This isn’t feasible for let properties:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct User {
  public let name: String? = nil  // ✋ 'name' is 'nil' forever
}

Where appriopriate, _optionalsDefaultNil can be a convenient way to default optional properties to nil in the generated initializer:

@MemberwiseInit(.public, _optionalsDefaultNil: true)
public struct User: Codable {
  public let id: Int
  public let name: String?
  public let email: String?
  public let address: String?
}

Yields:

public init(
  id: Int,
  name: String? = nil,
  email: String? = nil,
  address: String? = nil
) {
  self.id = id
  self.name = name
  self.email = email
  self.address = address
}

Tuple destructuring in property declarations isn’t supported (yet)

Using tuple syntax in property declarations isn’t supported:

@MemberwiseInit
struct Point2D {
  let (x, y): (Int, Int)
//┬─────────────────────
//╰─ 🛑 @MemberwiseInit does not support tuple destructuring for
//     property declarations. Use multiple declartions instead.
}

Background

Swift’s automatically provided memberwise initializers deftly cut down on boilerplate for structs. Yet, they must always error on the side of caution to ensure no presumptions are made about the developer’s intent. While this conservative approach is essential for avoiding unintended behaviors, it too often leads back to using boilerplate initializers.

Swift’s memberwise initializer can’t assume that a public type should be constructible from external modules, so it never provides an initializer having an access level greater than “internal.” To safely add a public initializer to a type requires an explicit developer intent. Traditionally, that means manually declaring an initializer, or using Xcode to generate a boilerplate initializer. Take this simple example:

public struct Person {
  public let name: String
}

Swift transparently adds the following, familiar init:

internal init(
  name: String
) {
  self.name = name
}

MemberwiseInit can provide the exact same init:

@MemberwiseInit  // 👈
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
}

Unlike Swift’s memberwise initializer, you can inspect MemberwiseInit’s initializer using Xcode by right clicking on @MemberwiseInit and the selecting “Expand Macro”.

Note Introducing an explicit init suppresses the addition of Swift’s memberwise initializer. MemberwiseInit’s initializer is always added and can coexist with your other initializers, even for types directly conforming to init-specifying protocols like Decodable and RawRepresentable.1

In contrast to Swift’s memberwise initializer, MemberwiseInit can provide an initializer at any access level, including public. You explicitly instruct MemberwiseInit to provide a public init by marking Person with @MemberwiseInit(.public):

@MemberwiseInit(.public)  // 👈 `.public`
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
}

With this adjustment, expanding the macro yields:

public init(  // 🎉 `public`
  name: String
) {
  self.name = name
}

Suppose you then added a private member to Person:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  private var age: Int?  // 👈 `private`
}

Now, rather than degrading to providing a private init as Swift’s memberwise initializer must, MemberwiseInit instead fails with a diagnostic:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  private var age: Int?
//┬──────
//╰─ 🛑 @MemberwiseInit(.public) would leak access to 'private' property
//   ✏️ Add '@Init(.public)'
//   ✏️ Replace 'private' access with 'public'
//   ✏️ Add '@Init(.ignore)' and an initializer
}

Note Both Swift’s and MemberwiseInit’s memberwise initializer are safe by default. Neither will provide an initializer that unintentionally leaks access to more restricted properties.

To publicly expose age via MemberwiseInit’s initializer, mark it with @Init(.public):

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  @Init(.public) private var age: Int?  // 👈 `@Init(.public)`
}

and now MemberwiseInit provides a public init that exposes the private age property:

public init(  // 👈 `public`
  name: String,
  age: Int?  // 👈 Exposed deliberately
) {
  self.name = name
  self.age = age
}

Compared to Swift’s memberwise initializer, MemberwiseInit’s approach has several advantages:

  1. Clear Intent: @MemberwiseInit(.public) is a declaration of the developer’s explicit intention, thereby avoiding any ambiguity about the desired access level for the initializer.
  2. Safety: By failing fast when expectations aren’t met, MemberwiseInit prevents unintended access level leaks that could compromise the encapsulation and safety of the code. That is, it is still safe by default.
  3. Simpler: MemberwiseInit’s reduced complexity makes it easier to use, as its behavior is more direct and predictable.
  4. Learnable: @MemberwiseInit can be applied naively, and most usage issues can be remedied in response to MemberwiseInit’s immediate feedback via diagnostic messages2.

Let’s give age a default value:

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  @Init(.public) private var age: Int? = nil  // 👈 Default value
}

and now MemberwiseInit’s init parameter includes the default age value:

public init(
  name: String,
  age: Int? = nil  // 👈 Default value
) {
  self.name = name
  self.age = age
}

Suppose we don’t want to expose age publicly via the init. As long as age is initialized in another way (e.g. declared with a default value), we can explicitly tell MemberwiseInit to ignore it using @Init(.ignore):

@MemberwiseInit(.public)
public struct Person {
  public let name: String
  @Init(.ignore) private var age: Int? = nil  // 👈 `.ignore`
}

Now MemberwiseInit ignores the private age property and provides a public init:

public init(  // 👈 `public`, ignoring `age` property
  name: String
) {
  self.name = name
}

License

MemberwiseInit is available under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for more info.

Footnotes

  1. Swift omits its memberwise initializer when any explicit init is present. You can do an “extension dance” to retain Swift’s memberwise init, but with imposed tradeoffs. ↩

  2. MemberwiseInit currently has some diagnostics accompanied by fix-its. However, it is actively working towards providing a more extensive and comprehensive set of fix-its. There are also usage errors presently left to the compiler checking the provided init that may be addressed directly in the future, e.g. rather than implicitly ignoring attributed properties marked with attributes like @State, MemberwiseInit may raise a diagnostic error and fix-its to add either @Init, @Init(.ignore), or to assign a default value for the variable declaration. ↩