InlineArray and Span

Guidance for Swift 6.2's low-level memory types: InlineArray for fixed-size inline storage without heap allocation, and Span for safe, zero-cost access to contiguous memory. These replace common uses of UnsafeBufferPointer and hand-tuned tuple storage with compiler-checked alternatives.

When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user:

• Asks about InlineArray, fixed-size arrays, or stack-allocated collections
• Mentions Span, MutableSpan, RawSpan, or UTF8Span
• Wants to eliminate heap allocations in hot paths
• Is replacing UnsafeBufferPointer or UnsafePointer with safe alternatives
• Asks about value generics or let count: Int generic parameters
• Needs zero-copy access to collection storage
• Mentions inline storage, contiguous memory, or memory layout
• Is doing binary parsing, signal processing, or embedded Swift work
• Wants to avoid copy-on-write overhead for small fixed collections
• Asks about non-escapable types or lifetime dependencies in Swift

Decision Tree