Why BuildOptional and buildEither in Swift? - Purpose & Use Cases

The Big Idea

What if you could replace tangled if-else checks with clean, simple building blocks for choices and options?

The Scenario

Imagine you are writing code to handle different choices or optional values manually, like checking if a value exists or deciding between two options with many if-else statements.

The Problem

This manual approach quickly becomes messy and hard to read. You might forget a case, write repetitive code, or introduce bugs because the logic is scattered and unclear.

The Solution

BuildOptional and buildEither let you cleanly and clearly express optional and either-or choices in your code. They help you build these decisions in a structured way, making your code easier to write, read, and maintain.

Before vs After

✗ Before

if let value = optionalValue {
    // handle value
} else {
    // handle no value
}

if condition {
    // do A
} else {
    // do B
}

✓ After

buildOptional { value }
buildEither(first: A)
buildEither(second: B)

What It Enables

You can express complex optional and choice logic in a simple, clear, and reusable way that scales well as your code grows.

Real Life Example

Think about a form where a user can optionally enter a phone number, or choose between email or phone contact methods. BuildOptional and buildEither help you handle these choices cleanly in your code.

Key Takeaways

Manual checks for options and choices get messy fast.

BuildOptional and buildEither provide a neat way to express these decisions.

This leads to clearer, safer, and easier-to-maintain code.