How do I format arrays and dictionaries in Objective-C according to Spotify's style?

For arrays, use one-liners unless items are long, then break into multiple lines. For dictionaries, one-liners only for single pairs; otherwise, format with each key-value on a new line and a trailing comma, as specified in the Container Formatting section.

What's the difference between Spotify's iOS style guide and Apple's official guidelines?

Spotify's guide builds on Apple's Cocoa Coding Guidelines but adds specific rules like 120-character line limits, 4-space indentation, and Spotify-specific conventions such as the `spt_` prefix for categories. It's more prescriptive for internal consistency at Spotify.

How to document methods in Xcode using the /// style?

Use /// for documentation comments on methods and properties, and leverage Xcode's shortcut Option+Cmd+/ to generate templates with @param and @return tags. This ensures consistent and IDE-friendly documentation across the codebase.

Is Spotify's Objective-C style guide still useful in 2024?

It provides solid fundamentals for Objective-C, but its last update was in 2016, so it may not cover modern iOS development trends. It's best for legacy Objective-C projects or teams maintaining such codebases, rather than new Swift-focused apps.

Can I use this style guide for Swift projects?

No, this guide is specifically for Objective-C and Objective-C++ code. For Swift, you would need a separate style guide, as Swift has different syntax, conventions, and best practices that aren't addressed here.

How to enforce coding style rules in an iOS team without automated tools?

The guide relies on manual adherence through code reviews and clear examples, but teams may need to integrate third-party linters or formatters like clang-format, as the guide itself doesn't provide built-in tooling support.

Open-Awesome

Spotify Objective-C Coding Style

NOASSERTION

Spotify's official Objective-C and Objective-C++ coding style guide for iOS development.

GitHub

244 stars35 forks0 contributors

What is Spotify Objective-C Coding Style?

Spotify Objective-C Coding Style is a style guide that documents the coding conventions for Objective-C and Objective-C++ code used in Spotify's iOS client. It provides detailed rules on formatting, naming, documentation, and best practices to ensure code consistency and quality across the iOS codebase.

Target Audience

iOS developers at Spotify and Objective-C developers seeking to adopt a well-structured, industry-tested style guide for their projects.

Value Proposition

Developers choose this guide because it offers a clear, practical set of rules derived from Spotify's real-world iOS development, promoting readability and maintainability while aligning with Apple's official guidelines.

Overview

Guidelines for iOS development in use at Spotify

Use Cases

Best For

Teams adopting a standardized Objective-C style guide for iOS projects
Ensuring consistent code formatting and naming across an iOS codebase
Learning industry best practices for Objective-C and Objective-C++ development
Improving code documentation with Xcode's documentation style
Implementing nullability annotations for safer iOS code
Writing clean and maintainable container (array/dictionary) initializations

Not Ideal For

iOS projects where Swift is the primary or exclusive language
Teams with an established, divergent coding style they prefer not to change
Open-source libraries aiming for maximum contributor compatibility without vendor-specific prefixes
Rapid prototyping projects where strict formatting rules could slow down iteration

Pros & Cons

Pros

Comprehensive Formatting Rules

Defines precise rules for line length (120 characters), indentation (4 spaces), and container formatting, ensuring clean and consistent code layout across teams.

Nullability Safety

Recommends using NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN/END and explicit nullable annotations, which helps prevent null pointer errors and improves code safety in Objective-C.

Consistent Documentation

Enforces Xcode's documentation style with /// comments and tags like @param and @return, making APIs easier to understand and maintain through IDE integration.

Early Return Pattern

Encourages returning early on errors to reduce nesting, as shown in examples, which enhances code clarity and reduces complexity.

Cons

Dated and Objective-C Focused

Published in 2015-2016 and not updated, making it less relevant for modern iOS development where Swift is predominant, and it lacks guidance on newer frameworks or Swift-specific practices.

Lack of Automation Support

Does not include or reference tools for automatically enforcing the style rules (e.g., clang-format integration), requiring manual adherence that can be error-prone and time-consuming.

Spotify-Specific Conventions

Includes rules like prefixing category methods with `spt_`, which are tailored for Spotify's internal codebase and may add unnecessary overhead or confusion for external teams.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Swift Style Guide by @raywenderlich

The official Swift style guide for Kodeco.

Stars13,164

Forks2,102

Last commit1 year ago

Futurice iOS Good Practices

Good ideas for iOS development, by Futurice developers.

Stars10,976

Forks1,225

Last commit2 years ago

NY Times - Objective C Style Guide

The Objective-C Style Guide used by The New York Times

Stars5,821

Forks1,236

Last commit3 years ago

GitHub - Style guide & coding conventions for Swift projects

**Archived** Style guide & coding conventions for Swift projects

Stars4,758

Forks560

Last commit8 years ago

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub