watchOS: Complications

Feb 7 2023 · Swift 5.6, watchOS 8.5, Xcode 13

Part 1: Introduction to Complications

02. Create Your First Complication

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Previous episode: 01. Explore Complications Next episode: 03. Update a Complication's Data

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Explore the sample

To start, we’ll build a complication for this TideWatch app, so let’s see what we’ve got to work with.

Complication data source

When you create a watchOS project, Xcode will generate ComplicationController.swift. For the sample project, I’ve moved it into the Complications folder, here.

The current timeline entry

When watchOS wants to update the data displayed for your complication, it calls this method. You’re expected to return either the data to display right now or nil if you can’t provide any data.

guard complication.family == .graphicCircular else {
  return nil
}

let template = CLKComplicationTemplateGraphicCircularStackText(
  line1TextProvider: .init(format: "Surf's"),
  line2TextProvider: .init(format: "Up!")
)

return .init(date: Date(), complicationTemplate: template)

func complicationDescriptors() async -> [CLKComplicationDescriptor] {

}

  [
    .init(
      identifier: ~,
      displayName: ~,
      supportedFamilies: ~
    )
  ]
}

identifier: "com.yourcompany.TideWatch",

displayName: "Tide Conditions",

supportedFamilies: [.graphicCircular]