List with ForEach in iOS Swift

Introduction

We use List with ForEach to show a list of items on the screen. It helps us display many things easily by repeating a view for each item.

Showing a list of names in a contacts app.

Displaying a menu with many options.

Listing tasks in a to-do app.

Showing photos or messages in a feed.

Any time you want to show many similar items in a scrollable list.

Syntax

iOS Swift

List {
    ForEach(items, id: \.self) { item in
        Text(item)
    }
}

items is your data array.

id: \.self tells SwiftUI how to identify each item uniquely.

Examples

Shows a list of fruit names.

iOS Swift

let fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"]

List {
    ForEach(fruits, id: \.self) { fruit in
        Text(fruit)
    }
}

Shows a list of numbers with a label.

iOS Swift

let numbers = [1, 2, 3]

List {
    ForEach(numbers, id: \.self) { number in
        Text("Number: \(number)")
    }
}

Shows an empty list (no rows).

iOS Swift

let emptyList: [String] = []

List {
    ForEach(emptyList, id: \.self) { item in
        Text(item)
    }
}

Shows a list with only one item.

iOS Swift

let singleItem = ["Only one"]

List {
    ForEach(singleItem, id: \.self) { item in
        Text(item)
    }
}

Sample App

This app shows a list of animal names inside a navigation view with a title.

iOS Swift

import SwiftUI

struct ContentView: View {
    let animals = ["Dog", "Cat", "Rabbit"]

    var body: some View {
        NavigationView {
            List {
                ForEach(animals, id: \.self) { animal in
                    Text(animal)
                }
            }
            .navigationTitle("Animals")
        }
    }
}

@main
struct MyApp: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
        }
    }
}

Important Notes

Time complexity: Displaying the list is O(n) where n is the number of items.

Space complexity: Depends on the number of items and views created.

Common mistake: Forgetting to provide a unique id for each item causes errors.

Use List with ForEach when you want a scrollable list that can handle dynamic data.

Summary

List with ForEach helps show many items easily.

Always provide a unique id for each item.

Works well for menus, contacts, tasks, and more.