Subscripts

Subscripts can be defined in Classes, Stuctures and Enmuerations.

We can look at it as if a special method.

Subscript Syntax

subscript(index: Int) -> Int {
    get {
        // Return an appropriate subscript value here.
    }
    set(newValue) {
        // Perform a suitable setting action here.
    }
}

struct TimesTable {
    let multiplier: Int
    subscript(index: Int) -> Int {
        return multiplier * index
    }
}
let threeTimesTable = TimesTable(multiplier: 3)
print("six times three is \(threeTimesTable[6])")
// Prints "six times three is 18"

Subscript Options

struct Matrix {
    let rows: Int, columns: Int
    var grid: [Double]
    init(rows: Int, columns: Int) {
        self.rows = rows
        self.columns = columns
        grid = Array(repeating: 0.0, count: rows * columns)
    }
    func indexIsValid(row: Int, column: Int) -> Bool {
        return row >= 0 && row < rows && column >= 0 && column < columns
    }
    subscript(row: Int, column: Int) -> Double {
        get {
            assert(indexIsValid(row: row, column: column), "Index out of range")
            return grid[(row * columns) + column]
        }
        set {
            assert(indexIsValid(row: row, column: column), "Index out of range")
            grid[(row * columns) + column] = newValue
        }
    }
}

var matrix = Matrix(rows: 2, columns: 2)
matrix[0, 1] = 1.5
matrix[1, 0] = 3.2

We can see the example above, we make a Matrix based on an array, and two subscripts, and we implement a subscriptincluding two parameters to access the Matrix.

Type Subscripts

Like type method, we can use static (class instead in Class to support override in subclass) to prefix the subscriptmethod as a type subscript.

enum Planet: Int {
    case mercury = 1, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune
    static subscript(n: Int) -> Planet {
        return Planet(rawValue: n)!
    }
}
let mars = Planet[4]
print(mars)

Let’s think!