Using the share sheet to share content

In this post, we will explore how to use the share sheet in SwiftUI to share content from your app. The share sheet allows users to share text, images, URLs, and other types of content with other apps or services on their device.

What is ShareLink?

ShareLink is a view in SwiftUI that provides a way to share content using the system's share sheet. It allows you to specify the content you want to share, such as text, images, or URLs, and presents the share sheet when the user interacts with it.

Different ways to use ShareLink

ShareLink without title

You can create a ShareLink without a title, which will use the default system-provided title for the share action.

ShareLink(
    item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!
)

ShareLink with customized link title

You can customize the title of the share link by providing a string as the first argument.

ShareLink(
    "Share Website",
    item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!
)

ShareLink with a customized sharing subject and message

You can also customize the subject and message of the share action by providing Text views for the subject and message parameters.

ShareLink(
    item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!,
    subject: Text("Share blog"),
    message: Text("Share blog post ShareLink")
)

ShareLink with a preview

You can provide a preview for the shared content using the preview parameter. This allows you to specify a title and an icon for the preview.

ShareLink(
    item: URL(string: "https://appsterdam.rs")!,
    preview: SharePreview(
        "Join Appsterdam!",
        icon: Image(systemName: "person.3.sequence.fill")
    )
)

ShareLink with a custom label

You can create a ShareLink with a custom label by providing a closure that returns a view, such as a Label.

ShareLink(item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!) {
    Label(
        "Share my website",
        systemImage: "star"
    )
}

ShareLink with Transferable object

You can also share custom objects that conform to the Transferable protocol. This allows you to share complex data types, such as images or structured data.

Example of a Transferable object

struct BlogPost: Transferable {
    static var transferRepresentation: some TransferRepresentation {
        ProxyRepresentation(exporting: \.image)
    }

    public var image: Image
    public var title: String
    public var description: String
}

Using ShareLink with a Transferable object

ShareLink(
    item: post,
    preview: SharePreview(post.title, image: post.image)
)

Full code example

import SwiftUI

struct ShareLinkDemoView: View {
    let post: BlogPost = .init(
        image: Image(systemName: "star"),
        title: "Welcome to this blog post",
        description: "With a description that is longer than the title"
    )

    var body: some View {
        List {
            Section("ShareLink without title") {
                ShareLink(
                    item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!
                )
            }

            Section("ShareLink with customized link title") {
                ShareLink(
                    "Share Website",
                    item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!
                )
            }

            Section("ShareLink with a customized sharing subject and message") {
                ShareLink(
                    item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!,
                    subject: Text("Share blog"),
                    message: Text("Share blog post ShareLink")
                )
            }

            Section("ShareLink with a preview") {
                ShareLink(
                    item: URL(string: "https://appsterdam.rs")!,
                    preview: SharePreview(
                        "Join Appsterdam!",
                        icon: Image(systemName: "person.3.sequence.fill")
                    )
                )
            }

            Section("ShareLink with a custom label") {
                ShareLink(item: URL(string: "https://wesleydegroot.nl")!) {
                    Label(
                        "Share my website",
                        systemImage: "star"
                    )
                }
            }

            Section("ShareLink with Transferable object") {
                ShareLink(
                    item: post,
                    preview: SharePreview(post.title, image: post.image)
                )
            }
        }
    }
}

struct BlogPost: Transferable {
    static var transferRepresentation: some TransferRepresentation {
        ProxyRepresentation(exporting: \.image)
    }

    public var image: Image
    public var title: String
    public var description: String
}

#Preview {
    ShareLinkDemoView()
}

Screenshots

Conclusion

ShareLink is a powerful and flexible way to share content in SwiftUI applications. It allows you to easily present the system's share sheet and customize the content being shared. By using ShareLink, you can enhance the user experience of your app by enabling users to share content with their favorite apps and services seamlessly.

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