Editing Xcode (section)

=== Playgrounds ===
The Playgrounds feature of Xcode provides an environment for rapid experimentation and development in the [[Swift (programming language)|Swift]] programming language. The original version of the feature was announced and released by [[Apple Inc]] on June 2, 2014, during [[WWDC 2014]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keynote - WWDC 2014 - Videos |url=http://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2014/101/ |access-date=February 1, 2019 |website=Apple Developer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Apple's new Swift language explained: A clever move to boost iOS, while holding Android apps back - ExtremeTech |url=https://www.extremetech.com/computing/183563-apples-new-swift-language-explained-a-clever-move-to-boost-ios-while-holding-android-apps-back |access-date=February 1, 2019 |website=www.extremetech.com|date=June 3, 2014 }}</ref>

Playgrounds provide a testing ground that renders developer code in real time. They have the capability of evaluating and displaying the results of single expressions as they are coded (in line or on a side bar), providing rapid feedback to the programmer. This type of development environment, known as a [[read-eval-print loop]] (or REPL) is useful for learning, experimenting and fast prototyping.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2014 |title=Swift: Apple's next-generation programming language 4 years in the making |url=https://www.imore.com/swift-apples-next-generation-programming-language-4-years-making |access-date=February 1, 2019 |website=iMore |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mayo |first=Benjamin |date=June 2, 2014 |title=Apple announces new Xcode, 'Swift' programming language |url=https://9to5mac.com/2014/06/02/apple-announces-new-xcode-swift-programming-language/ |access-date=February 1, 2019 |website=9to5Mac |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Swift Resources - Apple Developer |url=https://developer.apple.com/swift/resources/ |access-date=February 1, 2019 |website=developer.apple.com |language=en}}</ref> Playgrounds was used by Apple to publish [[Swift (programming language)|Swift]] tutorials and guided tours where the REPL advantages are noticeable''.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Swift Tour — The Swift programming language (Swift 5) |url=https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/GuidedTour/GuidedTour.html |access-date=February 5, 2019 |website=docs.swift.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Swift.org |title=A Swift Tour |url=https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/GuidedTour/GuidedTour.playground.zip |access-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204091803/https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/GuidedTour/GuidedTour.playground.zip |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Playgrounds feature was developed by the Developer Tools department at Apple. According to [[Chris Lattner]], the inventor of [[Swift (programming language)|Swift Programming Language]] and Senior Director and Architect at the Developer Tools Department, Playgrounds was "heavily influenced by Bret Victor's ideas, by [[Light Table (software)|Light Table]] and by many other interactive systems".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Victor |first=Bret |date=September 2012 |title=Learnable Programming |url=http://worrydream.com/#!/LearnableProgramming |website=worrydream.com}}</ref> Playgrounds was announced by [[Apple Inc.]] on June 2, 2014, during [[WWDC 2014]] as part of [[#6.x series|Xcode 6]] and released in September.

In September 2016, the [[Swift Playgrounds]] application for iPad (also available on [[macOS]] starting in February 2020) was released, incorporating these ideas into an educational tool. Xcode's Playgrounds feature continued development, with a new step-by-step execution feature introduced in Xcode 10 at [[WWDC 2018]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Getting the Most out of Playgrounds in Xcode - WWDC 2018 - Videos |url=https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2018/402/ |accessdate=November 25, 2020 |website=Apple Developer}}</ref>