SwiftUI Data Flow

Nearly every confusing SwiftUI bug — state that resets, animations that crossfade instead of move, lists that flash, bodies that run constantly — traces to identity, lifetime, or dependencies. This is Apple's own mental model (the Demystify sessions + Data Essentials + Observation), current through the WWDC26 @State macro.

When This Skill Activates

• "@State resets when…" / state loses its value on a condition change
• Views re-render too often; animations crossfade when they should move
• Lists flashing, rows reordering wrongly, ForEach misbehaving
• Choosing between @State, @Binding, @Bindable, @Environment, plain property
• Debugging with Self._printChanges(); concurrency warnings in view code

Identity: the root concept

SwiftUI sees three things: identity, lifetime, dependencies. Views with the same identity are "different states of the same conceptual UI element"; distinct identities are distinct views.