---

name: swiftui-view-refactor description: Refactor SwiftUI views into smaller components with stable, explicit data flow. risk: safe source: "Dimillian/Skills (MIT)" date_added: "2026-03-25"

SwiftUI View Refactor

Overview

Refactor SwiftUI views toward small, explicit, stable view types. Default to vanilla SwiftUI: local state in the view, shared dependencies in the environment, business logic in services/models, and view models only when the request or existing code clearly requires one.

When to Use

• When cleaning up a large SwiftUI view or splitting long body implementations.
• When you need smaller subviews, explicit dependency injection, or better Observation usage.

Core Guidelines

1) View ordering (top → bottom)

• Enforce this ordering unless the existing file has a stronger local convention you must preserve.
• Environment
• private/public let
• @State / other stored properties
• computed var (non-view)
• init
• body
• computed view builders / other view helpers
• helper / async functions

2) Default to MV, not MVVM

• Views should be lightweight state expressions and orchestration points, not containers for business logic.
• Favor @State, @Environment, @Query, .task, .task(id:), and onChange before reaching for a view model.
• Inject services and shared models via @Environment; keep domain logic in services/models, not in the view body.
• Do not introduce a view model just to mirror local view state or wrap environment dependencies.
• If a screen is getting large, split the UI into subviews before inventing a new view model layer.

3) Strongly prefer dedicated subview types over computed some View helpers

• Flag body properties that are longer than roughly one screen or contain multiple logical sections.
• Prefer extracting dedicated View types for non-trivial sections, especially when they have state, async work, branching, or deserve their own preview.
• Keep computed some View helpers rare and small. Do not build an entire screen out of private var header: some View-style fragments.
• Pass small, explicit inputs (data, bindings, callbacks) into extracted subviews instead of handing down the entire parent state.
• If an extracted subview becomes reusable or independently meaningful, move it to its own file.

Prefer:

var body: some View {
    List {
        HeaderSection(title: title, subtitle: subtitle)
        FilterSection(
            filterOptions: filterOptions,
            selectedFilter: $selectedFilter
        )
        ResultsSection(items: filteredItems)
        FooterSection()
    }
}

private struct HeaderSection: View {
    let title: String
    let subtitle: String

    var body: some View {
        VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 6) {
            Text(title).font(.title2)
            Text(subtitle).font(.subheadline)
        }
    }
}

private struct FilterSection: View {
    let filterOptions: [FilterOption]
    @Binding var selectedFilter: FilterOption

    var body: some View {
        ScrollView(.horizontal, showsIndicators: false) {
            HStack {
                ForEach(filterOptions, id: \.self) { option in
                    FilterChip(option: option, isSelected: option == selectedFilter)
                        .onTapGesture { selectedFilter = option }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Avoid:

var body: some View {
    List {
        header
        filters
        results
        footer
    }
}

private var header: some View {
    VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 6) {
        Text(title).font(.title2)
        Text(subtitle).font(.subheadline)
    }
}

3b) Extract actions and side effects out of body

• Do not keep non-trivial button actions inline in the view body.
• Do not bury business logic inside .task, .onAppear, .onChange, or .refreshable.
• Prefer calling small private methods from the view, and move real business logic into services/models.
• The body should read like UI, not like a view controller.

Button("Save", action: save)
    .disabled(isSaving)

.task(id: searchText) {
    await reload(for: searchText)
}

private func save() {
    Task { await saveAsync() }
}

private func reload(for searchText: String) async {
    guard !searchText.isEmpty else {
        results = []
        return
    }
    await searchService.search(searchText)
}

4) Keep a stable view tree (avoid top-level conditional view swapping)

• Avoid body or computed views that return completely different root branches via if/else.
• Prefer a single stable base view with conditions inside sections/modifiers (overlay, opacity, disabled, toolbar, etc.).
• Root-level branch swapping causes identity churn, broader invalidation, and extra recomputation.

Prefer:

var body: some View {
    List {
        documentsListContent
    }
    .toolbar {
        if canEdit {
            editToolbar
        }
    }
}

Avoid:

``