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IfLet

The ifLet operator embeds a child reducer in a parent domain that operates on an optional property of parent state. It’s commonly used for modeling features that can be presented and dismissed, such as sheets, popovers, drill-down navigation, and alerts.

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Method Signature

public func ifLet<WrappedState, WrappedAction, Wrapped: Reducer<WrappedState, WrappedAction>>(
  _ toWrappedState: WritableKeyPath<State, WrappedState?>,
  action toWrappedAction: CaseKeyPath<Action, WrappedAction>,
  @ReducerBuilder<WrappedState, WrappedAction> then wrapped: () -> Wrapped,
  fileID: StaticString = #fileID,
  filePath: StaticString = #filePath,
  line: UInt = #line,
  column: UInt = #column
) -> some Reducer<State, Action>
Parameters:
  • toWrappedState: A writable key path from parent state to a property containing optional child state
  • toWrappedAction: A case path from parent action to a case containing child actions
  • wrapped: A reducer builder closure that describes the child reducer to run when state is non-nil
Returns: A reducer that combines the child reducer with the parent reducer

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Special Overload for Alerts

public func ifLet<WrappedState: _EphemeralState, WrappedAction>(
  _ toWrappedState: WritableKeyPath<State, WrappedState?>,
  action toWrappedAction: CaseKeyPath<Action, WrappedAction>,
  fileID: StaticString = #fileID,
  filePath: StaticString = #filePath,
  line: UInt = #line,
  column: UInt = #column
) -> some Reducer<State, Action>
A special overload for alerts and confirmation dialogs that does not require a child reducer, since these states are ephemeral and automatically nil out after actions are sent.

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Usage

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Basic optional child feature

@Reducer
struct Detail {
  struct State {
    var description: String
  }
  
  enum Action {
    case closeButtonTapped
    case descriptionChanged(String)
  }
  
  var body: some Reducer<State, Action> {
    Reduce { state, action in
      switch action {
      case .closeButtonTapped:
        // Parent will handle dismissal
        return .none
      case let .descriptionChanged(description):
        state.description = description
        return .none
      }
    }
  }
}

@Reducer
struct Feature {
  struct State {
    var detail: Detail.State?
    var items: [String] = []
  }
  
  enum Action {
    case detail(Detail.Action)
    case showDetailTapped
    case hideDetail
  }
  
  var body: some Reducer<State, Action> {
    Reduce { state, action in
      switch action {
      case .detail(.closeButtonTapped):
        state.detail = nil
        return .none
        
      case .detail:
        // Other detail actions handled by child
        return .none
        
      case .showDetailTapped:
        state.detail = Detail.State(description: "")
        return .none
        
      case .hideDetail:
        state.detail = nil
        return .none
      }
    }
    .ifLet(\.detail, action: \.detail) {
      Detail()
    }
  }
}

​
Sheet presentation with effects

@Reducer
struct EditForm {
  struct State {
    var name: String
    var email: String
    var isSaving = false
  }
  
  enum Action {
    case nameChanged(String)
    case emailChanged(String)
    case saveButtonTapped
    case saveResponse(Result<Void, Error>)
  }
  
  @Dependency(\.apiClient) var apiClient
  
  var body: some Reducer<State, Action> {
    Reduce { state, action in
      switch action {
      case let .nameChanged(name):
        state.name = name
        return .none
        
      case let .emailChanged(email):
        state.email = email
        return .none
        
      case .saveButtonTapped:
        state.isSaving = true
        return .run { [state] send in
          try await apiClient.updateProfile(name: state.name, email: state.email)
          await send(.saveResponse(.success(())))
        } catch: { error, send in
          await send(.saveResponse(.failure(error)))
        }
        
      case .saveResponse(.success):
        state.isSaving = false
        // Parent will dismiss sheet
        return .none
        
      case .saveResponse(.failure):
        state.isSaving = false
        // Show error
        return .none
      }
    }
  }
}

@Reducer
struct Profile {
  struct State {
    var editForm: EditForm.State?
    var name: String
    var email: String
  }
  
  enum Action {
    case editForm(EditForm.Action)
    case editButtonTapped
  }
  
  var body: some Reducer<State, Action> {
    Reduce { state, action in
      switch action {
      case .editForm(.saveResponse(.success)):
        // Update profile with saved data
        if let form = state.editForm {
          state.name = form.name
          state.email = form.email
        }
        // Dismiss the form
        state.editForm = nil
        return .none
        
      case .editForm:
        return .none
        
      case .editButtonTapped:
        state.editForm = EditForm.State(
          name: state.name,
          email: state.email
        )
        return .none
      }
    }
    .ifLet(\.editForm, action: \.editForm) {
      EditForm()
    }
  }
}

​
Alerts and confirmation dialogs

@Reducer
struct Feature {
  struct State {
    @Presents var alert: AlertState<Action.Alert>?
    var items: [String] = []
  }
  
  enum Action {
    case alert(PresentationAction<Alert>)
    case deleteButtonTapped(String)
    case confirmDelete(String)
    
    enum Alert {
      case confirmDeletion
    }
  }
  
  var body: some Reducer<State, Action> {
    Reduce { state, action in
      switch action {
      case let .deleteButtonTapped(item):
        state.alert = AlertState {
          TextState("Delete this item?")
        } actions: {
          ButtonState(role: .destructive, action: .confirmDeletion) {
            TextState("Delete")
          }
        }
        return .none
        
      case .alert(.presented(.confirmDeletion)):
        // Perform deletion
        return .none
        
      case .alert:
        return .none
        
      case let .confirmDelete(item):
        state.items.removeAll { $0 == item }
        return .none
      }
    }
    .ifLet(\.alert, action: \.alert)
  }
}

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Order of Operations

The ifLet operator enforces a specific order:
  1. Child reducer runs first - The child processes the action while its state is still available
  2. Parent reducer runs second - The parent can then modify or nil out child state
This ensures child reducers can always handle their actions before being dismissed. 
var body: some Reducer<State, Action> {
  Reduce { state, action in
    // This runs AFTER the child reducer
    // Safe to nil out child state here
  }
  .ifLet(\.child, action: \.child) {
    Child()  // This runs FIRST
  }
}

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Automatic Behavior

The ifLet operator provides several automatic features:

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1. Effect Cancellation

When child state is set to nil, all child effects are automatically canceled. This prevents memory leaks and ensures long-running effects don’t continue after dismissal.

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2. Ephemeral State Cleanup

For alerts and confirmation dialogs (types conforming to _EphemeralState), the state is automatically set to nil after any child action is processed. This matches the typical behavior of alerts that dismiss immediately after interaction.

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Runtime Warnings

If ifLet receives a child action when child state is nil, it will emit a runtime warning: 
An "ifLet" at "Feature.swift:50" received a child action when child state was "nil".
This typically happens when:
  • A parent reducer set child state to nil before the ifLet ran
  • An in-flight effect emitted an action after state became nil
  • An action was sent while state was nil

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SwiftUI Integration

Use IfLetStore in SwiftUI to observe and present views conditionally: 
struct FeatureView: View {
  let store: StoreOf<Feature>
  
  var body: some View {
    WithViewStore(store, observe: { $0 }) { viewStore in
      Button("Show Detail") {
        viewStore.send(.showDetailTapped)
      }
      .sheet(
        store: store.scope(state: \.detail, action: \.detail)
      ) { detailStore in
        DetailView(store: detailStore)
      }
    }
  }
}

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See Also

  • Scope - For embedding non-optional child state
  • forEach - For embedding reducers over collections
  • @Presents - Property wrapper for optional presentation state
  • PresentationAction - Action type for presented features

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