Managing the Keyboard in SwiftUI: A Comprehensive Tutorial
Tags: swift, swiftui, ios, mobile
Published: 2023-09-05 00:23:39

---
title: Managing the Keyboard in SwiftUI: A Comprehensive Tutorial
published: true
description: 
tags: swift, swiftui, ios, mobile
# cover_image: https://direct_url_to_image.jpg
# Use a ratio of 100:42 for best results.
# published_at: 2023-09-05 00:22 +0000
---

Managing the appearance and behavior of the keyboard is an essential aspect of creating a seamless user experience in iOS apps. In SwiftUI, while the system manages a lot of this automatically, there are times when you'll want more control.
We've been using all these tips and tricks for our [iOS app templates](https://iosapptemplates.com/). Let's delve into how you can handle the keyboard in SwiftUI.

---

### 1. Introduction to Keyboard Handling

When a user taps on a `TextField` in SwiftUI, the system automatically displays the keyboard. However, problems can arise if the keyboard obscures the `TextField` or other important elements of your UI.

---

### 2. Responding to Keyboard Appearance

To manage the keyboard's appearance and avoid UI obscurations, you can use the `keyboardAdaptive()` modifier. But before that, you'll need to observe the keyboard's height.

```swift
final class KeyboardResponder: ObservableObject {
    @Published var currentHeight: CGFloat = 0

    var keyboardWillShowNotification = NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: UIResponder.keyboardWillShowNotification)
    var keyboardWillHideNotification = NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: UIResponder.keyboardWillHideNotification)

    init() {
        keyboardWillShowNotification.map { notification in
            CGFloat((notification.userInfo?[UIResponder.keyboardFrameEndUserInfoKey] as? CGRect)?.height ?? 0)
        }
        .assign(to: \.currentHeight, on: self)
        .store(in: &cancellableSet)

        keyboardWillHideNotification.map { _ in
            CGFloat(0)
        }
        .assign(to: \.currentHeight, on: self)
        .store(in: &cancellableSet)
    }
    
    private var cancellableSet: Set<AnyCancellable> = []
}
```

Here, we use Combine's `publisher(for:)` method to listen for `keyboardWillShowNotification` and `keyboardWillHideNotification` notifications.

Now, let's implement the `keyboardAdaptive` modifier.

```swift
struct KeyboardAdaptive: ViewModifier {
    @ObservedObject private var keyboard = KeyboardResponder()

    func body(content: Content) -> some View {
        content
            .padding(.bottom, keyboard.currentHeight)
            .animation(.easeOut(duration: 0.16))
    }
}
```

Usage:

```swift
TextField("Enter text", text: $inputText)
    .modifier(KeyboardAdaptive())
```

---

### 3. Animating with SwiftUI Keyboard

You noticed we added an animation in the `keyboardAdaptive` modifier. This ensures that when the keyboard appears or disappears, the padding adjustment is animated, providing a smooth experience for the user.

---

### 4. Dismissing the Keyboard

In some situations, you might want the user to dismiss the keyboard by tapping outside the `TextField` or on a "Done" button.

1. **Tapping Outside:**

```swift
extension View {
    func endEditing() {
        UIApplication.shared.sendAction(#selector(UIResponder.resignFirstResponder), to: nil, from: nil, for: nil)
    }
}

// Usage:
var body: some View {
    VStack {
        TextField("Enter text", text: $inputText)
    }
    .onTapGesture {
        self.endEditing()
    }
}
```

2. **Using a Done Button:**

```swift
var body: some View {
    VStack {
        TextField("Enter text", text: $inputText)
        Button("Done") {
            self.endEditing()
        }
    }
}
```

---

### 5. Keyboard Customization

SwiftUI allows you to customize the keyboard's appearance and behavior by adjusting the `TextField`'s modifiers.

```swift
TextField("Enter email", text: $email)
    .keyboardType(.emailAddress)   // Sets the keyboard type
    .autocapitalization(.none)     // Disables auto-capitalization
    .disableAutocorrection(true)   // Disables auto-correction
```

---

**Conclusion:** Managing the keyboard effectively in SwiftUI ensures your users enjoy a smooth and intuitive experience when interacting with your app. By observing keyboard notifications, animating view adjustments, and incorporating some handy extensions, you can create a polished UI that adapts seamlessly to keyboard events.

For more development articles, check out Dopebase [programming tutorials](https://dopebase.com/tutorials).

I hope this tutorial provides you with a solid foundation for managing keyboards in SwiftUI. Happy coding!