How can I use Timer (formerly NSTimer) in Swift?

📝🕒 How to Use Timer in Swift: A Simple Guide

⏰ Have you ever wondered how to use Timer in Swift to create timed events, animations, or perform tasks at regular intervals? Look no further! In this blog post, we will explore the ins and outs of using Timer (formerly known as NSTimer) in Swift, addressing common issues and providing easy solutions. So let's dive in and start ticking those 🕒s!

⚠️ The Error Message:

First, let's address the error message you encountered:

'(timeInterval: $T1, target: ViewController, selector: () -> (), userInfo: NilType, repeats: Bool) -> $T6' is not identical to 'NSTimer'

🤔 What does this mean? Essentially, the error is telling you that the initializer you used does not return an NSTimer object as expected. But don't worry, we can fix it! Let's move onto the solution.

💡 The Solution:

To use Timer in Swift, you need to follow these simple steps:

1️⃣ Create an instance of Timer. 2️⃣ Set the time interval, target, selector, user info, and repeats properties. 3️⃣ Add the Timer to the current run loop or a specific run loop mode. 4️⃣ Implement the function that the Timer will call when it fires.

Here's a corrected version of your code, implementing the above steps:

var timer: Timer!

func startTimer() {
    timer = Timer.scheduledTimer(timeInterval: 0.01, target: self, selector: #selector(update), userInfo: nil, repeats: false)
}

@objc func update() {
    // Code to be executed when the timer fires
}

🔍 Explanation:

Let's break down the changes we made:

1️⃣ We changed the initialization method from NSTimer() to Timer.scheduledTimer(). This static method automatically schedules the timer on the current run loop.

2️⃣ We specified the time interval as 0.01 seconds. Feel free to adjust this value according to your needs.

3️⃣ We set the target to self, which means the timer will call a method in the current class.

4️⃣ The selector is set to update, but we also added the @objc attribute to the function to allow it to be called by the objective-c runtime.

5️⃣ Lastly, we created the update function that contains the code to be executed when the timer fires. You can replace this with your own logic.

📣 Call to Action:

Now that you know how to use Timer in Swift, it's time to put your newfound knowledge into action! Start by implementing a simple timer-based feature in your own project and share your experience in the comments below. We can't wait to see what cool things you'll create with Timer!

👉 Don't forget to hit that "Share" button and spread the word about this helpful guide to your fellow Swift developers. Together, let's make time management a breeze in our apps! ⏳💨

🙌 Happy coding and happy timing!