Swift UIKit MVVM + RxSwift Development Rules

You are an expert Swift iOS developer specializing in UIKit with MVVM architecture and RxSwift for reactive programming. Write clean, maintainable, and scalable code following Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Swift best practices.

Core Technologies

• Language: Swift 5.9+
• Framework: UIKit
• Architecture: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel)
• Reactive Programming: RxSwift/RxCocoa
• Dependency Management: Swift Package Manager or CocoaPods

Project Structure

MyApp/
├── App/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   └── Info.plist
├── Models/
│   ├── User.swift
│   ├── Product.swift
│   └── APIResponse.swift
├── Views/
│   ├── Controllers/
│   │   ├── HomeViewController.swift
│   │   ├── ProfileViewController.swift
│   │   └── BaseViewController.swift
│   ├── Custom/
│   │   ├── CustomButton.swift
│   │   ├── CustomTextField.swift
│   │   └── LoadingView.swift
│   └── Cells/
│       ├── UserTableViewCell.swift
│       └── ProductCollectionViewCell.swift
├── ViewModels/
│   ├── HomeViewModel.swift
│   ├── ProfileViewModel.swift
│   └── BaseViewModel.swift
├── Services/
│   ├── NetworkService.swift
│   ├── AuthService.swift
│   ├── CacheService.swift
│   └── UserDefaultsService.swift
├── Repositories/
│   ├── UserRepository.swift
│   └── ProductRepository.swift
├── Utilities/
│   ├── Extensions/
│   ├── Constants/
│   ├── Helpers/
│   └── Coordinators/
└── Resources/
    ├── Assets.xcassets
    ├── Localizable.strings
    └── Storyboards/

MVVM Architecture Guidelines

Model

• Use Codable for JSON parsing
• Implement Equatable when needed
• Keep models immutable when possible
• Use structs for simple data containers

struct User: Codable, Equatable {
    let id: Int
    let name: String
    let email: String
    let profileImageURL: String?
    
    private enum CodingKeys: String, CodingKey {
        case id, name, email
        case profileImageURL = "profile_image_url"
    }
}

View (UIViewController)

• Keep view controllers lightweight
• Handle only UI-related logic
• Bind to ViewModels using RxSwift
• Use weak references to avoid retain cycles

class HomeViewController: UIViewController {
    @IBOutlet weak var tableView: UITableView!
    
    private let viewModel = HomeViewModel()
    private let disposeBag = DisposeBag()
    
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        setupUI()
        bindViewModel()
    }
    
    private func bindViewModel() {
        viewModel.users
            .bind(to: tableView.rx.items(cellIdentifier: "UserCell")) { _, user, cell in
                // Configure cell
            }
            .disposed(by: disposeBag)
        
        viewModel.isLoading
            .bind(to: loadingIndicator.rx.isAnimating)
            .disposed(by: disposeBag)
    }
}

ViewModel

• Use RxSwift subjects for data binding
• Handle business logic and data transformation
• Expose observables for the view to subscribe to
• Implement input/output pattern

class HomeViewModel {
    // MARK: - Inputs
    let refreshTrigger = PublishSubject<Void>()
    let loadMoreTrigger = PublishSubject<Void>()
    
    // MARK: - Outputs
    let users: Observable<[User]>
    let isLoading: Observable<Bool>
    let error: Observable<Error>
    
    private let userRepository: UserRepositoryProtocol
    private let disposeBag = DisposeBag()
    
    init(userRepository: UserRepositoryProtocol = UserRepository()) {
        self.userRepository = userRepository
        
        // Setup reactive streams
        users = refreshTrigger
            .startWith(())
            .flatMapLatest { [unowned self] in
                self.userRepository.getUsers()
                    .catchErrorJustReturn([])
            }
            .share(replay: 1)
        
        isLoading = Observable.merge(
            refreshTrigger.map { true },
            users.map { _ in false }
        )
        .startWith(false)
        
        error = userRepository.getUsers()
            .materialize()
            .compactMap { $0.error }
    }
}

RxSwift Best Practices

Binding Guidelines

• Always use disposed(by: disposeBag) to prevent memory leaks
• Use weak self in closures to avoid retain cycles
• Prefer drive() for UI binding instead of bind(to:)
• Use share(replay: 1) for expensive operations

Error Handling

userRepository.getUsers()
    .observe(on: MainScheduler.instance)
    .catch { error in
        self.handleError(error)
        return Observable.empty()
    }
    .bind(to: tableView.rx.items)
    .disposed(by: disposeBag)

Networking with RxSwift

protocol NetworkServiceProtocol {
    func request<T: Codable>(_ endpoint: Endpoint) -> Observable<T>
}

class NetworkService: NetworkServiceProtocol {
    func request<T: Codable>(_ endpoint: Endpoint) -> Observable<T> {
        return Observable.create { observer in
            let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: endpoint.request) { data, response, error in
                if let error = error {
                    observer.onError(error)
                    return
                }
                
                guard let data = data else {
                    observer.onError(NetworkError.noData)
                    return
                }
                
                do {
                    let result = try JSONDecoder().decode(T.self, from: data)
                    observer.onNext(result)
                    observer.onCompleted()
                } catch {
                    observer.onError(error)
                }
            }
            
            task.resume()
            
            return Disposables.create {
                task.cancel()
            }
        }
    }
}

Code Style Guidelines

Naming Conventions

• Use descriptive variable and function names
• Follow Swift naming conventions (camelCase)
• Use meaningful prefixes for protocols (e.g., UserRepositoryProtocol)
• Use MARK: comments for code organization

Memory Management

• Use weak references for delegates and closures
• Implement proper disposal of RxSwift subscriptions
• Use unowned only when you're certain the reference won't be nil

UI Configuration

• Create reusable UI components
• Use extensions for UI setup
• Implement consistent styling across the app

extension UIButton {
    func applyPrimaryStyle() {
        backgroundColor = .systemBlue
        setTitleColor(.white, for: .normal)
        layer.cornerRadius = 8
        titleLabel?.font = .systemFont(ofSize: 16, weight: .medium)
    }
}

Testing Guidelines

• Write unit tests for ViewModels
• Use RxTest for testing reactive streams
• Mock repositories and services
• Test error scenarios

class HomeViewModelTests: XCTestCase {
    var viewModel: HomeViewModel!
    var mockRepository: MockUserRepository!
    var scheduler: TestScheduler!
    
    override func setUp() {
        super.setUp()
        mockRepository = MockUserRepository()
        scheduler = TestScheduler(initialClock: 0)
        viewModel = HomeViewModel(userRepository: mockRepository)
    }
    
    func testUsersLoading() {
        let users = [User(id: 1, name: "John", email: "john@example.com")]
        mockRepository.usersToReturn = users
        
        let result = scheduler.start {
            self.viewModel.users
        }
        
        XCTAssertEqual(result.events.count, 1)
        XCTAssertEqual(result.events.first?.value.element, users)
    }
}

Dependencies and Libraries

• RxSwift/RxCocoa: Reactive programming
• Alamofire + RxAlamofire: Networking (optional)
• Kingfisher: Image loading and caching
• SnapKit: Auto Layout (optional)

Remember to always follow SOLID principles, keep your code testable, and maintain separation of concerns between your Model, View, and ViewModel layers.