Stewart Lynch News
​2026 - 12

Please pass on the subscription link to others in your sphere so I can broaden my reach.
​https://stewartlynch.kit.com/

WWDC26 Reflections

Another WWDC is now behind us, and this year’s event felt quite different from those of previous years. Aside from the significant focus on Foundation Models and the introduction of Private Cloud Compute capabilities for developers, there were relatively few major new features announced across Apple’s platforms.

In many ways, that is a good thing. So far, this has been one of the most stable Beta 1 releases that I can remember. I currently have macOS 27 running on my MacBook Air, iPadOS 27 on my iPad Air, and iOS 27 on my iPhone 12 Pro. To date, I have encountered very few issues. The experience has been stable enough that I am even considering upgrading my Mac mini and iPhone 16 Pro sooner than I normally would.

Looking ahead, I am already planning new videos that will begin rolling out in early August. In the meantime, I had to record new introductions for two videos scheduled for release in July because improvements in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 have effectively made portions of those videos obsolete on the latest operating systems.

That said, the content will still be valuable for developers who cannot yet target version 27 in their apps. The two topics are image caching and reordering lists and grids. Both areas have seen meaningful improvements in the latest releases, and I am looking forward to creating updated content that explores the new approaches.
​

WWDCCodeExtractor

Speaking of WWDC26, have you watched the keynote or the Platforms State of the Union? Have you had a chance to explore any of the technical sessions?

Many WWDC sessions include code snippets and sample implementations that can be viewed in the Apple Developer app. As I started preparing ideas for future videos, I found myself wanting a faster way to collect and reference that code.

As a result, I decided to vibe code a small Mac app called WWDCCodeExtractor. The app extracts all of the code examples from a WWDC session and saves them as a Markdown file for easy reference.

I originally built it for my own workflow while researching future video topics, but I have also made it available to anyone who might find it useful. You can download it from my GitHub repository and use it with any WWDC session that includes code examples.

​
​https://github.com/StewartLynch/WWDCCodeExtractor​

TUIKitVideos

I have to admit that my two recent videos on using TUIKit to create terminal-based user interfaces in Swift have been more successful than I expected. I released them just before and after WWDC, assuming most developers would be focused on Apple’s announcements and paying little attention to anything else.

To my surprise, the first video reached 1,000 views on its first day and generated a great deal of positive feedback. While terminal UI development is certainly a niche topic, it is a fascinating area for those of us who enjoy exploring different ways to build applications with Swift.

The first video served as an introduction to TUIKit, covering the fundamentals of building graphical user interfaces that run entirely within the terminal.

​

In the second video, we took things much further by exploring additional UI components and layout options while building a fully interactive, multi-panel terminal application.

​

The response to both videos has been encouraging, and it has reminded me that some of the most interesting development topics are often the ones that sit just outside the mainstream.

New on the Blog: Swift Initializers Part 2: Classes

If you enjoyed my recent blog post on struct initializers, Part 2 of the series is now available and focuses on class initializers in Swift.

In this post, I explore the key differences between struct and class initialization, including designated initializers, convenience initializers, inheritance, initializer delegation, failable initializers, and throwing initializers. Understanding these concepts is essential for building robust object-oriented applications in Swift.

Whether you are new to Swift or looking to strengthen your understanding of initialization, this post provides practical examples and clear explanations that you can apply immediately in your own projects.

Read the full blog post here:

https://www.createchsol.com/blog/2026-06-17-swift-initializers-part-2-classes.html

Coming Soon: Swift Macros (Two-Part Series)

Over the next two weeks, I'm diving into Swift macros -- one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) features in the language.

Part 1 -- Freestanding Expression Macros starts from scratch. You'll build a #URL macro that validates URLs at compile time rather than at runtime, learning how the macro expansion pipeline works, how to inspect syntax trees, and how to emit your own custom compiler diagnostics with clear, actionable error messages.

Part 2 -- Attached Macros goes further. You'll build a @CaseIdentifiable macro that automatically generates an id: Stringcomputed property for enums conforming to Identifiable, including proper handling of associated values, compiler diagnostics, and extension macro conformance.

Together, these two videos take you from "I've heard of Swift macros" to "I can actually build one." Both videos include starter and completed projects on GitHub.

SQLiteER: Visualizing SQLite Databases as ER Diagrams

I have a background in SQL, and Entity-Relationship (ER) diagrams were always my preferred way to visualize database tables and their relationships. Years ago, Xcode included a tool that could display Core Data entities and relationships as an ER diagram, but that feature was eventually removed.

To fill that gap, I created SQLiteER, a macOS app that generates ER diagrams directly from SQLite databases.
​

With SQLiteER, I can simply drag the SQLite file onto the window and instantly generate an ER diagram. The app removes the Core Data “Z” prefixes to make the schema easier to understand and clearly displays one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships. Tables can be repositioned to create a cleaner layout, and diagrams can be exported as either PNG or PDF.

SQLiteER supports both light and dark mode and works not only with Core Data databases, but also with databases created using SwiftData and Point-Free’s SQLiteData framework. Since SQLiteData does not use the same naming conventions as Core Data, SQLiteER automatically adapts to the schema and generates the appropriate diagram.

SQLiteER is an open source project and is available on GitHub for anyone who would like to use it, contribute to it, or simply see how it works.

​https://github.com/StewartLynch/SQLiteER​

If you enjoy what I do and want to support my work, you can join my Ko-fi community and either make a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter for as little as $5/month. Monthly supporters get early access to my videos as soon as they’re uploaded to YouTube (as unlisted videos), sometimes up to a month before they’re made public. Monthly supporters also get priority responses to their questions, and I’m happy to help with coding challenges.

In addition to PayPal, Ko-fi now supports Stripe, which makes it easier to pay by credit card.
​

My Other Stuff

Channel Listing App

A Searchable Mac app containing a list of all of my YouTube videos including the ability to watch them in the app and download starter and completed source code

Free on Gumroad

SymbolBrowser App

Browse Apple's complete SF Symbols library from your menu bar. Search, preview effects, customize colors, generate SwiftUI/UIKit/AppKit code, and copy symbols as images — all without leaving your workflow.
Available on Gumroad: (Pay what you want)

GitHub Directory Downloader for Mac

This simple app lets you download any specific directory from any GitHub repository—whether it's public or private. Just copy the folder URL, paste it into the app, and download exactly what you need. It remembers your download locations, keeps a history of what you've grabbed, and even supports branch selection. Perfect for developers who want quick access to starter projects, code examples, or specific folders without the hassle of cloning entire repositories.
Available on Gumroad: (Pay what you want)

Smile4Me Course

The course is now Free to download from: https://stewartlynch.github.io/Smile4Me-Course-Content/​

Affiliate Links

BigMountain Studio Books 

Mark Moeykens is a master at creating SwiftUI reference books. I have purchased every one of these books and refer to them all the time.

Use this link and we both will benefit

​https://www.bigmountainstudio.com/a/77jt8​